Laptops, tablets and scuffed notepads are dotted across a communal table, behind which people of various ages, professions and nationalities get on with their day's work, some engaging in stimulating conversations with surrogate colleagues while others are laser-focused on the task at hand, their ear buds blocking out background noise. It's a scene remote workers will be familiar with - the only difference is that you're sitting a couple metres from people checking in and out.
In recent years, hotel brands have capitalised on the growth in remote and hybrid working, redesigning public spaces to include shared workspaces, converting unoccupied rooms into offices that can be rented by the day (see Our guide to working from hotels, October 2020), or setting up standalone co-working venues. On a personal level, this has made my business travel life a lot easier. Hotel stays now come with comfortable workspaces on my temporary doorstep.
Product of the pandemic
Historically, public spaces in hotels have had little function other than to serve as a reception area. Buzzy in the morning and late afternoon, the
