The new workplace

While this may spell the end of the big, open, communal office, flexible solutions propose a new model for the future workspace: hotels and restaurants, in the absence of their traditional clientele, are repurposing their spaces as rentable offices.

High-end hotels are redesigning their rooms into semi-permanent offices. In July, the Wythe Hotel in Brooklyn partnered with workplace designer Industrious to transform one floor of guest rooms into rentable offices. Bedroom furniture was replaced by desks, chairs and lamps in each of the thirteen rooms, and the $200 per day price includes printing services, Wi-Fi, unlimited digital access to The New York Times and complimentary coffee and pastries.

On June 1, 2020, the Los Angeles luxury hotel The London West Hollywood at Beverly Hills launched Offices at The London West Hollywood, converting an assortment of the hotel’s rooms into private office spaces. The offices can be rented on a monthly or longer-term basis, targeting not just individual workers but nimble companies who want to work in close proximity but forgo annual lease agreement and deposit required by most commercial real estate.