Sharing hotel rooms with coworkers?

[NHdisneylover]

True... I can see there being a difference between once a year, and once a month, with regards to what the company should cover. Also, I can see it depending on how much work the company is expecting to get out of their employees.

If you need a quiet room to write, prepare, or continue work at the end of the day, that's one thing. But if all they want from you is once-a-year attendance at some conference sessions, and socializing at the parties afterward, then... actually, if I was an employer, I might actually want my employees sharing rooms. It might cut down a bit on regrettable hook-ups and subsequent office drama.

Exactly--and since the OP specified frequent travel, my mind went to the type of travel my husband does-----10 to 20 nights in any given month away from home. In a factory from whatever time that culture starts (7 in England, 9 in Italy, etc), business lunch, short break after the shift ends to clean up and answer emails and make calls, business dinner, and probably another hour or so working on reports or emails after the dinner finally ends.
it is only reasonable to expect that he have a quiet place to work on those reports/calls and that he get a little time to himself to decompress and sleep soundly alone in a room after all that, IMO.

 

[powellrj]

When I first joined the company I use to work for we always had to share rooms and then we got our own rooms at nice hotels and then when I quit, we had our own rooms at horrible motels like Motel 6 that you had to check out a remote from the front window, they didn't even have a front desk.

Sharing cars wasn't too bad unless you had an awful driver who insisted on driving. My former boss was the worst driver ever and she would always insist on driving. I finally got to where I would wear sunglasses so nobody could see when I closed my eyes!

 

[ConnecticutNonna]

There are advantages of coming from a big family (5 boys and one girl and I'm that one girl) privacy isn't something you ever have so I wouldn't even blink sharing the bathroom with another woman. There are also advantages of being a scuba diver, no privacy at all, we've been known to strip down on a dive boat under a towel. I've shared a condo with 3 men, one my honey, another one a person we met in class and had been on another dive trip with and the other one a good friend. The two men shared a room there were two bathrooms but that was just because there was a master bedroom with it's own bathroom. It didn't bother me at all to get up in the morning in my tshirt and shorts and shuffle into the kitchen to make coffee, if one of the guys was already up we'd just kind of nod to each other. But again, no one looks their best after coming up from a dive so they had pretty much seen the worst they could see. I also write reviews for a book website and have gotten to know a lot of people from that. When we attend conferences, most of the time we share rooms since we pay for it ourselves (most of them are indy authors) and I've shared with people I've only met on line. I'm one of those who gets up early to workout or jog and I just always make sure my room mate is aware I'm going to do it. I put my clothes in the bathroom the night before, get up and go in there and shut the door so the light isn't shining and try to make as little noise as I can while leaving.

Just asking...
But, how do you know that the person you just met online is not a sociopath or psychopath?!?
Just to give you the numbers 1 in every 25 people is either/or. That's 4% of the general population. Pretty scary odds.
Again, I have multiple reasons for not wanting to share a room. (My bedtime, my arising time, TV or not, music or not, mini bar or not) I can name a bunch. I'm just not comfortable sharing a room with anyone but DH or family.
I would definitely not be sharing with a stranger from online.

 

[NHdisneylover]

Just asking...
But, how do you know that the person you just met online is not a sociopath or psychopath?!?
Just to give you the numbers 1 in every 25 people is either/or. That's 4% of the general population. Pretty scary odds.
Again, I have multiple reasons for not wanting to share a room. (My bedtime, my arising time, TV or not, music or not, mini bar or not) I can name a bunch. I'm just not comfortable sharing a room with anyone but DH or family.
I would definitely not be sharing with a stranger from online.

I am not that person but really it can depend on how long you have known them online, if you have met others in a same circle of friends, etc. Personally, I have "online friends" I trust more than just about anyone.

DD19 has stayed (in two different summers) with a friend of mine whom I still have not met in person, but I have known for years online, as well as friends of friends whom none of us had met--but we trusted those friends.
And I got to meet and stay overnight with another close online friend recently, when I ended up stuck overnight in Chicago due to weather related flight issues.

I like to think that I am reasonably cautious and take reasonable precautions, but I don't assume the worst of people either and someone with whom I have had a long term relationship on facebook is probably no more likely to end up being a danger than someone I know is person is. The bigger issue is having a relationship with them, other people knowing where you will be, trusting your instincts, etc.

 

[smiths02]

My company has had that policy for years. Does it suck? Yes. But when we travel, we are literally in the room only to sleep and shower. I think it's easy to say "pay for your own room", but I know one trip we take, an extra room (if it can be found) would be $1000+.

And really? "Find another job"? I guess I might do that if I was travelling often, but for the couple times a year (if that), it's not worth it.

I agree I wouldn't necessarily find another job, but OP said 1 week a month is travel...even if the room is only showering, sleeping...I would want to shower and sleep comfortably for that week

 

[DebbieB]

I work for a very large company for almost 40 years and have only been asked to do this twice. Once in 1979, when I went to a training class. The other time was around 2002, the administrative staff was asked if we wanted to go to a regional meeting that we normally are not invited to. But we had to agree to share rooms for one night to cut costs. I did.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

I have always had to travel for work, and never experienced this before. But a company I just started working at recently changed their policy so now, employees have to share a room with a coworker while travelling for work. Has anyone else ever had to experience this?

As a possible solution and to save a little bit of money: If you found somebody else who also did not like this policy, could you offer to "share" with that person and then one of you book an additional room and split that cost between yourselves so each got their own room?

I personally don't agree with the policy and think that an employer should find other ways to save costs. When people have to travel it is inconvenient, at least give them their own space at the end of the night. If my previous employer had attempted to make this change I would have suggested that perhaps we stop going out to expensive dinners and ordering bottles of wine that cost more than my monthly food budget (FYI I don't drink so the wine did nothing for me!) and put that money towards rooms. I'd rather eat a McDonald's cheeseburger and have my own room than have a nice steak dinner.

 

[Julylady]

I have been with the same organization about 22 years. In the very beginning, it was common to share a hotel room with the same sex person. Since 2000 though, everyone is entitled to their own room. We can choose to share if we wish, but there is no pressure to do so. (I think a specific incident triggered the change in policy). We are also not allowed to stay in a hotel room within 60 miles of our city, which is a problem since we often are required to go to 2-day meetings in our state capitol which is about 50 miles away. Its a pain to drive back and forth for 2 days, so sometimes I just pay for my own room.

We are expected to carpool if driving, however.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

A lot of people seem to be posting about sleeping being the concern. Sleeping for me is the least of my concerns, lol.

When I traveled a lot I wanted to go back to the room, take a long hot bath/shower, sit around on the bed in my underwear, watch TV, face-time my wife, surf the internet (usually DISboards, haha). That would be the uncomfortable part for me! IF you told me that my roommate could just come in around midnight as I was turning off the lights and just sleep in the other bed I'd probably be down with that, LOL.

 

[Magpie]

Just asking...
But, how do you know that the person you just met online is not a sociopath or psychopath?!?
Just to give you the numbers 1 in every 25 people is either/or. That's 4% of the general population. Pretty scary odds.
Again, I have multiple reasons for not wanting to share a room. (My bedtime, my arising time, TV or not, music or not, mini bar or not) I can name a bunch. I'm just not comfortable sharing a room with anyone but DH or family.
I would definitely not be sharing with a stranger from online.

That's actually about double the extreme outside, most generous, estimates.

First off, it's ridiculously hard to diagnose psychopathy/sociopathy. It's not something you can just do a blood test for.

The American Psychiatric Association's DSM IV-TR gives the prevalence as about 3% of males and 1% of females. But a huge 2009 study done in the United Kingdom found the prevalence to be 0.6%, males and females combined. So... do we conclude that Americans are that much more psychopathic than folks in the UK? Probably not. It's just really darn hard to pinpoint something as nebulous as "psychopathy".

Finally, just because a person might come across on a test as psychopathic or sociopathic, that doesn't mean they are predatory. It doesn't mean they have any interest in hurting you. They are simply "uncaring, shallow, irresponsible, insincere, overconfident and easily frustrated."

They might very well make a terrible mate, and worse parent, but as a passing acquaintance... meh.

People are really not that scary, most of them. In fact, the vast majority of people are folks who think of themselves as "good guys" and who, even if they regularly do terrible things in the ordinary course of their lives, will still step up to help a stranger in a crisis.

Statistically speaking, it's more reasonable to be scared of your friends and relatives, than a stranger. Your friends and relatives are almost always the ones who are going to hurt and abuse you, if anyone will.

That said, you're not obliged to be comfortable sharing a room with others. Your feelings are your own.

 

[loves to dive]

Just asking...
But, how do you know that the person you just met online is not a sociopath or psychopath?!?
Just to give you the numbers 1 in every 25 people is either/or. That's 4% of the general population. Pretty scary odds.
Again, I have multiple reasons for not wanting to share a room. (My bedtime, my arising time, TV or not, music or not, mini bar or not) I can name a bunch. I'm just not comfortable sharing a room with anyone but DH or family.
I would definitely not be sharing with a stranger from online.

These aren't people who have just met on line. We have a book review website with over 300 authors who submit their books, about 10 reviewers and a board of directors. Part of the service that is provided to the authors, is we go to book events and set up booths or tables with their books and our information. The authors go to have tables of their own as well. Usually it's the board members who are sharing rooms, I've shared with an author who happened to be a board member as well. We've usually talked on the phone a number of times arranging these events. It's not like we've met in a chat room or on a board like this, it's more like a business with unpaid employees.

 

[aprilgail]

OP-I am curious WHAT you do in this other city-also curious how you rent a HOUSE for a short period of time?

I can nOT imagine any coworker I would have wanted to share room with....and since I SNORE I would be so uncomfortable sharing

Wouldn't be much different than renting a house for vacations- I rent houses for a week at a time for vacation.

I had to do that....AND share the bed. I know but it was a school function and we were chaperones. There were no other sleeping arrangements that would work, you know, not leaving a kid alone with a teacher etc.:/ Very awkward.

For PTA conferences with our school they put you 4 in a room so not only do you have to share the room you have to share the BED! I turned down every conference they wanted to send me to because sharing a room is bad enough but I am NOT sharing a bed with someone I hardly know!

 

[Chocolate Cake]

For PTA conferences with our school they put you 4 in a room so not only do you have to share the room you have to share the BED! I turned down every conference they wanted to send me to because sharing a room is bad enough but I am NOT sharing a bed with someone I hardly know!

OMG. Never ever.

 

[Minniesgal]

If my company proposed this people Would stOp travelling for work maybe that's their objective.

We travel all over the world for work usually in our own time our company relies on employee goodwill for that a policy like this would kill that.

 

[jump00]

No way! I'm a teacher and on a trip I need to de-stress at the end of the day. I also need to sleep. Privacy is key!!!

 

[kamik86]

Wouldn't be much different than renting a house for vacations- I rent houses for a week at a time for vacation.



For PTA conferences with our school they put you 4 in a room so not only do you have to share the room you have to share the BED! I turned down every conference they wanted to send me to because sharing a room is bad enough but I am NOT sharing a bed with someone I hardly know!

The only time I ever shared a bed with someone that wasn't family was when my high school let us go on a (free) trip for a few days. Where we mostly got to pick roommates (meaning teachers could veto a combination).

by college we were expected to share a room but not a bed. (REasonable in college since well that is the same for dorms).

 

[jen0610]

Sorry, but if they are looking to trim from the travel budget, it's time to look at changing to a cheaper chain to do business with.

I know may will disagree, but I am more than willing to stay in a room that cost less, than having to share with someone else.

I like my room temp a certain way. I sleep with the tv on if the fan unit doesn't put out enough "white noise" for my liking. I know that would have driven a ton of current and former co-workers NUTS, if they had had to share with me.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

Sharing a room makes me think of that old movie "Planes Trains and Automobiles".

 

[chicagodisneyfan]

Have done it and wasnt bothered by it. Why would I? I had my own bed.
Just doesn't bother me.

 

[smiths02]

Sorry, but if they are looking to trim from the travel budget, it's time to look at changing to a cheaper chain to do business with.

I know may will disagree, but I am more than willing to stay in a room that cost less, than having to share with someone else.

I like my room temp a certain way. I sleep with the tv on if the fan unit doesn't put out enough "white noise" for my liking. I know that would have driven a ton of current and former co-workers NUTS, if they had had to share with me.

That reminds me. I share a room with 3 other ladies at work a few days a week. I love them, but one is always cold..I'm always hot. It can be miserable some days (she does have a heater), but I wouldn't want to sleep in same room for a week every month