Working from a Hotel is the New WFH: Eight of the Best Workation Destinations

As the novelty of working from home wears thin, we’re trading in our four walls for city-centre hotel rooms converted into offices, co-working spaces beside ski-ready mountains and the sun-soaked island that puts the “remote” in remote working.

Working from home is losing its shine. We're done with dialling into Zoom from the bedroom, smashing deadlines propped on the kitchen counter and sinking into the couch as we try to get our inbox to zero.

For remote workers in need of a change of scene, we say: work from a hotel. In our physically distanced present, many properties are devising dedicated, private office spaces and workation packages designed to draw digital nomads and make up for revenue lost from the dip in regular travellers.

We've had a scout around the world for hotels where you can hop in for a distraction-free day-stay as well as those set up for longer working holidays. (Just make sure you check the latest travel restrictions first, okay?) Expect co-working spaces beside ski-ready mountains, city-centre hotel rooms decked out with office modcons and a sun-soaked island that puts the "remote" in remote working. Oh, and there's a dog that will join your Zoom calls too.

Eight great workation holidays for digital nomads and remote workers

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Wythe Hotel

New York, United States

Teaming up with co-working company Industrious, this boutique Williamsburg hotel has repurposed its lofty second-storey rooms as offices for one to four people (and the office dog, should they need a little quietude too). Beds have been replaced with standing desks, extra plants and "productivity packs" featuring healthy snacks. Neet to escape the concrete jungle altogether? Set your sat nav for The Hamptons, where The Roundtree, a repurposed farmhouse, has been decked out with all the mod cons of the modern workspace and has tennis courts, hiking trails and other outdoorsy activities on hand for when you clock off.

Address

80 Wythe Avenue NY 11249

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Zoku

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Even before the pandemic, a sizeable chunk of the Netherlands' workforce was remote. Zoku's aparthotels have been designed to this end; each of its private WorkLofts are ideal for creatives in need of space for a day or people who'd like to stay for weeks, months or even a year. Community is Zoku's raison d'être, with pre-pandemic entrepreneurial types once congregating in its Living Kitchen for daily fika, bouncing off ideas in co-working areas and on the rooftop terrace. In the era of physical distancing, extra support comes in the form of a Slack group, complimentary room-service lunch, online events and designated team buddies who (safely) check in on residents' wellbeing to keep loneliness at bay.

Address

Weesperstraat 105, 1018 VN, Amsterdam, Netherlands

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The Nautilus

Baa Atoll, Maldives

You may need to work for several months to pay off the cost of a week's remote working at The Nautilus, but its Workation Package is the stuff of which office daydreams are made. Equipped with high-speed WiFi and a private PA, your desk on a secluded sandbank promises to trump colleagues' Zoom backgrounds - and if you thought your company fruit bowl was good, just wait until you get your lips around the complimentary cocktails and snacks here. Deadlines smashed, let stresses melt away in the Solasta Spa, embark on a dolphin sunset cruise or have a spin at aerial yoga - all this and more included. Any children clinging to your coattails will be kept busy by the hotel's holistic education programme.

Address

Thiladhoo, Baa Atoll 20066, Maldives

This image is on holiday

hotel

Breck Haus

Breckenridge, Colorado, US

At the base of Peak 9, Gravity Haus is "a social club and hotel for outdoor enthusiasts" that nails the work-adventure balance. "Ski. Work. Ski. Repeat" is the motto at its co-working space, StarterHaus where you can pitch up with an Unravel coffee at a desk overlooking the Blue River. Get the brain pumping with a bounce-break on the trampoline, unwind in the Japanese-inspired onsen or join an athlete-led, post-work expedition before bedding down in the on-site Breck Haus hotel. Word to the wise: if you have a make-or-break video call, the (relatively) close by St Regis Aspen has a Zoom stylist, who'll take care of hair and make-up, while Kitty Jacob Astor II (the hotel's Bernese mountain dog) can be hired as a sidekick.

Address

605 South Park Avenue, Breckenridge, CO 80424, US

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Raffles Singapore

Singapore

Once frequented by the likes of Charlie Chaplin and Noël Coward, Singapore's iconic colonial-style hotel is tempting Singaporeans and far-flung visitors with a "work from suite" package. Knuckle down in one of the historic State Rooms that overlook the leafy courtyard, availing of high-speed WiFi, complimentary coffee, gym use and butler service - aka the assistant you always wanted. Meetings can be held with up to five people in the library and, better yet, all food and spa treatments come with a hefty discount, so you can play as hard as you work.

Address

1 Beach Road 189673

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Hotel Esencia

Quintana Roo, Mexico

Juggling family along with your deadlines? Seek respite on the jungle-fringed shores of the Mayan Riviera - a 30-minute drive north of Tulum - where Hotel Esencia is alleviating over-stretched remote workers with complimentary homeschool coordinators for up to five hours a day (on September and October bookings). You, meanwhile, can pitch up with a laptop on the outdoor hammock - tequila, optional - or revive with sunrise yoga or Temazcal treatments in the spa before holing up on a physically distanced palapa on Xpu-Ha Beach.

Address

Carretera Cancún, Xpu-Ha, Quintana Roo, 77750 Mexico

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Cabu by the Sea

Kent, UK

You needn't venture abroad to enjoy a workation. Scattered among the shingle-y grassland on the shores of Romney Marsh, this cluster of mod-rustic self-catering cabins may not have all the trappings of a well-equipped office, but if you need little more than a decent WiFi connection, somewhere to perch your laptop and quiet inspiration, then this is your spot. We've got our sights set on the bijou Writer's Studio, where we plan to rattle off a few deadlines on the terrace between dips in the hot tub, bike rides to Dungeness and picking up provisions from the on-site lifestyle shop, Cabu Corner.

Address

St Mary's Bay, Kent, TN29 0HF

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Hotel Figueroa

Los Angeles, California, US

For a West Coast alternative to the hotel-office hybrid, check out The Fig Work Perks program in DTLA. Spanish-colonial rooms are kitted out with office supplies - including lunch-to-go from Veranda restaurant - but what we really love are its break-time amenities. Tap into the Aaptiv wellness app on the in-room iPads, hop on a Peloton bike or get a little R&R on a socially distanced lounger around the coffin-shaped pool. Tired of the city? Scoot along the coast to Rosewood Miramar Beach, Santa Barbara. As part of its Remote Office package, sun-drenched beachside suites are fitted with monitors, printers and such, remote classrooms capture children and happy hour kicks into gear when the clock strikes five.

Address

939 S Figueroa St, CA 90015

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