Working from home, with room service: How one inner Adelaide hotel is adapting to COVID-19

We’ve found an office space where you’ll have a professional barista on call, room service at hand and you won’t be disturbed by ratty kids or restless pets to disturb you. It’s not a joke.

Adelaide photographer and video producer booked a room at the Mayfair in the city during the week to escape the chaos of home renovations. Picture Dean Martin

WORKING from home doesn’t sound half bad when you’ve a professional barista on call, room service at hand and blissful peace and quiet with no little people, or restless pooches to disturb you.

One of Adelaide’s most up-market inner-city hotels, the Mayfair, is opening up its rooms during the COVID-19 crisis to allow guests the chance to do just that.

General manager Martin Radcliffe said the idea to book rooms for the day, from 9am to 6pm, evolved from the downturn in demand caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

“Why not be a hotel that can provide business facilities – we’ve got rooms available, people who can service those rooms, high speed internet, printing facilities available,” he said.

“We’ve had people approach us saying, ‘the kids are driving me mad, the dog is crazy’, all these different sorts of things.

“We have to grasp every opportunity we can abiding by social distancing restrictions … the more business we can get here, the more openings we can pursue, the more people we can keep busy and employed.”

Mr Radcliffe said staff numbers had been reduced but he was hopeful “good times” would soon return.

“The hospitality industry is an amazing, resilient and creative industry,” he said.

“We rely on people being with us and coming through our doors and are willing and prepared to adapt to survive.

“What we are now seeing is the genuine warmth and compassion of people, it would be nice to think as a community and society we can carry that through to when the good times return.”

For Adelaide photographer and video producer Duy Huynh, the CBD hotel room provided the ideal home office refuge during the week.

“We are currently in the middle of renovations at home and our Wi-Fi has been temporarily impacted,” he said.

”Due to the nature of my work, I require high-speed internet otherwise my productivity is limited.

“(And) with some tradies coming and going, I thought it would be nice to find a quiet place to get my editing and admin work done.”

He says the hand-delivered meals were a bonus, allowing him to maximise his working day.

“Given we’re currently not allowed to work at cafes or any other public places, (for me) this has become a very good option,” he said.

The daily room rate is $65 and includes lunch, tea and coffee as well as a morning and afternoon snack.

If workers aren’t finished and need to stay for the night, they can pay an additional $95.

Similar services are being offered at the Hotel Grand Chancellor on Currie St, Quest Adelaide on King William St and Sage Hotel on South Tce.