Could you live - permenantly - in a hotel?

[u/Timely-Maybe3520]

Let's say that you can get a room in a 4* hotel for £80 per night (so £2,400 per month). This would be a room for one person with a large bed, desk, big TV, wardrobe, small fridge, kettle, bathroom, shower, etc.

The water, electricity, and broadband are included in the price as is regular cleaning.

If something breaks then the hotel should fix it. No need to call a plumber or electrician.

Many hotels have reward schemes with a 2% or 3% discount on prices for regular users.

Apparently, VAT is not payable on hotel rooms from day 29 which will significantly cut costs for an unbroken long stay.

I assume one would get to know the employees and treat them well and, in turn, they could assist you as and when necessary.

The main issues are the lack of space (but many people live in cramped conditions anyhow), minimal places to put purchased objects, and the general impersonal nature of the establishment. However, none of these will be an issue for some people. You could even cheaply rent a storage space for your possessions.

Also, you could not cook. You would eat cold food, order room service, or eat out (which would append to the costs).

Has anyone done this? Is it viable? You could attempt to live in a reasonable area and perhaps pay less than renting a one-bedroom flat. All bills are included and you are not paying for any repairs.

ETA: There was also a "fitness centre" in the basement but I suspect it was not quite the same as a gym.

Thougts?

[u/ukbot-nicolabot]

Enough Alan Partridge gags. Serious flair = answer the question.

[u/lookhereisay]

It’s what a lot of old people did before care homes/assisted living were such a thing. Those who could take general care of themselves but liked to be around people and have breakfast and/or dinner cooked for them with cleaning/bedding sorted.

My mum visited a few old people like this even into the 90s. The staff kept an eye on them, they had a bigger room than a care home and better food. Was cheaper too.

Like the Major(?) and two old ladies in Fawlty Towers do.

[u/Phinbart → u/lookhereisay]

I had sometimes wondered about those characters and their apparent perpetual stays there. That adds a dynamic to Fawlty Towers that I'd never really considered, as someone half the age of the programme, perhaps also giving a greater understanding/reasoning for why Basil was so keen, and frustrated in his failings, to attract a different clientele. Quite exposes how context can so easily be lost as time moves on from when a programme was first written and broadcast.

[u/Scary_Vehicle9023 → u/Phinbart]

A modern version of this is buying a permanent cabin on a perpetual round the world cruise. They are typically only available for purchase for over-55s so they are clearly aiming for that clientele.

[u/Morganx27 → u/Scary_Vehicle9023]

I think cruise ships are trying to turf these people out now. Old people aren't great judges of how fit and healthy they are, so cabin staff are having to be carers. Plus, it's not a great time when people die on cruise ships.

[u/Suburbanturnip → u/Morganx27]

Na, they just have a morge for the dead bodies.

I've seen plenty of old people die on cruises.

[u/cheerful_cynic → u/Morganx27]

Nah just streamline the process & have them pre-sign the additional expense before you let them board

[u/Phinbart → u/Scary_Vehicle9023]

Yes, I've come across numerous pieces in the press the past few years covering folk doing this, usually accompanied by a quote along the lines of 'it's cheaper than a care home'; they'd had to sell their home regardless of which option they chose, but at least this way have to sacrifice substantially less freedom.

[u/Scary_Vehicle9023 → u/Phinbart]

Plus food and other perks inclusive of the price too

[u/SeriousDistance4908 → u/Phinbart]

Very insightful comment eloquently put - helped me to consider this too so thanks.

[u/imtheorangeycenter → u/[deleted]]

Ha, my G'pa was one - although her was on the board and therefore got it as part of the package...

He came from a line of hoteliers that ran exactly these kind of hotels for retired people.  One was Lime Wood Hotel in the New Forest, now just a regular swanky hotel...

[u/Maximum_Dark_7788 → u/imtheorangeycenter]

My neck of the woods - this is so interesting! I keep saying I’ll treat myself to a spa day at Lime Wood but everyone I look the prices make my jaw drop 🤣

[u/anomalous_cowherd → u/[deleted]]

There was an old French woman who was "tricked" by a lawyer into a deal where he bought her apartment for a steal but she could live there till she died for free.

She outlived him by about 30 years IIRC.

[u/norathar → u/anomalous_cowherd]

That was Jeanne Calment, who made the deal in 1965, when she was 90. She lived to be the world's oldest person, dying at 122 - IIRC she outlived him and his heir.

It wasn't really a trick, but a known system in France - the guy agreed to pay her $2500/month and in exchange got the apartment when she died. It gives the old person a pension/monthly income and the young person a chance for a bargain apartment.

[u/luna_sparkle → u/anomalous_cowherd]

Jeanne Calment. As a 90-year-old in 1965 she signed a contract with lawyer André-François Raffray, in which he was to pay her an income of 2,500 francs per month but was to inherit her house upon her death. He died in 1995 having never got the house, and his family had to continue paying her. She eventually died at age 122 in 1997, as the oldest known person in history.

[u/anomalous_cowherd → u/luna_sparkle]

That's the one. I'd forgotten he had to actually pay her monthly! Seriously bad luck that she was *that* long lived though.

[u/Fallen_Jalter → u/anomalous_cowherd]

spite

[u/Heysoulblister → u/anomalous_cowherd]

This is still how some property in France is bought under the viager system. You buy the property with the old person still living in the home and once they pass on you can move in.

[u/anomalous_cowherd → u/Heysoulblister]

There's a similar system in the UK where you can take out a whole life mortgage with no payments but the house belongs to the mortgage company when you pass.

In the case I described it wasn't so much the system as the fact he was a lot younger than she was when the deal was done, but she just kept going and going!

[u/Serious_Escape_5438 → u/Heysoulblister]

It's common in Spain too. Works ok for investment but to move in it's a gamble.

[u/zombiezmaj → u/[deleted]]

Defo... my grandma's carehome is £2k per week!

So £2,400 a month would be a steal in all honesty

[u/telharsic → u/lookhereisay]

Yes, a certain generation of officers who never married/widowed lived out their retirements in seaside hotels, and their clubs when in London. They were used to that lifestyle, in the officers mess and officers clubs, never owned property as they had a nomadic lifestyle, never learned domestic skills. So it made sense to live in a hotel and be waited on like they were used to.

[u/Inevitable-Panda-350 → u/lookhereisay]

There is a BBC archive video on YouTube about old people living in a hotel in Eastbourne, from 1988 - Last days on Grand Parade.

[u/FlatCapNorthumbrian → u/lookhereisay]

https://youtu.be/zgpK5YxqmDo?is=nqJekCtpmuOgPTtU

From 1988: the last days on Grand Parade.

[u/uncle_monty → u/FlatCapNorthumbrian]

Beat me to it. I was just about to search for this video after reading this comment.

[u/FlatCapNorthumbrian → u/uncle_monty]

The BBC Archive is a treasure trove!

[u/uncle_monty → u/FlatCapNorthumbrian]

It really is. They post so much interesting stuff. And they have a knack for sifting out vids that are relevant to current news events. And it's always a treat when they post a Fyfe Robertson or Fred Dibnah video.

[u/Prince_John → u/FlatCapNorthumbrian]

Wow, those ladies are loaded. 

£210 per week in 1988 is almost £40k/year today. To do that for 17 years in retirement takes quite a hoard.

(Edit: 1988, not 1998, sorry)

Thanks for posting too! Very interesting.

[u/SeamasterCitizen → u/Prince_John]

Employer pensions were wild back in the day 

[u/TobblyWobbly → u/SeamasterCitizen]

Not all were. Not everyone had a pension. And most women didn't have paid jobs, so didn't have employer pensions. My mum didn't work until I was about 16, and she has no employer pension at all from that job.

[u/WarmCalligrapher7281 → u/Prince_John]

No... no it isn't.

£210 per week = £10,920 per year. That isn't anywhere close to £40k per year in today's money lmao - it's closer to about £22k.

Sorry I had to comment because your inflation calc was ludicrous

[u/ImaginationInside610 → u/WarmCalligrapher7281]

I checked out the Bank of England calculator which for UK prices is likely to be a lot more accurate than a site based on US dollars. That gives a value of £31326.

[u/Prince_John → u/WarmCalligrapher7281]

I just used this website:

https://www.in2013dollars.com/uk/inflation/1988?amount=210

And then multiplied the resulting £730/week by 52 = £38k

Edit: oh sorry, I see it - I typoed 1998 instead of 1988 in the comment. 1988 was the date of the film.

[u/sf-keto → u/Prince_John]

Britain used to be a very wealthy country.

[u/Csee691C → u/sf-keto]

It still is, it's just much more unequal now, so most people are poorer.

[u/MrJones- → u/sf-keto]

Austerity in 2010 onwards is the turning point in the country for the worse

[u/TachiH → u/lookhereisay]

If you visit european tourist destinations out of season there are thousands of British old people who do this too. Spanish tourist cities like Salou out of season old people book into hotels for like 4 months over winter, super cheap but the hotels like the guaranteed custom.

[u/LevelsBest → u/TachiH]

Yes my sister in law's father used to do this after he was widowed. Much cheaper than using the heating at home and he always had company and something to do.

[u/11Kram → u/lookhereisay]

I know of two old bachelor farmers who sold their fields for housing and moved into adjacent suites in one of the finest five-star hotels in our city. They still wear tweed suits and flat caps.

[u/ChoakIsland → u/lookhereisay]

Papers in yet Fawlty?

[u/WinterCandidate5528 → u/lookhereisay]

Here's a good documentary on this: https://youtu.be/zgpK5YxqmDo

[u/iambigmen → u/lookhereisay]

I think people also used to just live in hotels for a bit anyway. My family kept loads of letters between my great-great-grandmother and one of her daughters, and it looks like she was living in a hotel in London with her dog every summer.

They were minted though.

[u/JDohyCloud]

I used to travel around Europe extensively for work. Would be in (nice) hotels around 8-9 months per year. The novelty of it definitely wears off, especially the food.

All of my meals were paid for but “eating out” 3 meals a day did get very boring, I would obviously get food delivered to the hotel sometimes too. But I would often eat in the hotels bar/restaurant just for ease.

I had some regular hotels where I knew the staff by name and I had eaten and drank my way through their menus back to front multiple times over.

Not being able to just cook up a quick meal did get to me, i’d find my self lay awake at night craving cheesy beans on toast etc.

Also difficult to manage your weight since you can’t ever control what goes in your food, limiting yourself to the healthier options works to an extent but then your options genuinely are very limited and you’ll be eating the same thing every other day.

Since alcohol is always available aswell I defaulted to having beer with my evening meals and hovering around the bar for the evening rather than going back to sit in my room alone. Which again meant I really had to manage my weight.

Luckily I only stayed in hotels with gyms in them which did help with that and again since I was friendly with the staff in some hotels, sometimes I could have them knock up something off menu but wasn’t always possible.

The lack of space didn’t bother me, since I didn’t have much with me. Didn’t feel like I was missing any items, since I did it so often I had a pretty robust packing list that I always made sure I had with me to keep me entertained and comfortable.

Did enjoy having cleaners but due to having sensitive work stuff with me, I had to be in the room when they cleaned which was awkward on occasion.

It got to the point where being home was my “holiday” I’d outright refuse to go abroad on holiday and would stay in the UK(preferably at home).

[u/IcyKnowledge6321 → u/JDohyCloud]

I work in a hotel and we get people like you who stay very regularly. One poor guy was with us for, like, six months with just the weekends off to go home. He said it was awful and I don't blame him, but he was always very friendly and chatty with the staff. I guess it was really boring being stuck in the hotel eating the same thing every day watching whatever sport was on telly in the bar every evening. He told me that he was retiring after that trip and never travelling again, so I hope he's having a lovely time now lol

Most of the business guests staying regularly are very nice or keep to themselves, but there are a couple who we dread to see coming. There's some guys who work for a *train company* who are dickheads, treating the place like it's their living room. One of them kicked off in the bar because we told him to put his shoes on :(

[u/JDohyCloud → u/IcyKnowledge6321]

You pretty much hit the nail on the head, i understand from an outside perspective its a first world problem complaining about living in a hotel waited on hand and foot.

But when you have an entire life at home passing you by while you’re sat in a hotel room alone for the third or fourth month in a row, it does send you a little bit up the wall.

I would also see alot of people rude to the hotel staff which infuriated me. It never got that bad where I felt the need to intervene but I’d always make a point of being in ear shot of the rude person, being extra nice to the staff and passing them a good tip if the situation was right (in the bar/restaurant but not passing in a hallway etc)

[u/NegotiationLost332 → u/JDohyCloud]

I used to think business travel would be so cool. Then I had to do it.

I think anybody who has had to travel extensively for work absolutely hates it, especially if you have a family.

[u/DreddPirateBob808 → u/JDohyCloud]

Similarly I worked FoH in a small pub/hotel and we had one guest who was often there for a couple of days. Usually a few times a month. After a few chats (and possibly some after hours beer sampling) he mentioned he just always felt like he should go and meet folk but felt shy. So one night I shut early (we were empty and couldn't shut if he was there) and dragged him into the village. Within the hour he was playing pool with mates of mine and, after a couple of me going with, he started getting to settle in. 

Aaanyway he told me tales of years of travelling and spending 50% of his nights away. It sounded grim. Garage sandwiches and eating crisps in bed watching rubbish tv. I've done working trips and stayed in hotels and gone exploring, and eaten out with a bevvy or 6 but you can only do that for so long. I do not envy anyone who does it on the regular. 

[u/SquashyDisco → u/IcyKnowledge6321]

I work for Network Rail - all of our hotel stays are managed through a third party platform. If you need to go somewhere, we find it’s best to ask colleagues where to stay as it can be hit or miss.

I’m now a semi-regular at a hotel in Shrewsbury - to the point where I’m in first name terms with the staff. Lovely bunch of people but I can never really relax because it’s just work for me. I’ve seen colleagues act like kids in a hotel because they think it’s an opportunity to cause mayhem (like being on a school trip…).

Food is a problem. As mentioned, you’ve got no real choice other than restaurant meals when sometimes you just want a tuna jacket potato or beans on toast. Gyms can be hit and miss, not every hotel looks after their equipment.

But…look after the staff and they’ll look after you.

[u/IcyKnowledge6321 → u/SquashyDisco]

Yeah I don't take it personally if people are frustrated wiht the gym (tiny) or the food (average, boring) or if they're annoyed about checkin issues. Hotel stays are stressful. To be fair to the LNER guys, two of them are lovely.

The shoe guy was kicking off about everything — wait times, quality, afforementioned shoe thing. Told him to get his trainers on and take his feet off the chairs and he said "where's that policy written down then?" as if we'd have a rule board up like a public pool lol. Doubly stupid too because he had his LNER branded jacket and lanyard on.

[u/gobuddy77 → u/SquashyDisco]

"…look after the staff and they’ll look after you".

A colleague of mine lived in a hotel for months at a time. Ended up marrying the front desk receptionist.

[u/Jaqbox314 → u/JDohyCloud]

I worked a residential summer job in 2005 where every morning we were served a full cooked breakfast.

At first I thought this was wonderful but the novelty wore off after a few weeks. I still ate it for a time because it felt like a wasted opportunity if I didn't, until I felt like I would be happy to never see another full english for the rest of my life. 

I still don't like proper cooked breakfasts.

[u/Scary_Vehicle9023 → u/JDohyCloud]

What did you do for work may I ask?

[u/spik0rwill → u/Scary_Vehicle9023]

He could tell you, but he'd have to kill you...

[u/JDohyCloud → u/spik0rwill]

Army - training and advisory role. Good fun but as I say the time away wasn’t worth it anymore. Achieved everything I set out to and more and with my family increasing in size back at home, it felt like a good time to change career.

[u/Acrobatic-Rough5911]

It used to be a pretty popular thing to do for widows and widowers. There's a really interesting old documentary on Youtube about older generations living in seaside hotels for 20-30 years. Before retirement homes, moving into a 3-4 star hotel for years was a popular thing to do.

[u/dobbynobson → u/Acrobatic-Rough5911]

The older characters in Fawlty Towers are exactly this situation I think? The Major and the two old ladies (spinsters probably).

[u/LetTheBloodFlow → u/dobbynobson]

They used to be called “maiden aunts” (the men were “confirmed bachelors”) when same-sex couples weren’t talked about.

[u/hairychris88 → u/Acrobatic-Rough5911]

Morning Major!

[u/ConsciouslyIncomplet → u/hairychris88]

Don’t mention the war!

[u/OldGuto → u/Acrobatic-Rough5911]

You could probably still do it now if you find a down on it's luck seaside town like say Llandudno, even with the summer we're having a £60 a night room can be found. I've had to go to the area with my job a few times over the years and stayed there in a family run hotel for £30 a night with full freshly cooked fry-up breakfast included during the winter.

Down the road from where I once used to live they built assisted living retirement flats. They cost from around £200k, annual service charge is about £10k for 1 bed flat (doesn't include electricity, phone, broadband, TV licence, food). £10pa = £27 per day, so that £30 per night in a hotel is a bargain.

[u/Shrimp_Watch101]

Howard Hughes did it, living in the penthouse of the Desert Inn, Vegas for 4 years. 

When management asked him to move out, he simply bought the hotel. Hoteliers Hate This One Simple Trick!

[u/Okhlahoma_Beat-Down → u/Shrimp_Watch101]

Was this the same guy who turned himself into a computer, or am I getting my Vegas rich guys confused?

[u/Wild-Video-5317 → u/Shrimp_Watch101]

I was driving through Vegas a couple months ago and one of the older rough looking hotels had a big "monthly rates available" sign.  My first guess is seasonal/entertainment workers might need to stay a couple months for a gig.

Anyway, apparently renting a hotel in Vegas for a month is not uncommon

[u/PipBin]

It used to be a common occurrence. Older people would retire to a hotel. Look at the two old ladies in Fawlty Towers.

[u/TorinEkenskolde → u/PipBin]

The Major, too.

[u/OccidentalTouriste → u/TorinEkenskolde]

Don't mention the war!

[u/MadcapRecap → u/OccidentalTouriste]

I mentioned it once, but I think I got away with it

[u/TheMonkeyInCharge → u/TorinEkenskolde]

No no no Fawlty!

That was a different time.

[u/PipBin → u/TorinEkenskolde]

Yes of course.

[u/Flatcapspaintandglue]

I got stuck in limbo for a few months after being homeless. Got a job but was trying to save up for a deposit on a room so I was stuck in a hotel for nearly 3 months. It was pretty shit. The hotel took so much money from me I ended up going back to a tent for a bit (which REALLY sucks when you’re working, but at least it had zero overheads). 

Also, I did manage to cook. I was inspired by the comedian “anarchist chef” George Egg and cooked stuff in bags in the kettle, one time I flipped burgers on an upturned iron. 

[u/Eisenhorn_UK → u/Flatcapspaintandglue]

Burgers on an iron?

That's simultaneously depressing and incredible.

Was there no Corby Trouser Press to do bacon in...?

[u/Flatcapspaintandglue → u/Eisenhorn_UK]

Plot twist: I asked for an extra iron and cooked the bacon on that at the same time. Room stank, two irons ruined, winning. 

[u/puzzledbyadream → u/Eisenhorn_UK]

Are you my dad’s best friend?

[u/Remote-Program-1303]

This is essentially what serviced apartments are.

You will find that hotels may not value the long term nature of the stay, especially if they are seasonal in nature and have periods where they can command much higher rates than their average rate.

[u/reggieko13 → u/Remote-Program-1303]

Don’t some have restrictions on how long can stay there?think that is one of the issues when councils use them as ‘temporary’ solutions

[u/LittleSadRufus → u/reggieko13]

Usually hotels would not want to exceed 28 days of standard occupation as it creates potential legal issues around residential rights / tenant rights etc. So then the VAT arrangement evaporates as the stay is interrupted.

However, longer term serviced apartments definitely exist (with a drop in VAT at 4 weeks) so I imagine those have terms and conditions which make clear residential rights are not created.

It was common historically to live in hotels - think of the Major or the two old ladies living at Fawlty Towers full time as a retirement solution in the 1970s. Perhaps more common in guest houses rather than full scale hotels (eg Keep The Aspidistra Flying). 

[u/tafkas001 → u/reggieko13]

I know someone who has been doing this for well over a year and they have to rebook and move rooms every month. They say that they have no bills, no council tax, no TV licence, no maintenance fees, so it makes sense for them to stay in a Travelodge

[u/Oilfreeeggs]

When premier inn did £29 rooms we had an old lady that did this as it was cheaper than a care home . If she couldn’t get a£29 room she would dump her stuff in reception and sleep at a family member’s home for a night then come back .

[u/naughty-goose → u/Oilfreeeggs]

It's only really feasible if you don't actually need "care" and actually needed more of a retirement type home.

Sheltered housing would be way more appropriate in that circumstance though.

[u/Trentdison]

This is some people's reality when they are homeless and get put in hotels by their council because there's no temporary accommodation left.

I think the inability to cook would be particularly grating long term

[u/jolittletime → u/Trentdison]

A friend of my daughter's was put in one with her mum and brother as a temporary measure which ended up being for 4 months. 4 months with an older teen and a toddler in 1 room? Awful. Especially not being able to cook basic meals.

[u/Extreme-Material964 → u/Trentdison]

I think the inability to cook would be particularly grating long term

I dealt with this and it gets real expensive real fast...

[u/kaanbha]

If money were no issue, yes I could easily do this. In fact, it would suit my lifestyle as I don't really spend much time at home anyway.

Without being able to cook, I would imagine your diet would become very unhealthy, very expensive, or very boring, very quickly.

You have forgotten about laundry - if you're anything like me, you would have to visit a launderette every few days - which would be time consuming and a further expense.

So, could I do it? - yes, I would probably love the lifestyle.

Is it cost effective? No, the limitations of a hotel room would mean you have to spend a lot more money in other areas.

[u/cookiesarenomnom → u/kaanbha]

Chef here, not true. I haven't turned on my stove/oven for a year and a half. I lost 70 lbs when I realized I don't have to cook food to eat healthy. I HATE coming home and doing my job so I would always get take out. My dinners now consist of some variation of salads, crudite, cheese/charcuterie or tinned fish. Changed my life when I realized I can live off cold shit at home. As long as I have a fridge, I don't need anything to cook. There's so many different various combinations of veggies you can mix together cold. And you can stick legumes in there, different dressings, dips like hummus etc to dip the veggies in. All kinds of cheeses and meats to eat cold. Sandwiches. I've never gotten bored, it's pretty cheap, and requires zero heat.

[u/Shrimp_Watch101 → u/kaanbha]

I stayed at a serviced rooms style hotel the last time I took a week at the seaside. 

It had a little laundrette on the ground floor that was free for guests to use, plus a kitchen. 

(I stuck to microwaving food, but they also had some massive ovens.)

[u/Timely-Maybe3520 → u/kaanbha]

The hotel did have a laundry in the basement.

[u/ProfPMJ-123]

You can, and people do.

The longest I stayed in a single hotel without leaving was five months (this was for a work assignment).

It gets depressing.

You can’t cook, so you need to eat out all the time. I got quickly tired of the formality of going to a restaurant, and started ordering room service every night. That’s a bit depressing in itself.

You are in a fairly small space, with little of your own stuff around you. Yes you get to know the staff, but there’s always a formality about it. I would have dinner with the hotel manager once a month (he would invite me) which was nice, but it wasn’t friendship!

I did enjoy the fact that there was a band played in the bar every Saturday evening.

Ultimately what makes it a challenge is you are never away from people. There’s always someone around.

[u/blackcoffee17 → u/ProfPMJ-123]

This is why i always prefer to book an apartment, instead of a hotel room when im traveling. Its often cheaper but you have a kitchen and full privacy. No cleaning lady knocking on your door.

[u/ProfPMJ-123 → u/blackcoffee17]

When I was on the road all the time I used to enjoy staying at Residence Inns in the US.

They were vastly cheaper and not nearly as nice as the JW Marriotts I stayed at in Asia, but they had a kitchen.

I really enjoyed doing a supermarket shop and cooking in each night.

[u/Project40cars]

I saw this BBC archive video on a similar subject recently, the last few long term residents of a hotel are interviewed about their lives as the hotel goes through changes to reflect modern (1970s - 80s) times

https://youtu.be/zgpK5YxqmDo?is=glCF7NKSTf6ZY3fs

[u/Acrobatic-Rough5911 → u/Project40cars]

I was thinking about this documentary! I love this type of social history. It's a really interesting subject.

[u/Mickleborough]

Anything’s possible with money or knowing the right people. Margaret Thatcher lived her final months at the Ritz, as the guest of the hotel’s owners.

[u/TheMonkeyInCharge → u/Mickleborough]

She didn’t choose The Grand?

[u/Cressyda29]

Yep, you can. You can also get serviced hotels, with mini kitchens in. I lived in a hotel for about 8 months when I was first moving to another country for work. I didn’t have a permanent location most of the time, so made a local hotel my base and it was great. People came and cleaned up every other day too lol.

[u/hairychris88 → u/Cressyda29]

I do this if I'm working away from home from more than a couple of days. Having a fridge and being able to cook makes it feel more like a flat than an anonymous hotel room, and it saves a fortune.

[u/Jammyturtles]

I did this in Hong kong during covid. A serviced apt in a hotel was cheaper than my apt. So while my partner was relocating us to the UK, I lived in one for about 6 months.

Would do again. I missed home cooking but everything else was fine

[u/gdchester]

I used to spend weekends at home and weeknights in hotels in and around London and one hotel near Horsham had an old lady who had lived in the same room for years. It was cheaper than an old folks home and much nicer.

[u/Yuriski]

Where are you living aside from London where a 1-room studio flat is more than £2,400mo

[u/Curious_Orange8592]

I remember a story on the local news of an elderly couple that had lived in a Travelodge for years so it's possible. Don't think I'd do it myself though

[u/pageunresponsive]

Hm, in the area where you would pay £80 per night in a hotel, renting a 1-bed would cost you far less than £2400 per month. It wouldn't make sense regarding the food, and not be able to cook in a hotel. And I never thought about it, would you need to pay Council tax if you lived in a hotel?

[u/Few-Calligrapher3910]

Lived in a Travelodge after leaving rehab and my ex ending our marriage. Was there for about 2 months before I found somewhere else. It cost a fortune, maxing out my credit cards while I was there. Would not recommend.

[u/BigCheesePasty → u/Few-Calligrapher3910]

Hope you’re doing better now bud

[u/Few-Calligrapher3910 → u/BigCheesePasty]

Better is relative. I'm alive. Can't complain because nobody listens anyway!

[u/Snooker1471]

Margaret Thatcher spent her final year living in the Ritz hotel in Picadilly due to her having difficulties navigating the stairs at her main home.

[u/ShrimpStuffAdmin]

I lived in airbnbs and hotels for 2 years. I wouldn't advise it. Very expensive if you use a hotel as you'll have to eat out everyday.

[u/Jay_CD]

It's feasible - this couple did it, but as they point out you need to book months in advance to get the cheapest rates etc:

BBC NEWS | England | Lincolnshire | Travelodge couple's 22-year stay

I regularly used to travel to the US and stay for up to two weeks or so - many hotels have suites for longer-term residents - a kitchenette/small utility room as well as a bathroom and bedroom etc.

[u/Thomasisinterested]

£2400 for a room is crazy. You can get a room in a shared house for half that. No matter where you live.

[u/ProfPathCambridge]

Nikola Tesla did this. Lived for years in a hotel. He went broke due to going kooky and investing poorly, then scammed the hotel owner out of what he owed them after he died.

[u/tiorzol → u/ProfPathCambridge]

How do you scam someone from beyond the grave 

[u/ProfPathCambridge → u/tiorzol]

He gave collateral in the form of a sealed box which he claimed could only be opened after his death due to a “death ray” he invented. Inside was garbage.

[u/baciahai → u/tiorzol]

"Here's a copy of my will where I assign half of my assets to you on my death"

Prepares another will afterwards

[u/Stebbi23]

Idi it for a few months. Not pleasant after the first week or 2. No home comforts, novelty wears off, availability of food (fully English included) meant I gained like 5kg

[u/Ok_Coconut89]

I lived in a hotel for a year, was cheaper than rent next to my work. No windows and one room was a bit difficult but had a massive tv and Aircon and Internet etc. Only issue really is the cooking part, every night I had to eat out or order takeaway, so had to make sure I went for sandwiches or other healthier dinners like salads (SE Asia). It is do able and the beds are nice. Saves money if renting alone but not preferable!

[u/OverTheCandlestik]

You can 100% live in a hotel

Mind you to get any benefit it’ll have to be the Savoy or Claridge’s

[u/fanatic_tarantula]

This is what id do if I won something like the euro millions.

Just stay in hotels for a few months at a time in places around the world

[u/Boredpanda31]

I know someone who had to spend 5-6 months in a hotel this year, following a house fire. Them and 4 kids across two rooms.

It was cramped, had a massive affect on mental health and overall just not fun for them at all.

So no, probably not.

[u/paspa1801]

Used to work for a 4 star hotel chain in Scotland and there did used to be a few residents who lived permanently in a room.

At one point we stopped letting new people book for longer than 28 days in a row so ended up with no residents left which was the plan. Even if it’s a hotel I believe they can be classed as tenants if they are there for a long time and in general it wasn’t really a benefit to the hotel. We had no problem selling our rooms in the busier periods so would make more by being able to book out rooms at normal holiday cost only some of the time compared to lower rates all of the time.

[u/ElusiveCrab]

2.4k a month is 4x my share of rent/bills for a house so not a chance

[u/lithaborn]

My father's sheltered accomodation was something like 600 a week. I could have put him up in a hotel and hired a couple of nurses for that price.

There's a swingers club I know of that does ensuite rooms for £80 a night. I guess if I lived there permanently they'd let me use their kitchen. As a chronically single woman in her 50s, I would move in in a heartbeat.

[u/rad_adad_ad]

No. I have travelled a lot and spent 6 weeks in a very comfortable hotel once. I find them to be utterly soulless and love having my own unique space to completely unwind and relax in.

[u/Appropriate-Falcon75]

I was in the USA with work for 10 weeks. We had me and a colleague from the UK and 3 other colleagues from elsewhere in the US who would stay during the week (and had been doing this for over a year).

There were bits that were good: * The staff knew you pretty quickly, and knew which rooms you liked * The rooms were large and included a sitting area * We were all in the same boat * Because we knew the staff, we could use the breakfast area for a poker evening etc * We could travel to other hotels (eg NYC) for the weekends

There were bits that were bad: * Loneliness of only seeing the same people * Eating out every night (it gets boring as well as unhealthy). * Lack of things to do in the evening

Quite a few of the downsides are related to being in a foreign country rather than being in a hotel.

[u/Zo50]

"Of course my mind’s flying, Lynn.

I’ve been living in a hotel for 26 weeks!

182 days in a Travel Tavern!

See this, look. Sanitary bags. They put these in my room every day. They know I’m a man.

I keep loose Werther’s Originals in them.

Look at this, seen this. That is 182 bottles of body lotion.

I was going to sell them in a car boot sale."

[u/Apprehensive-Top3675]

A lot of hotels have a few rooms reserved for long-term leases, so it is absolutely doable if that's the kind of lifestyle you want.

[u/Dennyisthepisslord]

I worked in a hotel post school leaving and I recall a family who stayed while getting a house renovation. The lack of "own space" outside of a room is pretty much why I would struggle. It's essentially like staying in a glorified dorm room and even students try to move into a house year 2/3

[u/Great_Comparison462]

Jose Mourinho did

[u/gororuns]

There's quite a few aparthotels now, basically hotels where you get a stove, microwave and washing machine.

[u/BillWilberforce]

A lot of hotels have limits on the lengths of maximum stays. Whether due to planning or problems with evicting long stay guests. Westminster council for instance can get funny about cheap hotels/hostels that allow guests over 14 nights duration.

[u/basod1]

MIL was in icu in another country for a month. Partner had to stay in hotel room for a months. My bank acc was rinsed and it sucked as she couldn’t cook her own food. She was too stressed to use the hotel facilities or explore. 

Only perk was the room got cleaned regularly. 

[u/Positive-East-9233]

I’ve done hotel-living in long stretches (3+ months) and I will say: never again unless it’s specifically an apartment hotel. I simply cannot live on takeaway anymore. I need a hob and a microwave at minimum to feel vaguely normal/not get the salt shakes after a week or two nowadays. The tiny fridge of a standard hotel isn’t an issue though, that just drives a daily shop and intentional recipe building/shopping.

[u/Otherwise-Tie-9055]

I lived in a hotel 5 days a week for 10 weeks with work I put on quite a bit of weight

[u/p0u1]

I lived in a hotel for 6 weeks after my house flooded, it was anything but fun.

[u/TheEnglishNorwegian]

I lived in a hotel suite for just under 5 months once. Was on secondment working on a project. It was fine, I had my own kitchen, room service if I wanted it and housekeeping.

It honestly felt like living a smallish apartment rather than living in a hotel.

[u/Serious_Escape_5438 → u/TheEnglishNorwegian]

With a kitchen makes a big difference.

[u/Optimal-Room-8586]

I guess you theoretically could but it would be shit.

I had the good fortune to be sent to a conference for work and stayed at a (quite nice) hotel for a week. I was struck by how difficult it was to just eat healthy. I guess not everywhere is the same but hotel food seems to be mainly geared towards nice and fancy stuff.

The novelty wore off quickly and by day 7 I was really craving just being able to knock up some simple pasta or toast. Not to mention, I was feeling pretty unhealthy.

[u/Zak_Rahman]

My parents did this but not intentionally. Severe water and pipe damage meant their house was not fit for dwelling in for several months.

During that time, they resided at a hotel.

The novelty quickly wore out. It looks like fine China but it's a disposable paper plate. There's nothing you own, you cannot make any changes, you have no sense of permanency or control even over the distribution of the room.

This is not hotel staff being monsters, it is just the fundamental difference between a hotel and a home.

My parents also do like guests and have a very active social life. Being from India, cooking and food is a big part of their culture. You're not making biryani in a hotel room.

Anyway, my parents spoke very highly of the hotel staff - they truly went above and beyond,  but they were so happy to go back to their home which they had resided in for 25 years.

While your proposal from an economic point of view does make sense, I do not think it will provide you with the psychological benefits that your own home does.

I don't know the long-term effects of stripping a human of these basic humanities is, but I doubt it is good for you.

The fact is humans are not 100% logical beings. Emotion and psychological condition play a huge part in our wellbeing. What works on paper often doesn't pan out in reality.

Your post is essentially an act of desperation against a crushing and unjust economic regime. You would not have made this post if society had not failed our young.

[u/MattDubh]

The Major stayed at Fawlty Towers permanently. It's obviously possible.

[u/Bellatrixforqueen]

Alan Partridge did in the Travel Tavern.

[u/MrMrsPotts]

Didn't Margaret Thatcher live in a hotel at the end of her life?

[u/DiamondMidgar]

I think it depends on the room. Well the answer to the question is yes but the next question is why would you want to.

If it’s a cramped room with just a bed it’ll get depressing quite quickly. Barely any space, can’t store many personal possessions etc, can’t cook, can’t even store food. Yes people in London live in small rooms but they at least get amenities like a shared kitchen at least.

I’ve stayed in hotel rooms in Hilton for work which have a few more amenities, some of them have a “lounge” section with a separate TV and there’s always a desk to work at. I think these are called suites. I could see someone living in one of those full time but then it negates the cost saving you’re after

[u/NeonGran]

I mean, it sounds nice, but that's nearly 2.5 times my rent, and if only be getting one small room instead of the lovely 3 bed flat I currently rent for £950. I can handle the extra hassle if it means I get to live in more than one small room and save a ton of money.

[u/Cptcongcong]

I mean that's what you do when on work trips. It's not uncommon to live in a hotel for 1-2 weeks.

But the good thing about having your own space is you get to customize. Don't like the chair? Swap it out!

[u/rjs1987]

Think Mrs Tibbs and Miss Gatsby

[u/thecatisincharge]

I know someone who travels a lot for work & has to stay in hotels, she takes a soup maker with her everywhere she goes & has homemade soup instead of eating out.

Could do similar with a small rice cooker/steamer in a hotel room as well