Desk Hoteling (Hot Desking) | IoT Technologies

IoT-enabled hoteling (also hoteling or office hoteling) technologies are used as a component of office management in which workers dynamically schedule their use of workspaces such as desks, cubicles, and offices. It is an alternative approach to the more traditional method of permanently assigned seating. Hoteling is reservation-based unassigned seating; employees reserve a workspace before they come to work in an office. An alternate method of handling unassigned seating is hot desking, which does not involve reservations; with hot desking, a worker chooses a workspace upon arrival, rather than reserving it in advance.

With hoteling, workers are not assigned their own desks; instead, they reserve a desk for their temporary use for just the days they expect to work in the office. The benefits of hoteling over a more traditional, one-desk-per-employee scenario include saving costs on commercial real estate, as well as creating opportunities for staff to mingle and collaborate more.

The practice of hoteling has resulted from increased worker mobility, enabled by advances in mobile technology. Organizations whose workers travel frequently, or with growing remote or mobile workforces, are best suited to hoteling. A Washington Post article cites the rising use of hoteling as reflecting a shift from the office being a “home base” to being a “hospitality hub.”

Desk Hoteling – Q&A

What is it?

Hoteling involves pre-booking and checking in to a concierge to access a space, much like at an actual hotel. Even in a room full of empty desks and unoccupied workstations, a person has to check in with central booking to access their spot. It may be a person or it could be self-directed software. What matters is that the process is the same for everyone and there’s a standardized record of the desk assignment.

What is hot desking?

Hot desking is more free-wheeling. It’s still based in an unassigned desk concept, but the execution is first-come, first-served. If any employee sees an open space, they’re welcome to claim it as their own and get to business—no reservation required. Some hot desking setups may still require check-in, but there’s no need for reservations. Check-in is merely a form of capacity control.

What are the benefits?

The benefits of office hoteling come from its marriage of order and freedom. Just like you’re free to pick the room that’s right for you at the hotel you want over defined dates, hotel desking works the same way. There’s freedom of choice dictated by standardization.

Pain point(s) demonstrating the need for a desk hoteling solution:

Space usage
Equipment demands
Flexible work environments
Health & safety
Employee well-being

Solution(s) surrounding our desk hoteling technologies:

Heat maps, office layouts, space configuration, way finding
Workers can submit their reservation request to the system, which checks desk availability
A reservation is confirmed, with details automatically emailed to the worker
The system is updated with the new occupancy information
A reminder is emailed to the worker prior to their visit, including pertinent information
The worker checks in at their scheduled time and enjoys their reserved desk space
Works at scale
Smart office