Would you work in an office that feels like a five-star hotel?

Forget grey carpet, fluorescent lights and sterile meeting rooms. Australia's premium flexible workspaces are increasingly looking and feeling more like luxury hotels and resorts as employers recognise that the office needs to be somewhere people actually want to spend time.
 

According to workplace expert Brett McAllen, CEO of @WORKSPACES, colour, lighting, texture, greenery and hotel-style communal areas are becoming critical elements of modern workplace design.
 

"The office has changed dramatically. People don't want to leave the comfort of home to sit under harsh fluorescent lights in a bland corporate box," McAllen said.
 

"Today's best workspaces feel warm, sophisticated and inviting. You can walk into some flexible coworking offices and genuinely feel like you've entered a beautiful hotel.  This is deliberate and why shared and coworking spaces are growing faster than any other type of office. 
 

"In essence, we are delivering the future of work and the spaces need to provide a level of luxury and comfort that people want to experience and that far exceed the feeling of sitting and working in a traditional office."
 

The office now has to earn the commute
 

McAllen said hybrid working has completely changed employee expectations.
 

"When people know they can work from home, the workplace has to offer something better than simply a desk and internet connection," he said.
 

"It needs to provide energy, connection, comfort and an environment that helps people feel good about being there.  The office now has to earn the commute."
 

McAllen said @WORKSPACES invests significantly in interior design across its locations, incorporating sophisticated lighting, carefully selected colours, quality furniture, greenery, artwork and different textures.
 

"We're designing around how people feel, not simply where we're going to put them. We have taken designs, styles, colours, textures, lighting and amenities from luxurious hotels and resorts to create the ultimate working space," he said.
 

Offices are borrowing from five-star hotels
 

McAllen said the hospitality sector has understood the psychology of environment for decades.

"Walk into a beautiful hotel and you immediately feel something. The lighting, furniture, colours, materials and even the way spaces flow have all been carefully considered," he said.
 

"Workplaces are now borrowing heavily from hospitality because businesses have realised the employee experience matters too."
 

Reception areas are beginning to resemble hotel lobbies, kitchens are becoming social hubs, breakout areas feel more like lounges and meeting spaces are becoming warmer and less corporate.
 

Colour, lighting and texture are changing how offices feel
 

McAllen said one of the biggest shifts in workplace design has been the move away from the uniform, one-size-fits-all approach that traditionally defined corporate offices.
 

"Not every part of an office should look or feel the same. Quiet areas should create a sense of calm and encourage concentration, while collaborative and social spaces should feel more energetic, engaging and inviting," McAllen said.
 

"New-generation shared and flexible workspaces are being deliberately designed with a variety of environments, each with its own look, feel and purpose. There are spaces for collaboration and brainstorming, quiet areas for research and reading, relaxed lounges for informal conversations and socialising, and sophisticated meeting rooms for clients and teams.
 

"Colour, lighting, furniture and texture are then carefully layered together to create different moods throughout the workplace. It gives people the freedom to move to the environment that best suits what they're doing and how they want to work."
 

Lighting is equally important.
 

"We maximise natural light wherever possible and use considered artificial lighting to create warmth rather than relying solely on harsh overhead lights.  A lot of lighting is now table and floor lighting to deliver a more ambient feel and avoid the feeling of sitting under lights like old style work environments," McAllen said.
 

Texture also plays an increasingly important role, with timber, fabrics, rugs, upholstered furniture, plants and artwork making spaces feel softer and more inviting.
 

"People don't necessarily walk in and analyse every individual design element, but they immediately know whether a space feels good.  A well designed space impacts mood without people realising it," he said.
 

Small businesses are accessing big-business offices
 

McAllen said the trend is particularly beneficial for small and medium businesses that may not have the resources to create a premium standalone office.
 

"A high-quality commercial fit-out can be a significant investment," he said.
 

"Flexible workspaces give smaller businesses access to beautifully designed reception areas, kitchens, meeting rooms, breakout spaces and office environments without having to build and manage everything themselves.

"It enables a relatively small business to provide its team and clients with a workplace experience that can feel incredibly impressive."
 

The death of the boring office
 

McAllen believes the traditional sterile office will become increasingly difficult to justify as businesses compete for talent and encourage employees to spend more time together.
 

"If you're asking somebody to leave home, commute through traffic and spend eight hours in an office, giving them somewhere fantastic to arrive at makes sense," he said.
 

"People spend an enormous amount of their lives at work. Why shouldn't those environments be beautiful, comfortable and uplifting?
 

"The workplace of the future won't feel like somewhere you're forced to go. The goal is to make it somewhere you genuinely enjoy being."
 

About @WORKSPACES

@WORKSPACES is a premium, Australian-owned flexible workspace provider delivering enterprise-grade, on-demand office solutions across Australia. With locations in Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast, the company offers serviced offices, coworking environments, virtual office solutions and meeting facilities designed to support modern businesses.

Led by CEO Brett McAllen, @WORKSPACES is focused on delivering high-quality, flexible and scalable workspace solutions that enable organisations to operate efficiently and competitively in a rapidly evolving business landscape. For more information, visit: www.atworkspaces.com.au