After the pandemic, there was a ‘flight to office quality’ in an attempt to lure people back to the office and companies have been at pains to deliver a more creative workplace, but have often lacked the capital expenditure to deliver on it.
Office agency Partner, Guy Parkes, spoke to The Times about how companies and office landlords are rolling out the red carpet to get people back into the office, delivering exciting new workplaces founded on wellness and a 5* hotel type experience.
Guy explains: “Increasingly, we are finding that when we do property searches for companies, most won’t even consider a building if it doesn’t come with some sort of onsite café or restaurant. The boring office of old is long gone, in favour of a hotel experience and amenities such as laundry drop off points, rooftop hospitality and wellness centres.
“As a result, landlords have been investing in refurbishment projects to deliver more of a 5* star hotel type experience to lure tenants and their teams back into the workplace – from jetties at riverside properties to enable a paddle board commute, to the incorporation of Padel Courts onsite.
“Near Reading, we are working with the landlord of 3 Arlington Square who has incorporated a Padel Court into the scheme, a treehouse meeting room, café, restaurant and concierge ‘front of house’. Meanwhile, here at Apex where Vail Williams is based, our own staff get to enjoy weekly organised events from yoga to personal shoppers and inspirational speakers.
“Last week former World Cruiserweight & Heavyweight Boxing Champion, David Haye, will discuss how to unleash performance in a free, interactive lunchtime session. This more creative approach is helping companies to lure staff back to the office where they can benefit from the collaboration and innovation that can bring to teams.”
Vail Williams has been advising on fitouts in 1&3 Arlington Square and also on the refurbishment of FIVE Wimbledon, where the landlord is creating a large business lounge akin to a 5* airport lounge, with a wellness area, café and collaboration zones.
Campus Reading International is a another great example of how the workplace is evolving to provide amenity rich benefits for tenants, from a wellness studio to an onsite bakery where you can order fresh bread in the morning, and staff can collect and take home at the end of the working day.
Meanwhile, at Thames Valley Park’s Here+Now buildings, tenants can make use of their onsite ‘fleet room’ and hire out paddleboards for a play on the Thames, and electric scooters for a trip around campus at lunch. They also offer lifestyle managers and a building app to help book onto events or take advantage of local discounts.
“It is also interesting to see how placemaking is changing, to deliver places to live, work and play. In West London, in central Slough, we are advising Muse and Homes for England in the development of the new North West Quarter – a 10-acre town within a town. It will become a self-contained community of residential, retail, town square and office space, delivering places to live, work and play. The blue-print for this is based around the ‘super prime’ commercial developments which emerged in the western suburbs of London, and are distinguished by their extensive ‘activated spaces.’”
These buildings integrate lifestyle amenities directly into the workplace, including:
- Fitness facilities with dedicated yoga and spinning studios and wellness professionals on hand
- Rooftop hospitality areas featuring bars, restaurants with authentic pizza ovens, and client entertainment zones
- Presentation and meeting spaces designed for maximum engagement
- In-house cinemas with tiered lecture-style seating for streaming major sporting events while maintaining productivity
“We are also seeing a diverse range of businesses upgrade to these sorts of premium environments, with professional service firms—including legal practices, accounting firms, and real estate agencies leading the trend, as well as the larger corporates wanting to reinforce their values by associating their brand with the very best buildings.
“These companies recognise that exceptional workspaces are essential for attracting top talent, fostering collaboration, and strengthening client relationships through impressive in-person experiences.”
Examples include PWC and EY who are on the move, and PepsiCo which is moving to One Station Hill next to Reading train station, as well as Adobe’s move to Campus, Reading.
We expect the trend towards rolling out the red carpet for office occupiers to continue. If you would like support with finding the right office premises to meet your business’ needs, or advice on delivery of the right office environment to suit today’s office occupiers, get in touch.
Vail Williams works with tenants to lease the right working environments for their teams, as well as advising landlords on how to attract occupiers to their space, with the right amenities. In the last quarter, they’ve acted on over 200,000 sq ft of office lettings in Reading alone, including the biggest office deal in the Thames Valley for ten years.
