Last week, IPSE staff visited AndCo workspaces to try out this new benefit now available to IPSE members.
As of February 2023, IPSE members can now enjoy over 400 workspaces, and a great discount on all meeting rooms, all included with IPSE membership. This is thanks to our new partnership with AndCo who have opened up workspaces in hotels and other venues, so members can enjoy a work lifestyle like no other.
Ahead of the launch, IPSE staff spread out across London to trial some of the workspaces and share their experiences.
Found on the lively Lower Marsh St just moments away from Waterloo station is the cool and laid-back Ruby Lucy Hotel, which I attended with IPSE Graphic Designer, Dieter.
We were greeted by welcoming and helpful staff and directed towards the workspace where we could choose from an array of different work surfaces. For those who prefer working from a desk, there were several options for tables, but if you’re like me and often enjoy working from a comfy chair or sofa, there were also plenty to choose from.
At lunchtime we took advantage of the fantastic lunch market happening right outside the hotel and were able to bring the food back in to our workspace as long as we purchased a drink from the bar.
Overall, with comfortable seating, the music playing quietly in the background, and others busy working quietly around us, we found it to be a great place to settle in and get some work done. The bar and ambiance also make it the perfect place to unwind after work and network with fellow freelancers over a drink.
Not too far from where Dieter and I were working, IPSE’s Senior Policy and Communications Adviser Fred, and Senior Research and Policy Officer Josh, were at the Hilton London Bankside.
This modern hotel is a 6-minute walk from Southwark tube station and a mile from the London Eye, making it the perfect spot to step out of the hustle and bustle of central London and get your head stuck into some client work.
Fred and Josh found their workspace easy to book (and easy to amend when they had to change their timings). Upon arrival, the friendly staff showed them to their seats and kept the two supplied with water throughout the afternoon. A food and drinks menu was also available in case they wanted to order anything additional.
According to Fred, the seating was comfortable, the WiFi was simple to access and reliable, and the venue was quiet and professional: “I could easily have conducted a virtual meeting, and indeed others working around me were”.
Arguably one of the most unique and eye-catching venues on the list, the nhow Hotel turned out to be a lovely space with a great casual feel to it.
Visited by Event Manager, Dimple, the UK’s first nhow hotel plays with London's oldest traditions and technological future in an unexpected way, right in the centre of the city’s most creative and happening districts.
Similar to the other venues we visited, there was a huge range of worktops and seating areas to choose from. Dimple found it easy to find the workspace and was able to check in using their QR code system. Also, Nhow is an AndCo Plus venue – meaning she could order one free coffee/hot drink whilst she was there.
“Overall, it was a very nice experience, and I would happily work from here again!”
Over at the St Giles London Hotel, the IPSE leadership team booked a meeting room to discuss the findings of our new Self-Employed Landscape Report, as well as some exciting new updates coming to IPSE membership.
The meeting rooms are situated in the hotel's lower levels, making it the perfect location for private and focused meetings. The rooms feature state-of-the-art audio-visual, including innovative touch screen smart boards with apps available, including browser and email to work remotely.
Your AndCo account with IPSE also means you get free tea and coffee with all meeting room bookings.
The team found it to be a great place to come together to discuss what’s in store for IPSE.
We’re delighted to be bringing you this new member benefit and hope you’ll make great use of it. To learn more about how to access your free co-working as an IPSE member, click here.
Why pay for an expensive office or co-working space, when you work at any one of our locations? IPSE have partnered with AndCo who have opened up workspaces in hotels and other venues, so you can enjoy a work lifestyle like no other, all with an IPSE membership.
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