For centuries, creative visionaries and global citizens have mastered the art of making transient spaces feel like home. From Leonardo da Vinci who lived and worked in temporary studios across Italy to today’s digital nomads and executive road warriors, there’s an underappreciated wisdom in learning to inhabit hotels with purpose and flair we’ve observed that the most fulfilled travelers treat their hotel stays not as compromises, but as opportunities to curate a mobile lifestyle rich in comfort, productivity, and inspiration.
The secret lies in intentional adaptation. Consider how da Vinci transformed unfamiliar environments into creative hubs: he traveled light (carrying only notebooks and essential tools), established rituals and leveraged local resources . Modern travelers can apply similar principles. A tech CEO we work with requests corner suites with separate sleeping and working zones to mimic her home office layout. A novelist client stocks the minibar with her favorite tea and uses the hotel stationery for drafting chapters turning generic rooms into personalized creative sanctuaries.
Hotels themselves have evolved to support this mindset. Beyond thread-count and room service, properties now offer living menus from adjustable lighting systems that sync with your circadian rhythm to bespoke pantry stocking with your preferred snacks. We recently arranged for a family to have their children’s bedtime books waiting in their suite, while a wellness-focused traveler received in-room recovery equipment like foam rollers and Theraguns. These touches bridge the gap between “staying somewhere” and belonging there, however briefly.
Temporary living even cultivates valuable life skills: resourcefulness (using a bathrobe belt as a yoga strap), presence (savoring a view without the distractions of home), and adaptability (turning a desk into a dining table for a working lunch). One of our most requested services is “First Night Kits” personalized amenity bundles with items like portable white noise machines or local SIM cards to ease the transition into a new space.
