Remote Work Means Opportunities for Hotels
According to a recent CoreNet poll of corporate real estate executives, office spaces will only see occupancies of 45-79% — three days a week. More employees are conducting business outside of the office, the research shows, including for employee onboarding, annual retreats and sales pitches, among others. Employees are seeking more flexible options for these increasingly variable in-person encounters, and citizenM, a Dutch-based hotel group, is seeing a corresponding spike in meeting space bookings in their U.S. locations.
Ernest Lee, chief commercial officer for citizenM, points to Gallup polls showing that, “While remote and hybrid-remote work remain essential for employer success, the focus on flexible work arrangements for about 60 million Americans has given rise to increasing demand for off-site meetings and 'third places' where distributed employees can get together.”
Better and more flexible in-person venues are increasingly important as remote work grows, leading hospitality and retail companies to reinvent their offerings. In fact, many larger employers are partnering with hospitality and coworking companies not just for accommodations but also for remote office space, and conference facilities. But for these spaces to be really useful, they need to offer the technological innovations that employees rely on daily to do their job. Here, Casper Overbeek, Chief Digital & Experience Officer for citizenM, discusses what those technologies are and how they can help make these spaces even more profitable for the hotel.
What type of technologies do these co-working spaces need to offer?
Thoughtfully integrated technology is one of the main factors in establishing productive and accessible co-working spaces. Important tech-based resources for co-working include superfast, secure and unlimited Wi-Fi and numerous easy-to-access outlets for power and data throughout all coworking, meeting and hospitality spaces.
Access to tools like printers, desktop computers, and smart TVs also support a productive and creative environment, and help make the spaces convenient for a wide range of users. This includes offsite retreats, onboarding for new employees and other summit-style meetings. In both our societyM meeting spaces and all of citizenM’s co-working venues, these resources are integrated into sleek work venues ranging from lounges and private meeting rooms to event spaces and cloudM facilities. By offering different zones integrating each of these technologies, citizenM is able to serve the variable needs of remote workers with flexible spaces and a variety of technology.
Our key offering is societyM — unique meeting rooms for unique minds, open for business in the world’s most exciting cities. Goodbye to beige cubes and stiff chairs, and hello to colorful spaces brimming with inspiring art, natural light, superfast Wi-Fi, smart TVs and ultra-comfortable Vitra furniture instead.
Are there certain technologies that - when embedded in these spaces - help to make them more profitable?
The key is to plan hotel spaces to meet the needs of remote work as well as offsite meetings and events. There is a growing demand for tools to help facilitate in-person and hybrid meetings, and catering to this need can be very profitable. Tech amenities such as large-screen displays and smart TVs and adjustable lighting help assist in conducting in-person presentations, and also allow people to dial into a meeting remotely. Responses to hybrid working trends have been optimized over the last year, as the pandemic has started to fade. At citizenM we have anticipated these changing needs, and our work spaces facilitate seamless connection both remotely and physically.
The focus on flexible work arrangements for about 60 million Americans has given rise to increasing demand for off-site meetings and 'third places' where distributed employees can get together. Scheduling tools and complete auidovisual offerings are vital to success for hotels. More employees are conducting business outside of the office, the research shows, including for employee onboarding, annual retreats and sales pitches, among others, creating a new and valuable market.
Meeting the demand for coworking spaces with technologies that help create these meaningful connections, citizenM’s societyM meeting rooms incorporate a range of services and audiovisual infrastructures for in-person meetings with or without virtual attendees. Offering a private space, societyM meeting rooms can be easily reserved through citizenM’s award winning app, and have the added plus of providing a reliable and consistent co-work experience in important cities around the world.
From Amsterdam and Boston to Seattle and Zurich, citizenM offers consistency of experience, the same comfy Vitra designer furniture, blackboards and whiteboards, and artwork and local cultural references that make each coworking event or meeting a special occasion.