Mastering Hospitality: How Exceptional Service Elevates Your Flex Space in a Competitive Market

In coworking, hospitality is what sets a full house apart from a churning one. This post pulls together advice from two operators who ran the numbers and the front desk, shared during a panel at FlexWorld Series.

Hospitality in a flex space is the day-to-day service that makes members feel welcomed, supported, and equipped to do their best work, from the first hello to every problem you solve after.

The panel featured Ed Hobbs, National General Manager, x+why and Kenny Kane, CEO, Firmspace. Both shared how they run efficient operations without cutting the service that keeps members renewing.

Why does hospitality matter more now? Because the product itself is getting commoditized. Coworking supply keeps climbing: the number of U.S. coworking spaces grew to 8,420, up 11.7% year over year, with total area reaching 152.2 million square feet, according to Yardi Matrix. When Wi-Fi, desks, and meeting rooms look the same from one operator to the next, service is the part competitors can’t copy overnight. That view held up at the 2025 Global Workspace Association conference, where operators concluded that human connection, design, and hospitality still separate small operators from the giants.

What does hospitality mean in a flex space?

For Ed Hobbs, hospitality is the combination of a warm welcome, consistent touchpoints, and a genuine hunger for solutions throughout a member’s journey.

For x+why, adaptability and responsiveness keep them competitive. They operate on managed service agreements with a range of landlords, from city councils to large banks, each with different needs.

That flexibility lets them tailor hospitality to each site and build a community where members collaborate and learn from one another.

Kenny Kane of Firmspace frames hospitality around outcomes: making sure members have the resources they need to be successful every day.

Firmspace builds around privacy, security, and productivity, and its service supports those three pillars.

Kane focuses on removing friction in both the physical and digital sides of the workspace, so members get a clean experience end to end.

How do you measure the impact of hospitality?

Ed Hobbs admits this is hard to measure. Net Promoter Score (NPS) helps, but he treats it as the opening of a deeper conversation, not a final verdict on how you’re doing.

Hobbs stresses the importance of creating a brand where world-class hospitality is the norm, lowering barriers to entry and encouraging collaboration.

Firmspace also uses NPS, but leans on strong member relationships to catch concerns before they turn into problems.

Kane sees the frontline of hospitality as daily engagement: clear communication and aligned expectations from the first day.

If you want harder numbers, tie hospitality to retention. Track renewal rates, churn reasons, and how many issues get resolved on the first ask. Small, remembered details compound: retention in coworking rarely comes down to one feature, and instead builds through repeated moments where members feel recognized, as Hector Kolonas of Syncaroo put it. Capture a few preferences at onboarding, what people drink or snack on, and use them later.

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How do you put hospitality into practice?

Training and consistency

Hobbs and Kane agree that training and consistency carry the load. Hobbs lets team members’ personalities come through, which keeps the service authentic rather than scripted.

At Firmspace, Kane uses an app called Trainual to document core hospitality principles and reinforce them during training and team meetings.

Relentless troubleshooting

Kane coined “relentless troubleshooting” for Firmspace’s approach to member support. Staff move quickly on issues, technical or otherwise, so members can stay focused on their work.

It also helps to use the network effect to build community, so members bring value to each other, not just to you.

Amenities and strategies that support hospitality

x+why’s multifunctional spaces

Hobbs said x+why keeps its spaces as versatile as possible. That includes designing areas that reconfigure easily for different events and uses, so every square foot earns its keep.

They also track member preferences and personalize service around them.

Firmspace’s hybrid strategy

Firmspace runs a hybrid work strategy to match how businesses use offices now.

Multiple people from the same company can use the office on different days, which preserves the quality of the experience while supporting flexible schedules.

Small gestures with big impact

Hobbs told a story about a senior community manager who noticed a member acting differently and stopped to offer support.

That small kindness built a real personal connection and showed how genuine care strengthens member relationships.

Kane takes pride in still having Firmspace’s very first member. By delivering on their promises and staying close to members, the team earns loyalty and mutual respect.

How do you balance efficiency and hospitality?

In a flex space, hospitality and operational efficiency work together.

Hobbs pushes his team to cut waste and get creative with resources. x+why sources locally and finds second uses for materials.

This approach saves costs and fits their commitment to sustainability and community.

Kane set up an “honest market” to replace standard office snacks with premium options chosen from member feedback. It cuts waste and adds convenience and value for members.

The efficiency piece is also where software earns its place. When billing, bookings, and member requests run on their own, your team spends its hours in the space with members instead of in spreadsheets. OfficeRnD Flex automates the member lifecycle, billing, and bookings so your community team can focus on service. Its AI Hub goes a step further: an AI sales agent that qualifies leads and handles bookings around the clock, so no prospect waits while your team focuses on hospitality.

The takeaway

Hospitality as a competitive edge takes a plan that pairs efficient operations with real care for members.

Prioritize member experience, build relationships that last, and give your team the tools and freedom to solve problems fast. That’s how operators keep spaces full in a crowded market. The advice from Ed Hobbs and Kenny Kane gives you a workable model for getting there.

Frequently asked questions

What is hospitality in a coworking space?

It’s the service that makes members feel welcomed, supported, and set up to work well, from onboarding through every request you handle afterward. In practice it covers the front-desk welcome, quick issue resolution, community events, and the small personal touches that show members the space was set up with them in mind.

Why is hospitality a competitive advantage for flex operators?

Desks, Wi-Fi, and meeting rooms look similar across operators, so service is the hardest thing for a competitor to match. With coworking supply up 11.7% year over year in the U.S. per Yardi Matrix, hospitality is what earns renewals and referrals.

How do you measure hospitality in a coworking space?

Start with NPS, then connect it to retention data: renewal rates, churn reasons, and first-contact resolution. Treat survey scores as the start of a conversation with members, not the final answer.

How does software help with hospitality?

It removes the admin work that pulls staff away from members. OfficeRnD Flex automates billing, bookings, and onboarding, and its AI Hub handles lead follow-up and bookings 24/7, freeing your team to spend more time with people in the space.

For more from the FlexWorld Series, watch the sessions here.