Could pop up hotel concept save commercial real estate?

Pop up hotel concept thrown into the mix

The hospitality and lodging industry has had a surge of new age options make their way into the marketplace in past years. Travelers are already flocking to companies like Airbnb and Couchsurfing.com or even experiential resorts when looking for a place to stay during popular events or when they want an experience that is different than something they could get at a hotel.

PinkCloud has come up with a new addition to the alternative hotel space with the concept of pop up hotels in vacant office buildings, operating under the mentality that if the space is available, re-purpose it in order to meet an exhibited need. The company was recently named a finalist and grand prize winner of the 2013 Radical Innovation in Hospitality competition in Las Vegas.

Excerpts from their submission cited compelling statistics detailing the level of thought and strategy that went into creating this concept. “Class A office vacancies have been stagnant at around twenty-two percent for the past five years. This translates to about 17 million square feet of empty space in Midtown. With over 17 million square feet of empty space located minutes away from Times Square, Broadway and Central Park, we believe Midtown represents an incredible opportunity for hospitality to transform otherwise empty space into a vibrant hub of entertainment, amenities, and lifestyle.”

Where the pop up hotel concept will most likely work

PinkCloud will partner with owners and leasing agencies of buildings throughout New York City in order to quickly transform these office spaces into hospitable rooms for travelers. While it is a wise choice to leverage office space vacancies, this concept would likely only take off in larger cities like New York City and San Francisco. These cities attract high amounts of visitor traffic, and because they are major business locations, it’s more likely that they will have more office space available to accommodate a regular client base.

It’s hard for me to imagine an office building being transformed into something that mimics an expertly designed, luxury hotel room – but I do admit that I’m attracted to the concept. Maybe one day more of us will be able to take a trip to our favorite cities, move aside the desk and computer monitors and have the area transformed into a temporary oasis.