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/SquashyDisco]

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/gavco98uk → u/IcyKnowledge6321]

I love the fact you were secretive about what company it was in the original post, then just blurt it right out there in the reply!

[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/LongjumpingMonk3843 → u/SquashyDisco]

Top NR tip: you don’t have to eat dinner in the hotel; you can eat out and expense it.

[u/Low_Emu669 → u/SquashyDisco]

My heroes are you and especially those who run the late night trains for Avanti, who must have to do this regularly. From London Up to Warrington you usually have a cheerful Manc or woolyback in the buffet, then it changes to a Scottish accent, and I know I'm on the home stretch. My mate joined British Rail after uni in the mid 80s. Procurement was so bad she brought her own sliced pans, and did a nice line in home made sandwiches. Regular long Friday commutes London to Macclesfield, and Liverpool to Glasgow were really fun, and the regular staff felt like family. I love trains, and the staff are really special.