Current Changes in Remote Work and Opportunities for the Hospitality Industry

The recent global pandemic has certainly accelerated a change in the way we work and interact in companies. However the concept of co-working has been around for some years now. By 2025, 6.5 million people are expected to be working remotely.

The larger question is whether the next step is the death of working in an office environment the way we were used to, or whether companies might go back to how things were.  Can any other evolution be imagined?

What we do see is that hybrid working is becoming the reality and preferred option. Hybrid work means that a portion of the staff  returns to the office space while being able to interact with colleagues who prefer to work from home - from anywhere for that matter. The flexibility of hybrid working increases employee satisfaction and is a factor of labor cost optimization, while allowing easy coordination, socialization and face to face networking whenever needed.

Some employees however might not have the technology and resources at home. In addition, they might suffer from distractions: it is a serious challenge to separate work from life when both take place on the same kitchen table! Remote workers might develop the feeling that they have fewer possibilities to demonstrate their competency as their informal interactions with colleagues become almost non-existent.

On the long run, the feeling of isolation and lower self-esteem can lead to mental health issues. As for managers, they need to adapt to the possibility of hybrid working, understand how to trust their team members and understand that physical presence in the office space is not the ultimate token of competency and dedication. 

Consequently, the traditional office space, most commonly the open office space, will need to change in a hybrid work environment. While these spaces were designed to be functional, allowing teams to sit together for better productivity, the future hybrid working space will need to be designed to allow better collaboration and allow the social interactions that employees will be missing when working from home. A stronger focus in any working environment will need to be made on regular team collaboration and face-to-face interactions all by including the employees who are not physically present through a range of technical additions, such as speakers, screens, etc.

Through our past experience, we at Meraki and Campbell House, strongly believe that companies will need to focus on increased technology and creative and flexible design to build a strong and appealing environment that adapts to a new and different use of the office spaces, whether it is for work, social interactions or learning, all while improving the overall employees well-being.

While some companies keep their existing office space, reducing, adapting and renovating the space to the hybrid workforce, other companies will make the choice to eliminate their own office space and revert to flexible space in co-working environments. We identify this as a major opportunity for the hospitality industry, as employees will discover the possibility of working from anywhere, traveling to far distant destinations, combining work and pleasure.

Home away from home is the new black, an opportunity gap for entrepreneurs and architects to innovate and consider how to purpose-build new or existing spaces in order to support general lifestyle shifts and consumer trends that have strengthened over the last 18 months. A small percentage of new-age entrepreneurs and digital nomads have been traveling the globe for years working remotely while enjoying dipping in and out of new cultures and allowing their environment to inspire their creativity. The recent slowdown brought new perspectives for both the employer and the employee which leaves a lot of room for creativity.

The growing trend of working from anywhere will in addition increase the demand for long stays in hotels, with clients searching for flexible spaces with a variety of facilities that resemble the comfort of their own home, plus the services of a hotel. The more flexible and agile hotel brands will be able to modify the existing and create a variety of different working spaces and set-ups that will fit every need.

The stakes are high for the hospitality sector. Lets' have a look at the many new possibilities opened for the traditional meeting spaces (such as conference and events facilities), business center, guest rooms and branded residences.

Hassle-Free Meeting Spaces Are on Demand

The hotel industry is proud of being of one the most innovative businesses. As a result, the various areas of the modern hotel mentioned above have evolved at a fast pace over the years. However most none has changed as dramatically recently as hotel rooms and conference spaces have. This is simply because the average guest is looking for a space that runs on principles of accessibility, flexible spaces, adaptability, and comfort with a hassle-free flexible environment.

When spending years traveling around, staying in luxury hotels and working remotely, one is amazed at how poorly designed the in-room desk set-up are! Whether it is a chair that isn't ergonomically built, the wrong placement of the plugs, insufficient lighting, or height of the desk, there is still plenty of opportunities to upgrade the furniture and get the organization of the room right.

With the assumption that technology is a given, we feel that the new workspace should also offer an inspiring environment with the optimized use of daylight, good lighting that automatically adapts to the time of day, intuitive design with contactless options, hassle free connectivity and sound options for online meetings, perfect ergonomics of the desk, standing option for more flexibility, and improved seating.

In smaller spaces, the working desk can be foldable, leaving space for other activities, such as workout, meditation, etc. Our own design team studied with a well known hotel brand the technical possibilities to have a removable working desk attached to a balcony, with an incredible result. In that imaginary location, the flexible open air working place had an unbelievable view over a city.

This replaces the 'new business room' model as the desire and needs of a hotel room change.

When considering the branded residences we incorporate their unique desires into the way we build this space. The branded residences often functions like a home, however this standard approach can be enhanced by rethinking the space as entirely dedicated to working well. This doesn't mean a make-shift set up at the bar counter or the kitchen table, it means envisioning a hybrid model office that makes it feel like an actual home away from home.

Add in there a proper space to work out or do yoga and you are set! Build the perfect remote living space! Specialized companies working on new wellness concepts nowadays always make sure to include a strong approach to remote working in the retreat space or wellness, which is an essential component we recommend! This is an essential component of the approach we recommend.

Now let's evaluate the hotels' conference and event space, areas that welcome corporate clients during the day and transforms into elegant Gala and cocktail events at night. With the decreasing use of office real estate and people moving to remote working environments, employers have a growing need of collaborative spaces to bring their people together in order to stimulate creativity, encourage engagement with one another yet at the same time break off into smaller spaces if required.

As more and more companies are embracing the hybrid versions of the future of work, showing flexibility when planning the configuration of open offices, with separate quiet single spaces and collaboration zones, is becoming central to  designing hotel conference spaces. Finding ways to add small and intimate meeting zones into narrow corridors to add, integrating small meeting units with modular glass windows inside a larger conference room, adding flexible modules such as the furniture company Kettal has recently launched, the possibilities are endless.

These should be standard offerings that of course include high technology and sound options, comfortable, ergonomic spaces rather than the standard round table or rectangular desk, most recent IT innovation such as digital flip charts, or flexible pantry areas, private individual booths, and areas that generally stimulate healthy conversations. Who doesn't cringe at the memory of being in an office space so quiet that it actually discourages you from speaking to anyone so as not to disturb the silence?

Hotels might want to add the offering of a specialized F&B outlet that caters to a selection of working lunches without having to stray too far away from a productive space. This new layout may include smaller breakout rooms or individually rented office spaces with dual functionality and in many instances will include the requirements of a modern business center, all in one space. Through the thoughtful use of collaboration zones hotels will help enhance the interaction of the participants of these meetings or events in more meaningful ways, driving deeper social ties, bringing a whole new meaning to 'business hotel' for local businesses.

La Porte Space in Sydney, Australia has always been a remote model that inspired me. It is built on a membership basis and branded as a 'luxury creative space for entrepreneurs'. The hotel provides such an adaptable work environment, with a super flexible design, that it actually caters to a variety of needs and fills lots of gaps. As an example, the moment you enter the space you find a series of small luxury-built independent offices that are very well-designed - who wouldn't want their office to look like that? As you stroll along, you notice a row of studios that easily convert into retail space, launch events space, supper clubs, and presentation rooms.

To top it off, La Porte Space is complete with a small wellness offer for sauna, fitness, and spa as well as the cafe that easily caters to a kitchen for events happening. A truly holistic remote space that has adaptable, accessible, and flexible spaces, purpose-built in a beautiful inspiring environment. Creating a local offer that considers the lifestyle shifts of the working world today combined with their overall well-being and environment is a no-brainer!

The formula is there, it only takes a bit of courage to apply it! 

We do not believe in the death of the hotel meeting space. We do believe that considering the important changes in the work environment, the hospitality industry needs to adapt their current offer to a more flexible and innovative demand. The flexibility of working from home has become a must for companies, the flexibility of working from anywhere will be the new norm.

Picture from: LA PORTE SPACE, SYDNEY AUSTRALIA