According to a recent study, roughly 22% of the American workforce will work remotely by next year. I’ve personally been working remotely since 2015 and used to speak at conferences about how the future of work is remote — so it’s something I’m very passionate about and have almost a decade of experience working remotely from locations all over the world.
With that, I wanted to share features that you should look for in a hotel if you’re going to be there working remotely.
Reliable WiFi
If you’re going to be working remotely from a hotel, finding a hotel with reliable WiFi should be the most important item on your list.
To ensure that a hotel will have reliable WiFi, I recommend going to the hotel’s TripAdvisor page and searching for “WiFi” in the reviews. If there are more than one or two negative comments about WiFi, I’ll usually look for another hotel.
Also, when booking the reservation I always include a note that says: “I’ll be working remotely and will need reliable and fast WiFi.” That way, if I do run into issues with the WiFi and need to change hotels, I can try and rely on that communication to get the hotel to allow me to cancel the rest of my reservation and refund me for the unused portion of my stay.
Great view from your room
While reliable WiFi is the most important item on any remote worker’s checklist for remote work hotels, I’d argue a great view from your room is the second most-important factor to consider. If you’ll be working 8-hour days, it’s great to be able to enjoy a view of the location you’re staying in.
If I’m working remotely from a hotel, I’d rather stay at a 3-star hotel with a great view from my room than a 5-star hotel with no view.
Staying in a central location
Staying in a hotel that’s in a central location (i.e., walking distance to coffee shops, parks, points-of-interest, and restaurants) is great for remote workers. This way, if you’re working remotely and your schedule opens up for only an hour or so, you’ll be able to explore a bit or a grab a bite to eat before heading back to work.
Early check-in, late check-out
You’ll want to make sure your check-in and check-out times align with your workday. If not, you should reach out to the hotel to see if you can pay extra for a guaranteed early check-in and/or late check-out.
If I have a flight that’s arriving early in the morning, what I’ll sometimes do is pay for the night before so that I can check in immediately upon getting to the hotel. So let’s say my flight lands at 7am and I’ll get to the hotel by 7:45am, I’ll pay for the night before to ensure that I can check-in right away and start working by 9am. If paying for an extra night isn’t an option, be sure to research nearby cafes or coworking spaces before getting to your destinations.
Free breakfast
Having access to free breakfast is a great feature for remote workers and it’s one my favorite parts of working remotely from a hotel. Basically, I can wake up, shower, and then head downstairs and get coffee and breakfast in the hotel’s restaurant before starting my work day.
Since hotel breakfasts can be overpriced compared to nearby coffee shops and restaurants, having free breakfast at the hotel makes it so I’m not tempted to walk around finding cheaper options.
Dedicated workspace
If you’re going to be working remotely from a hotel, make sure that the room offers a dedicated and comfortable workspace. Often you’ll be able to see pictures of the room in advance, and — at a minimum — you’ll want to make sure there’s a desk with a comfortable-looking chair.
If you can splurge on it, staying in a suite is a great option since you can have an area of the hotel room where you work remotely and an area that you just use for sleeping and relaxing.
What features are most important to you when you’re working remotely?
2 comments
I think you nailed the top 3 for me
Big fan of your blog — so that means a lot to me, Dan!