By John Arenas | April 13, 2016

Here’s What We’re Most Excited About in Coworking this Year

As coworking moves from startup trend to mainstream business model — with everyone from big corporations to freelancers jumping on board — here are three coworking trends that we think are setting a new office standard.

1. Bespoke coworking

With coworking spaces cropping up across major cities and suburbs, it’s no longer difficult to find a place to work. Clients just have to decide which workplace best suits their needs.

Knowing this, spaces are stepping up their game and showing off unique offerings to set themselves apart. For us, it’s letting our members test drive a new sportscar and hosting art exhibits; for others, it’s Thursday night kegs and hackathons. There are spaces with art studios; there are spaces you can ski to; one space even announced it plans to build an indoor lake.

Today, when you’re seeking the ideal workplace, the only limit is your imagination.

2. Coworking spaces become self-sustained networks

At Serendipity Labs, like many coworking spaces, we encourage members to expand their networks; we do this by hosting professional events and designing a workspace that promotes collaboration and communication. As a result, the coworking space has become a hub for learning and growth: large companies hire small startups and help them thrive; individuals attend workshops to advance their professional skills and networks.

The more that membership grows, the more diversity among members. Eventually, a successful, diversely populated coworking space could largely do business solely amongst those who belong there.

3. Sleeping where you work

Recently, there’s been a lot of buzz about co-living spaces, in which people are not only working but also living alongside each other. These spaces — which are taking off in San Francisco and coming soon to Los Angeles — might be an extreme version of the coworking movement.

But then again, maybe they’re not so extreme.  Our Miami location is nestled in two floors of a new high rise residential tower with a rooftop pool deck.

And from our experience, companies need employees to travel for business, but the quality of a person’s work decreases when they work from a hotel room. Most business travelers could benefit from having access to coworking spaces while on the road.

We plan to extend the hotel business center or lobby to an adjacent coworking space. Give business travelers a workplace they can rely on — one with ergonomic workstations, natural light, a secure network connection, and those same opportunities for professional development, while still being a few steps away from where they sleep.

Excited? So are we.