Mixing business with pleasure: once taboo, is now becoming the new norm not only in the hospitality industry but others as well. As work-life boundaries continue to blur in the aftermath of the pandemic, people are turning to a new type of travel: “bleisure” or the combination of business and leisure travel.
Work from home has turned into “work from anywhere.” People no longer need to take vacation days to travel somewhere new. They can take their work with them anywhere in the world. Working remotely has become the newly accepted and promoted working trend, and this shift is bleeding into hospitality.
Hotels are now offering guests a space to work and relax. They can now get a change of scenery as they work, with the bonus of a vacation feel.
So, how do we in the hospitality industry adapt? First and foremost, we offer good wifi (of course). Then, we design spaces meant for the work from the anywhere traveler.
Create coffee shops within your hotel with beautiful scenery and workspaces. Capitalize on the environment you are in and the views you may have. The reason people are traveling while working is to work in a different environment, so make it easy for them to work with a view. Have workspaces by windows looking out onto the hotel’s amenities or the city. Ensure that you offer outlets for people to charge their computers and great wifi for people to utilize in each of these workspaces. Offer comfortable chairs and tables, but also make sure these chairs allow people to sit up straight while working on their computers. Create an “office” that both promotes productivity and mental relief.
It’s so critical that we capitalize on this new era of travel, and make sure we are accommodating new guests, who we may not have seen traveling if it were not for the pandemic and the new norm of “work from home”.
