Google is offering its employees a new incentive to come into its Mountain View, California office: discounted hotel stays. The company is promoting $99 per night rates for its on-campus hotel to help remote employees transition into a hybrid working schedule, according to a report from CNBC.
Materials sent to Google employees, which were viewed by CNBC, paint a rosy picture of having no commute with “an extra hour of sleep and less friction” when getting to work.
At that time, CNBC also reported that Google was in the process of reevaluating the fully remote status of some of its employees as well. Recent cuts at Google included announcing 12,000 layoffs in January.
The materials point out that the company provides breakfast, too. The hotel stays will reportedly not count as approved business travel, though. The discounted hotel rate only lasts until September 30th, but it’s not clear how much it will cost after that.
“We regularly run accommodation specials for local or traveling Googlers to take advantage of our spaces and amenities,” Google spokesperson Ryan Lamont says in a statement to The Verge. “We advertise these in a regular Perks email which also contains discounts for employees on other services and entertainment options.”
“Now I can give some of my pay back to Google.”
Assuming a Google employee stayed for 30 straight days, that’s about $2,970 per month — a bit less than the median rate of one-bedroom apartments in the San Francisco area but not as much of a value on of the price of more permanent housing. A quick Google search for four-star hotels in the area yielded rates between $120–$250 per night.
According to CNBC, employees have discussed the offer on an internal forum with mixed feelings. “Now I can give some of my pay back to Google,” one employee wrote, and another pointed out that Google’s amenities are better than what’s offered at their own apartment.
Update August 4th, 1:05PM ET: Added a statement from a Google spokesperson.