This Week In Coworking

Hector Kolonas
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Quick recaps and deep-dives from the popular ThisWeekInCoworking.com email newsletters

  1. 2 days ago

    Week 32: Yardi Kube’s AI Sales Agent, IWG’s Africa Acquisition, and the Rise of Managed Flex

    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

    Week 32: Yardi Kube’s AI Sales Agent, IWG’s Africa Acquisition, and the Rise of Managed Flex

  2. 3 Aug

    Storytelling over Square Footage with Chris Baszto

    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

    Storytelling over Square Footage with Chris Baszto

  3. 31 Jul

    Airbnb, Coworking Demand & Supply Growth, and Yardi Kube’s AI/MCP Strategy with Will Stanford

    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

    Airbnb, Coworking Demand & Supply Growth, and Yardi Kube’s AI/MCP Strategy with Will Stanford

  4. 24 Jul

    Week 30: Sonder Coworking, AI Bundles, Childcare, and Selling Memberships with Blaize Randell

    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/sondercoworking 00:00 Welcome and Agenda 01:17 Sonder Launch Story 02:23 From Operator to Owner 04:19 FLOC and Community Support 06:22 Coworking Tenure Survey 08:35 AI Bundled Memberships 14:20 Selling Membership Value 20:10 Coworking With Childcare 25:20 Creators vs Hype Houses 30:50 Wrap Up and Where to Connect

    Week 30: Sonder Coworking, AI Bundles, Childcare, and Selling Memberships with Blaize Randell

  5. 20 Jul

    Undercurrents: Dynamic Pricing - Is coworking in the yield management business?

    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-pricing We talk to operators, consultants, and technology providers about: Why meeting rooms, hot desks, and offices are "perishable inventory" just like airline seats and hotel rooms The real difference between charging more and changing when people book How AI-driven pricing engines have evolved from simple rules to systems that learn and adapt over time The measurable business results operators are seeing — from 20% revenue increases to the majority of bookings happening above or below base rate Where dynamic pricing risks eroding trust, and how operators are managing transparency with their members Why personalized pricing is different from dynamic pricing — and where operators are drawing the line This 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 Open 2:12 Underwriter 2:40 Chapter 1 - The Problem 8:41 Chapter 2 - The Surprise 11:14 Chapter 3 - Different Definitions of Success 16:50 Chapter 4 - The Evolution 24:46 Chapter 5 - The Business Case 30:15 Chapter 6 - The Trust Equation 36:23 Chapter 7 - The Line

    Undercurrents: Dynamic Pricing - Is coworking in the yield management business?

  6. 17 Jul

    Airbnb Day Passes, Fractional Offices & After-Hours Monetization | Week 29 Recap ft Adam Morgan

    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 Introductions 01:41 What’s on This Week 02:29 Airbnb Day Passes 04:31 Super App Implications 06:38 Operator Terms and Culture 09:29 NYC Leaders Coffee Plug 10:20 Flex vs Lease Debate 11:08 How Bureau Uses Offices 13:17 What Drives Space Choice 15:59 What Bureau Builds 18:07 Modular Pods in Practice 19:45 Ventilation and Cooling 21:06 Meetup and Free Coffee 21:44 Belonging Versus Fitting In 22:07 Niche Coworking Communities 25:06 Night Office After Hours 26:52 Events and Utilization Wins 28:45 Fractional Office Concept 31:02 Operational and Pricing Model 34:43 Dynamic Pricing Deep Dive 37:11 Wrap Up and Farewell

    Airbnb Day Passes, Fractional Offices & After-Hours Monetization | Week 29 Recap ft Adam Morgan

  7. 10 Jul

    Vibe Coding, Context Debt & Full-Building Flex: This Week in Coworking (Week 28, 2026) ft. essensys Elumo

    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

    Vibe Coding, Context Debt & Full-Building Flex: This Week in Coworking (Week 28, 2026) ft. essensys Elumo

  8. 8 Jul

    Jon Thompson on creating “Coworking,” a microdrama shot in a real coworking space

    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/coworkingmicro 00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 00:34 Jon Thompson Background 01:55 First Coworking Experiences 03:52 Why a Micro Series 05:15 Series Format and Story 07:09 Where to Watch and Release 09:14 Cast Influencers and Premiere 10:46 Filming at Union Hall 13:30 Funding and Local Partners 15:24 Coworking Community Collaboration 17:14 Season Two and Sponsorships 18:11 Wrap Up and Farewell

    Jon Thompson on creating “Coworking,” a microdrama shot in a real coworking space
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About

Quick recaps and deep-dives from the popular ThisWeekInCoworking.com email newsletters

Information

  • Creator
    Hector Kolonas
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    135
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Hector Kolonas
  • Show Website
    This Week In Coworking