Oil and gas operations in the Permian Basin run on workers who need a place to sleep, shower and eat between shifts. The kind of oilfield accommodations a booker picks depends on headcount, assignment length and what the crew needs to stay rested.
A 50-person drill crew on a remote pad has different needs than a 4-person pipeline welding team working near Odessa for six months. Man camps, extended-stay hotels, RV setups and furnished apartments all serve the Permian, and each one fits a different job.
Four Main Types of Oilfield Accommodations in the Permian
Man camps house crews in shared bunk rooms with a communal dining hall. Camps sit onsite at remote wellsites or at a central location that serves multiple drilling pads and construction zones.
Extended-stay hotels offer private rooms with limited kitchenettes along highways in Midland and Odessa.
RV and trailer setups place individual units at the project site or in lot clusters near the work. Units are mobile or semi-permanent, and the company handles hookups and maintenance.
Furnished apartments are private units with a full kitchen, washer and dryer in every unit, and monthly billing. Apartments are in residential communities in Midland or Odessa.
Man Camps: Shared Space for Large Crews at Remote Sites
Man camps house dozens or hundreds of workers in dormitory-style buildings with shared bathrooms and a central dining facility. Camps are built onsite or set up in modular buildings near drilling pads, pipeline routes or construction zones far from towns.
Crew meals are prepared by camp staff at set times. If a shift runs late or a worker has allergies or preferences, options are limited.
Privacy is limited. Workers share rooms, hallways, restrooms and common areas with rotating shift workers. Day shift workers try to sleep while night shift workers are awake in the next bunk or the hall.
Man camps work for large crews on short mobilizations where everyone arrives and leaves on the same schedule. A crew on a six-month build with staggered rotations and different contractors coming and going needs more control over their space and rest.
Extended-Stay Hotels: In-Town Rooms With Limited Cooking
Hotels in Midland and Odessa offer private rooms with a bed, bathroom, desk and sometimes a microwave and mini-fridge. Each worker gets a room with a door that locks, and they do not share a bathroom with strangers.
Rates can climb during busy drilling seasons when hotel inventory tightens. A booker managing a crew on a four-month completion project tracks fluctuating charges instead of one predictable bill.
A microwave and mini-fridge do not replace a stove and oven for someone who wants to cook a real meal after a 12-hour shift. Meal costs add up over a multi-month stay.
No washer or dryer in the room. Workers use coin laundry at the hotel or make laundromat trips on days off.
Hotels suit short stays or single travelers on per diem, but costs add up for longer assignments. A pipeline crew on a six-month build needs a kitchen and laundry.
RV and Trailer Setups: Mobile Units for Flexible Crews
Companies bring in RVs, workforce trailers or skid-mounted units and place them in lots near the project or on leased land. Each worker or small team gets a trailer with sleeping quarters, a small bathroom and limited cooking space.
RV setups can move with the crew as the project shifts locations along a pipeline or drilling program.
Maintenance, hookups for water and power, waste disposal and site permits fall to the company or contractor. Someone has to coordinate utility connections, septic service and any local permits for placing units on private or leased land.
RV accommodations fit mobile crews on remote or changing worksites where permanent housing is too far. A crew working steady in Midland or Odessa for six months has better options.
Furnished Apartments: Private Units With Full Kitchens and Laundry
Furnished apartments are private units in residential communities. Each apartment has a full kitchen, living room, bedroom, bathroom and in-unit washer and dryer. Workers or small teams get their own front door. No shared hallways, no communal facilities, no strangers on the other side of the wall.
One monthly bill covers rent, utilities, cable and internet. A booker managing a crew on a long assignment gets one invoice per unit per month instead of tracking meal receipts and laundry costs. Accounting and reimbursement are simpler.
Crews cook their own meals, do laundry on their own schedule and control their space and routine between shifts. A worker coming off night shift can make breakfast in his own kitchen, throw a load of laundry in the washer and go to bed without navigating a dining hall or a coin laundry.
Furnished apartments work for assignments that run three months or longer. Pipeline, construction and drilling projects with predictable timelines fit the model. A completion crew on a six-month contract, a pipeline welding team on a nine-month build, a construction supervisor on a 12-month project: all of them benefit from a private apartment with a full kitchen and washer.
ACHS rents fully furnished apartments by the month in Midland and Odessa with a three-month minimum stay. Bookers deal directly with the owner’s team, with no broker or third-party housing vendor markup.
How a Crew Booker Picks the Right Oilfield Accommodations
Headcount and crew composition matter. A 50-person drill crew has different needs than a 4-person specialist team. Large crews on short mobilizations may need a man camp. Small teams and individuals on long assignments need privacy and a kitchen.
Assignment length drives the decision. A two-week turnaround fits a different model than a six-month pipeline build or a 12-month completion program. Furnished apartments work for three months and longer.
Location shapes the options. Remote wellsites 60 miles from town may require onsite camps or RV setups. Projects near Midland or Odessa open up furnished apartments and hotels. A crew working in town every day for six months does not need to live in a trailer.
Privacy and rest keep workers productive. Workers on long rotations need a quiet space to recover, not a bunk room with shift workers coming and going at all hours.
Kitchen and laundry save money and time. Crews on multi-month jobs save hundreds of dollars a month with a full kitchen instead of restaurants. A washer and dryer in the unit beats hauling laundry to a coin machine on a day off.
Billing simplicity matters. One monthly bill with everything included is easier to track and reimburse than meal per diem, laundry receipts and fluctuating rates. A booker managing five crew members on a six-month project would rather cut five checks a month than track 900 line items.
Pet policies matter. Some field professionals and travel nurses bring a pet. Man camps and most hotels do not allow pets. Furnished apartments often do.
What to Ask Any Oilfield Housing Provider Before You Book
Minimum stay and contract terms: does the provider require a specific assignment length, and what happens if the project schedule changes. A booker needs to know if the crew can extend a four-month stay to six months or end early if the job wraps.
What is included: are utilities, internet, furniture, linens, housewares and parking part of the rate or billed separately. A rate that looks low but excludes utilities and internet ends up costing more.
Kitchen and laundry: does each unit have a full stove, oven, refrigerator, washer and dryer, or are those shared or absent. A microwave and mini-fridge are not a full kitchen. A coin laundry down the hall is not the same as a washer in the unit.
Privacy: does each worker or team get a private unit with a front door, or are rooms in a shared building. A private room in a dormitory is not the same as a private apartment.
Billing and payment: does the provider bill monthly, and who handles the invoice. A booker needs to know if the company gets one invoice per month or if individual workers submit expense reports.
Pet policy, gym access and on-call support: what amenities and services are part of the package. Some crews care about a gym. Some workers need to bring a dog. Some bookers need a contact who answers the phone when something breaks.
ACHS is owner-operated, so bookers work directly with the property team from the first call through move-in with no third-party markup. One point of contact handles the inquiry, the lease and the move-in.
Owner-Operated Corporate Housing for Permian Basin Crews and Field Teams
ACHS owns and operates Mesquite Terraces in Midland and Faudree Ranch in Odessa. The two communities have 588 apartment homes. Apartments are fully furnished with a full kitchen, in-unit washer and dryer, linens, towels and all housewares.
All utilities, cable and internet are included in one monthly bill. The minimum stay is three months. Stays run three to 24 months, covering the length of most Permian Basin drilling, completion, pipeline and construction projects.
ACHS houses oil and gas crews, pipeline teams, construction workers, travel nurses and relocating professionals on assignments that run three months and longer. Individuals and whole teams book apartments. A solo field engineer on a nine-month contract, a four-person pipeline crew on a six-month build, a 12-person construction team on a year-long project: all of them fit the model.
Pet-friendly apartments and a 24-hour gym on site. Workers can bring a dog, and they can lift or run before or after a shift.
One point of contact from inquiry to move-in. A booker calls ACHS, talks to the team, gets availability and rates, signs the lease and coordinates the move-in, all with the same people. No brokers, no locators, no third-party vendors adding a markup.
Get availability and rates for your next Permian Basin crew or field team.
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