This Week In Coworking

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 Intro01:14 Antonette and Workshop 1702:08 GCUC Africa Host Venues03:14 The "Sanibonani" Partnership08:35 Conference Program Highlights12:17 Earlybird Ticket Deadline13:20 Ikigai Kenya Anniversary16:01 Coworking vs Flex Debate20:05 Backup Power in Cape Town26:23 Studios and Media Spaces29:01 Amplify Member Stories30:30 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 Setup01:25 Guest Intro Sagar02:34 Topics for Week 3203:06 Yardi Kube Sales Agent07:55 AI Governance and Platform12:02 Pricing and Token Costs13:42 Africa Acquisition IWG15:03 Consolidation Trends17:29 UK Flex Convergence18:13 Landlords Drive Flex20:03 Why Managed Deals Win22:19 Operators Become Service Brands23:22 UK Flex Market Snapshot24:01 London Density And Pricing27:01 Pricing Inefficiency And Elasticity29:32 Tech For Human Connection31:29 Convergence And The Tenant App33:33 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 Intro01:00 Week 31 Agenda and Sponsor03:00 Airbnb Day Passes Debate10:05 Travel Demand and Pricing12:24 Demand Growth from New Businesses18:20 Supply Growth Q2 Numbers21:50 Market Shifts and Deal Structures24:36 Open APIs MCPs and AI Agents30:02 AI Pricing Security and Moats34:38 Events Travel and Wrap Up

Host Hector Kolonas welcomes Blaize Randall to the This Week In Coworking podcast to discuss her transition from operator to owner with the launch of Sonder Coworking and Events, focused on management service agreements and events, starting August 1 in Kingston, Ontario with plans to expand across Canada. They highlight the support Blaize found through the Future Leaders of Coworking (FLOC) network and promote TWIC’s global coworking tenure survey, sharing that results will begin releasing next week from 314 locations across five countries. Follow along with this week's newsletter at https://thisweekincoworking.com/week-29-2026/The episode also covers news from Nigeria where Cafe One bundles AI tool access into memberships, debates using AI for hospitality without eroding trust, explores why coworking sells memberships rather than square footage, revisits challenges and demand for coworking with childcare, and discusses creators choosing coworking over hype houses and the boundaries needed for content creation in shared spaces.Follow Sonder Coworking & Events:https://www.instagram.com/sondercoworking00:00 Welcome and Agenda01:17 Sonder Launch Story02:23 From Operator to Owner04:19 FLOC and Community Support06:22 Coworking Tenure Survey08:35 AI Bundled Memberships14:20 Selling Membership Value20:10 Coworking With Childcare25:20 Creators vs Hype Houses30:50 Wrap Up and Where to Connect

Coworking isn't discovering dynamic pricing... it's beginning to adopt yield management.In this edition of Undercurrents, we dig into how coworking operators are using dynamic pricing (and yield management principles borrowed from airlines and hotels) to protect premium inventory, smooth demand across quiet periods, and influence member behavior; not just to charge more.Want the full research, including the online & PDF playbooks, and audio/video versions? Get access here: https://twic.co/dynamic-pricingWe talk to operators, consultants, and technology providers about:Why meeting rooms, hot desks, and offices are "perishable inventory" just like airline seats and hotel roomsThe real difference between charging more and changing when people bookHow AI-driven pricing engines have evolved from simple rules to systems that learn and adapt over timeThe measurable business results operators are seeing — from 20% revenue increases to the majority of bookings happening above or below base rateWhere dynamic pricing risks eroding trust, and how operators are managing transparency with their membersWhy personalized pricing is different from dynamic pricing — and where operators are drawing the lineThis edition of Undercurrents is underwritten by Nexudus , one of the first workspace management platforms to introduce dynamic pricing (and now AI-assisted dynamic pricing). Editorial oversight remained independent throughout.Chapters:00:00 Open2:12 Underwriter2:40 Chapter 1 - The Problem8:41 Chapter 2 - The Surprise11:14 Chapter 3 - Different Definitions of Success16:50 Chapter 4 - The Evolution24:46 Chapter 5 - The Business Case30:15 Chapter 6 - The Trust Equation36:23 Chapter 7 - The Line

Hector Kolonas hosts the Week 29 (2026) recap of This Week In Coworking with guest co-host Adam Morgan, founder of Bureau, discussing major industry stories from the newsletter. Follow along at https://thisweekincoworking.com/week-29-2026/They examine Airbnb’s rollout of coworking day passes in London and debate whether it’s a net positive distribution channel or a potential disruptor, including impacts on pricing, planning, and space culture. They compare assessing flex offices versus traditional leases through both financial and cultural lenses, and Adam shares how Bureau uses modular office pods and rooms to make workspaces faster to build and easy to move, with ventilation and sensor-driven features. They also cover after-hours monetization via Night Office and explain fractional/part-time offices, plus a teaser for an upcoming deep dive on dynamic pricing.Chapters:00:00 Welcome and Introductions01:41 What’s on This Week02:29 Airbnb Day Passes04:31 Super App Implications06:38 Operator Terms and Culture09:29 NYC Leaders Coffee Plug10:20 Flex vs Lease Debate11:08 How Bureau Uses Offices13:17 What Drives Space Choice15:59 What Bureau Builds18:07 Modular Pods in Practice19:45 Ventilation and Cooling21:06 Meetup and Free Coffee21:44 Belonging Versus Fitting In22:07 Niche Coworking Communities25:06 Night Office After Hours26:52 Events and Utilization Wins28:45 Fractional Office Concept31:02 Operational and Pricing Model34:43 Dynamic Pricing Deep Dive37:11 Wrap Up and Farewell

Host Hector Kolonas and guest co-host James Shannon (essensys) recap a technical, newsletter-driven episode sponsored by essensys’ Elumo, a product that combines booking and access to help flex operators capture more meeting-room revenue with a tap-to-book Apple Wallet experience and simplified per-room pricing. They celebrate Hoxton Mix’s 16 years in business and its scale to 100,000 virtual office customers through automation, AI, and channel partnerships. They discuss “vibe coding,” highlighting build-vs-buy risks, hidden ownership/support burdens, and cost control issues like uncapped token usage, while noting its value for prototyping and communicating ideas. They cover Landmark Space’s rebrand to Elementa Workspace and its positioning around “science at work.” They also examine 1000 Satellites’ Berlin launch using a “full-building flex” model and close with Hector’s concept of “context debt,” emphasizing documenting the “why” behind decisions.00:00 Jam Packed Agenda00:46 Meet The Hosts01:19 Elumo What It Solves02:57 Pricing And ROI Update04:47 Newsletter And Where To Subscribe05:20 Hoxton Mix Success Story08:31 Vibe Coding Debate13:50 Human In The Loop14:42 Lean Ops With AI15:25 Elementa Rebrand Shift15:57 Science Led Workspaces17:19 Berlin Building Flex19:36 Europe Adoption Hurdles20:37 Unified Access Experience21:21 Context Debt Explained23:41 Capturing The Why26:12 Wrap Up And Launch

Host Hector Kolonas interviews Jon Thompson, a Cincinnati-based marketing and social media professional, about his new vertical microdrama miniseries, “Coworking.” Thompson shares his career path (USTA/US Open, Snapchat, Mars/M&M’s, Kroger, Ogilvy, and Web3/crypto) and how his coworking experience began at a WeWork in Soho while building an in-house content studio for M&M’s. He explains why he chose the fast-growing micro-series format to finally get his writing on screen: eight 2–3 minute episodes designed for Reels/TikTok/YouTube Shorts. The comedy/satire follows competing IV hydration startups in the same coworking space, alongside characters like a community manager, therapist, and wellness influencer. He details partnering with Union Hall Coworking/Centrifuge for funding and filming access, leveraging local brands and influencers, a mid-August premiere, and plans for distribution across social platforms and possibly LinkedIn. Show notes: twic.co/microdrama Show's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coworkingmicro00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro00:34 Jon Thompson Background01:55 First Coworking Experiences03:52 Why a Micro Series05:15 Series Format and Story07:09 Where to Watch and Release09:14 Cast Influencers and Premiere10:46 Filming at Union Hall13:30 Funding and Local Partners15:24 Coworking Community Collaboration17:14 Season Two and Sponsorships18:11 Wrap Up and Farewell

In this week's recap, Hector is joined by William Edmondson from iPostal1 Workspace to break down the biggest stories in coworking, flex work, and the broader workspace industry.From the rise of the personality economy to major market moves reshaping the global coworking landscape — there's a lot to unpack. Plus, we have a brand-new global survey on coworking tenure that we need YOUR input on.📌 Topics Covered:0:36 — The Personality Economy: Are we finally seeing the shift from brand-first to people-first business?Why personal brands are becoming foundational infrastructureHow AI is amplifying the shift — and what that means for coworking operatorsThe dead internet theory and why human beats automated in a world of AI slop12:20 — iPostal1 Expands into Canada800+ Canadian workspaces, and most aren't yet capturing virtual mail revenueHow iPostal1 is investing in Canadian market awareness, Canadian dollar billing, and partnerships with Canada Post & PurolatorWhy indie operators can't afford to leave this revenue on the table16:50 — Indie Coworking by the Numbers (via Coworking Café)73 US cities analysed — St. Paul leads with 80% indie market shareThe Midwest dominates indie coworking densityDebating what "indie" really means when self-funded operators like Perfect Office Solutions hit 30+ locations20:58 — Market Moves: A Big Week in Coworking M&A & ExpansionJustCo lists on the Singapore Stock Exchange, raising $100M SGDThe Malin expands to Brooklyn | Saltbox raises capital | ROAM launches workspace servicesAttico raises €180M across Iberia | Monday expands into SpainWhat this consolidation wave means for indie operators thinking about exit strategy30:10 — Gigs or Careers? Coworking Tenure & the People ProblemWhy coworking struggles to retain its best community managersReal examples of community managers who became CEOs and ownersIntroducing the Coworking Tenure Survey — take it at twic.co/tenureThe rise of fractional leadership as a retention alternative33:43 — Jobs Board & Upcoming EventsiPostal1 is hiring a Director of Business Development → twic.co/jobsGWA Immersive in Toronto | GCUC Manchester | Global Coworking Alliance Summit🔗 Links & Resources:Follow along with the newsletter: https://ThisWeekInCoworking.com/week-22-2026/Take the Coworking Tenure Survey: TWIC.co/tenureJobs Board: https://TWIC.co/jobsiPostal1 for workspace operators: https://iPostal1Workspace.comCoMRAA (virtual address advocacy): https://CoMRAA.orgEvents calendar: https://TWIC.co/eventsThis Week In Coworking is a weekly newsletter and podcast covering the global coworking industry. New episodes every week.

Hector Kolonas is joined by Momchil Blaskov from OfficeRnD to dig into this week's biggest coworking stories.(1:43) OfficeRnD's new AI Sales Agent — what it does, how fast operators can go live, where it lives today, and what a full agent suite could look like by Q3.(10:13) Childcare as a workspace amenity — the real cognitive load on working parents and why most spaces that try full childcare eventually scale back.(16:03) WOTSO's day pass experiment across Australia & New Zealand — a two-thirds price cut that nearly doubled revenue and shifted 70% of bookings to self-service.(27:09) Poland's flex market — 30% growth over three years, 4.6M sq ft, now over 3% of total office stock.Read the full newsletter: https://thisweekincoworking.com/week-21-2026/

What does a coworking operator do when they discover Claude Code? They vibe code a brand new website in 20 hours, replace a bunch of SaaS tools, and build custom apps without writing a single line of code.In this episode, Hector Kolonas sits down with Justin Moran (founder of Workplace in Massachusetts and operator of 5 coworking spaces) to break down how he's using AI, automation, and vibe coding to run lean, cut costs, and build exactly the tools his business needs.In this episode:How Justin grew from 1 → 5 coworking locations with just 5 staff80 automations that run his business on autopilotHow a ski trip conversation led to 90 days of Claude AI obsessionVibe coding a full website, chatbot, AI answering service & booking widget in one rainy SundayReplacing Calendly and Intercom with custom-built toolsThe framework for deciding what to vibe code vs. what to leave to the prosSecurity guardrails every operator needs before deploying AI-built appsHow to get started with Claude... even if you've never coded before📄 Full show notes, blog post & summary: https://TWIC.co/claudecoworkingChapters:0:00 Introduction1:30 Justin's Background & Workplace Growth7:00 Running Lean with Automation17:00 Discovering Claude & The Vibe Coding Journey26:00 What to Vibe Code vs. Leave to the Pros33:00 Security, Guardrails & Getting Started40:00 AI & Staff: Setting Guardrails44:00 Wrap-Up & ResourcesConnect with Justin Moran:https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinmoran/Connect with This Week in Coworking:🌐 TWIC.co📸 Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube @thisweekInCoworkingThis Week in Coworking is the podcast for coworking space operators, flex office founders, and workspace entrepreneurs. Hosted by Hector Kolonas.coworking #vibecoding #claudeai #flexoffice #coworkingbusiness #AItools #automation #operatorlife #proptech #worksplacetechnology

Community Magic, Smart Pricing, and Network Effects in Coworking (Week 19, 2026) | This Week in CoworkingHost Hector Kolonas and guest co-host Eyal Lasker of Flexspace review This Week in Coworking newsletter week 19 (2026), discussing how a Pearl’s Cowork community manager turned a virtual office mail pickup into an all-day member connection and what makes these “community magic” moments feel authentic. They explore how data and automation can free community teams for human matchmaking while systemizing discovery, availability, and pricing. Eyal explains Flexspace’s AI-driven smart pricing agent, first proven on meeting rooms (showing price elasticity) and now extended to private offices, delivered inside existing sales workflows (HubSpot, property management systems, or Excel). They also cover Ramp’s new connector bringing spending data from 50,000 businesses into Claude, and debate Sarah Travers’ argument that utilization and multi-location network effects matter more than location counts when expanding within a region versus new markets.00:00 Welcome and agenda01:43 Community magic from mail04:01 Data powered matchmaking06:05 Smart pricing at Flexspace10:01 Sales workflow integration11:34 AI pricing and micro markets15:27 Ramp data for Claude18:08 Sarah Travers on utilization19:50 Network effects and expansion25:26 Wrap up and where to meet

Hector Kolonas hosts Alex Garza of Alliance Virtual Offices to discuss partner testimonials on how Alliance drives additional revenue while handling compliance, payments, and customer support, plus new network-driven meeting room bookings across locations. They review advice on responding when a large coworking brand opens nearby, emphasizing differentiation, market validation, and leveraging increased awareness without copying competitors. The episode highlights new Coworking Cafe data showing US coworking growth (9,136 spaces in the top 50 markets; 163.9M sq ft, about 2.9% of office space) and UK/Ireland surpassing 4,500 spaces, noting competitiveness and continued expansion opportunity. They also cover an AI coding-agent incident where Cursor deleted a production database and backups in seconds, and debate guardrails for AI-enabled development. Finally, Hector argues Google Calendar shouldn’t be the “glue” for system integrations.00:00 Welcome and Agenda01:09 Alliance Partner Wins05:28 Meeting Rooms Network07:50 Big Brand Next Door12:25 Coworking Growth Data16:42 Virtual Office Pricing19:32 AI Deletes Database24:41 Google Calendar Trap28:10 Wrap Up and Thanks