Offices are still struggling in a post-Covid world. Attendance, though recovered substantially since the early days of 2020, is still down by 30 percent, according to McKinsey Global Institute. In the scenarios studied by the management consultancy, the amount of office space demanded in most cities won’t return to pre-pandemic levels for decades. As a response to today’s new normal, designers and brands are taking cues from their own hospitality projects to create spaces that are more akin to a hotel than traditional workplaces as a way to entice employees back to the office.
Consider the new headquarters for Rosewood Hotel Group in Hong Kong. Drawing inspiration from the hotel company’s Sense of Place philosophy, local firm Lim + Lu adorned the office with luxe, natural materials that “reflect the brand’s status as well as its focus on wellbeing,” says cofounder and managing director Elaine Lu. She considers many facets when rethinking office design for today’s employees, including integrating flexible and hybrid spaces, adding wellness features like biophilic design elements, and fostering a sense of community through open common areas. Here, to encourage collaboration, gathering spaces are strategically positioned throughout, with sofas and tables located at the borders of different departments and near corridors or circulation spaces.
Sage green hues and natural materials at Rosewood Hotel Group’s Hong Kong headquarters channel the brand’s luxe look
House of Form, a design firm based in Phoenix, recently overhauled its office with the goal to empower team members to perform at their best. Referencing its own hospitality projects, “our vision was to transform the office into an inspiring blend of a traditional workspace and a luxe hotel lobby,” says principal owner and designer Dala Al-Fuwaires. The lounge, for instance, recalls a sexy cocktail bar, while the conference room is an artful private dining room. “We designed the space around how we wanted our clients to feel: cozy, confident, and inspired,” she adds.
At Rockbridge’s headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, CEO and founder Jim Merkel wanted the hospitality-centered investment firm’s new office to reflect the evolution of the company. Covid shifted some of the design plans, forcing Merkel to pause and reimagine what the space was going to look like for its 110 employees going forward. “I concluded that we believed in being together and in collaboration,” he says. Designed in-house, purposeful spaces like an open atrium and mezzanine level encourage “spontaneous collisions of team members in a positive way,” he says.
“The office market isn’t dead,” Merkel continues, “but it has lacked innovation and evolution on a broad scale. We created a space where people want to be—where they can gather and build relationships because that’s what we do in hotels.”
The mezzanine at Rockbridge’s office in Columbus, Ohio encourages spontaneous collaboration
This article originally appeared in HD’s December 2023 issue.
