Boutique Hotel Converts Guest Rooms into Rentable Offices

After months of working at home due to the pandemic, many are finding that operating out of their houses full-time isn’t doing the trick, with some looking for quiet getaways from cramped spaces and children, roommates or other distractions. That demand is creating an interesting opportunity for hotels to fill vacancies caused by pandemic-related travel constrictions.

Operators of the Wythe Hotel offer one example of owners capitalizing on the demand. The boutique hotel in Brooklyn partnered with New York-based office space provider Industrious to convert a selection of loft-style guest rooms on its second floor into private office suites for up to four employees.

The Industrious at Wythe Hotel spaces can be booked by the day and offer a coworking-style alternative to home for individuals or small teams that want to collaborate in a protected, on-demand environment. A contact-free check-in system allows for seamless and safe entry upon arrival.

Through August 31, a studio that accommodates two workers with individual desks from 8am-6pm starts at $200 per day. A three desk option runs at $250 and space for four employees costs $275. All members have access to Wi-Fi, phones and printing, as well as complimentary coffee and pastries, a dining area and private outdoor space. The workspace is even pet friendly.

All offices in the century-old, 70-room hotel feature 13-foot high original timber ceilings, oversized windows, concrete floors and works by local artists. Workstations are offered with sit/stand desks and Rexford desk chairs from furniture rental provider Feather.

Industrious at Wythe Hotel has also partnered with “day improvement company” New Stand to offer curated "productivity packs" of snacks for each office suite, which include a combination of healthy sweet and salty snacks. Keeping interactions to a minimum, guests can also order contact-free room service from the hotel’s brasserie Le Crocodile or enjoy a meal in the restaurant’s outdoor garden space.

“Together with Industrious, we are offering remote workers a safe and comfortable place to be productive and escape the confinements of their apartments for a moment. Unlike working-from-home, remote workers can enjoy the benefits of a hotel, ” said Peter Lawrence, owner of Wythe Hotel, in a news release. “Our approach to hospitality provides these workers with elevated service in a fresh, calm space. By [housing medical workers and] working in collaboration with doctors and nurses on-property during the shutdown, our staff is well-equipped to ensure that all guests are staying in a healthy environment.”

Industrious, too, has been committed to ensuring health and safety in its workspaces operating during the COVID-19 pandemic, the firm says. The provider teamed up with numerous coworking companies, architects and more earlier this year to form the Workplace Operator Readiness Council (WORC), a collaborative global task force dedicated to creating guidelines for reducing the spread of COVID-19 in coworking offices, the result of which was the Return-to-Office playbook.

As the hotel industry loses revenue from months of ongoing travel bans and shutdowns, finding innovative uses for empty rooms is a boon for hotel owners. Other hotels across the country instituted weekly and monthly rates for rooms after they began to see remote workers rent rooms as makeshift offices, and operators expect the trend to continue in the near-term as uncertainty remains about how to safely bring employees back to traditional offices.