Advertise on podcast: This Week In Coworking

More links and show notes at https://twic.co/newceo Ivan Guberkov joined OfficeRnD's early team, helped take it from zero to more than $15M ARR, and went on to lead sales, the hybrid work launch and product before stepping into the CEO role. He sits down with Hector Kolonas to talk about what the company learned from two years of leadership changes, why coworking is getting 80% of its focus again, and how it plans to roll out AI agents and open up its data through MCP without losing operators' trust. They also get into the RealPage vs. EliseAI fight in multifamily, who should be responsible (and who should get paid) when outside tools plug into an operator's data, and what OfficeRnD customers can expect to change over the next 12 months. Chapters 0:00 Welcome 0:51 How Ivan got into coworking 4:16 Lessons from two years of change 8:11 Two products, 80% coworking 11:27 Vibe coding, MCP and open data 15:08 Inside the AI Hub 20:31 Can outside agents plug in? 22:17 RealPage vs. EliseAI and walled gardens 28:29 Who's responsible, and who gets paid? 32:00 What changes for customers (and what doesn't) 34:39 Vibe maintenance and what's next #coworking #flexspace #proptech #AI

Hector Kolonas and William Edmundson recap key items from the This Week in Coworking Week 42 (2026) newsletter Follow along with Week 42's (2026) Coworking News: https://thisweekincoworking.com/week-42-2026/ They share iPostal1’s “28-minute” operator checklist to grow virtual address revenue, including updating listing photos and adding iWorkspaceMail as a white-label digital mailbox revenue stream, then “rewarding yourself” after completing the steps. They discuss major real estate and flex signals: leadership transitions at Hines and its building-as-flex approach, and Tishman Speyer’s 150-year Chrysler Building lease with plans to invest $235M and expand pre-built suites and flex. The episode also covers a reported 30% rise in offsite bookings, Flexday’s fractional offices, hotel membership models as a potential competitor, and a “launch week” strategy for new spaces, including staging offices and consultative selling supported by AI research. 00:00 Welcome and Week 42 Preview 01:00 Sponsor Spotlight iPostal1 01:27 28 Minute Revenue Boost 02:48 Step One Update Photos 04:46 Step Two Add iWorkspaceMail 05:58 Step Three Coffee and Tools 07:05 Big Story Hines Leadership Shift 09:03 Chrysler Building Flex Future 10:50 New SKUs Offsites and Fractional Offices 14:48 Hotels as Coworking Competitors 17:23 Launch Week and Space Staging Tips 20:42 Consultative Tours and Using AI 23:53 Wrap Up and Goodbye

Host Hector Kolonas is joined by co-host Sam Shea (ex-Workbar, ex-WeWork, ex-LiquidSpace; now at Uniti; and founder of FLOC—Future Leaders of Coworking) to discuss the 2026 Coworking Tenure Survey and key Week 41 stories. Read the Week 41 newsletter at https://thisweekincoworking.com/week-41-2026/ Get the free 2026 Coworking Tenure report at https://twic.co/tenure/results They review survey findings from 37 operators across five regions, including that 78% report entry-level staff staying a year or more, with drop-off often occurring around 2–3 years, and that defined career paths correlate with lower churn. Reported reasons for entry-level departures include limited career progression (39%), moving industries (39%), and compensation (31%). They discuss internal promotion splits (some promote most managers internally, others few) and optional revenue-per-employee results where 33% reported $300k–$500k. The episode also covers AI agent adoption (a master agreement bringing Uniti to the Vast franchise network), an IKEA franchisee case study on reskilling, HubSpot’s shift toward consumption-based pricing, Alcove’s expansion to 33 pods including Manhattan, and a FLOC collaboration pub quiz at GCUC UK in London.00:00 Welcome and Sam Shea00:43 What is FLOC01:49 Tenure Survey Key Findings03:18 Career Paths Reduce Churn05:13 Why Staff Leave06:03 Promoting Managers Internally08:11 Revenue Per Employee Insights10:35 AI Agents Enter Coworking12:47 AI Reskilling Lessons17:13 HubSpot Pricing Shakeup20:20 Alcove Pods Expansion21:43 GCUC London Wrap Up

Hector Kolonas hosts the Week 40 (2026) recap of This Week In Coworking with guest co-host Cat Johnson, discussing upcoming events including GCUC UK in London, a Coworking Creators meetup, the Coworking Creator Summit, and October and November convos, plus a surprise trivia game at GCUC UK powered by This Week In Coworking and hosted by FLOC. They highlight a Cobalt resource on pricing psychology (price anchoring, the endowment effect, frictionless signups, and effective discount framing), then explore how AI personal assistant agents from Meta and OpenAI could shift booking and search behavior and what that means for coworking ecommerce, reviews, and positioning. They also cover Google Sheets gaining Gemini-powered board-style interfaces, the risks of “vibe coding” without maintenance, and implications for tech stacks and coworking space sales. Finally, they discuss Tamara’s public response to a “bad member” and review bombing, emphasizing transparency, community trust, and online context. 00:00 Welcome and Birthdays 00:40 Cat’s Event Sprint 01:31 GCUC UK Trivia Tease 02:19 Pricing Psychology Wins 04:33 AI Agents Change Buying 10:08 Aggregators and Incentives 11:26 Gemini Sheets Goes No Code 13:29 Vibe Coding vs Maintenance 15:16 Exit Strategy and Tech Stack 18:34 Handling a Bad Member 22:16 Community Support and Wrap

In this episode of the Week 39 recap, host Hector Kolonas is joined by Ivailo Ivanov, VP of Product at OfficeRnD, to discuss three critical topics from this weeks newsletter for the coworking industry: 1. A "catastrophic booking failure" case study: Analyzing how breakdowns in access, staffing, SOPs, and Wi-Fi can ruin the member experience despite a successful booking. 2. Branding over overcrowding: An argument that flex workspaces aren’t suffering from overcrowding, but rather a lack of clear branding. We compare coworking differentiation to hotel tiers and emphasize the need for clearer expectations based on specific use cases. 3. AI in coworking: A product-focused deep dive into OfficeRnD’s utility-first approach. We explore implementing sales agents and web chat widgets to drive conversions, and experimenting with conversational analytics for faster data insights. Follow along at https://thisweekincoworking.com/week-39-2026/ Or subscribe for the free email newsletter at https://twic.co/subscribe We also offer a warning against the risks of "vibe coding" bespoke systems, emphasizing that long-term maintenance and security require more than just a surface-level approach. Chapters: 00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 01:23 Catastrophic Booking Fail 04:10 Fixing Ops and WiFi Basics 09:03 Branding Not Overcrowding 12:18 Power Outage Reality Check 12:39 OfficeRnD AI Philosophy 14:44 AI Adoption Types 19:28 AI Sales Agent and Conversion 22:49 Conversational Analytics and Data Trust 24:26 Vibe Coding Warning 25:52 Wrap Up and Thanks

Host Hector Kolonas recaps week 37 of 2026 with guest co-host Perla Caballero from Alliance Virtual Offices calling in from Monterrey after attending the GWA conference, where she led roundtables on excellence management and member loyalty, drawing on experience from WeWork and Airbnb. Follow along with the web-version of the free newsletter at https://thisweekincoworking.com/week-37-2026/ Perla shares Alliance revenue opportunities for operators beyond virtual offices, highlighting meeting rooms as a lead generator for new members. They discuss Sarah Travers’ view that companies now proudly use flexible offices as a hiring and operational advantage, and explore corporate demand for managed, amenity-rich private offices. They also cover Jamie Hodari’s point that restrooms and “hidden” spaces shape the overall experience, suggesting tours, photos, and potentially ratings for bathrooms and other amenities. Finally, they review OfficeRnD’s tech survey, which shows integration challenges rising to 68%, and discuss how well-built integrations and instant bookings reduce workload and improve responsiveness. 00:00 Welcome and Introductions 00:36 GWA Denver Highlights 01:37 Perla Career Background 02:07 Alliance Revenue Streams 03:25 Coworking Credibility Shift 06:02 Enterprise Flex Office Benefits 09:21 Restrooms Matter Too 13:16 Tours Ratings and Bathrooms 16:39 Tech Survey Integrations 23:03 Wrap Up and Where to Meet

In the Week 36 (2026) recap of the This Weekend Coworking podcast, host Hector Kolonas and guest co-host Mark Furness discuss Mark’s reacquisition and take-private of essensys, his renewed focus on building faster with AI, and what “AI at the core” means: agentic capabilities across essensys Platform (network/WiFi), elumo (meeting room access and monetization), and Operate (lead-to-cash/ops system) via more autonomous operations and natural-language interfaces. They debate where AI agents should and shouldn’t replace deterministic workflows, rising concerns around data security as workers bring their own tools, and the need for interoperable, best-in-class stacks. They cover improving onboarding/activation journeys, insights from Flexspace data on full-day bookings (median eight seats), the importance of distinguishing buyer vs user, and why utilization data is a stronger signal than occupancy, including plans for MCP-enabled access to essensys data and a push toward autonomous flexspace operations.00:00 Welcome and Introductions00:41 Mark Reacquires Essensys02:44 AI at the Core08:50 Agents vs Infrastructure11:39 Security and Data Risks16:14 Autonomous Ops Use Cases19:37 Onboarding and Activation20:55 Flexspace Booking Data23:44 Fixing the Arrival Experience28:41 Occupancy vs Utilization32:15 MCP and Data Access35:25 Wrap Up and Thanks

In this Week 35 recap of This Week in Coworking, Hector Kolonas is joined by Ken Koh from Nexudus to unpack the latest shifts shaping coworking, flex, and community-led workspaces. See this week's full summary at https://thisweekincoworking.com/week-35-2026/ They discuss Nexudus’ new Members Portal and Passport app updates, embedded storefronts, AI-powered member experiences, why coworking websites need to show real community, the rise of niche spaces like QUBE, and what Dublin’s flex market data reveals about larger companies adopting coworking. Chapters: 00:00 Welcome and intro with Ken Loh from Nexudus 00:53 Nexudus Members Portal updates 02:20 Passport app and mobile member experience 02:43 AI tools, chatbots, WhatsApp, email, and calls 03:36 Embedded storefronts and ecommerce for coworking spaces 04:14 Schema, agentic search, and bookable workspace data 05:16 What coworking websites get wrong with imagery 08:12 On-demand use, community discovery, and workspace fit 11:36 Occupancy data, vibe, and useful workspace signals 13:10 Is traditional coworking dead? 14:45 The rise of niche coworking and media-focused spaces 17:28 How AI is changing why people use offices 20:13 Collaboration, whiteboards, and coming together intentionally 21:15 Dublin flex data and mid-market demand 24:34 Why coworking metrics vary by location and audience 25:00 Upcoming Undercurrents deep dive: which metrics matter? 25:44 Closing thoughts and thanks Featuring: Hector Kolonas, Syncaroo https://www.linkedin.com/in/inztinkt/ Ken Loh, Nexudus https://www.linkedin.com/in/i-am-ken-loh/ Topics: Coworking, flex workspace, Nexudus, member experience, workspace technology, AI in coworking, embedded storefronts, niche coworking, QUBE, Dublin flex market, coworking metrics, community-led workspaces

In this recorded keynote-style discussion, Hector Kolonas (Syncaroo co-founder) is quizzed by Jessie Glew (CEO at WOTSO) and Andrew Rothstadt (CEO at Clarence) on what coworking operators should optimize for beyond software; shifting focus from occupancy to utilization, revenue, reduced churn, and staff efficiency. Hector elaborates on why “not all revenue is good revenue,” sharing an example of public meeting-room bookings that appeared successful but lost money once service overheads and commissions were included. He highlights scalable SKUs, such as virtual offices and day offices, to address uneven weekly demand, and discusses adding digital services that members need. The conversation explores what great software should do, why operators often stop building their own platforms, and what’s coming next: stronger data ownership and zero-trust thinking, better capture of institutional “context,” evolving roles such as data governance, and expanding AI agents that affect both operator workflows and member experience.00:00 Podcast Setup00:27 Beyond Occupancy Metrics01:12 Ending Productivity Theater02:13 Bad Revenue Traps04:20 Profitable SKUs Ideas07:09 What Great Software Solves09:20 Why Build Tools Fails12:05 Data Ownership Futureproofing14:10 Capturing Context Knowledge19:15 Avoiding Overlapping Systems21:34 Australia Leads Quietly23:57 Ignore Overseas Hype25:08 Jobs Shifting With AI26:52 Member-Facing AI Agents28:50 Utilization Beats Occupancy31:02 Dynamic Pricing Reality Check33:05 Closing Thanks

Hector Kolonas and Eyal Lasker recap traveling to Sydney for the Flexible Workspace Association’s annual conference, including long flights, jet lag strategies, and speaking engagements. Eyal summarizes his panel on the industry’s need to standardize metrics and publicly share benchmarks so landlords, lenders, and banks can understand flex performance and support scaling goals. They compare global markets and note that operators across continents assume others have already solved taxonomy and data challenges. Both were impressed by Sydney’s polished coworking products, strong hospitality, coffee culture, and frictionless building access with minimal security friction, plus activated lobbies with food and beverage. They discuss on-demand booking, virtual office demand, an unstaffed workspace concept, high-quality lounges, landlord-funded fit-outs, upcoming lease renewals that create an inflection point, and evolving deal structures where flex operators manage broader building amenities.00:00 Welcome and Setup00:39 Flights and Jet Lag Hacks02:30 Conference Panel on Data04:35 Global Benchmarking Gap05:26 Sydney Space Quality Tour06:49 Frictionless Buildings and Lobbies09:31 Coffee Culture and On Demand11:21 Unstaffed Spaces and Lounges15:22 Views Servcorp and Lease Cycles18:05 Landlords Tech Stack Leverage19:04 What the US Can Learn21:19 Biggest Takeaway Hospitality23:39 Wrap Up and Global Future

Hector Kolonas hosts the Week 33, 2026 recap with returning guest co-host Antonette Benting (Workshop 17, Cape Town), who is helping bring GCUC Africa to Cape Town. They outline the conference structure across three operators (AfricaWorks welcome event, Workshop17 main conference day, and Neighbourgood evening), plus programming including local government on economic growth and foreign investment, panels on African flex/coworking, geopolitics, wellness, and social activations like a rooftop cocktail and optional beach run and cold plunge. Follow along at https://thisweekincoworking.com/week-33-2026/ They discuss a TWIC partnership to create leader profiles for attendees to boost visibility and podcast/speaking opportunities, celebrate Ikigai Kenya’s 10-year milestone, debate coworking vs flex terminology, cover Cape Town demand for backup power amid load shedding, and note growing coworking demand for shared media/podcast studio spaces like Salt Hub. 00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 01:14 Antonette and Workshop 17 02:08 GCUC Africa Host Venues 03:14 The "Sanibonani" Partnership 08:35 Conference Program Highlights 12:17 Earlybird Ticket Deadline 13:20 Ikigai Kenya Anniversary 16:01 Coworking vs Flex Debate 20:05 Backup Power in Cape Town 26:23 Studios and Media Spaces 29:01 Amplify Member Stories 30:30 Closing Thanks and Signoff

Host Hector Kolonas recaps week 32 of 2026 with co-host Sagar Morabia from Yardi Kube, discussing industry shifts in distribution, product (managed offices/landlord partnerships), and AI-driven operations. They introduce Yardi Kube’s customer-facing AI Sales Agent that handles after-hours inquiries and can guide prospects through booking workflows, plus Yardi’s Virtuoso AI strategy around agents, in-product assistants, and upcoming cloud connectors starting with Claude, with ChatGPT and Copilot to follow; pricing is currently included in licensing. They cover IWG’s acquisition of Accor’s WOJO network in Africa and what Accor’s exit signals, then explore data and conversations highlighting rapid growth of managed deals in London and broader flex expansion in the UK and Ireland, including pricing inefficiencies. They close on how technology can enable human connection in hybrid work by improving intentional attendance, booking, and usage insights. 00:00 Welcome and Setup 01:25 Guest Intro Sagar 02:34 Topics for Week 32 03:06 Yardi Kube Sales Agent 07:55 AI Governance and Platform 12:02 Pricing and Token Costs 13:42 Africa Acquisition IWG 15:03 Consolidation Trends 17:29 UK Flex Convergence 18:13 Landlords Drive Flex 20:03 Why Managed Deals Win 22:19 Operators Become Service Brands 23:22 UK Flex Market Snapshot 24:01 London Density And Pricing 27:01 Pricing Inefficiency And Elasticity 29:32 Tech For Human Connection 31:29 Convergence And The Tenant App 33:33 Closing Thoughts

Chris Baszto Joins Vast Coworking Group as CMO | Behind the News (This Week in Coworking) Host Hector Kolonas interviews Chris Baszto on a special “Behind the News” episode announcing Baszto’s new role as CMO of Vast Coworking Group. Three weeks into the job, Baszto shares first impressions, notes Vast also hired a new CFO, and recounts his path into coworking—from being a second-generation ad professional to leading growth and broader marketing functions at Industrious through its CBRE acquisition. He explains how a serendipitous reconnection with former boss Craig Robinson led him to Vast, and why the timing is compelling as Vast builds its path after breaking off from United Franchise Group and expanding via Office Evolution, Intelligent Office, and Venture X. Baszto outlines priorities: franchisee enablement, efficient seat-filling, and telling the investment and member stories, while innovating with lean teams and tech/AI-driven tools.00:00 Welcome and Big News00:46 First Weeks at Vast02:07 Marketing Roots and Career03:45 Finding Coworking via Industrious05:55 Industrious Growth Playbook07:17 Bike Ride to Vast09:14 Why Vast Why Now11:51 CMO Priorities and Franchise Support14:09 Future of B2B Marketing and AI16:59 Industry Message and Closing

Host Hector Kolonas and guest co-host Will Stanford (Head of Coworking at Yardi Kube) recap This Week in Coworking Week 31 2026. Follow along at https://thisweekincoworking.com/week-31-2026/ They note positive industry momentum in margins and location growth and revisit Airbnb’s experiment offering day passes and meeting rooms, discussing its advantage in capturing traveler intent, potential risks of aggregator economics, operational costs, and the structural complexity of defining and selling “space,” while viewing it mainly as ancillary revenue unless it moves into higher-value office demand. They cover demand signals from rising small-business formation, arguing AI tools enable more solo founders and small teams that can drive coworking memberships, virtual offices, and mail services. On supply, CoworkingCafe Q2 2026 data shows U.S. inventory near 9,400 spaces (+2.7% QoQ) and 166.3M sq ft (+1.5%), with growth led by new entrants and renewed expansion by larger brands. Finally, they discuss AI, open APIs, and MCP connectors, including Yardi’s approach to openness with security, governance, and predictable pricing. 00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 01:00 Week 31 Agenda and Sponsor 03:00 Airbnb Day Passes Debate 10:05 Travel Demand and Pricing 12:24 Demand Growth from New Businesses 18:20 Supply Growth Q2 Numbers 21:50 Market Shifts and Deal Structures 24:36 Open APIs MCPs and AI Agents 30:02 AI Pricing Security and Moats 34:38 Events Travel and Wrap Up