‘Workcation’ has officially been added to the Oxford English Dictionary this year: and for good reason. Hotel booking platform DayBreakHotels – who set up a bespoke ‘smart working’ service in the summer to open hotels up to a nation of remote workers – saw a 350% surge in bookings from business customers during the second lockdown (compared to the first lockdown), as Brits looked for a change of scene after months spent working from home.

DayBreakHotels.com has welcomed over twenty thousand people to their hotels since March, seeing a 20% average monthly surge in bookings for ‘workcations’ since launching the new service at the beginning of June.

Over 700 hundred hotels are signed up to offer ‘smart working’ in DayBreakHotels’ global network. Thanks to DayBreakHotels’ creation of a new, daytime market, each hotel who has joined the platform has earned between one and three thousand pounds of additional revenue per month. For the boutique, independent and hotel groups in the network, the lifeline has been invaluable and shows the power of diversifying how we use a hotel’s real estate.

Edward Wilcock, group director of revenue and marketing at London Town Group (whose hotels – including Hotel Indigo London Paddington and Mercure London Hyde Park Hotel – are part of DayBreakHotels’ ‘smart working’ network) commented:

“For us, letting people book rooms as personal offices has been nothing short of a lifeline. Business trips are a thing of the past, tourism is non-existent, and the off-peak season is far from over. So when you consider the number of people having to work around wobbly desks and distractions at home, it’s clear that hotels offer the perfect solution.

“We have all the amenities of your typical office space, and then some: state-of-the-art rooms, facilities and fitness suites. Thanks to platforms like DayBreakHotels.com, it’s been put to good use and our rooms have become safe havens for remote workers.

“We’ve seen people book ‘smart working’ rooms at our hotels for a number of reasons. Whether it’s individuals looking for a socially distanced alternative to the office; self-employed people in need of a break from home-working, without the commitment of a coworking subscription; or employers keen to save money on extortionate London rent, whilst enabling remote staff to work safely and comfortably.

“We’re all adapting to new ways of working, and hotels have cemented their role in this over the past lockdown. We look forward to supporting many more teams with DayBreakHotels.com over the coming weeks and months. It’s a new chapter for the hotel industry, and for a nation of remote workers, too.”

Co-founder and CEO of DayBreakHotels, Simon Botto, said: “The worst may be behind us, but many companies are now transitioning to remote models on a more permanent basis. And with the ever-blurring of lines between work and life, it’s unsurprising how many of us have sought a sustainable alternative to working from home.

“The idea behind the ‘workcation’ concept is that anyone can swap a day in the home office for the peace and quiet of a nearby hotel. By making luxury rooms and facilities accessible at affordable day rates, we hope to give a nation of burnt-out remote workers a much-needed getaway without even taking a day off work.

“By connecting a new domestic market to otherwise vacant rooms and facilities, we’re also able to breathe life across all the brilliant hotels that have struggled since the start of the pandemic. ‘Smart working’ is a long-term, flexible solution. And we’ve seen no signs of it slowing.”