A modern take on a traditional workspace format.

The popularity of coworking spaces in London has grown exponentially since 2010, and the events of 2020 significantly boosted it.

The concept of working individually but together in a setting with excellent amenities is not new. The number of prestigious private members’ clubs in St James’s in the 19th century led to it earning the moniker ‘Clubland,’ and these clubs were established throughout the West End and Central London. Of course, these clubs were not solely about work, but they have, and continue to, provide outstanding workspace areas, libraries, and lounges, supported by exemplary hospitality and business support services.

When serviced offices were introduced in the 1980s, many of the business centres they were located in offered a business lounge where members could drop in to meet a client, send a fax, copy documents, and take notes. As mobile technology improved, the scope of work carried out within them grew significantly as members carried Blackberries and laptops with them.

The household name, WeWork, can take a lot of the credit for bringing the concept of coworking into the mainstream. When they launched in 2010 in New York City, their model led with coworking, so their buildings were dominated by open spaces with Hot Desks where members could plug in and get to work within a community of like-minded individuals. The spaces were social and lively, with amenities including coffee shops, bars, ping pong tables, gyms, and community managers would organise a wide range of social and networking events that members could participate in.

The model is extremely popular and most incumbent, and a large number of new flexible workspace providers now offer coworking spaces in their properties. WeWork opened its first London coworking space on the South Bank in 2014. By 2025, there were over 250 flexible workspace operators in London offering various forms of coworking spaces.

The sector has evolved considerably, and the offerings from coworking space providers in London are diverse. Many offer open, social and lively spaces, whilst premium coworking space operators have focused on enhancing the traditional concept of a private members’ business club for the 21st century.

In basic terms, a coworking space is one where individuals use a desk in a shared or communal space. Services such as power, lighting, business-grade Wi-Fi, professional printing and copying equipment, kitchen facilities, and more are shared. Many spaces also offer bars, cafes, and wellness facilities, including gyms, yoga studios, meditation rooms, quiet areas, and outdoor spaces.

However, premium coworking space providers offer a five-star level of service. This is reflected in the technical and business support, as well as hospitality, which includes fine dining options and concierge services.

Premium coworking spaces are also located in the most sought-after areas of London, within prestigious new or elegantly renovated office buildings.

The popularity of coworking was boosted by companies of all sizes from various sectors experimenting with flexible hybrid working models after 2020. These businesses, including multinational banks, oil and gas, and technology companies, have incorporated elements of coworking into their workplace models, with many taking corporate memberships with international coworking providers.

Utilising a coworking space has many benefits; it is attractive to team members who are remote workers but do not wish to work from home, and it can create accounting efficiencies through facilities like meeting rooms that can be booked on an ad hoc basis. It can also reduce a business’s carbon footprint, as many coworking operators are B-Corp certified, occupy space in sustainable buildings, and manage the space in a way that aligns with the high environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards of their members.

High-profile businesses that have adopted a hybrid working model want to use coworking spaces that reflect their brand, and luxury coworking space providers offer this solution.

They offer Hot Desking and Dedicated Desk corporate membership options, which can be tailored to a client’s specific requirements. This can incorporate dedicated clusters of desks reserved for a company, complete with a multitude of add-ons, within an outstanding work environment. A community of like-minded professionals also offers excellent networking opportunities.

Certain flexible workspace brokerages offer access to co-working spaces that suit all budgets and are available in various locations. For instance, The Office Providers Coworking Space Team aggregates space from coworking space providers in all global markets.

Prestige Offices, however, only provides access to premium co-working spaces in London.

For a free, tailored coworking space search and acquisition service, don’t hesitate to contact the Prestige Offices team.