The business model of CitizenM is different from that of other affordable hotels. As CMO Robin Chadha put it when I met him at the London Bankside CitizenM ahead of Tower Hill’s opening, “The rooms are small but posh and everything is in the communal spaces.” They use a modular new-build system making the hotels very efficient to put up, operate a lean staffing model, and rely more on direct bookings than other chains. This means they can afford to spend money on the finishing touches (the furniture is almost all designer and almost all sourced from Vitra) and crucially they provide everything their guests could possibly need in the communal spaces – which includes really decent co-working spaces in their lobbies, comprising custom-made communal tables, some with plug-sockets for your own laptop, and some with iMacs and printers which are free for guests to use.
The hotels were inspired by a new breed of “mobile citizen” and modelled more closely on their homes than other hotels. “How do you spend your time at home – how much time do you spend in your bedroom?,” says Robin. “I sleep there, maybe I read a book or go and watch a TV show, but I live in my living room and my kitchen, so why would we do it any differently in the hotel?”
In addition to the lobby spaces, ‘societyM’ is located on the top two floors, and accessible to guests only. Perched on a mezzanine level above the double-height CloudM bar with its wrap-around terrace is the more serious end of the hotel’s business offering. Eight meeting rooms – styled with vintage typewriters, telephones and Bakelite radios, and more practically, kitted out with whiteboards, coffee machines and free wi-fi – are available to hire by the hour. The break-out spaces and cosy nooks that surround them offer a half-way house between full-on meeting room and the bar downstairs.
While societyM is only open to guests and those paying for meeting rooms, the co-working space on the ground floor is open to locals too. “Right now it’s open to everybody,” says Robin, “We have seen people taking advantage and I wouldn’t want our hotel guests to ever struggle to find somewhere to sit down, but equally I don’t want little signs saying ‘hotels guests only’ either, so I’d like to keep it open if we can. The vibe there is really great.”
I’ve spent time working in both the London Bankside hotel and Tower Hill and they’re both great places to work. Unlike the cafes I often end up perched in with my laptop, they are wholly set up for working with plug sockets aplenty, super-fast wifi and very friendly staff. Both CanteenM and the chain’s new concept cafe, CoffeeM, provide decent coffee and snacks at reasonable prices. And there’s something quite inspiring about working in such vibrant surroundings. Let’s just hope they don’t get too popular, so they can stay open to all!
More and more hotels are adapting co-working spaces, cause their lobbies just get cluttered with people in need to get things done. I personally would appreciate a co-working space in my holiday hotel, so I do not have to work from the bar or the lobby. This is really cool trend.