Flight Attendant Friday: All Those Hotel Rooms

I’ve seen a hotel room or two in my career.  Everything from a rundown dilapidated hotel, with no heat, but they’d send up a space heater, to lovely resort properties that cared about your every need.  So, today’s reader questions, from Marty, is one that is near and dear to my heart.

Marty asks:

Q.  I was wondering what flexibility you have, if any, in choosing what hotel to stay at?  I’m imagining that you probably have to stay at the airport location for whatever hotel chain that your airline has designated?  Is it the same chain in every city?  And can you stay somewhere other than the chain’s airport hotel?  Also, are there situations where the airline might give you an allowance to seek more permanent accommodations in a city that you are often having layovers in?  i.e. enough to get a shared apartment, etc?

A. Hotel costs are a huge budget item for airlines, and, as you can imagine, every effort is taken to save every single penny that can be saved.  It’s the ultimate standoff – with the people who are staying in the hotels wanting comfortable, well appointed, and conveniently located hotels, and the people paying the bill for the hotels needing to crunch the numbers and to negotiate the lowest possible contract rates.

While the process is handled differently, depending on the airline, the over arching issue is the same.  At most airlines that I’m familiar with, there is a Hotel Committee of Flight Attendants, of Pilots, and a counterpart for the Airline.  These three parties each have a list of what they require in a hotel (often set by contract) and what they’d like in a hotel.

Word is put out to hotels to determine who might be interested in having flight crews stay there.  Not everyone wants us, as it usually is at a seriously discounted rate.  In return, however, the hotel is guaranteed a number of booked rooms each month.  When there is a list together of interested hotels, representatives from the Flight Attendants, Pilots, and Airline will schedule onsite inspections.  Additional considerations will include the distance from the hotel (travel time will eat into crew rest), transportation to and from the airport, availability of restaurants, etc.

After all that, it will come down to money.  Sometimes a hotel will offer a lower rate if you choose their property in several cities.  Sometimes you want locations in a city, but can’t get it.  It varies tremendously, and there really isn’t any consistency.  It’s all about the money.

You are not generally required to stay at the crew hotel.  For example, many Flight Attendants commute to a base other than where they live, and bid for layovers at home.  However, the crew hotel is the only place where the airline will pick up the tab for the expense.  The airline direct pays for the hotel.

That’s the basic process, and although there will be some variations, it will essential be the same from airline to airline.

Thanks for the question, Marty!

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Is there something that you’d like to know about the job or lifestyle of being a Flight Attendant?  You can email me your questions, and I’ll answer them in a future Flight Attendant Friday.