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The Great Room launches in Hong Kong

Elevated coworking demand grows in Hong Kong

The Great Room, the elevated, hospitality-inspired coworking space, is pioneering Hong Kong’s demand for coworking spaces that go beyond the conventional concept of flexible workspaces.

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With premium coworking space rising in prominence, the success of The Great Room proved that there are market opportunities for operators with hospitality expertise, and reflected an evolving relationship between landlords and coworking space operators to cater to shifting demand trends in the sector.

Convergence of the hotel and coworking sectors

Earlier this year, a number of major hotel chains have announced plans to upgrade their workspace offerings to meet the ever-rising expectations of global business travellers, whilst also bringing local professionals conducive spaces to work and conduct business.

As the demand in the flexible workspace sector continues to grow, coworking is a natural progression for hotels, where business centres and conference rooms have been common amenities for years.

These hotels’ moves reflect the gradual reimaging of the hospitality sector to connect customers in a broader way, and represent the type of innovation and greater diversity the market is expecting for serving differing needs.

The recent Colliers Asia Flexible Workspace Report 2019 pointed out that amenitisation and premium workspace design are rising in importance across the flexible workspace sector as landlords become more conscious of shifting occupier demands for better employee experiences.

It also noted that currently, few operators can deliver a full range of amenities, presenting an opportunity for hotel or hospitality operators to fill the market gap, as they are experts in providing hotel concierge services.

With hotels and developers increasingly looking to transform traditional business centres into more experience-driven spaces – places that entice guests to stay, mingle and conduct their business while giving them a daytime narrative – The Great Room is helping drive this evolution with its disruptive business model and hospitality-inspired coworking concept that was previously unprecedented in the industry.

A Strong Partnership to Deliver a Collective Experience

The overarching trend in the Colliers Flexible Workspace Report 2019 was that landlords are starting to become more active participants in the sector – they will either build for themselves or leverage the flexible workspace sector, to create a range of amenities to better serve their occupiers and their workforce.

The Great Room is ahead of many in the field with a vision to forge deeper, strategic partnerships with landlords to deliver genuine value to end users.

In Singapore, The Great Room is already putting this into practice by working with a developer in the early stages of a project to ensure they have design-driven and human-centric coworking amenities in place from the outset.

In the future, The Great Room seeks to work with more developers early in the planning process to assist them with incorporating coworking into building designs.

“Our approach necessitates that we truly partner with our landlords to deliver our vision. We have great synergy with landlords who share our strive to create an elevated experience. We know our clientele are looking to us to deliver premium services, infrastructure and spaces that empower them to operate at the highest levels, ” said Jaelle Ang, The Great Room Co-Founder and CEO.

Hong Kong’s Elite Embrace The Great Room Experience

Located in Singapore, Bangkok, and Hong Kong, The Great Room has quickly established a regional network of business clubs and coworking spaces designed for “grown up” start-ups and thought leaders.

The company serves a roster of innovation-driven members, including technology, finance, and design-savvy companies. Since opening its first Hong Kong location at Swire Properties’ One Taikoo Place in April this year, membership has quickly grown as word continues to spread.

The overwhelming success has accelerated plans to open up more locations in Hong Kong as well as expand into first-tier cities in mainland China in the next few years.

“Since launching in Hong Kong earlier this year, The Great Room has been incredibly well received. We were confident that our unique approach to coworking would resonate with Hong Kong’s elite businesses, established companies and high-value entrepreneurs,” said Jaelle Ang.

“It has been rewarding to see this come to fruition. As we are on pace to reach full occupancy, we find that our audience places a premium on the hotel-like service-rich environment and design aesthetic that The Great Room provides,” she continued.

The Great Room

Beyond attracting members, The Great Room has also been embraced by investors with SGD 40 million (HKD 230 million) raised to date, further validating its business model and vision.

The Great Room was established in 2016 in Singapore as a hospitality-led premium coworking space operator. It aimed to change the way people work, meet and socialise. It offers flexible office solutions and can cater to unique specifications – whether for a fast-growing company in need of an entire floor, or a dynamic entrepreneur on the look-out for a hot-desking environment.

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Members have the flexibility of dedicated, hot and virtual offices, as well as day passes, with a suite of supporting services. Knowledge sharing and networking platforms are organised regularly for members. Today, The Great Room has four premium locations in Singapore, one in Bangkok and one in Hong Kong.