This sponsored content was created in collaboration with a Skift partner.
Over the last several years, there has been a significant shift toward hybrid and remote work solutions, marking an accelerated transformation in the global work landscape. According to Gallup, 27 percent of U.S. companies are exclusively remote, while more than half employ hybrid work structures.
Many companies have found that remote work not only helps reduce overhead costs but also offers employees flexibility, leading to improved work-life balance. The hybrid model, blending in-office and remote work, emerged as a compromise. It offers the best of both worlds by encouraging direct collaboration and fostering a strong community and culture while still providing the flexibility that modern employees desire. It also benefits corporate cost-reduction efforts.
Accor has been a driving force in the “work from anywhere” transformation, progressively integrating smart and flexible workspaces and services throughout its global network of brands and services. Work-focused brands like Wojo and Mama Works allow Accor to cater to both blended travelers — who have increased 72 percent year over year, according to Skift Research — and local professionals who appreciate the flexibility of hybrid structures but don’t want to work from home.
SkiftX spoke with Stéphane Bensimon, CEO at Wojo, about how Accor integrates the highest standards in co-working and hospitality to keep pace with the latest hybrid and remote work trends around the world.
Work-From-Home Doldrums Give Way to Work-From-Anywhere Flexibility
“Even before the pandemic, many companies were already looking for a more flexible approach to working office space,” Bensimon said.
Since hybrid work became the norm post-pandemic, companies have faced pressure to attract qualified talent with modern, flexible employment structures while also creating environments that excite employees to get to work in the morning. Professionals often have to weigh the tradeoffs between working from home, in the office, or anywhere.
Brands like Wojo and Mama Works exist in that work-from-anywhere world, blending superior co-working experiences with the Group’s decades of hospitality expertise. Collectively the Wojo and Mama Works offerings span 900 companies, 10,000 members, and 100,000 square meters. Eighteen standalone buildings offer private offices for rent. About 55 percent of tenants are startups or small companies, 35 percent are large corporations, and another 10 percent are independent entrepreneurs and freelancers.
Partially owned by Accor, Wojo is a leader in flexible and collaborative workspaces. With more than 400 locations around the world, including 250 in France, Wojo is divided between flagships in major cities and a network of local co-working spaces in Accor hotels.
“Comprising private offices and co-working spaces, Wojo enables professionals to easily find workspaces tailored to their needs and provides a combined experience — the thriving energy of hotel life with all the amenities of a world-class co-working space,” Bensimon said.
Leaning Into Design With Mama Works
Mama Works was launched in 2017 as a coworking brand extension of Mama Shelter, part of Ennismore, a creative hospitality company (in which Accor owns a majority share) rooted in culture and community.
“Known for its eclectic and unconventional designs, Mama Shelter redefines hotel experiences, while Mama Works brings this same fresh, creative spirit into the workplace,” Bensimon said.
Offering fully furnished, modular, and collaborative environments, Mama Works transforms traditional office spaces by blending creativity, comfort, and functionality, making workspaces more vibrant and engaging.
“We are proud to put forward a model of work that isn’t a pain but can actually create connection or even emotion in the workplace,” Bensimon said. “Our staff work to make meaningful introductions and create stimulating social connections between co-workers, even when they work at different companies.”
Catering to Local Professionals
According to Bensimon, embedding co-working spaces in hotels allows Accor to serve local professionals even more than business and blended travelers. Added perks like on-site restaurants, bars, and gym access make each location a one-stop shop for people of all kinds.
“We see people who are in the neighborhood and don’t want to go back home or to the office to finish the work day,” Bensimon said. “They want to spend an hour or two at a beautiful workspace, and it’s easy to stop by a Wojo or Mama Works. Our customers gain more than just office space — they get full access to a comprehensive network. The strength of our network allows them to seamlessly support both in-office and remote work needs.”
Combining Focused Work Priorities With Delightful Hospitality Experiences
“We’ve come to realize that the new way of working is not far off from the modern approach to hospitality,” Bensimon said.
That mindset led Accor to develop the idea of “workspitality,” which unites the brand’s co-working offerings. The concept prioritizes work, ensuring that the environment supports productivity first and foremost, layered with a healthy dose of Accor’s hospitality excellence.
It starts with well-organized, beautifully designed workspaces that go beyond a comfortable desk and chair to incorporate strong design principles and an inspiring ambiance. Prime locations mean that every Wojo and Mama Works space is both easily accessible and closely connected to the broader local community with bars, restaurants, and shops nearby. In addition, Wojo and Mama Works are part of the Accor Live Limitless (ALL) loyalty program, making them the first co-working companies to offer a loyalty program.
On the hospitality side, Wojo and Mama Works leverage the service, support and expertise of both Accor and Ennismore to create a welcoming environment through everything from architecture to interior design and friendly staff to food and beverage programs. Every location is designed to complement the natural environment and neighborhood history, like the Wojo La Madeleine, which takes inspiration from old Parisian boutiques, and Wojo Montparnasse, which embodies a street art theme. Standalone locations also offer communal spaces like rooftops and gardens where people can network and connect socially.
“Entering a Wojo is more like walking into a bar or lifestyle space than an office building,” Bensimon said. “In the future, we plan to expand our mixed-use concept by developing or renovating entire properties to include accommodations, private offices, co-working spaces, meeting rooms, and a variety of F&B offerings.”
“Workspitality” Is Carrying Wojo and Mama Works Across the Globe
These co-working spaces also support the Group’s core sustainability initiatives by emphasizing corporate social responsibility (CSR).
“CSR is in our DNA, because optimizing real estate as multi-purpose space is much more sustainable than letting a building sit half-occupied,” Bensimon said. “It’s much more efficient to share common spaces or utilize unused hotel square footage during the day.”
Brand tenants at flagship locations only use what they need, and only pay for what they use. Sharing facilities that are adaptable for many uses means less unused space, and therefore less energy waste. For example, an office in a Wojo co-working space produces one-third fewer greenhouse gas emissions compared to a traditional office.
This holistic stance on the future of “workspitality” has inspired other hospitality brands and other industries to take note. For example, Accor was the official co-working operator for Club France at the Paris Olympics as well as the Paris football stadium Parc des Princes and the French Open. A recent partnership with investment group Kasada will place Wojo and Mama Works locations in hotels across Sub-Saharan Africa, taking the concept outside of Europe and South America for the first time.
According to Bensimon, individuals and companies love that Accor’s co-working spaces are conveniently located and easy to find. The Wojo app makes booking space for a few hours or a full day as simple as can be, and short-term office agreements offer flexibility for teams with changing needs.
“Going to work can be a pleasure,” Bensimon said. “It can be fun. Beautiful design, great ambiance, all those details make people more efficient — in fact, according to Asterès, co-working boosts productivity by 16 percent, resulting in a cash equivalent of €11,000 euros per co-worker each year. Our differentiator compared to other co-working spaces is the hospitality touch.”
To learn more about Accor’s hybrid work and co-working solutions, visit Wojo and Mama Shelter.
This content was created collaboratively by Accor and Skift’s branded content studio, SkiftX.
