Living at your workplace can have its pros and cons. And this is certainly the case if you work at a hotel. Can you live there? And what factors to consider? Read more to find out if you work at a hotel, can you live there, and what to consider when making your decision.
Can employees live in the hotel?
There is no straightforward answer. Each major hotel chain will have policies on whether their employees can live in their hotels. But there have been cases where employees can stay at the property they are working at. Often though, employees will live in separate accommodation spaces instead.
In the United States, it is less likely that hotels will allow employees to live in the hotels they are working at. But this practice is more common in other parts of the world. It is best to bring this up with the management or HR of the hotel you are working at.
Which employees are more likely to be able to live in the hotel?
Even if the hotel you are working at permits employees to live there, your eligibility may still depend on your position at the hotel.
Managers
It is more likely that employees with managerial positions will be allowed to live at the hotel they are working at. If you have been working at the same hotel for at least five years, you are also more likely to be allowed to live there for several reasons.
- Trust
Hotels don’t just let anybody stay with them. This is for security and reliability reasons. If you have been a manager at a hotel for several years with a good relationship of trust with the hotel, you are in a prime position to request to live there.
- Benefits to the hotel
If you are working in a hotel, you will know that incidents or emergencies can occur quickly. Staff will have to respond diligently to not impact the hotel’s reputation. Or worsen the guests’ experience further.
What are the benefits of letting employees in managerial positions live on the property? Hotels can be sure that all incidents are professionally dealt with on time by someone with authority. So, hotels will be keen to let senior employees live at their properties.
Management Trainees
Much like managers, to-be managers may also live at the hotel they will eventually be overseeing. By living at the hotel, trainees can get accustomed to its operations in a shorter amount of time. Their relationships with day and night shift employees can also be built quicker, as they will be present 24/7 at the hotel.
For trainees, this could also be a great option for cutting back daily expenses. Not only will they already be at their workplace and so reducing the cost of transportation. But they will also be saving costs on accommodation. We all know how difficult it is for a working person to rent a place. Let alone one that has just started out as a trainee.
Cleaning Staff
Hotels may also allow their cleaning staff to live at the property. The reasoning is like those that permit managers and managerial trainees to live there. In times of emergencies, cleaners can be essential to complete the manager’s solution to the problem. Ultimately increasing or simply maintaining guest satisfaction as best as possible.
Would employers reserve rooms for their employees?
Hotels are not likely to reserve rooms for employees. Even if the presence of a manager or cleaner will mean quicker incident response time and better solutions. Because rooms mean revenue for hotels.
And it is unlikely that they will give up profit for expense, expense is the cost of hiring an employee. So, make sure to take the issue up with management and HR before you make any concrete decisions. Even if you think living at the hotel will improve your daily routine. And your presence can benefit the hotel.
If you are not a manager, trainee, or cleaner, can you still live at the hotel? The answer, once again, is not as straightforward as a yes or no.
Smaller and more independent hotels will likely allow all employees to stay at their property. But only if room availability allows for it. As smaller and lesser-known hotels are more likely to have empty rooms on a regular basis than hotels in major chains. When rooms are available and employees need a place to stay, employers are more likely to make an exception.
Benefits and downsides
Now you know whether hotels will let employees live at their properties. Let’s go through a few factors to consider when deciding whether to live at the hotel you are working at or not.
Benefits:
- Reduced cost of rent
If your hotel allows you to live on its property, it will very rarely be for free. Now you might be thinking, maybe renting an apartment in town is the cheaper option after all. This can be true or false depending on where on the planet you are apartment shopping.
Sometimes you might find one month’s rent for an apartment more expensive than that for a hotel room. As hotels will consider the extra work you are doing by agreeing to stay on site. Responding to emergencies and incidents in the middle of the night is not pleasant to anyone. No matter how committed to the job or how motivated you are.
The hotel may be more willing to let you live at their property at a discount. Given the emotional and physical taxing nature of an on-call employee. The cost will usually be deducted from your salary, but you can negotiate other forms of payment as well.
- Little to no travel expenses for work
By living at the hotel you are working at, you can save a fortune on travel expenses. This is particularly the case if you are working at a hotel in the city, or in a tourist area. Accommodation and transport in these areas are usually higher than in other regions.
If you live further out in less pricey accommodation, the cost of transport will likely add up to the amount you saved on rent. Living at the hotel you are working at can help you reach your savings goal faster.
- Permanent residence
Rented residences are unstable. It is unlikely that you can rent to live somewhere for more than two years. Even more so without rent increasing each year. And it is unlikely that you can secure permanent residence in a bought accommodation. Given the ridiculous amounts of money required to own a property today. If you live at the hotel you are staying at, you basically have secured permanent residence.
Usually, hotel policy allows guests to stay at their property if they have enough money to rent a room. Given they are reasonable to staff and other guests. Meaning you can stay at a hotel indefinitely until you can’t afford to anymore.
If you work at the hotel, not only will you have a steady income that allows you to stay at a hotel indefinitely. But the hotel will also know about your financial situation. This means the hotel won’t be losing profits from a potential guest room to somebody who is unable to pay the rent.
Downsides:
- Rooms may be subject to availability
We have already mentioned that hotels are reluctant to reserve profitable rooms for their employees. So, even if you are in a desperate situation and needed a place to live, there is no guarantee that your hotel must offer you a room.
This is regardless of what position you are working in, or how long you have been working for the hotel. If the property is full, the hotel will simply decline your proposition to live there.
If you are already living at the hotel and working there, you might be at risk of eviction. Especially at times of financial distress for the hotel. So, before you decide to live at the hotel you are working at, you might want to check how well the hotel has been doing in recent years.
And how it is predicted to perform. This is to ensure you won’t be suddenly left on the streets amidst a financial crisis.
- Lack of work-life balance
We have also mentioned that a hotel might let you live at the property because they need employees on call to respond to emergencies as they occur. This can also mean that you will have a poor balance between your work life and your home life. As you will likely be expected to deal with all incidents that occur out of hours.
Meaning you will lose those extra hours of personal time to your work. If you are the type of person to leave work at the workplace after working hours, living at the hotel you are working at might not be the best option for you.
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