The hospitality and hotel industries found themselves in an extremely difficult position owing to the pandemic. Two hotels in Amsterdam, however, attempt to survive the situation with a seemingly successful rebranding strategy: now they offer their rooms transformed into private work spaces to the employees wishing to escape from their neighbors or children.
200 hotels had to close as a result of the outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic and the subsequent measures only in Amsterdam. Zoku, also offering long term stays qualifies as the lucky exception in this situation, so they could also take in some of the guests of the neighboring hotels. The terms “home office” and “co-working” were not unknown to them, either – although the latter is not possible at the moment (the commonly used areas of the hotel have been shut down), they even created additional possibilities for the former:they offer their rooms under the name Private WorkLoft for EUR 50/day to those wishing to work amongst tranquil circumstances, complying with the principles of social distancing. The daily fee includes a lunch, high-speed Wi-Fi and access to an office toolbox, where those working in their facilities can found useful stationary items and supplies.
Hotel V came up with a similar strategy. They rent out their rooms during working hours, that is between 9.00 AM and 5.00 PM to those who would prefer working from the hotel than from their own homes. The same as in the case of Zoku, Hotel V’s daily fee of EUR 50 also includes contactless room service, and those who don’t have kids waiting for them at home can even stay the night for a small surcharge.
“It’s a great example of using unused capacity, re-thinking your business model and adapting yourself to new circumstances” – said Hans Meyer, the co-founder of Zoku. He also added that the scheme has proved so successful so far that it’s possible that they will also pursue it postcrisis.
Our article was made based on the piece of the FRAME.
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