Austin is awash in co-working spaces—shared office facilities that individuals or small groups can rent parts of rather than having to shoulder the overhead of their own offices. They appeal to the self-employed, small businesses, tech-industry types, and others whose work tends to be mobile.
By and large, these spaces have a sort of casual, funky aesthetic, often based on that of Silicon Valley companies. The newest such space to come to Austin, however, plan to raise the co-working bar a little; going by renderings of its common areas, one could see why it would be easy to mistake it for a boutique hotel. New York company Industrious, which describes itself as the "5-star hotel of co-working space" will be opening this fall on the 11th floor of new downtown building 5th+Colorado.
Industrious is marketed as a hospitality-focused company with sleek, sophisticated work spaces that will probably appeal to higher-end clients that might not have considered the arrangement before. The Austin space will offer 19,000 square feet of work space, including 83 private offices and ample common space, with floor-to-ceiling windows and views all around.
It will also have a fitness room, a mother’s room, concierge service, and food and drink from such local companies as Bribery Bakery, Rockstar Bagels, Taco Deli, and Summermoon Coffee. In addition to covered parking available on a first-come, first-served basis, members will be offered a monthly discounted rate with Luxe Valet service.