Interesting things happen when you watch trends. One hospitality trend Northland is currently watching is co-living. With an emphasis on collaboration and community, there’s a noticeable shift taking place towards co-living.
In a nutshell, co-living is about community and developing connections between those who occupy that space. It’s group living, with shared kitchens and living areas and social programming.
Responding to shifts towards home sharing and other communal living concepts, hospitality companies have taken action. During 2016, companies like Airbnb and HomeStay watched their share of the hospitality market grow. While private hotels have different concepts and thus cannot directly compete with the Airbnbs and HomeStays, they can offer alternatives based around similar ideals.
Co-Living enters the mainstream
Last year, the co-living concept entered the mainstream for hospitality with AccorHotels’ newest brand: Jo&Joe. According to AccorHotels, Jo&Joe “…blends the best of private-rental hostel and hotel formats,” and calls it a “totally reinvented and disruptive experience in terms of design approach, catering, service, and customer journey.”
In 2017, there will be more emphasis on communal areas, as well as spaces that bring people together. This is true not only for hospitality but other sectors of society as well.
Companies are beginning to bridge gaps by creating shared spaces that blur the lines between work and home. Residential housing is growing in prevalence, especially on the US east coast.
Companies such as Common, PureHouse, WeWork/WeLive and NeueHouse have all developed ways to bring their employees together. There are a variety of concepts around the co-living/co-working theme. While each differs in some details, emphasis on shared space and communal experience remains.
Northland Furniture has long been a leader in the hospitality industry. For over forty years, we have survived trends and industry changes through responsive action, thoughtful design and quality manufacturing. While we are excited to watch how the industry changes, you can also count on Northland to not just be on the sidelines. We will be right there, doing what we have done for nearly half a century, creating quality furniture for you.
