Are co-working spaces the next big hotel amenity? It is incorporated into the lobby design of Hard Rock International’s Reverb concept (currently in trademark litigation with RLH Corp.) to help bring in locals. While not as formal, co-working spaces are integral to membership brands such as Soho House and emerging lifestyle concepts such as Mob Hotels that play to emerging “digital nomads.”
Enter Selina, an affordable boutique hotel concept based in Bogotá, Colombia, with 12 properties open in South and Central America in locations, ranging from surf beaches and jungle retreats to city centers, and several more on the way.
With co-work spaces playing an important role, accommodations range from US$25 per night for a shared bunkroom to US$400 for a luxury private king suite. For the perpetual traveler, Selina has plans to also introduce a monthly program allowing continuous travel throughout the network of Selina properties for one flat rate.
“These co-work spaces are a big need of the modern day traveler,” says Selina’s CoWork Director Dean Leibowitz, adding that the general public’s understanding of the digital nomad movement is still fairly low and will improve as it gets more momentum. “We’ve noticed a shift in the workforce mentality. They don’t want to be stuck in a cube from 9-5; they’d rather work seven days a week on their own time and place. The idea of high-quality WiFi in a remote area with like-minded people creates a great community environment.”
Selina is built on four pillars: caregiving, community strengthening, ubiquity and creativity. Services and amenities include the Selina Surf Club, yoga, visual arts programs, language schools via Selina Academy and Selina Explore, an inter-property concierge and travel and tour agency. It engages the local community with training programs and its staff has handcrafted most of the furniture and fixtures through upcycling — giving found materials a second life. Farm-to-table cooking includes produce and herbs grown on property in food plots.
The environment also focuses on productivity of its guests and Selina CoWork spaces range from private offices to boardrooms and group spaces with the latest in technology. “The ROI for co-work spaces is more quantifiable in city locations and more qualifiable in remote location,” Liebowitz adds. “The experience brings a more aspirational crowd on board. An innovative crowd adds to our experience.“
The founders, Rafael Museri and Daniel Rudasevski, who’s vision it is to create an experience that moves travelers to explore more freely, interact more openly and integrate more completely, plan to expand to 37 hotels throughout Latin America by the end of 2017, as well as the Caribbean and North America, including multiple flags in Jamaica, the Dominican Republic as well as Miami. In August, openings were planned for Jaco and La Fortuna, Costa Rica; Medellin, Colombia; and Antigua, Guatemala.