"Choice carry" to increase choices. Good Room Risa Iwata's way of working

“Barikyari” and “Yurukyari”… Are these two really the only ways women work? If there are 100 people, there are 100 ways of working. It is a serialization that interviews a woman who works in a general company and presents readers with options for a new work style "○○ Career" through the inside of the company and her way of working.

Interview and text: Mikuni Shiori
Photography: Chihiro Oshima
Editing : Asa Suzuki / My Navi Woman Editorial Department

With the increasing number of opportunities for remote work due to changes in the times, many people are adopting new work styles such as "workation" and "living in a hotel" on TV and in the news. Is not it.

"But it's none of my business."

I feel like living in a hotel or vacationing at a resort is a privilege that is only allowed for very shiny businessmen. It's completely irrelevant to ordinary OLs, and I can't imagine how they work. I think there are many people who think like that.

Meanwhile, Risa Iwata, who works for a renovation company in Tokyo, started living in a hotel this year.

When I asked Mr. Iwata, who works in public relations and sales at Goodroom Co., Ltd. and moves to another hotel in Tokyo every month, about the advantages of living in a hotel and the way he works... It's a good deal!" came the oblique answer.

From a major airline to a renovation company in search of "hotel life"

I heard that Mr. Iwata was working in the aviation industry before moving to Goodroom. I think it was a pretty drastic choice for him to change jobs from a major airline company to the renovation industry.

Ever since I was little, I've had a strong feeling that I don't want to lose to boys (laughs). I had a strong sense of curiosity, and I had an impression that women could shine, so I decided to join a major airline company as a new graduate.

I was working as a ground staff at an airline, but with the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic, I was in my fifth year as a working adult, and the time had come when the planes would not fly and I would not be able to work at the airport as I had hoped. Nara is a field that I was more interested in, and I wanted to change my job to a company that can be involved in a business that is in the phase of starting from scratch, rather than a major company.

Why did you choose Goodroom Co., Ltd. as your new job?

Originally, I was interested in the hotel life subscription service called “Hotel Pass” operated by Goodroom. Because I like going to hotels since I was working at an airline company. I wanted to experience living in a hotel while I was young.

So, did you interview for "Hotel Pass"?

that's right. When I interviewed for the job at Goodroom, I decided that I wanted to be involved with Hotel Pass. When I was working at a major company, I was keenly aware that it took time for the requests and opinions of young employees to come up from the bottom up.

I see. So, did you start living in a hotel when you changed jobs to Good Room?

I agree. Goodroom's main business is housing renovation and shared office business, so the service of subs for hotel living is still in the future. So, first of all, while experiencing the hotel life myself, I started about half a year ago to convey the life of the hotel life to everyone.

Before I changed jobs, I used to commute to work from a hotel I liked for about a week, but now I'm completely living in a hotel as my home.

Almost all girls who go to work during business hours try living in a hotel...

By the way, Mr. Iwata, how did you start living in a hotel?

First of all, I gave up everything I had because I was quitting renting a house. Right now, I only have 2 carry-on bags. Clothes for the changing seasons and goods for hobbies are stored in an online warehouse so that they can be taken out only when needed.

Wasn't it difficult to throw away all your luggage?

It certainly took a little courage to get started, but once I started, I was surprisingly okay. Before I changed jobs, I lived in a 1K room with 8 tatami mats. I like fashion, but I didn't need that many. Right now, I only carry work clothes and casual clothes, but I think it's enough. Choosing clothes is easy.

The contents of Mr. Iwata's work and bag are the bare minimum. I also love the hotel porch and water

But you gave up all the furniture and home appliances, right?

I agree. However, the hotel has most of the necessary furniture and appliances, and on the contrary, many of them are higher grade and easier to use than the ones I used for living alone. I think that furniture and home appliances for living alone may be unnecessary when considering cohabitation or marriage.

Is it true that you say so...? By the way, how do you choose a hotel to live in?

I use the hotel pass to decide which hotel to rent. It's pretty simple to decide, I try to choose a hotel from the city I want to live in, or the city with many interesting facilities and sightseeing spots. There are more than 300 hotels in Tokyo alone, with prices starting from 69,800 yen per month. I often rent from the popular price range of 100,000 to 130,000 yen, but I try to choose the grade of the hotel according to my financial situation.

I see. In that sense, you can choose your own fixed monthly expenses.

That's right. There are also hotels with kitchens and monthly apartments with furniture, so one advantage is that you can choose the rent and lifestyle depending on the time. The rent is a fixed cost, but if you live in a hotel, you can adjust the fixed cost, and you don't have to pay a security deposit or key money, so it's easy and convenient to move.

Certainly. I often hear people say that they really want to move a lot while living alone, but the initial cost of renting is too painful to do so...

Also, I think there are many people who think that living in a hotel is expensive, but after doing it for half a year, the monthly expenses are the same as when renting. I compared not only the rent but also food and utility costs, but there are no communication costs or utility costs, and there are no initial costs. If you don't want to live in an ultra-luxury hotel, it's easier to keep costs down when you think about it on an annual basis.

If you're in a sales job like me, you don't have many opportunities to eat at home, so food costs didn't really jump up.

It may be a surprising opinion that living in a hotel is cost-effective.

On top of that, the hotel staff will do the cleaning, and I don't feel guilty even if I fill the bath with water every day. Many hotels use high-end beds, so I can sleep really well (laughs). You can concentrate on your work because there is nothing to do. Depending on the hotel, there are hotels with workspaces, and I am able to practice the stylish way of working that I longed for.

Iwata-san, you say you work in sales, but do you work remotely?

That's why I'm going to work (laughs). That's why I'm practicing a hotel life that comes to work. However, depending on the week, there are times when I have many opportunities to go directly to business partners other than the company, so it is also an advantage to be able to choose a city that fits my schedule each time.

With a hotel pass, you can choose from short-term stays of two weeks, so I choose a convenient city center to suit the timing.

When I think that even women who go to work in sales positions can live in hotels, I feel that the range of hotel life will expand.

Yes, it is highly recommended for those who actually have a sales job or go to work! With a 2-year contract, you can live in an expensive city center where you can't afford to rent, so you can cut your commute time significantly. Depending on the location, you may be able to get around with just a share cycle.

In addition, the amount of time devoted to housework is greatly reduced, so I think that busy people will find it easier to work. The hotel will pick up the items you bought online. I feel overwhelmingly more convenient than living alone in a rental!

Choices other than “rental life” shake the “ordinary” so far

Hotel life seems more convenient and fun than I thought.

That's right. It gave me an opportunity to get rid of the furniture I bought when I was a student that I didn't like, and it's refreshing to be able to walk around in a one-mile outfit in places like Ginza, Harajuku, and Shibuya, which I wanted to live but couldn't. . Cafe tours are also progressing!

By the way, could you introduce Mr. Iwata's way of working on a certain weekday?

I start work at 9:00, so if I'm in the city, I might be able to get up after 8:00 to make it in time (laughs). On days when I only visit, I buy souvenirs at the cake shop I wanted to come back to early. Traveling on a shared bicycle, having online meetings in a hotel room, visiting saunas as a hobby at night... I guess. Do you feel like you are able to practice the lifestyle that people living in the city center take for granted?

It seems obvious, but it's really stylish and wonderful.

My current address is Ginza, Chuo-ku. It's a little bit of a tension myself.

Ginza is a very powerful word (laughs).

I think there is an image that only people like minimalists or extreme workers can live in a hotel. But I'm just an ordinary office worker, and I'm not rich. What I learned after actually putting it into practice was that depending on the person, it might be an option for renting.

Certainly. Depending on the person, it seems that living in a hotel may be more suitable than living in a rental house.

For people who like to work, who don't want to spend time commuting, or who tend to get bored and like to move, I think living in a hotel is more suitable than renting. It's an ant to decide only while you want to work hard while you're young. It may be good for single people, and it may be good for people who are thinking about getting married separately.

It may be a new way of thinking about living, but it seems that it will become a diverse lifestyle option.

I'm sure I'll quit living in a hotel when I get married and have a child, but when my child becomes independent, I can start living in a hotel like traveling with my partner. I think it would be fun. In that way, I think that it is one of the lifestyles that naturally enter into choices depending on the timing.

Certainly. The image of temporary living is strong, but that's why it's easy and it seems that it will become a more familiar option.

Besides, I don't think it would be nice if the number of people living in hotels increased to the same level as renting. However, it is possible to temporarily live for a month in a city where you are considering living for a long time, or to try pre-living in a hotel with a kitchen before living together. I think it would be nice to go.

Until a few years ago, if you wanted to live alone in the city, renting was the norm, and there was no other option. But it would be nice if it became natural to say that things are different now.

Naturally, the number of options will increase.

I agree. It is no longer inevitable that a house once rented has a two-year contract, that the initial cost is close to 500,000 yen, and that it takes weeks to rent a house. I would like to continue to disseminate my lifestyle so that it reaches people who feel that rental contracts are a matter of course and those who actually want to live more freely.