The Seduction of ‘Hotelification’ in the Workplace
There is something attractive about the word ‘hotelificaton’ as it invokes emotions of relaxation and comfort, but also a buzz of excitement and style. So as organisations continue to reinvent its environment to bring employees back into the office, the hotelification of workplace design has become a popular strategy. A beautiful work lobby and breakout spaces that look less corporate and more hospitality-like have certainly appeared to be an upgrade to the family home’s make-shift office with the spare guest bed in the corner.
At the 2024 Workspace Design Show, moderated by Bernie Mitchell from London Coworking Assembly, the topic '“The hotelification of the office – what can the office provide that employees can’t get at home?” was discussed by panel speakers Matt Jackson, CEO of BDG architecture + design, Olivia Saxen, Workplace Design Manager of Myo, LandSec, and Sarah-Jane Osborne, Head of Workplace UK and Europe, Avison Young.
The stage jumped straight into the heart of the topic as the purpose of hotelification was discussed. Sarah-Jane Osborne spoke about curating a concierge like experience in office design, representing both the brand of the firm whilst also setting the mood and expectations for visitors and users of the space. Matt Jackson defined hotelification as a word that makes the office a desired destination as it now competes against the comforts of home.
Sarah-Jane describes working in the office as a productivity paradox, as more people now work in the office for social interaction. Extending beyond this are the creative and collaborative benefits from coincidental encounters (or as I like to call it, the water cooler conversations) that can only occur in the office, something that working from home misses out on.
Matt discussed the research on social capital, with more spaces in the office dedicated to social gathering, and Fridays now commonly observed as the work-from-home day amongst white collar workers. This then led the panel members to discuss real estate value of an office space, as Sarah-Jane posed the question of whether firms should enforce full time return to the office, or accept flexible working arrangements as the new normal; the analogy of a football stadium was used, where the property value is mostly maximised on weekends when crowds are drawn in. It was a question to ponder on with no one right answer.
Extending the discussion beyond design to other supporting initiatives to attract employees back to the office, the panel spoke about strategies such as gamification of the workplace. Matt noted that these strategies were largely rolled out during Covid-19 to solidify company culture, and that workplaces need to reset to move forward as the world is no longer forced to self-isolate.
Healthy debate ensued amongst panel members as Sarah-Jane spoke about in-person bias, where employees with disabilities, or who are on maternity or menopause leave, are at a disadvantage in the context of place centric company activities. Olivia Saxen discussed the evident conveniences of working from home, such as running personal errands and having gym access. It was agreed that workplace design need to incorporate some of these abilities into the office, with a concierge that is familiar and welcoming.
“Get people above the happiness line…
[Time is a commodity that is irreplaceable]
How do we design commute worthy office destinations?”- Sarah-Jane Osborne
The speakers further highlighted some key design considerations to make an office space alluring to the individual employee:
Create a non-repetitive design throughout the office space to encourage movement, with health and wellbeing in mind;
To support an individual within a global team where members are geographically disbursed, design a layout plan to allow for staff from different teams to work together within the same shared zone and avoid individual isolation;
Consider visual set up of an online video meeting, for instance, where those who are not physically present are shown on a larger screen; and
Recreate the social and lifestyle convenience from working at home, into the office space.
To magnetise employees back into the workplace, terms such as hotelification (and not forgetting its counterpart ‘resimmercial’) have become popular design approaches. However, certain appeal of working from home is undeniable and companies must come to terms with balancing between office presence and flexible working as Covid19 has proven remote working is possible. One thing that is clear, persuasion is stronger than imposition, and a ‘hotelified’ workplace that attracts its employees is exponentially more powerful than a work mandate to return to the office. It will be interesting to watch the office space to see how far the industry will go to incorporate the essence of hotel and residential design into the workplace, and as a result, the new benchmark employees will hold against their employers.