Mahogany desks in hotel rooms used to be an afterthought and the chair more often used for worn clothes than for business.
Nowadays, the same desks are just as likely to have a full office set-up with a keyboard, mouse and screens, as a growing number of employers allow their staff to “work from anywhere”.
Hotels have reported a trend emerging of guests asking for second screens, printers and even technological support. Properties are also investing in co-working spaces and even ditching restaurants in favour of coffee shops with tables and office chairs.
The Four Seasons group conducted internal research, speaking to property managers, and found that the number of work-related requests had soared in the past couple of years.
Martin Dell, the general manager at the Four Seasons Resort Mauritius at Anahita, said: “We’ve seen a big shift in the way people travel. By enhancing their in-room setup, guests are getting the best of both worlds. We’ve had requests for second screens, printers, coffee break service and tech support.
“Being a few hours ahead of the UK means people can get a head start on the day and leave plenty of time for a swim in the pool before sunset cocktails.”
Research by Totaljobs, the recruitment platform, found that the number of people working from anywhere had increased by 56 per cent over the past two years — from 8.5 per cent in 2023 to 13.25 per cent this year. It means more than seven million people are expected to work from abroad this year.
It found that the most common length of time people spent working from abroad was one or two weeks, although some companies have far more lenient policies.
Nathaniel Okenwa is a developer evangelist manager at Twilio, a cloud communications platform, which has an “open work policy”, allowing staff to work remotely for up to 90 days a year, although each trip must not exceed 28 days.
Okenwa, 31, has used the freedom to log on from the United States, Brazil, Poland, Egypt, Spain, Portugal, Singapore and Italy. He said “having the flexibility of working from different locations is really important to me, especially because I am doing the same work and producing the same output”.
Nathaniel Okenwa
SIMON CALLAGHAN PHOTOGRAPHY
He is one of many remote workers with a proper set-up that he can take around the world. “I’ve invested in having an optimised work set-up,” he said. “I have my own mechanical keyboard and mouse as well as an extra, portable screen that I carry around. When I’m away I’ll also have my tablet open. When I am set up, even in a hotel room, I look like I’m in the home office.”
Okenwa said it varied from department to department whether employees were required to stay within a certain time difference from the UK or have flexibility.
• Five years of the WFH experiment: is it working?
Connective3, a marketing agency, allows its staff to work from anywhere for up to six months a year, although they must keep to UK hours. They can be away for up to two months at a time with only a two-week gap between trips.
The policy allowed Jess Farnham to work from Bali for a month, where she can spend most of the day exploring before logging on at 4pm and working until midnight.
“Every day felt like a weekend, which was just amazing,” she said. “I stayed in four different places during the month I was there and spent time visiting temples, snorkelling and chilling on the beach. I also visited a monkey forest, went on a bike tour and tried jewellery making.”
At the moment Farnham is very much in need of an alarm clock, setting it for 3am each day. Farnham, 24, is working from New York where her crack-of-dawn starts are rewarded with afternoons to relax and see the city.
She said: “It’s tough getting up when it’s still dark, but then I’m done with work about 11.30am or 12pm and then I’ve got the whole afternoon. The other day I visited Brooklyn and had dinner. I’ve also been to matinee Broadway shows and to workout classes. You really get the feel of living somewhere when you spend more time there than you would on a holiday.”
The Four Seasons in Mauritius
Four Seasons said properties in Marrakesh, Dubai, London and Saudi Arabia had all reported guests requesting in-room office set-ups. Shadi Suleman, the general manager at the Four Seasons in Riyadh, said: “Our guests are increasingly combining work with leisure, often extending their stays to do so. The request for in-room PC screens highlights their need for better workspace solutions while travelling.”
Specialist companies that cater exclusively for remote workers have also emerged. Unsettled is a “global community offering immersive adventures, retreats for remote workers and more for professionals seeking growth, meaning and adventure”. It is running trips to Bali, Tahiti and Bilbao, Spain.
A growing number of tour operators are also designing trips that take in hotels with co-working spaces and itineraries that can be flexible around work calls and meetings.
For those who have the flexibility, there is no desire to go back to regular office-based work. Okenwa said: “I know there are some big, famous companies with very strict return to office policies. They would have to pay me through the roof to sign up for that because having the flexibility of working from different locations is really important to me, especially as I am doing the same work and producing the same output.”