Now at hotels: Space that’s like office, ‘but cooler’

Hotels have already turned their lobbies into spaces where guests can socialise or work. Now, some properties are going one step further to cater to business travelers and professionals in general: They’ve set up We-Work-style coworking areas.

Traditional hotel business centers these aren’t. Yes, they offer practical amenities like office supplies, printers and, of course, coffee. But they also have a laid-back ambience and convivial feel of the shared working spaces popping up around the globe under the banner of startup WeWork.

The new hotel business centers seem to have struck a chord among business travelers who find that they’re probably getting less work done in busy hotel lobbies, said Lorraine Sileo, senior vice president of research for travel research company Phocuswright. “Lobbies are distracting because there is so much going on, with people coming in and out and also socializing,” she said. “These new workspaces are meant for productivity.”

They’re also attractive to younger business travelers, said Jessica Collison, research director for the Global Business Travel Association.

The AC Hotel Phoenix Biltmore, for example, offers the indoor and outdoor AC Lounge, on the side of its lobby. The over 5,000-square-foot light-gray space has several couches, a large communal table with electrical outlets at every seat and a 20-seat high table that’s a working area by day and a bar after 4pm. The lounge’s small library has computers, printers and office supplies like paper clips and folders.

Alex Griffiths, who lives in San Luis Obispo, California, and travels to Phoenix frequently for his job, has stayed at the AC several times and said he used the lounge both for team meetings and computer work. “It’s like a fully functioning office but cooler,” he said.

Hotels see the coworking spaces as a way to build loyalty with both hotel guests and the general public, said Adam Weissenberg, who works for Deloitte. “These spaces are sleek looking and help raise a hotel’s profile,” he said. “They’re not going to lose money from them because anyone who uses them is likely to hang out at the hotel.”