Coworking moves beyond offices into hospitality, retail

Hotels, malls and even residential villas are becoming high-demand locations for coworking and flex spaces, with chains like Ibis, Minimalist, and Bloom creating workspaces at multiple places while operators such as Awfis now run centres in several malls across India.

- AANEEKA CHATTERJEE

“What we're seeing today is the natural evolution of flexible work. Before the pandemic, offices were the default. From homes work has moved to anywhere — holiday destinations, cafés, and eventually hotels,” said Tejus Jose, director of operations, Ibis & Ibis Styles India that began “Work@ibis” model from 2021 onwards across Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Gurugram as they witnessed guests increasingly using for work lobbies and restaurants where high-speed WiFi and all-day food and beverage options are available.

Minimalist Hotels and Bloom Hotels are also tapping into India’s coworking trend. Both brands have adapted hotel spaces —

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■ Minimalist Hotels and Bloom Hotels have adapted hotel spaces into flexible work zones

■ Bloom Hotels provides dedicated coworking spaces and fully equipped conference rooms to support focused work and meetings