Office Equipped with Amenities Like Hotels and Resorts
Efforts to Encourage Employees Who Prefer Remote Work to Come to the Office
In the United States, where the demand for remote work among office workers has increased due to COVID-19, cases of offices transforming into hotels or resorts are emerging one after another. Companies are pouring investments into creating offices that employees "want to come to" as a way to persuade workers who strongly resist returning to the office.
The New York Times (NYT) recently reported that the trend of turning offices into hotels is increasing in the U.S. With office vacancy rates in urban commercial districts still as high as 20%, employees are trying to make offices feel as comfortable as home or even more enjoyable spaces, according to the NYT.
Amy Campbell, an architect at the global architectural design firm Gensler in the U.S., analyzed that "hotelification seems to be happening in all spaces, from residential areas to airports," and that this change is also occurring in offices. She added that her own office "looks like entering a star hotel" and "such spaces accommodate all the different needs that individuals may have."
In fact, a survey conducted by Gensler this year involving 16,000 office workers across 15 countries found that people are no longer satisfied with offices that are simply functional and efficiency-driven. Instead, there is a tendency to want offices to be beautiful, welcoming spaces that inspire new ideas.
A representative example of a hotelified office in the U.S. is Springline, a workspace in Menlo Park, California. Known as a "work resort," Springline is a working space designed like a resort. It features two premium office buildings and outdoor meeting spaces, as well as nine restaurants, terraces, a gym, a swimming pool, a golf practice range, a high-end Italian grocery store, and even residential buildings.
Inside, there are marble tables, white leather sofas, and even a grand piano like in a luxury hotel, with a signature scent infused with sea breeze and honey permeating the office. The NYT reported that various community events, from cocktail gatherings to silent discos, are held here.
Since 2022, a law firm working at Springline has had half of its 22 lawyers coming to the office. They joined Springline, which offers flexible space usage and collaborative areas after experiencing the pandemic. A company representative said, "The office attendance rate is higher than other companies in the same industry," evaluating that the space attracts people.
Besides Springline, the NYT reported that Habitat in Los Angeles, Mart in Chicago, and 22 Bishopsgate in London, UK, have also designed their spaces in the form of hotels or resorts. Facilities such as infrared saunas and meditation rooms are provided. The "work resort" Canada Water in London, scheduled to begin construction next spring, will even include a saltwater therapy spa.
Nikhil Sabal, who wrote the 2014 book Cube: The Secret History of the Workplace and is currently a Pennsylvania state senator affiliated with the U.S. Democratic Party, said, "Widespread dissatisfaction among office workers has driven change," adding, "Improving the environment can address fundamental dissatisfaction with work."
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