Hotels in Barcelona and Valencia offer one-month stays starting from 500 euros, with access to laundry and parking facilities. Many people welcome the option of living in a hotel.
The coronavirus and the measures taken to fight the pandemic have caused tourism to fall to figures that would never have been imagined. Last August, Spain welcomed 75.9% fewer visitors than in the same month of 2019, and the projected figures for the winter season do not seem more optimistic.
It is expected that Spanish tourism could lose up to 30 billion euros between September and December; an astronomical amount added to the 40 billion that the industry has already lost since July.
But the hotel sector is not quitting, and is willing to reinvent itself in the face of a situation that has left it in a cloud of uncertainty.
The Reinvention of Hotels
One of the industry’s bets has been to transform its premises into flexible offices and coworking spaces, focusing on remote workers who cannot find the ideal setting at home to carry out their duties.
However, this is not the only way in which the sector has reimagined its business model, many hotels and hostels have found a solution in renting long-stay rooms and offer the living in a hotel option.
Real estate news portal Idealista announced the new trend after tracking several establishments on its website that have opted for this formula as an escape route from the decline in customers over the tourism decline.
Price Range
These are, in general, rooms that require a minimum stay of one month and that vary in price depending on the services: starting from 400 euros which includes housekeeping, to 1,000 euros a month with access to bigger rooms or services such as a half board.
The measure isn’t meant to overtake the traditional rental of a home or tourist rooms, as explained by the Rental Negotiation Agency.
“The legal nature of these leases could be framed in the accommodation contracts that are regulated in part by articles 1,783 and 1,784 of the Civil Code, and in another, by Doctrinal and Jurisprudential creation. The lodging is a lease that combines the lease of things (the room), the lease of services (housekeeping and laundry), the lease of labor (food and breakfasts), and the deposit contract of all the goods that are introduced in the room,” explains José Ramón Zurdo, general director of the Rental Negotiation Agency.
Potential clients interested in living in a hotel are usually students of specialized courses, displaced healthcare workers, or people who have patients admitted to hospitals and need temporary stays.
But without a doubt, more than one can be lured by the idea as an alternative to conventional rentals, at least until prices begin to increase.
Where to Find the Offers
Among the chains that offer this type of accommodation one can find the Campanile Barberá del Vallés hotel near Barcelona, which offers an 18-square meter room for 550 euros a month, with underground parking and weekly housekeeping. The hotel, which has 212 rooms, has already booked 20 of these monthly rentals.
It is also possible to find this option in Barcelona at an equally attractive price, although with fewer services.
In the Center of Barcelona
The Hotel Mihlton, a boutique hotel located in one of the most expensive areas of the Catalan capital, La Dreta de l'Eixample, includes rentals ranging from 550 euros a month for a standard room of about 17 square meters, to 1,000 euros a month which is the usual price of a junior suite (larger in size with a seating area and a minibar).
It should be taken into account that the usual price of the rooms is around 120 euros a night.
You could also stay in a 19th-century building, declared an architectural heritage of Barcelona, by moving to the heart of Paseo de Gracia and visiting the Hotel Praktik Essens, which offers rooms for 750 euros a month with extras such as breakfast, laundry and drinks.
Offers Also in Valencia
In Valencia, it is possible to stay for a month in a 4-star hotel starting from 650 euros at the Hotel Silken, located in Camins al Grau. The price only includes staying in the room, but other services may be added, with the corresponding price increase.
For about 1,000 euros a month, guests can enjoy half board, laundry service, parking and a room with its own terrace.
At the moment, the new format seems to translate well into sales. “Of our 16 rooms, we have booked 13 for long stays. Some guests want weekly accommodation, while others will be staying for months. Several have already told us that they will stay until the end of May 2021,” told Jurgen Hutterer, director of the Hotel Mihlton.