While the acronym WFH historically stood for “Working From Home,” it’s taking on another meaning: “Working From Hotel.” The quarantine forced many nonessential workers to adapt their homes into impromptu offices indefinitely. But as Zoom fatigue and stir-crazy feelings settle in, hotels are pitching a tempting proposal: take a workation to blend business and pleasure.
After all, if you have to work remotely, why not do it from the powdery white beaches of Mexico’s Riviera Maya or the cool, calming mountains of Park City? Aside from providing a much-needed change of scenery, hotels all over the globe are finding ways to specially accommodate this new virtual workforce, adding amenities like a Zoom stylist, a business butler and tutors to help with kids’ online schooling.
Whether you want a new office for a day or a month, here are 26 places where you can start working like a digital nomad.
Rosewood Miramar Beach, Santa Barbara
Everything you need to get that project done will be waiting in your sun-filled suite, including a monitor, a wireless mouse and keyboard, a printer, office supplies and plenty of coffee.
And don’t worry about the kids while you work: children get virtual lessons in a remote classroom, a poolside cabana equipped with a flat-screen TV, Apple TV, iPad with a stand, EarPods and school essentials like pencils, notepads, and more. When the clock strikes 5, families can regroup at the pool, beach or over a game of bocce.
Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita, Mexico
Parents frustrated with homeschooling can find a reprieve at this picture-perfect beach oasis. The Four Seasons added a tech hotline (plus, printers, monitors, portable chargers and school supplies are available upon request, and a “screen doctor” will clean laptops and iPads poolside). A study buddy program provides school and homework support (private tutoring is also an option). For extra enrichment, “worldschooling” classes teach kids about Mexico through art and culture (like making a Huichol-inspired dreamcatcher and taking zapateado dance lessons), history (learning the origins of xocolatl, or chocolate), science (like sea turtle releases) and after-school sports (like surfing lessons).
Escape to the mountains with the Alpine Office Annex package. A Zoom stylist will do your hair in your room, choose a makeup application or a makeup kit from Cos Bar, and get help with your wardrobe.
You’ll also receive tech perks like a Google Nest Wi-Fi internet booster, an HDMI cord to display your computer screen on the TV, enhanced lighting for video conferencing and a Rode wireless lavalier microphone. Plus, coffee will be delivered in the morning and your favorite cocktails after quitting time.
For a memorable meeting, hire Kitty Jacob Astor II, the hotel’s lovable Bernese mountain dog, to kick off your conference call.
The Fullerton Bay Hotel Singapore and The Fullerton Hotel Singapore
Whether you choose the modern bayfront hotel or its timeless riverfront sister property, both want to help you achieve work-life balance. Starting September 3, their Work from Fullerton package lets you spend 12 hours in elegant accommodations with flexible check-in and checkout times (between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m.), Wi-Fi, coffee and tea, a food and beverage credit worth about US$36 and complimentary parking.
When it’s time to log off your laptop, unwind with a workout in the gym or a swim in the infinity pool.
Hotel Esencia, Riviera Maya
This jungle hideaway is coming to the rescue of stressed-out parents. When you stay in one of the chic, expansive villas, you will receive daily childcare or help with online schooling for up to six hours per day. With all of this newfound time, you can decompress in the spa (the promotion also includes a $500 credit), swim laps in your villa’s private pool or linger on the pristine sand and turquoise waters of Xpu-Ha beach. Of course, if you have to work, the two-bedroom duplexes and three-bedroom villa offer many places to put your laptop, but the outdoor hammock is an enticing perch.
XV Beacon, Boston
Work from the handsome, inviting confines of this Beacon Hill boutique hotel. Conduct business in the parlor meeting rooms, which have a grand mahogany table that seats six, a separate sitting area in front of the gas fireplace, a private bathroom, a smart TV and complimentary Wi-Fi. When you need a break, head up to the two-tier Roof Deck to play corn hole or hit a few on the putting green.
Mandarin Oriental Hotels, worldwide
Decamp to one of the luxury brand’s hotels for a temporary office. Properties worldwide are providing the Working from M.O. package, which includes Wi-Fi, a dining credit and access to printing facilities and the gym from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. We wouldn’t mind a day office looking out over Central Park in New York or KLCC Park in Kuala Lumpur. Though Mandarin Oriental, Geneva affords Rhône and mountain vistas.
The Lodge at Blue Sky, Auberge Resorts Collection, Park City
If you need space to stretch out, bring your briefcase to this 3,500-acre ranch a half hour outside of Park City. Suites overlook Alexander Canyon, but if you need to focus on finishing that report without any distractions, socially distanced co-working spaces are available elsewhere on the property.
Younger guests will stay busy with outdoor activities through the Daily Little Vaqueros Kids Camp. They will fish, care for rescue animals, hone their art skills, learn how to identify local plants and animals and get lessons on growing vegetables at the sustainable farm.
Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi, Santa Fe
Savor modern Southwestern flair at this boutique hotel just off Santa Fe Plaza and rent out the Living Room, Wine Cellar or Library for meetings or as a workspace from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
If you prefer to set up shop in one of the kiva-fireplace-equipped guest rooms, Rosewood is offering a half-day rate. You’ll also receive beverages via room service, Wi-Fi as well as an Apple TV or a polycom phone.
The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes
When you partake in the hotel’s Work From Resort program, you’ll receive your own business butler who can do everything from secure an office location with strong Wi-Fi outside of your accommodations (we recommend a poolside cabana) to taking care of administrative tasks like scanning and printing.
Keep the kids occupied by booking a Grande Lakes ranger, who will craft a personalized itinerary. The ranger will join children in activities like feeding fish, playing soccer or bocce ball, doing arts and crafts and more.
Grand Velas Resorts, Mexico
For those who dream of a tropical locale, the only decision you need to make is which Mexican beach destination you prefer: Los Cabos, the Riviera Maya or the Riviera Nayarit. As part of Grand Velas’ long-stays program, the all-inclusive properties will outfit you with an office, your own beach and pool area, a personal concierge and spa treatments when you need a much-deserved break.
If it’s just you and a loved one, the Moments for Two package (14-night stay minimum) piles on romantic add-ons, like a private beachfront dinner, champagne and a photo shoot. The Family Time alternative (10-night stay minimum) includes an additional suite, private dining areas in the onsite restaurants and a movie night under the stars.
When you really want to get out of the house, this mountain lodge welcomes you with its Home Suite Home promotion. Check in for more than 30 days to get a $40 daily breakfast credit, a $400 monthly resort credit and two weekly garment pressings so you look sharp for those video calls.
This will give you plenty of time to enjoy the resort’s full offerings, including the heated outdoor pool, the relaxing spa or the surrounding terrain, which is a prime place to do some hiking, mountain biking and fishing.
InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown
You’re guaranteed better desk views from this 73-story skyscraper, the tallest building west of Chicago. The Elevate Your Work Day package will put you up in a suite and include Wi-Fi and local calls, a Nespresso machine, a minifridge stocked with water and office supplies. You’ll also gain entry to its sizable, state-of-the-art gym (which is only open to hotel guests) and the pool deck. When you need nourishment, pick up complimentary breakfast and lunch from the hotel’s Café WG.
When you need a workday without distractions, try this charming central London hotel’s Mews Suite – Day Hire package. The suites have a private entrance and reside in the quiet courtyard, and they also come with ample desk space so you can spread out. You won’t even have to break concentration for lunch — The Game Bird, The Stafford’s restaurant specializing in modern British comfort food, will send a two-course meal up to your suite.
Rosewood Mayakoba, Riviera Maya
For a longer-term family getaway, check into the hotel’s spacious two-, three- and four-bedroom villas, which can be customized for your working needs with bespoke office amenities. During your 20-plus nights at the tranquil hotel, you’ll have private roundtrip airport transfers, a daily continental breakfast in your villa, a butler, a $100 resort credit per night and 30 percent of food, drinks and treatments at the excellent spa.
Plus, your stay comes with tailored Family Discovery programming for parents and kids. These private offerings include cooking classes, taco parties, mangrove kayaking, cenote tours, Mayan storytelling and more.
Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, San Diego
Hyatt is wooing the work-from-home crowd with a Work from Hyatt package. While it’s available at many of the company’s properties, our pick is the Five-Star Park Hyatt Aviara. Not only will the resort unveil a more than $50 million renovation in September with redesigned rooms and lobby, a new pool and restaurants, but the seven-night-minimum promotion includes workspace options, Wi-Fi, laundry services, a round of golf on the 18-hole, Arnold Palmer-designed course and a spa treatment.
The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort
Take a workation at this beachfront refuge to get the job done. A tech support team is at the ready and you will have dedicated internet lines and monitors, speakerphones, printers and more. A working lunch menu with tacos, salads and sandwiches allows you to keep plugging away. If needed, boardrooms with live-streaming capabilities are available. Kids can attend homeschooling classes. And when it’s quitting time, enjoy private barbecues and fiestas along the beach, or have customized happy hour tequila flights delivered to your room.
Solage, Auberge Resorts Collection, Napa
Retreat to wine country to pour some fun into your workday. The Work & Play offer includes daily breakfast, access to Solage’s business lounge with refreshments and an end-of-day cocktail on the new Solbar patio. While conference rooms can be reserved, Wi-Fi is accessible everywhere on the property. We recommend bringing your laptop to the 130-foot swimming pool, whether you settle in at a new daybed or cabanas that have games, family-style meals, a customized snack hour and kiddie activities.
Be productive in paradise. You can work from the beach at The Ritz-Carlton, Cancun. The Executive Pursuits Package includes a beach villa with Wi-Fi, daily breakfast for two, 20 percent savings on food and beverages and complimentary access to boardrooms.
After a long day of working in the sand, relax with a 30-minute massage or linger back by the beach. The hotel’s beach butler will make sure you have everything you need.
SLS Lux Brickell and SLS Brickell, Miami
These trendy sister properties down the street from each other in the Brickell neighborhood will help you get down to work. As part of the WorkSpace with sbe package, both hotels will give you a room, Wi-Fi, complimentary printing and peace and quiet. At SLS, you will have deliveries of morning coffee and a three-course lunch (the latter for only $19). Over at the all-suite SLS Lux, you will get a 15 percent discount at Altitude Pool Deck to use for your midday meal and as many cups you need to keep you fueled from your room’s Lavazza machine.
