The concept of hoteling is not new. And we think it is safe to say that the future office might be incorporating hoteling a lot more than it has in the past.

What is Hoteling?

Hoteling in the office is the ability for an employee to book a room, or a desk for a specific amount of time, rather than having their own personal office.

There are several benefits of hoteling, especially when it comes to a hybrid working model where 100% of employees are not in the office at a given time. Less space is needed, and hoteling provides efficiencies for on-the-fly team collaboration, space utilization, hybrid workers, and overhead costs.

Benefits of Hoteling

Flexibility, and safety are a big benefit in 2021. After the pandemic started, it was obvious that the previous office designs had a few flaws. As many companies are still considering the hybrid working model as a long-term option for many employees, hoteling makes sense. If a worker is only planning on being the office 2 out of the 5-day work week, giving them a dedicated space to carry out their daily tasks is an absolute waste.

Hoteling can increase collaboration, allowing individuals who may not typically sit near one another – to work on a project, or a presentation until completion.

Optimizing a smaller space to be used as efficiently as possible can help to reduce a large portion of overhead costs.

Another benefit is workplace satisfaction an often-overlooked benefit. Bringing employees back and asking them to give up some of the freedoms from working at home can be difficult. Even in a hybrid working model, still providing employees with more freedom than they previously had is a plus.

Scheduling Panels

Typically scheduling panels are primarily used for conference rooms and huddle spaces. Strategically placed outside, a user can see which meetings are scheduled throughout the day, and if they wanted to book the conference room for an impromptu meeting, they can simply book through software/application. Scheduling panels can take the complexity of booking conference rooms out of the equation.

Desk Booking

Creating a more agile workspace starts with enabling every employee to book their space for the day, not just the executives. User friendly cloud-based solutions can make it an easy process, especially with open floor plans filled with huddle spaces, cubicles, desks and conference rooms. These solutions include reservation tools, searching which bookable workspaces are available by type, controlling access to certain workspaces depending on the user, defining when a space can be booked, and even the ability to find a specific colleague and where they are sitting/where they will be sitting.

Analytics & Reporting

An added bonus to hoteling spaces is the ability to collect data and use them to make decisions that can impact future planning and efficiencies.

This means collecting data on the spaces that are in most demand, when the spaces are being utilized (and when they are not), the best time to do a deep clean, when utilities are not being used, and even details for future planning.

Data-driven design can help to make decisions of whether to install more cubicles, huddle rooms or conference rooms in the future.

Contact VisionPoint at any time, with any question. We can help advise, and setup custom hoteling solutions for the unique needs of your space.