When Deloitte in Amsterdam wanted to move towards a hybrid workplace, they did away with reserved seating for employees. They also bid adieu to private desks and welcomed office seating based purely on interim and ad-hoc employee schedules.
They did this with the help of an office hoteling solution. This book-as-you-need concept led to a more sustainable, collaborative, and flexible work environment for employees, office managers, and company leaders.
But that’s not all! Through this move, office managers reduced high real estate costs and resource overheads. They realized the office required only 1000 desks to comfortably cater to 2500 employees that reserve workstations in advance through an office hoteling solution.
With this tool, employees could reserve preferred workstations without waiting for approval, place customized resource requests, check sanitization schedules, and navigate to their desks inside any office.
Safe to say, Deloitte moved into the future through an office hoteling solution. However, it is not the first brand to do so. Other companies like Microsoft, Credit Suisse, Citigroup, etc., also acknowledge that the future of work is hybrid, which is why they have adopted office hoteling in many of their offices.
Do you want to implement an office hoteling solution but have questions about what it is, why you need it, etc.? If so, here are all your answers about this path-breaking concept and the apps that facilitate it.
The 5 Most Frequently Asked Questions About Office Hoteling Solution
Let’s begin with the most common one:
1. What is an Office Hoteling Solution?
In a nutshell, hoteling is the practice of sharing desks or workstations, cubicles, and meeting rooms within an office. This concept is gaining popularity since hybrid workplaces are becoming the new norm. In such spaces, employees work from the office a few days every week and from home the rest of the week.
Office hoteling is not that different from reserving a table or room at your favorite restaurant ahead of time. Doing this assures you a preferred space at a particular time, be it at a restaurant or your place of work. Companies like Deloitte, Gensler, and Square practice hoteling through an office hoteling solution or app. Additionally, a Cisco study reveals that 77% of large companies plan on increasing work flexibility, which is possible through this solution.
2. What Are the Benefits of an Office Hoteling Solution?
Listed below are the benefits of an office hoteling solution in brief:
- By implementing desk sharing through an office hoteling solution, businesses can grow their workforce without making substantial real estate investments. This is especially useful for start-ups and small businesses.
- It provides more control and visibility of office space to the managerial staff. Not only can they figure out the total office attendance, but they can also ensure timely sanitization of floors and desks about to be used through this solution. This promotes employee safety. They can also switch off lights and heating or cooling devices on floors that are not in use, thus saving substantial overheads.
- It allows employees to work wherever and whenever they work best, thus improving their productivity. A group of employees can book their desks close to each other by accessing the updated floor maps on an office hoteling solution, which boosts collaboration.
- It ensures optimal utilization of space, which is already at a premium these days. Businesses can also study the spatial analytics provided by an office hoteling solution to try out new desk orientations and keep a check on sanitization routines and resource replenishment.
3. Which Features Should I Look for Before Investing in an Office Hoteling Solution?
Here are the key features you must look for before investing in an office hoteling solution:
Real-Time Desk Visibility – Since the primary goal of an office hoteling solution is to allow employees to book workstations, it falls apart without real-time desk visibility. This feature provides a live map of updated office floors that employees can use to reserve their desks.
Option to raise resource and amenities requests – Consider an office hoteling solution that provides a dedicated system or interface that allows users to raise requests, be it for resources or amenities, or anything else
Sanitization tracking – The solution’s interface must inform users of the last date and time a particular desk was cleaned and sanitized when they click or tap on it. This feature makes employees feel safe and encourages them to come to the office.
Employee scheduling – Why should office hoteling systems only allow individual employees to reserve desks and meeting rooms. Opt for an app that also enables managers and departmental leaders to schedule employee shifts and share with them instantly.
Commute management – If your company has more than one office or uses different co-working spaces, your office hoteling app must have a feature that routes to the destination where an employee has reserved their workstation or meeting room.
4. Can More than One Person Submit a Hoteling Request?
Anyone from trainees and executives to managerial staff can reserve workstations, cubicles, meeting rooms, or any other space orientation available in the office through an office hoteling solution. To make this seamless, the app you use must provide easy onboarding and account login features.
Additionally, a third-party like team leaders, facility managers, etc., can also reserve desks for staff members at the time of scheduling shifts.
5. Can an Office Hoteling Solution Help Employees Find their Way to a Desk in a New Office?
Yes, a good office hoteling app will likely carry a way-finding feature, which not only describes the precise location of a desk but also provides an interface that guides employees to it. This feature is different from commute management, as that only navigates your staff to the office building.
However, you may find office hoteling tools that integrate both commute management and way-finding features to provide employees an optimal navigational experience.
Before You Go
Want to implement a robust office hoteling solution replete with useful features? WorkInSync office hoteling software is an end-to-end tool that allows seamless office hoteling. Convert your traditional office into a flexible workplace with our desk hoteling software. Manage desks, rooms, and resources and give your mobile workforce the perfect hybrid setting.
You can opt for a demo of the desk booking software to learn more.
