How to book crew accommodation for location shoots

How do you choose where the crew stays?

Start with the call times, not the map. A hotel 25 minutes from set at midday can be an hour away at 5am if the road is slow or the shuttle runs once. Ask the location team for the real leaving time for each department, then work back to the first and last viable accommodation options.

Rest matters as well as convenience. GOV.UK says workers are entitled to 11 hours' rest between working days, so a finish at 8pm means no start before 7am. That applies to workers in Great Britain, and shoots abroad may be governed by local law, so check what applies to your crew and contracts. Either way, a long commute eats into rest.

What should the accommodation brief include?

• Number and type of rooms, including single occupancy where the production requires it, and any accessible rooms.
• Arrival and departure dates per person, with late check-in agreed for evening arrivals.
• Breakfast times that suit early calls, or packed breakfasts if the kitchen opens too late.
• Secure parking for crew vehicles and vans, including height restrictions, and a plan for overnight kit storage.
• Laundry, reliable Wi-Fi for data transfer, and a space for production meetings or a small office.
• Billing: which charges the production pays, which go on personal accounts, and the invoice details needed for accounts.
• Cancellation, change and extension terms in writing.

Share the brief with several properties so you can compare like for like, and keep a record of what was promised.

Should crew stay in hotels, aparthotels or rentals?

Choose by length of stay, budget and location. For longer shoots, a mix is common, with senior or travelling-in-advance staff in one property and the main unit in another. Keep the number of properties low enough that transport stays manageable.

How do you handle group booking terms?

Group rates usually come with conditions. Read the contract for the deposit, the date by which you must supply the rooming list, the date after which numbers cannot be reduced without charges, and the cancellation policy. These terms differ between properties and countries, so do not assume one hotel's flexibility applies to another.

1. Request a written quote with the rate, taxes and any local charges shown separately.
2. Confirm release dates, which are the dates after which unbooked rooms return to the hotel.
3. Send the rooming list with names exactly as on the crew list, and update it each time the call sheet changes.
4. Agree who can authorise changes and extensions, and keep that person reachable out of hours.
5. Confirm the hotel's process for extending a stay at short notice, and what happens to the rate.

What if the schedule changes?

Shoots move. Build flexibility in from the start by choosing properties with free or low-cost cancellation windows for dates that are still provisional, and keep firm, cheaper bookings for fixed dates. Keep a single travel sheet with the version date on it so the hotel, transport and production office are all working from the same list. See how to handle last-minute crew travel changes for the full checklist.

For remote locations, check the route from accommodation to set in daylight and in darkness and include it in your travel risk assessment. Our guide to production crew travel and equipment has more on call sheet planning.

How Roamly can help

Roamly Travel plans logistics for production crews, including accommodation near locations, rooming lists, ground transport between hotel and set, and changes when the schedule moves. Use the free trip timeline builder to map booking and release dates, or contact us with your locations and crew numbers.