Living in a Hotel for a Month

So for those of you who don’t know, we have been living in a hotel for a month! Medical school often requires a lot of travel. Kris flew to three different cities in totally different parts of the country for interviews. He has been to six different hospitals for rotations in three different states. He has also interviewed at all those hospitals, which required more travel. And we have traveled a lot less than many other family’s we know during medical school! We both hate being apart, so I always follow Kris around if he is going for more than a week somewhere. We spent the last month at the Hampton Inn & Suites in Yonkers, NY for one of his medical school rotations and have had such a fun time!

Today is our LAST DAY here in New York, I don’t know where the time has gone. I thought a month in a hotel would drag on, but the time flew by. When I found out we would be coming to Yonkers, New York for a month I immediately started looking at apartments. But then I had an idea. Since it is winter, staying in a hotel, where the kids had lots of extra space to run around, seemed like a good idea. It would help keep us busy and active during the month away from home. We decided to stay in the Hampton Inn & Suites in Yonkers because it had amazing reviews online, and was only five minutes from St. Johns Riverside Hospital, where Kris would be working for the month. There were a few other things I considered when searching for the perfect temporary home for our family. I will share below.

10 Things to Look for in an Extended Hotel Stay:

A few of my family members and friends asked me during our stay if I was “going stir crazy yet” living in a hotel for a month. And without hesitation the answer was NO. I spent Kris’s last away rotation in a small one bedroom apartment. It was adorable, but the kids were bored out of their minds without more space to run around. Them being extra cranky made the tight quarters feel extra tight on days I just wanted to stay home. Living in a hotel gave me and the kids a lot more space to run around and a lot more to do. I will share below some of things we had at the Hampton Inn & Suites in Yonkers that made our extended hotel stay perfect.

1. Pool

This was our favorite part of the stay by far! Zoey went in the pool almost every day and I had a lot of fun swimming too. Swimming is my favorite way to exercise, so I got to swim laps now and then. It was a great way to get the kids energy out on days that were just too cold to play outside.

2. Complimentary Breakfast

This was my a close second after the pool. I have experienced a lot of complimentary hotel breakfasts that were…. just ok. But Hampton Inn went above and beyond with their breakfast service. Every morning there was a waffle bar with whip cream, chocolate chips, blueberries, sprinkle, and a variety of syrups for toppings. They had the same set up with hot oatmeal. Taisins, almonds and brown sugar for toppings. There was always meat and eggs (either sausages or bacon, scrambled or omelets) and there was also the basics. Toast, muffins, pastries, a variety of dry cereals, a selection of beverages (juice, tea, hot chocolate, coffee, etc.) and lots of fruit! We never skipped breakfast once during our stay. It was a great way to start the day.

3. Shuttle Service

A shuttle service is super convenient for an extended hotel stay, especially if you are car sharing like Kris and I were. The Hampton Inn shuttle service went to all the nearby shopping centers and tourist attractions so you could have fun and also get your shopping done. All you have to do is schedule it with the front desk and they will drop you off and pick you up.

4. Fitness Center

I didn’t get a ton of use out of the fitness center. Other than to practice my Zumba now and then (video of that coming soon!). But Kris used it almost every day. He couldn’t tell me often enough how much he loved having a bright, clean gym with all the equipment, just down the hallway. I think he might transform our garage into a similar space this summer…

5. Online Reviews about Cleanliness

When you are planning an extended hotel stay it is important to pay attention to little details like cleanliness. This might not matter so much if it was just an overnight stay, but it makes a big difference when you are at a hotel for a month. The cleaning staff here was incredible! It felt like I was walking into a brand new hotel room every time I came back after the cleaning service. They planned cleaning around my schedule, so I never had to worry about being out of the room at a certain time. If they weren’t sure they would call me first to see if it was a good time to clean. I just wish I could take this service home with me…

6. Suites & Larger Rooms

We booked a suite for our extended hotel stay. It was important to us to have a little extra space since we have two kids. The room we were in was about 400 square feet. It had a kitchen area a large bathroom, living room and the master bed. It was just the right amount of space for our little family.

7. Business Center

The business center was a perfect escape for me to get work done. More importantly it was a place that we could print endless coloring pages for Zoey. She loves coloring and it was nice to have the extra entertainment on some days.

8. Outdoor Space

The Hampton Inn & Suites in Yonkers has a fenced in outdoor space. This was something I hadn’t even thought about before we came, but I am so glad they happened to have it. It makes me anxious for the day that we can have a fenced in backyard (or just a backyard in general) so the kids can run around without having to go to a park! We used the outdoor space a lot, and with busy roads nearby I really appreciated that it was fenced in.

9. Restaurant in House

An extended stay in a hotel can make dinner’s a little difficult. We did a lot of microwave meals during our month in Yonkers, but it was really nice to have a restaurant just down the hall for the nights we felt like something a little better than microwave food.

10. Activities Close By

Another thing to consider for an extended hotel stay is location. As a LECOM medical student on rotation, Kris’s first priority was being near the hospital. Luckily for me that also meant we were near a lot of fun activities including the Bronx Zoo, NYC, LegoLand, iFly and my favorite – Untermeyer Conservational Gardens.

I have definitely been converted to hotel living and wouldn’t mind moving into the Hampton Inn & Suites forever. It will be really hard saying goodbye tomorrow! I am excited that we are finally going to be able to put up our Christmas tree though!! I decorated our hotel room all Christmasy, and our mini hotel tree is cute, but it isn’t the same as our big one at home.

Have you ever had an extended hotel stay? How long did you stay for? Did you like it???

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