What Is Office Hoteling & How Can it Benefit The Workplace?

Office lodging is becoming more and more common. But what is it exactly?

A byproduct of the modern workplace is office hoteling. Businesses nowadays are replacing typical allocated workstations with open floor layouts and collaboration spaces. The traditional office cubicles in the workplace are a thing of the past.

Office hoteling is gaining popularity, especially in remote and mixed work environments. But what does “office hoteling” really mean? How does it function, too?

This article will examine what defines office hoteling and how it benefits office workers today.

What Is Office Hoteling? 

Desk hoteling is also called office hoteling or simply “hoteling.” Office hoteling is a flexible method of reserving a desk or space in the office for a specific amount of time. Hoteling functions just like an actual hotel, as the name would imply. Employees make a reservation, check in, stay the designated amount of time, and then check out.

The intricacy and size of hoteling vary depending on the workplace. Anyone who needs to visit an office building can use it, which includes:

• Hybrid team members
• Full-time employees
• Part-time employees
• Authorized visitors
• Contractors

Enterprises using coworking or shared offices can use hoteling, which enables employees from various enterprises to reserve shared space. Location, duration of stay, and desk or room size can all affect hoteling at work.

Office Hoteling Or Hot Desking: What’s The Difference?

In many contexts, hot desking and hoteling are synonymous. They do, however, differ from one another.

Office hoteling allows advanced reservation of spaces for a long time. This function is prevalent for visitors to a campus who want to be sure they will have a workspace during their whole stay. These reservations frequently last for days, weeks, or even months.

On the other hand, hot desking allows staff members the flexibility to reserve an open desk quickly. It gives staff members the freedom to make last-minute space reservations. Limiting workstations in the company enables quick adjustments to unforeseen conditions. The best practices of work safety start with hot desking.

How Can A Company Determine If Office Hoteling Is The Best Fit For Their Organization?

Office hoteling is becoming necessary for the contemporary campus as the demand for a hybrid workplace increases. Any company considering a workflow change should consider hoteling. Hoteling is very beneficial for:

1. Companies Utilizing A Coworking Facility:

A significant component of the coworking model is hoteling. Hoteling provides the security that the office space merits for companies considering a coworking space. Hoteling creates secure, dedicated areas for business administration and crew when necessary.

2. Companies Wishing To Minimize Their Office Footprint:

Utilizing and saving money on the workspace is a significant advantage of hoteling. Without reducing staff, hoteling allows companies to manage space more effectively. When used with hot desking, office hoteling allows a more flexible work environment, maximizing space usage and better management.

3. Companies Aiming To Grow:

Startups or expanding companies might need more time to buy a bigger office. Hoteling is a fantastic method to grow team members without needing more space.

4. Companies Operating Remotely:

Hoteling is a fantastic option for companies that have decided to operate entirely remotely without a physical office. Also, hoteling allows workers to visit a workplace, such as satellite or remote offices. Hoteling has significant advantages for those who need to get together as a team or want a change of scenery.  

Four Benefits Of Office Hoteling In A Hybrid Workplace

Utilizing hoteling is a fantastic method to adapt the workspace to fit the needs of all workers and guests. Here are four significant benefits of hoteling for businesses, their workers, and their workspace:

#1. Utilizing Hoteling Optimizes Workspace

Business leaders are looking for methods to use their space more effectively, making space management a popular topic. Office hoteling is an excellent technique to lower real estate costs and configure office space for staff and their requirements. By removing idle desks and making places for various workspaces, hoteling reduces wasted space.

Office hotels make the workplace more aesthetically pleasing. Fewer people also means less personal belongings and paperwork. A cleaner, better-organized office area is the outcome.

#2. Office Hoteling Reduces Costs

Permanent desks are rapidly fading into obscurity. The need for additional office space is more expensive. Team members utilize fewer desks more frequently. Hoteling benefits office is a successful way to reduce real estate costs.

#3. Hoteling Enhances Teamwork and Efficiency

By selecting the ideal workspace to be productive and become “in the zone,” employees can work effectively on-site. Additionally, it provides more chances for cooperation. For the necessary period, a team could, for instance, rent several desks or a sizable meeting space.

Employees can sit close to various coworkers when hoteling, resulting in spontaneous dialogues and fresh viewpoints. On top of that, it makes more impromptu teamwork possible.

#4. Increase Security And Health

Based on an office’s capacity and social distance rules, hoteling lets users decide which desks are available for reservation. Desk booking reservations ensure that workers have a secure place to work in the office. A daily usage log helps the cleaning crew quickly locate the desks needing sanitation between visits.

What Are the Drawbacks Of Hoteling?

It’s crucial to take hoteling into account while discussing a hybrid workplace. Some workers might never visit the workplace, but others might go there periodically or each weekday. Companies typically don’t want to overspend on new workstations in these situations since they can go underused. These offices ultimately have considerably fewer desks than workers.

However, there are a few drawbacks to hoteling. Here are a few of these disadvantages:

Drawback #1: Troublesome To Different Teams

One disadvantage of both hoteling systems is that teams may need help physically gathering in one location. However, this issue has a quick solution. The solution only requires reserving spaces and desks by team members on a specific project.

Drawback #2: Requires Plenty Of Necessary Setup

In contrast to hot desking, office hoteling requires significant preparation on the part of companies. Office hoteling, at the very least, developing a virtual layout and giving staff members a mechanism to reserve workstations.

A solid hybrid workspace management program makes the setup considerably more manageable. Even still, running a hotel requires more work than merely making every desk a hot desk.

Drawback #3: Organizing Errors

Since desk booking systems depend on scheduling, team members may occasionally need help reserving a specific area. Here are the following issues encountered:

• Reservation issues
• Check in issues
• Double bookings
• Other challenges

Furthermore, if not implemented appropriately, there may be occasions when the limited number of desks causes issues.

These issues are counterproductive to smooth scheduling. However, these are avoidable with an intelligent hybrid workplace approach.

Guidelines For Introducing Office Hoteling To A Company

Office hoteling can have a significant positive impact on a company. If done correctly, it can save money, decrease productivity, and irritate employees. 

Listed below are the most effective procedures to follow when introducing office hoteling into a workplace:

1. Practical Reservation Procedures

Choose a workplace experience platform that lets employees quickly discover available desks. The platform should also allow booking for individual and group use. Employees should be confident in the process and understand variables such as the cleaning policy for shared desks or rooms.

2. Congestion Management

Install occupancy detectors to help monitor crowded areas and remain on top of safety regulations. Employees must be able to monitor who enters the building and when for hoteling to succeed. In this manner, team members can plan their on-site availability based on their teammates’ schedules. Workplace managers should know workers’ scheduled arrivals.

A visitor management system will increase the effectiveness of hoteling. The system enables them to reserve a room or desk in advance and offers an excellent guest experience.

3. Invest In Space Management Tools

Use a space management tool that enables management of the opening of new structures or specific floors. The workplace management platform allows reservation of spaces whenever there is team collaboration activity in the office.

4. Track Desk Usage

Hot desking and office hoteling are two types of flexible seating that are becoming more popular. Managers can learn which floors in the building are the busiest by tracking workstation utilization. Additionally, it helps make future floorplan adjustments better planned.

Using a desk booking program to maximize workplace hoteling space and ensure it’s simple to grasp. Team members can view available desks on the program and reserve them when they visit the office.

Conclusion

The adaptability of office hoteling is the possibility for greater collaboration. Giving employees a place to work without the strict daily attendance or cubicle encourages team member empowerment. In addition, adding hoteling space to locations where workers have workstations promotes team member engagement. Team members gain from a flexible work environment and cheaper travel costs, which boosts their output and morale.

Regarding hybrid work and office arrangements, there is no one-size-fits-all. Some businesses favor hot desking, while others use desk hoteling. Some organizations even blend hot desking with desk hoteling for various teams. Before anything else, it’s critical to consider the organization’s goals, culture, and team member satisfaction.