RBH targets hybrid workers with Swurf deal

A hotel operator is set to tap into the rise of hybrid working through a new partnership with a workspace platform.

RBH Hospitality Management has agreed a UK-wide deal with workspace app Swurf, enabling its hotels to attract remote workers seeking places to work.

The partnership will see RBH’s 55-hotel portfolio, which includes sites across Scotland and the wider UK, join Swurf’s network of venues offering flexible workspace.

Bosses say the collaboration will help RBH drive footfall and unlock new income streams as demand grows for hybrid working environments.

Will Macpherson, RBH Hospitality Management’s group director of food and beverage, said: “Hybrid working has changed what the working day looks like for hundreds of thousands of people across the UK, and our venues are perfectly placed to meet the growing demand for remote, but socially pleasant working locations.

“Partnering with Swurf opens our doors to an ever-increasing number of potential guests, driving up revenue across our entire portfolio while also creating spaces where people can work, connect and feel part of something beyond their home office.”

Swurf, based in Edinburgh, connects users with hotels, cafés and bars suited for remote working, with more than 13,500 users and over 450 partner venues.

Since launching in 2020, the platform has generated more than £2 million in additional revenue for its partners.

Nikki Gibson, Swurf’s founder and chief executive, added: “40 per cent of UK adults now either have hybrid working arrangements or operate in a full remote working fashion. 

“While this can be beneficial in lots of ways, it has also led to a growing sense of isolation amongst our workforce, which is having a knock-on effect on mental health.

“Swurf was born from a desire to provide easily accessible, social, remote working options that provide bright, warm, welcoming and comfortable alternatives to working at home in isolation day after day.

“The app also helps to boost the hospitality sector during off-peak times, encouraging new footfall and revenue while supporting the remote working community.”

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