Can your favorite hotel be your favorite workplace?

September 2, 2020

Hospitality spaces, powered by Trulifi, are perfectly situated to participate in the future of co-working

In the last five years we’ve seen rapid growth in contract freelancers, independent consultants and small startups. By now, around 10% of the working-age population work entrepreneurially, says a publication by Statista.

Meanwhile corporations are implementing more agile practices, outsourcing their office services and populating project task forces with increasing numbers of external contractors to get the job done.

Productive, comfortable and service-led workspaces catering to this new army of workers have sprung up across our cities, offering a full suite of business services by the hour, day, week or month.

It’s win-win. A report by the Harvard Business Review reveals that, on average, co-working employees rate the practice nearly 6 on a 7-point scale. This is at least a full point higher than the average office employee.

Co-working After COVID-19

In addition to the entrepreneurial business growth, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a massive shift to working from home for many industries and businesses. At least some elements of this shift are expected to stick.

A new report from Cushman and Wakefield, The Future of Workplace 2020 states: “Employees can be productive anywhere, not just at the office. 50% of the workforce will likely be working across a total

workplace ecosystem balancing office, home and third places.”

In the future, 50% of the workforce will be working across a total workplace ecosystem balancing office, home and third places."

So, as the world ventures back out, we can expect major changes in the way people choose to work. Less time spent in the office and commuting to get there, more time working remotely. The time and resources saved are attractive for employee, employer and of course the environment.

However, as the Cushman & Wakefield report also concedes, many workers have struggled with unsuitable home workspaces. This will drive a demand for professional flexible co-working spaces with business-class connectivity.

Hotels are perfectly positioned to step into the co-working market

The hospitality industry was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, and according to a recent report from The International Air Transport Association travel is unlikely to return to pre-COVID-19 levels until 2024, and a full recovery is likely to take years.

Hotels were already looking at ways to serve their local community better before the pandemic, and survival will now depend in part on new business models that target customers closer to home.

The growing trend toward co-working lobbies

Hotels already have all the right ingredients and service experience to create an attractive co-working package. The largely underutilized real estate of the traditional hotel lobby is the ideal space to host a productivity hub.

Moving to take a share of the co-working pie seems only natural. Accor Hotels is leading the way with their purchase of Nextspace in 2017. Rebranded as WOJO in 2019 it aims to become leading in ‘workspitality,’ targeting 1,200 WOJO spaces in hotel lobbies by 2022.

Sheraton Hotels is keeping ahead of the curve by outfitting 400 lobby spaces with “productivity tables”. Moxy Hotels already offers comfortable, modern workspaces and hangouts targeted at the younger working crowd.

Reliable Secure Wireless Connection

By now cloud computing, and online access to all kinds of data, is an integral part of every business. Just like office employees, co-workers expect to access business software anywhere and anytime, and rely on flawless video conferencing, file sharing and all the collaborative tools needed for the way we work today. Clearly a reliable wireless connection is essential.

Security is also key. Although you can argue that companies have a responsibility to secure their employees’ connections with VPN for instance, offering the most secure environment possible is expected from a shared workspace or a hotel.

Today, the majority of hotels offer free, unsecured WiFi. According to a 2019 whitepaper by hotelwifi.com 81% of guests have experienced poor hotel WiFi in the past 12 months, and hotels are not where we tend to look for leading edge technological development. As a result, the major chains are looking for ways to prove they are a co-working destination of the future.

Cutting-edge co-working lobby connections

Signify (formerly known as Philips Lighting) is helping hotels to differentiate their offer for the co-working community, by addressing the demands of co-working connectivity through the power of light. It brings together three elements that every co-working space needs. A network that is

Fast
Reliable
Physically secure

For the new army of remote workers, Trulifi offers guaranteed coverage for smooth video calls, secure and speedy data access and transfer, and better online collaboration.”

Trulifi systems modulate light waves to transmit data. A USB access key plugged into a guest laptop securely receives and sends data to the transceiver. For the new army of remote workers, it's guaranteed coverage for smooth video calls, secure and speedy data access and transfer, and better online collaboration.

By adding Trulifi to their co-working lobbies, hotels promise a unique and premium connectivity experience. Let us know when you want to enable your co-workers to work with the speed of light.

About the author:

Karen Bamford

Product Manager LiFi, Signify

For further information, please contact:

Signify Global Integrated Communications
Neil Pattie
Tel: + 31 6 15 08 48 17
Email: neil.pattie@signify.com

About Signify

Signify (Euronext: LIGHT) is the world leader in lighting for professionals, consumers and the Internet of Things. Our Philips products, Interact systems and data-enabled services, deliver business value and transform life in homes, buildings and public spaces. In 2023, we had sales of EUR 6.7 billion, approximately 32,000 employees and a presence in over 70 countries. We unlock the extraordinary potential of light for brighter lives and a better world. We have been in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index since our IPO for seven consecutive years and have achieved the EcoVadis Platinum rating for four consecutive years, placing Signify in the top one percent of companies assessed. News from Signify can be found in the Newsroom, on X, LinkedIn and Instagram. Information for investors is located on the Investor Relations page.

More blogs

May 23, 2023

Signify’s Philips Outdoor multisensor was ranked as the best multifunctional sensor

Read more
April 07, 2023

Guidehouse Insights’ top smart street lighting vendor

Read more
September 08, 2022

New ultra-efficient LED tube for energy conservation

Read more