A day room (or day use) is a method of booking a

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

room for same-day use.

History

Historically, the use of day rooms dates as far back as the

itself. In literary history, has been associated with the idea of renting rooms on an hourly basis. For a time, this practice had a negative connotation for hotels and motels. In Japan, this practice is commonplace, but exclusive to a specific type of hotel called a

love hotel A love hotel is a type of short-stay hotel found around the world operated primarily for the purpose of allowing guests privacy for sexual activities. The name originates from "Hotel Love" in Osaka, which was built in 1968 and had a rotating ...

. Long layovers and unpredictable travel plans re-created the demand for day rooms in modern times. In the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, jobs that require travel became more popular in the 20th and 21st centuries. The practice of renting a hotel room for a day is also common among travelers and vacationers who go on cruises, as well as commuters visiting cities for conferences and those with long layovers, due to the fact that cruise ships typically depart and arrive at early hours of the morning. This is usually more affordable than booking a hotel overnight. Day rooms are now being used for charitable work as well. Homeless shelters in the United States typically allow the homeless to sleep at night, but do not allow individuals to stay in the shelter during the day. In Montana, missions are investing in day room facilities to allow the homeless to work on computers, dress, and prepare for interviews. One facility in Montana provides bunks as well as common areas and showers to help impoverished individuals get back on their feet.

Contemporary day rooms

Modern hotels fill daytime occupancy by offering day rooms. Day rooms are booked in a block of hours typically between 8 am and 5 pm, before the typical night shift. For example, the Four Points, a Sheraton hotel in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

, began offering day rooms. Also, the

Rodeway Inn and Suites Rodeway Inn is a chain of economy-priced hotels in the United States and Canada. Founded by Michael Robinson in 1962, the franchise is now led by Choice Hotels corporation. As of June 30, 2020, there are 578 Rodeway Inn locations in North Ame ...

near

Port Everglades Port Everglades is a seaport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, located in Broward County. Port Everglades is one of South Florida's foremost economic engines, as it is the gateway for both international trade and cruise vacations. In 2019, Port Ev ...

Fort Lauderdale A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facer ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

offers day rooms.

Technology

There is a technology movement surrounding travel and time-saving that implements daytime hotel use. Several companies offer mobile applications that divide the time by hours or day use for travel purposes. In

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

, a company has created a mobile application that divides time in a hotel by the minute. In the Netherlands, the initiative VoorDeThuiswerkers was set up during the lockdown to help home workers and hotels through the corona crisis. Hotels converted their rooms into workplace for a day, because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, many rooms were empty. As of 2016, new businesses are built around the concept of helping travelers find day rooms. The IT movement in this direction typically list hotels and motels that offer day room services and provide booking information for those facilities before evening bookings.

Notes

{{reflist Hotel terminology Hospitality industry