Shared Hotel Rooms for Work

[Gonzo]

Pre-COVID I typically traveled 1-2 times a year for a week. I haven’t traveled since COVID.

I’ve never shared a room when on business travel, even when traveling with friends who I shared rooms with before when not on business travel.

Sharing a rental car, meal times, and maybe being seat mates on flights is enough, even when it’s with coworkers I like.

It is unacceptable to push it to hotel rooms when there are different sleep habits, potential liability, television viewing, and just need some privacy when calling back home, etc.

I don't travel for work much at all now, but used to fairly regularly. When I first started that gig I was around 30 and being new I went with the flow on things like dinners, drinks if that's what others were doing, etc. I automatically went along, wherever everyone else wanted to go was fine with me, whatever the group wanted to do was fine with me. Then over time when I'd built up enough cred I developed a policy that during work travel, once we were done with the client for the day, it was my time. Much of the time I traveled with cool people so I had no problem grabbing dinner, drink, etc. But there were trips when it wasn't a great group and I'd just tell them I was going to do my own thing for dinner, had stuff to catch up on, etc. It was awesome picking wherever I wanted to eat, drink, etc., and being done whenever I wanted to be done. I think they liked it just as much.

But sharing a room? That's insane. We'd book our own travel and I usually wasn't even on the same floor as my coworkers.

 

[throwittoblythe]

Have to agree with everybody else here. That's a hard no. I'm in the same industry only on the operations side, and I don't think I've ever heard of anyone doing/requiring that. Besides, you're in BD. Isn't it your job just to basically spend money without regard on stuff to try and get a job?

As far as crews double bunking, I'm used to people either a) doing single rooms or b) giving them a stipend and letting them figure it out. Just to many risks and to much liability if someone does something stupid.

Even the most tight assed PM I worked for as a new hire didn't do that and this guy at one point was paying a laborer to remove the nails from used 2x4s so that we didn't have to buy new ones.

I honestly think it's our CEO not realizing this isn't the same company he founded 20 years ago. When you're a little bitty startup, people join because they believe in the cause and are willing to sacrifice to help the company succeed. That ain't us, anymore.

I think our CEO still wants to believe that we are this "rah rah" startup and everyone knows what they signed up for. Hard to justify this kind of move when you're doing $200M+ in business every year.

 

[VTXCyRyD]

If they're doing this to save money and it goes towards the bonus, they are screwing you out of money in your bonus you should be getting anyway somewhere else.

Cheap ass company. I'd find a better one. I would suspect with what you tell us you do and your qualifications you could find a new job before the trip.

 

[JP4CY]

I honestly think it's our CEO not realizing this isn't the same company he founded 20 years ago. When you're a little bitty startup, people join because they believe in the cause and are willing to sacrifice to help the company succeed. That ain't us, anymore.

I think our CEO still wants to believe that we are this "rah rah" startup and everyone knows what they signed up for. Hard to justify this kind of move when you're doing $200M+ in business every year.

Since the bonus has been mentioned, how in line is your total compensation with the industry you are in?

 

[wxman1]

Well exactly and back to an example I gave, sure it's probably mostly ok if two same sex straight people share. But what if someone decides to bring someone else back to the room? What if one person is gay and ...there's so many ways this goes wrong. Construction is a pretty conservative field. If some guy finds out his roommate isn't straight or already knows that and is very uncomfortable with that, it's just a whole mess that very easily bleeds over into other aspects of the work. Do you require people to disclose sexuality so you can assign roommates appropriately?!

That's why I think if you go to HR and point out the liability facet they'll want to shut it down.

My concern is that HR hasn't already brought this up and if they have the CEO is obviously not listening/doesn't care.

 

[Gunnerclone]

 

[throwittoblythe]

Since the bonus has been mentioned, how in line is your total compensation with the industry you are in?

For me, I'd say its above average, but I'm in sales. Not a lot of guys with 15 years experience make what I make, but I get a pretty healthy commission.

Do I want to quit over this? No, of course not. Will I find a way to get around it? Absolutely.

If they really want to push it, I'll go find a therapist that will give me a note that says I have some mental health/anxiety around sharing a room with (basically) a stranger. I think most human beings fall in that category, but if they want a piece of paper that says that...I'll give it to them. I honestly do have some anxiety around this that I'd rather not share, but would share within the confines of medical privacy. (And NO, it doesn't involve hand lotion.)

 

[mcblogerson]

During my college years, I worked summers at a construction company that would have us share hotel rooms Mon-Thurs nights. I shared with an old married guy for a couple weeks that snored like a chainsaw every night. Awful.
I came back one night after having some drinks with the crew to find him banging what I assume was a hooker. Came back to the room an hour later, had to listen to his sob story about missing his wife, and keeping it a secret. I had already told the drinking crew I was with, and then no longer had to travel out of town.

A company I worked for years later required quarterly meetings out of town. They tried doubling me up with another guy, so I paid for my own room. I just expensed it a month later, which got denied. So I expensed it again as “mileage” expense and got my money back. Cheap *****.

 

[Sousaclone]

I honestly think it's our CEO not realizing this isn't the same company he founded 20 years ago. When you're a little bitty startup, people join because they believe in the cause and are willing to sacrifice to help the company succeed. That ain't us, anymore.

I think our CEO still wants to believe that we are this "rah rah" startup and everyone knows what they signed up for. Hard to justify this kind of move when you're doing $200M+ in business every year.

That's hard for upper management to grasp at times. I think it's understandable, especially if he was the one who founded and grew the company. He's got a lot of blood, sweat, and tears in there and probably looks at every penny (which you have to do at times in order to grow the company).

 

[cyIclSoneU]

I don't travel for work much at all now, but used to fairly regularly. When I first started that gig I was around 30 and being new I went with the flow on things like dinners, drinks if that's what others were doing, etc. I automatically went along, wherever everyone else wanted to go was fine with me, whatever the group wanted to do was fine with me. Then over time when I'd built up enough cred I developed a policy that during work travel, once we were done with the client for the day, it was my time. Much of the time I traveled with cool people so I had no problem grabbing dinner, drink, etc. But there were trips when it wasn't a great group and I'd just tell them I was going to do my own thing for dinner, had stuff to catch up on, etc. It was awesome picking wherever I wanted to eat, drink, etc., and being done whenever I wanted to be done. I think they liked it just as much.

But sharing a room? That's insane. We'd book our own travel and I usually wasn't even on the same floor as my coworkers.

I traveled for work frequently pre-pandemic and I basically did this too. At first it feels fun and novel and you want to go out with everybody. After enough trips, I just want to have a decent burger in a hotel restaurant and then go to my room and watch the game - you all can go to whatever club or bar district in the new city.

 

[baller21]

Used to work for a company back in the day that required shared rooms. I was pretty good friends with the guys I shared with and it wasn’t very often so wasn’t a big deal for me. We’d usually go out and get something to eat and have drinks somewhere and only really sleep in the room.

One time there were a couple guys paired up that hit the sauce pretty good before crashing. Well one of them woke up in the middle of the night to find the other guy standing over him in a drunken stupor. Totally freaked him out but the rest of us all had a good laugh over it with a side of cringe.

I would never share a room now.

 

[BACyclone]

I need some advice on this…

I started at my current company in Fall 2020. Prior to COVID, they had a “shared hotel room” policy. Opposite sex are exempt, but basically the policy is “if you are traveling with someone else, you’re expected to share a room.” They just reinstated the policy this week.

The CEO’s line is all about “family culture” and “small company feel.” He did acknowledge the cost savings in his announcement, which I’m sure is the real driver.

I travel a lot for work; 1-2 nights every week. I’m probably alone 80% of the time but I will travel with someone else once every few months. I have to say, I am 100% against this policy. I like my privacy and honestly have a lot of anxiety around sharing a room with a coworker.

I should mention, this is not a startup. We have 700 employees and over $200M in revenue every year.

Anyone have some truthful and respectable ways to tell my boss I’m not on board?

Not reading through 7 pages, but I would first start the convo with your manager 1:1. I assume he approves your expense reports.

While there might be a standard company policy, it's ultimately between you and your manager how that is executed in real life.

If that doesn't give you satisfaction, the next recourse would be to open a private conversation with HR and voice your concern with the policy, and ask for some kind of recourse.

At the end of the day, it's a stupid policy IMO. The amount that you spend on your hotel room is frankly a fraction of the travel expense. Cutting that modest amount down by forcing employees to double up in rooms would seem to be way upside down on the cost/benefit calculator.

If they value that line item cost more than they value the employee relationship, you have your answer.

 

[simply1]

I would not accept that and they could never get me to.

 

[BikeSkiClone]

Nope. Nope. Nope.

I travel for work 2-3 times a month, for 2-3 nights at a time. Luckily by myself 99% of the time -- and never had a hint of pushback for booking separate rooms on either of the two trips where I have had others with me (First was four of us, second was two of us). I book my own reservations on company card. I know my employer also puts two to a room for conferences when they (employer) pays for the lodging. I lucked out on the two big conferences I've gone to and had my own room; first due to having an odd number and I was the last addition from my dept, after all rooms had been assigned, and the second I was the only attendee from my company.
I changed departments but not roles a couple months ago, and know folks in this dept have/do share rooms on trips -- and those are for 4-5+ nights! I'll do one or two of those trips a year starting next fiscal year and am already anxious about the prospect of needing to "fit in" with my new department's process/policy on this. I actually don't know if it's a policy in the dept or just what people have gone with. Hmm...maybe should check on that. Either way...I'm pretty sure my medical providers would vouch for my anxiety & related conditions to receive an exemption.

 

[cycloner29]

I am reminded of being an 18 year old college freshman dorming it up for the first time. You show up in a strange place meeting a ton of strange people for the first time, and it's fine. But then you realize you are going to be living with some of these strange people for the foreseeable future (feels like forever at that age). I couldn't stand any roommate I ever had in a dorm setting, I wanted to be far away from them as much as possible. Fortunately it was only 2 semesters and then on to apartment living where I could at least have my own room that had a door.

I had a roommate I couldn't stand. Our lofts went the length of the our dorm room in old RCA and had a couch underneath. I wakeup one morning to him snoring on the couch. I looked over at his bed and their was his girlfriend with nothing on but a vertical smile.

 

[Gerbs]

I would never share a room with a coworker.

 

[cowgirl836]

My concern is that HR hasn't already brought this up and if they have the CEO is obviously not listening/doesn't care.

It sounds like they are reinstating the policy after a couple yrs. Always a chance there is new blood in HR and if someone points out the company risk (vs just employee complaint) it may get them to look at it differently

 

[throwittoblythe]

It sounds like they are reinstating the policy after a couple yrs. Always a chance there is need blood in HR and if someone points out the company risk (vs just employee complaint) it may get them to look at it differently

This is right. Our CEO's message was all about "we are returning to our roots." So he's viewing it as "we are returning to our normal course of business, which includes shared rooms." But the company has changed a lot in the last two years. We've onboarded hundreds of people that came in NOT having to share rooms, and haven't for two years.

Yes, all those people were told "oh by the way we share hotel rooms during non-COVID times" but I can guarantee a large percentage of them are thinking about that a lot harder now that it's a reality.

 

[Clonefan32]

I have so many questions:

A) Who gets the remote?
B) Is there some kind of assumed/implied policy on using the bathroom?
C) Is the time of the alarm negotiated?
D) Do you discuss the temperature of the room?
E) When you unpack do you go straight to the dressers or do you talk through whose stuff goes where?
F) Does the sock on the door technique have application beyond college?

 

[cyclonespiker33]

Oddly enough, I think this has changed over time for me. If you would have asked me in my late teens/early 20s I would've been on board to save money and to 'help the company'. I think I just have a general assumption that people get weirder as they get older and maybe more private is a better word than 'weirder', but that's definitely a change I've noticed in myself. I also have a pretty slanted/jaded view of corporate culture, so am not really inclined to 'do what's best for the company' anymore, because rarely in my experience does it work the other way around.

People certainly don't get more private in locker rooms with age.