Sharing hotel rooms with coworkers?

[porschegrl]

On the forums home page, I see the subject line abbreviated as, "Sharing hotel rooms with cow..."

I'd rather share my room with a cow than with a co-worker.

 

[ravenclawtrekkie]

I've got no problem with sharing a room with anyone for any reason - I've volunteered with conventions that put me up in hotels with total strangers and I did that for 10 years - but I wouldn't share a bed. I'd rather sleep on an air mattress on the floor.

 

[kamik86]

I'm not sure if the travel policies at my work have ever required sharing of rooms. However I know they actually changed to have most staying in nicer accomodations then they used to.

Before hotels worked like our food still does. The company would pay the government per diem rate for that location. What you booked and spent was up to you. So many people would book the cheapest (sometimes slightly sketchy) rooms they could find and pocket the rest.

Now the policy is that for food we still get the per diem and no one cares what we spend it on. However for the hotel if your under per diem you don't get the balance back (we are also forced to stay at a mariott if available in the area due to a deal with them) so now everyone aims to stay at the nicest hotel in the area that meets per diem.

 

[Sabeking]

My DH owned a business with about 200 employees. They watched expenses but he always insisted that anyone traveling on business have their own room. He wanted his employees to be able to completely relax. At one point they traveled so much they had some amazing cooperate rates anyway.

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

I wouldn't like it, but it makes a lot of financial sense for companies.

 

[IceSkatingPrincess]

I won't even give most of my coworkers my cell phone number, much less live with them for days at a time! I didn't like dorm rooms either. My job requires me to be a bubbly people person while I am there, when I am on my on time I just want to chill out alone.

 

[bookgirl]

I've done both. I prefer a single, just me but I don't like sharing a bathroom and I want to be relaxed in the evening or morning without feeling like i have a guest n my space constantly. My company encourages sharing, but pays for single. However they do not give ou more expenses so sometimes if you go single you don't have enough to rent a car or stay at a higher end hotel, or do pre conference workshops or dining events. Fine with me. I'd rather have privacy.

 

[Minniesgal]

It's interesting to me that so many people would want their own room on a business trip. To the people who are against sleeping in the same room as another person (not family, close friends), what do you think about college dorms?

I wouldn't share one of those either nor ask my kids to.

We always made sure we could afford a house big enough for a bedroom for each of our kids as i never wanted them to have to share. Everyone needs their own space.

 

[Callie]

When I was an intern I had to share a room with 2 other female interns. The worst part was the beds were usually super small, and we had to share.

 

[cedricandsophie]

I have been retired for A few years and worked 30 years for a consulting firm. I traveled quite a bit and there was never a requirement to share a room. And I can tell you there isn't one now for friends still there. If you have to travel for business and be away from home, the least you should get is your own room. I wuld not have tolerated that.

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

When I was an intern I had to share a room with 2 other female interns. The worst part was the beds were usually super small, and we had to share.

Sharing a room is one thing, but sharing a BED is a completely different story.

 

[Callie]

The kitty litter because of snow and ice makes sense. I would almost think if it was dumped from a litter box, she would be finding other tell-tale signs of a cat along with the litter.

Sharing a room is one thing, but sharing a BED is a completely different story.

I guess the only thing I can say is, we were college interns, and lucky to get to go on overnight trips? Thankfully I got the bed to myself usually.

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

I have been retired for A few years and worked 30 years for a consulting firm. I traveled quite a bit and there was never a requirement to share a room. And I can tell you there isn't one now for friends still there. If you have to travel for business and be away from home, the least you should get is your own room. I would not have tolerated that.

This is a perspective I hadn't thought about. The thought that a company is asking you to be away from home and your family is a sacrifice. I don't travel that often for work, so when I do, I think of it more as a luxury and a vacation. I'm happy for a little break. But for a family with small children, or other household responsibilities, I can see how that would change the situation and place a small burden on the family back at home leaving them to do all the work.

 

[dja14]

I edited this because I didn't know if I gave too much work info (never know)

They don't have to share at my husbands company. It was discussed a few years ago as a way to cut costs but no one really wanted to, for several reasons. So far they haven't had to between the HR person finding good deals and they telecommute much more.

 

[Mokat76]

Oh wow... I'm so very different! When I lived alone with my mum, I was often lonely. After moving out, I lived with many roommates, before finally moving in with my husband and his roommates. Who drifted away, over time, as we established ourselves as a couple with kids.

Now I live with my husband, his mother, my two adult children, and frequent house guests.

I'd be very unhappy if I was forced to live alone. I think, if I couldn't find a human to live with me, I'd have to get a bunch of very large dogs. And have them all sleep in my bed with me.

I am seeing how, for some people though, this is an issue.

Oh Lordy, Magpie, this would be my nightmare. The thought of living with all those people about gives me hives--though I could probably do ok with the dogs. Lol!!

 

[NHdisneylover]

It's interesting to me that so many people would want their own room on a business trip. To the people who are against sleeping in the same room as another person (not family, close friends), what do you think about college dorms?

A full time roommate living situation is different to me (thought DD does have her own room even in the dorms, as did I for all but one semester of my college career).

When you are living with someone else full time, and that person is the same person, you work out (spoken, or just kinds of figure it out, depends on the roommates) ways to share the space --- you learn one another'S schedules and know when you can have some down time in the room to yourself (and also learn campus and the nearby areas and know where to go to relax or study, etc outside of the dorm room), you have time to learn one another's quirks and how to deal with them, etc.

You also have many of the "comforts of home" in a dorm room-- your own bedding, your books, whatever; you are not trying to function away from the majority of the your day to day belongings and "coworkers" (fellow students) etc.

And, dorm living would not have that same expectation of professionalism, or that same stress of things happening in your off time but around your roommate potentially affecting your career that sharing a sleeping space on a work trip would.

 

[JoeA]

I was on international travel last year with my boss and while we had separate rooms, the rooms were next to each other. I even thought that was too close!

I spend all day with these people and I really want a place to decompress and take a deep breath - in my own space and environment I create for myself.

 

[smiths02]

A full time roommate living situation is different to me (thought DD does have her own room even in the dorms, as did I for all but one semester of my college career).

When you are living with someone else full time, and that person is the same person, you work out (spoken, or just kinds of figure it out, depends on the roommates) ways to share the space --- you learn one another'S schedules and know when you can have some down time in the room to yourself (and also learn campus and the nearby areas and know where to go to relax or study, etc outside of the dorm room), you have time to learn one another's quirks and how to deal with them, etc.

You also have many of the "comforts of home" in a dorm room-- your own bedding, your books, whatever; you are not trying to function away from the majority of the your day to day belongings and "coworkers" (fellow students) etc.

And, dorm living would not have that same expectation of professionalism, or that same stress of things happening in your off time but around your roommate potentially affecting your career that sharing a sleeping space on a work trip would.

I only lived in a dorm with a roommate one year...I got an apartment as soon as I was allowed (we had to live on campus freshman year) There were also options to request single and request certain roommates, I believe, so there's that.

The other aspect is that while there are nightmare roommate from hell issues, as NHdisneylover posted, you can work it out and there are also mediators and the stakes aren't as high (if you complain about your roommate or they complain about you, you probably won't get kicked out of college). Also, you are generally the same age, in the same year at college, going to the same college, so presumably you would share a lot of habits/interests.
I think it would be different with co-workers.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

This is not even a comparison to me. These are 17-22 year old kids which have signed up for dorm living and are paying to go to college. That is their HOME during that time. They don't have spouses or kids. AND They have other options...get a job and pay for you own apartment, stay at parents' or relative's home and commute.

This is a discussion about adults - 30, 40, 50 year old adults. They have spouses and kids they want to talk to in the evening. They may have sensitive topics to discuss/tend to in the evening. They have accepted a job with this employer and expect to be treated with respect. Respect to me is giving people their own room on a business trip so that they can have some privacy while they've been forced away from their home and those important to them for the sake of their company. IF the company can't afford to give them their own room then maybe they need to reevaluate if this travel is necessary.

Great post!

I dont travel but my husband does and he has never shared a room.
I think its weird and would not be happy.

BTW: Hi SF fan!
We're over here in Peters Twp.

 

[mom2rtk]

Personally a dorm would not have worked for me, I do not like sharing my space- I didn't have to share it as a kid and I certainly would not have wanted to share it in college.

You were fortunate to apparently have other options.