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Living in hotels

Hey everyone,

I've recently joined a consulting firm and have been pondering my living situation. Essentially the office I'm at is very travel intensive and due to this, I'll only be in my home city for two days a week. A couple of my colleagues have decided not to rent/buy a flat to live in and instead decide to just remain in hotels over the weekend when they come back to their 'home city'. I understand that this is a great way to save money but was just thinking that this approach can lead to burnout when you consider that you won't have a place to call 'home'. I'd love to hear the thoughts of anyone who has been in a similar situation!

Thanks! 

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Top answer
on Oct 13, 2023
Ex-BCG Principal | 8+ years consulting experience in SEA | BCG top interviewer & top performer

Hi,

I travelled for about ~50% of the time I was in consulting. I would say that it is nice to have a place to call home and feel at home.

If you are living in a place where real estate prices are very high, then I think renting a place would still be nice if you didn't want to have such a big cash commitment. 

Alternatively you can consider sharing rent - this is another option of reducing your cash outlay and also having a place that is more comfortable than a hotel room.

Ian
Coach
edited on Jun 29, 2019
Top US BCG / MBB Coach - 5,000 sessions |Tech, Platinion, Big 4 | 9/9 personal interviews passed | 95% candidate success

Hi Anonymous,

If it helps, I also considered this decision. I ultimately decided on keeping a home. At least for me, having a home base to put my things, relax/recover in on the weekend, see familiar faces at etc. definitely kept my sanity. Most people I know have a home base, though I have heard of a few people calling their hotel home.

That being said, I was travelling to a city where I knew noone and I was very far away from my home country - if I had travelled to a number of other cities where I knew people, had a parent's home I could store my stuff in, and perhaps started BCG at a younger age I probably could have done it!

I think that the benefits also play a bigger impact lower down the food chain. For example, the returns on this decision are very high on the lower wage of Associate, however, at Project Leader level this probably doesn't make sense!

Eugene
Coach
on Jun 29, 2019
Ex-BCG Project Leader, experienced coach, flexible - always there for frequent informal calls between sessions

I would say it's very context-specific. If you are 21, single, love the vibe of the city and hang out with friend outside on the weekends, then you might enjoy staying in a hotel and seeing the amount on your bank account grow. If you are a homy person, who loves to come back to own things in the house (your books, your couch etc.), or like to invite people to your place, then a studio/apartment is probably a better option. What I would do is act in an agile fasion - test out and decide: 1). Stay for a month or two in hotels and see how you feel. You'll save some money in the meanwhile 2). If you feel like you're always on the road, don't have a home and feel bad, then find an apartment / studio for yourself, or at least share one with a roommate

Vlad
Coach
on Jun 29, 2019
McKinsey / Accenture Alum / Got all BIG3 offers / Harvard Business School

Hi,

It's very much personal and I believe no advice can help here. 

There are many other factors that prevent from burn out: relationships. what you are actually doing during the week and on the weekends, sleep, nutrition, etc

Sorry, but it should be your decision

Best

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