In a market where the cost of renting a home has reached record highs and is well beyond the budget of many, hotels are proving to be a lifeline for some.
In an essay for Business InsiderSuzanne Hayes describes the challenges she faced when she was notified that her landlord was selling the house she was renting with her two children, forcing her to look for a new home.
So I went on Zillow. Two bedrooms, 1,000 square feet, $2,700 a month. Three bedrooms, 1,200 square feet, $3,000 a month. The prices were ridiculous and way out of my budget. When I finally found an apartment that I felt comfortable with, my application was rejected because my credit score wasn’t good enough.
After turning down an offer to move back in with her mother, Hayes began looking for hotels that offered long-term rentals and received a response from the Avon Old Farms Hotel.
“We have a two-bedroom apartment on site that we rent for longer stays. It costs $2,200 per month and includes all utilities and hotel amenities,” the email said.
Not only were their children excited about the novelty of living in a hotel, but it also had tangible advantages over a traditional apartment.
After viewing the apartment, I signed. Shortly after moving in, I was informed that the cleaning crew would come every Tuesday to do a deep clean, change the linens, and swap out our used towels for clean ones. The gift of having washed and replenished towels in addition to the weekly cleaning would be the greatest gift in the world to me.
All three quickly liked the hotel’s other amenities.
They quickly discovered that the hotel restaurant hosted a trivia game every Thursday night, and since then it has become our favorite weekly activity. We swim on hot days, cook s’mores on the fire pits on weekends, and enjoy a continental breakfast in the morning.
Hayes’ experience is far from unique. In the US, markets have reached a point where middle-class families are being pushed out of the cities, towns and communities where they grew up. To make matters worse, while possible While rents could fall, the reality is that this is unlikely, especially in high-demand markets such as tech hubs across the country.
In the meantime, hotels may be in a unique position to offer hard-working Americans another option that comes with its own benefits.
