The hospitality industry is quick to change and follow the latest trends. This industry knows how to cater to anyone, from backpacker hostels and glamping sites to ultra-luxury resorts. Not only that, but its ultimate goal is to make sure that every person on Earth can find something for their lifestyle and habits.
In recent years, coliving has stood out as one of the most interesting new hospitality trends. However, coliving wasn’t born in the hospitality industry. It started as a lifestyle for people who prioritize and value a sense of community. As coliving spaces started spreading, the hospitality industry recognized that this is something many people want to do.
Here are just some of the things people love about coliving:
- the sense of community and human-to-human connection
- surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals
- working towards a common goal of satisfaction and happiness
- self-awareness and collective awareness
- more fun and entertainment while you’re at home
- never feeling lonely or bored
Here are some of the significant ways the hospitality industry is taking part in this trend and leveraging all those benefits:
Hostel life & backpackers
Hostels are the most obvious examples of coliving in the hospitality industry. It all started with hospitality businesses offering accommodation at much cheaper rates because you’re sharing space with multiple people instead of having your room or apartment.
However, the basic premise outgrew this, and hostel living became its sub-culture. The very thing that made hostels cheap (the fact that you’re sharing space with strangers) now attracts millions of youngsters worldwide who want to meet new people and learn about different cultures.
Maya Geller, a freelance writer at TrustMyPaper, shares her experience: “Community, sharing, learning and just generally living together with other people, as a family, has become the real point of hostels. Ask anyone who has ever been in a hostel, and they’ll tell you that the feelings of connection and community are unforgettable, even after a short stay in a hostel”.
It’s not rare to see a person who can afford a stay in a 5-star hotel decide to stay in a hostel. If you ask them why they chose to stay at a hostel, they’ll probably say it gives them a chance to meet new people and that those places have a special atmosphere. What they answer has become the unique point of coliving as a life philosophy: not just saving money on accommodation, but having an entirely different traveling experience.
Couchsurfing
Couchsurfing is another popular hospitality concept that promotes the notion of coliving. It first started as an idea from people traveling around the world who wanted to experience versatile accommodation. Many people think Couchsurfing is about saving money on housing. Unfortunately, it is for some people, but generally, it’s designed to spend time with locals instead of seeing a city through a distorted lens of tourism.
To start traveling and coliving with other couchsurfers, you need to create a profile and write about why you’re doing that. Your profile description carries the most weight when it comes to hosts deciding whether they want to accommodate you.
It's always a good idea to turn to the help of professional sites like Couchsurfing.com (to find the most popular hosts and couchsurfers and observe their profile descriptions) or various writing services like Supreme Dissertations (find help from professional writers who can write Couchsurfing descriptions for you) to increase your chances of hosts accepting your couchsurfing requests.
Coliving Homes
As a golden mean between the crowd of hostels and one-on-one time with a Couchsurfing host, there’s a nifty alternative of finding a coliving home. Many tourists and travelers are unaware of this, but there are thousands of coliving homes you can visit in any part of the world.
In some regions of the world, coliving is more popular and progressive than in others, but you shouldn’t have trouble finding a space in any corner of the world, especially if you’re searching in big cities.
Coliving homes provide a real sense of a home away from home. You’ll experience the same things as you would if you were at home with your family: sharing meals, connecting with similar stories and universal experiences, helping each other out… The only difference is that you’ll meet people from around the world and have a chance to discover a new city.
Coliving in the Luxury Hospitality Industry
Coliving is not a concept that has been applied only to low-budget and mid-range accommodation options. Now, it’s also starting to get traction in the luxury industry's luxury sector.
In Dubai and Singapore, the number of simultaneously coliving and coworking spaces for people from all walks of life is rising. It’s expected to grow as the trend starts getting more attention.
In Canary Wharf, London, there is now a luxury coliving space featuring a spa, bar, and a cinema, with micro-rooms starting at GBP 1,300 per month.
Digital Nomads and Coliving
Another trend that started co-existing with coliving is the emergence of digital nomads – people who work remotely and have the chance to work from anywhere in the world. Unlike remote workers, digital nomads choose to switch locations on purpose, to experience as much as they can.
Many digital nomads are working on growing their businesses from their computers, so they need a place to be productive. To achieve the perfect balance between work and play, coliving spaces come in perfectly – digital nomads can hang out with others and experience interaction with locals but still be able to do their job.
Another aspect that makes digital nomads and coliving a perfect fit is their time limit. Nomads don’t want to stay in one place for too long, but they want to feel at home when they do stay somewhere. The problem is that they can’t rent out flats or rooms for a short stay in most cases. This is where coliving comes in perfectly.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are many options that offer coliving in the hospitality industry. It’s safe to say that this trend is only starting, and it’s tough to predict the angle of that upward curve that it’s going to have. In any case, it’s an exciting trend to follow. Like coworking, the demand for coliving spaces is on the rise, which means there will be more competition, innovation, and quality in this niche than ever before.
It’s hard to predict what coliving in the hospitality industry will look like in 5 or 10 years, but we’re certainly excited to see where it goes! Have you ever taken a vacation and stayed in a coliving space?
Bio: Dorian Martin is a writer, blogger, and digital marketer cooperating with GrabMyEssay and ClassyEssay, a professional writing service. He also contributes academic essays to TopEssayWriting, helping students worldwide thrive. Dorian runs his own blog, which talks about business and entrepreneurship.
