- New Reef app will connect pubs, bars, restaurants, cafes & hotels with remote workers
- Hosts can advertise their venues free of charge to potential customers.
A new ‘third workspace’ service is encouraging hospitality venues to sign up free-of-charge to promote their facilities to workers now they’re less likely to be permanently office based.
Reef, which is due to launch in September, will connect businesses and hospitality venues across the world via an app which will help fill the gap for those who want places to work away from home – either as an individual or to meet with colleagues and clients.
Recent figures from the British Chambers of Commerce show that over two thirds (66 per cent) of businesses are now offering remote working to employees*, with both hybrid and remote working set to remain permanent post-Covid. That means there’s almost 18.5 million employees now needing alternative places to work several days of the week – along with 4.76 million self-employed workers**.
Venues, including cafes, pubs, hotels, bars and restaurants, can sign up free of charge to become a host and combine their listing with special offers to encourage people to book a space. Meeting rooms – which venues can charge Reef users for – can also be offered. Employers signing up to Reef on a subscription basis will be given unique log ins for their workforce who can then directly book places listed on the app to work or meet at.
Once signed up hosts have access to their own individual dashboard which allows them to see the number of bookings and repeat bookings and more detailed data around the type of company/user choosing their venue. From the dashboard they also have complete control over what is listed on the app, such as the number of seats, special offers or custom opening times.
James Coughlan, founder of Reef, said: “The way we work has changed forever – and for many hospitality businesses that is both a threat and an opportunity. Some may have less of the lunchtime walk ins from the office or the after work get togethers, or less business travellers. But the appeal of working from home has worn off for many – and for some it’s been nigh on impossible due to a lack of space or facilities – and they are looking for alternative places to log on.
“The third workspace is going to be a great opportunity for venues which are happy to offer some of their space to workers and in return have guaranteed, paying customers back through the door. With Reef it’s free for host venues to list, so there’s no risk, and they can set the amount of space they have available and when they are happy to accept bookings, so it doesn’t interfere with other activities or plans. By including special offers and discounts they can encourage more footfall through the door. It’s a win-win situation.”
Venues looking to list as a host should visit https://reef.global/venues/
**There are 28.02m employed people and 4.76m self employed in the UK: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/bulletins/employmentintheuk/august2020#:~:text=there%20were%2028.02%20million%20employees,fewer%20than%20the%20previous%20quarter
