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Hoteling or Hot Desking

Hoteling or Hot Desking

Attempts to slash operating budgets have led organizations to reduce staff, move increasingly towards automation and technology, and now to reduce office space. "Hoteling" (otherwise known as "hot desking") refers to a cost cutting measure that entails the creation of generic work stations that employees reserve on the days they plan to be in the office. Originating in the Chicago offices of Ernst & Young, this concept is made possible by advances in computer and communication technologies. Employees who spend most of their working hours on the road or telecommuting from home, call the "office concierge" or "hotel administrator" to book a work station when they intend to go in to the office. This method of sharing office space saves the company money on real estate and equipment costs. It is also argued that employees enjoy increased flexibility and lower travel expenses, thereby increasing their morale and productivity.

Several citations to articles on hoteling are listed below. To locate more information, try searching and ProQuest ABI/Inform, Lexis/Nexis, Canadian Business and Current Affairs, or Factiva using the words "hoteling" or "hot desking". Related material can be found under broader headings such as "telecommuting" or "work stations". Click here for some recent articles on Telecommuting or Teleworking.

Sample results of a search conducted on ProQuest ABI/Inform using the term "hoteling" are as follows:

•
 Office Space as Cost-Cutting Tool: Less Is Less
Ryan Chittum. Wall Street Journal (Eastern edition). New York, N.Y.: Jul 27, 2005. p. B.4
• Teleworking is alive and well: Senior managers are biggest practitioners; [All But Toronto Edition 1]
Ian Harvey. National Post. Don Mills, Ont.: Apr 2, 2005. p. FW.6
• MONTHLY SPECIAL FEATURE (Tabloid Format): EXECUTIVE LEARNING SERIES (THE PORTABLE OFFICE); [8]
Ramon B. Segismundo. BusinessWorld. Manila: Aug 30, 2004. p. 1
• Telework thrives at Trademark Office
Toni Kistner. Network World. Framingham: Dec 9, 2002. Vol. 19, Iss. 49; p. 27 (1 page)
• Consulting Firms Abandon Traditional Offices, Use Short-Term Space Concept
Michael Kinsman. Knight Ridder Tribune Business News. Washington: Apr 17, 2002. p. 1
• Hoteling checks in as a hot alternative office trend
Deena C Knight. Office Solutions. Mt. Airy: Jun 2001. Vol. 18, Iss. 6; p. 20 (4 pages)
• Changing spaces in workplaces
Morgan Luciana Danner. Building Design & Construction. Chicago: May 2001. Vol. 42, Iss. 5; p. 44 (4 pages)
• Hoteling adapts to mobile workers
Sarah Brouillard. CityBusiness. Feb 16, 2001. Vol. 18, Iss. 38; p. 14
• Telework lowers office expense
Jeffery D Zbar. Home Office Computing. Boulder: Jan 2001. Vol. 19, Iss. 1; p. 18 (1 page)
• Effects of telecommuting on organisational behaviour
Margaret Tan-Solano, Brian H Kleiner. Management Research News. Patrington: 2001. Vol. 24, Iss. 3/4; p. 123 (4 pages)
• Total hoteling in Reston halves Andersen's costs
Melanie D Goldman. Washington Business Journal. McLean: Jul 28, 2000. Vol. 19, Iss. 12; p. 44
• No reservations about hoteling
Jana J Smith. Buildings. Cedar Rapids: Jan 2000. Vol. 94, Iss. 1; p. 52 (2 pages)
• Hoteling as alternative office environment
Anonymous. Buildings. Cedar Rapids: Oct 1999. Vol. 93, Iss. 10; p. 30 (1 page)
• Hoteling: Offices a la carte
Marion E Hudson. Office Systems. Sep 1999. Vol. 16, Iss. 9; p. 28 (5 pages)
• Employees sit wherever they find a place ["Hoteling" of employees eliminates assigned work areas to encourage teamwork]
Daily Commercial News and Construction Record. Jun 9, 1999. Vol. 72, Iss. 111; p. B1
• Musical chairs a.k.a. hoteling a new system of allocating work space; [Final Edition]
Edmonton Journal. Edmonton, Alta.: Jun 5, 1999. p. I.11
• Accounting firm takes away personal work areas: Company tries to reduce costs through `hoteling,' a scheme where workers become office nomads.; [Final Edition]
The Vancouver Sun. Vancouver, B.C.: Jun 2, 1999. p. D.14

 

All the items listed above are available in full-text on ProQuest ABI/Inform. To access ProQuest ABI/Inform one must be a student, faculty or staff at The University of Western Ontario. To access ProQuest ABI/Inform from off-campus, see our guide to remote access.

Other articles dealing with the subject include:

LaPlante, Alice. "Hoteling", Forbes, ASAP Supplement, Oct. 9, 1995, p.135. (BUSPER)

Tyler, Geoff. "The Office Citadel Crumbles", Management Services, V.39, No.9, Sept. 1995, p.32-33. (ProQuest)

Smith, Bob. "Welcome to the Virtual Office", HR Focus, V.71, No.11, Nov. 1994, P.16. (BUSPER)

Hoewing, Mark W. "Fortune 500 Check Into Hoteling, Virtual Offices", National Real Estate Investor, V.36, No.11, Oct. 1994, p.30,200. (BUSPER)

Bader, Nancy. "It's About Time, It's About Space", CFO: The Magazine for Senior Financial Executives, V.10, No.9, Dept. 1994, p.89-94. (ProQuest)

Cummings, Joanne. "The Team Office", Network World, V.11, No.33, Aug. 15, 1994, p.SS45-SS47. (ProQuest)

Sprout, Alison L. "Moving into the Virtual Office", Fortune, V.129, No.9, May 2, 1994, p.103. (BUSPER)

Bergsman, Steve. "Corporate Real Estate Managers Become Reluctant Disciples to Downsizing", National Real Estate Investor, V.36, No.3, Mar. 1994, p.82-94+. (ProQuest)

McMillan, Lorel. "Ernst & Young Calculates a High Return from Hoteling and High-Tech", Facilities Design & Management, V.12, No.4, Apr. 1993, p.32-37. (ProQuest)

Web Access to Hoteling Sites

Cornell University has prepared a site dealing with human resource management issues.
http://iwsp.human.cornell.edu

For a Canadian perspective on hoteling go to the InnoVisions Canada web site:
http://www.ivc.ca/part11.html

Interesting Article from New York Times - March 22, 1998