A Chat with Sanj Mahal, CEO at Hot Desking App: AndCo

On any working day, there is a huge amount of space in hotels and hospitality venues that is not being used. AndCo give individuals and organisations access to desks and meeting rooms in these venues, where people and teams can think, create, meet, share, collaborate and relax, without the sizeable costs and restrictive contracts that normally come with office space. At the same time, we help our venues increase footfall, showcase their venue, and build their customer base with a growing community of flexible workers.

The AndCo app offers the ability to book 400 venues across London offering work spaces and meeting rooms. For just £20 a month subscribers enjoy unlimited reserved places to work, with a single login across all venues, secure WIFI and access to meeting rooms from just £20 an hour.
 
 
Your Hotdesk. Where you want. When you want. - AndCo
 

How did you come up with the idea for the company?

 
My wife came up with the idea of using latent capacity within the hospitality sector. Having been frustrated waiting for a table to become available in a local cafe she walked into our home saying why aren’t we using all these empty places. And that’s how we started to work on a exciting new business model that became AndCo.
 

 

How has the company evolved during the pandemic?

 
Whilst our venues have been closed for much of the pandemic, AndCo has been active in adding additional venues to the platform, upgrading our app and website to make booking meeting rooms and work spaces even easier.

We have stayed connected using a Slack channel to help our community of Andco members stay in touch. Now that all our venues have reopened it is exciting to welcome new members and see our venues increasingly busy.
 

What can we hope to see from AndCo in the future?

 
The pandemic has created a qualitative change to flexible working. Hybrid working doesn’t mean sitting around in a café hoping the Wi-Fi works as well as waiting for a seat to free up. Hybrid working means employers expects a certain level of infrastructure at home or wherever staff choose to work are from. The AndCo platform delivers this infrastructure with its secure WiFi and a reserved places to work and meet in spacious venues.
Many people now want their work to be a lifestyle choice as much as a career choice.

They don’t want an either-or solution (either an office or working from home). AndCo gives them the flexibility they crave, at a cost they can afford, and at venues that are both convenient and attractive.

Over coming months AndCo will be adding to its platform an amazing pipeline of new venues, both in London and other major European cities giving an even greater choice of work spaces and meeting rooms to meet the rising demand from a workforce demanding increased flexibility.