Office Experience is becoming a major factor in commercial real estate as companies look for workplaces that offer more than desks and meeting rooms. In 2026, successful office developers are increasingly adopting a hospitality-focused approach, combining high-quality amenities, wellness facilities, outdoor spaces and convenient locations. These features help businesses attract employees, encourage in-person attendance and create stronger connections between workplaces and their surrounding neighborhoods.
The shift reflects changing expectations among office tenants. Companies want buildings that support productivity while also improving employees’ daily lives. As a result, design, service, technology and community have become important parts of the leasing decision.
Global Holdings is one example of a developer applying this strategy across its commercial, residential and hospitality properties. Its 500,000-square-foot office building, 25 Kent, in Williamsburg, New York, demonstrates how a well-designed workplace can become a destination rather than simply a place to work.
The property combines flexible office space with sustainability features, rooftop and outdoor terraces, fitness and wellness facilities, and ground-floor retail. Its location along the Williamsburg waterfront also connects tenants with one of New York City’s most active neighborhoods.
In an interview with Commercial Observer, Chris Roth, chief operating officer at Global Holdings, explained how the company’s hospitality-first philosophy has supported leasing at 25 Kent and influenced its wider office portfolio.
Office Experience Makes 25 Kent Stand Out
Roth described 25 Kent as a distinctive destination office building. Its appeal comes from the combination of wellness amenities, outdoor access and a carefully selected retail mix, all within the Williamsburg neighborhood.
One of the property’s main features is its access to outdoor space on every floor. The building also has a large rooftop amenity area, giving employees places to spend time outside while enjoying views of the waterfront and Manhattan.
The design creates a connection between the workplace and the neighborhood. Employees do not simply arrive at an office building and leave at the end of the day. Instead, they become part of an active local environment with places to eat, shop, exercise and socialize.
That approach appears to be supporting leasing performance. When Global Holdings took over 25 Kent, the building was 48% occupied. Occupancy has since increased to 72%, while the remaining vacant space has leasing agreements in progress.
The tenant roster has also expanded to include technology, creative, artificial intelligence and wellness companies. These businesses have chosen the property as they look for offices that reflect their identity and support their employees.
For Global Holdings, the progress at 25 Kent demonstrates how a strong Office Experience can help distinguish a building in a competitive market. The company believes that office properties must offer clear reasons for employees to commute and spend time at work.
Office Experience Brings Hospitality Into Commercial Real Estate
Global Holdings developed its hospitality-focused strategy partly through its hotel business, Lore Group. The platform operates award-winning hotels, including Sea Containers London, Pulitzer Amsterdam and Riggs Washington DC.
The company applies lessons from hotel operations to its office and residential properties. Its approach emphasizes design, wellness, service, technology and programming.
Roth said developers need to give tenants a reason to choose their buildings. Companies are competing not only to attract skilled employees but also to encourage them to return to the office in person.
For that reason, Global Holdings looks beyond the physical office space. It considers the entire building and how different features can make a working day more convenient and enjoyable.
The company’s approach is built around three main principles: convenience, thoughtful design and high-quality shared spaces and services.
These elements help create a stronger Office Experience by making everyday activities easier for tenants. They also give businesses a more attractive setting in which to build their workplace culture.
The hospitality model is gaining attention across commercial real estate as owners seek ways to differentiate their properties. Buildings that offer similar office layouts and locations may need stronger services and amenities to compete for tenants.
Office Experience Includes Wellness and Outdoor Space
At 25 Kent, the amenity offering extends well beyond traditional office facilities.
The building includes a fitness and wellness center, meditation spaces and a climbing wall. Tenants can also rent scooters, providing another way to move around the neighborhood.
One of the property’s most prominent features is its 12,000-square-foot rooftop terrace. The outdoor space offers views across the water toward Manhattan and gives employees an additional place to relax or connect with colleagues.
The building also has a 275-space parking garage and storage for 150 bicycles. These facilities provide different commuting options and respond to the needs of tenants who travel by car or bike.
Global Holdings also operates an in-house tenant experience program. This includes a building app, monthly services and a calendar of curated events.
Together, these facilities are designed to support productivity, social connections and employee well-being. Rather than treating these goals as separate priorities, the company aims to bring them together within one workplace environment.
A strong Office Experience can also influence how employees view their employer. When companies offer access to wellness facilities, outdoor areas and convenient services, the workplace can become a more attractive part of their overall employment offer.
Office Experience Helps Companies Attract Talent
The quality of an office has become an important consideration for companies competing to recruit and retain employees.
Roth said Williamsburg is home to many talented people working in New York City’s technology and creative industries. Tenants at 25 Kent have made it clear that the quality of their workplace plays a significant role in recruitment.
The office also communicates something about a company’s identity. For a growing business, the workplace can reflect its culture, ambitions and position in the market.
A well-designed building can therefore provide value beyond its rental space. It can help companies create an environment that employees want to visit and that supports the image they want to present to clients and potential recruits.
This is particularly relevant for businesses that need employees to collaborate in person. An appealing workplace can make commuting more worthwhile by offering experiences that are difficult to recreate at home.
The Office Experience has consequently become part of the broader competition for talent. Companies are looking more closely at their surroundings and the facilities available to employees when choosing where to establish or expand their offices.
Flexible Office Space Supports Growing Companies
Another important feature at 25 Kent is its selection of prebuilt office suites. These spaces are designed to help companies move into the building more quickly and adjust their requirements as their businesses grow.
Traditional office construction and fit-outs can take considerable time. However, fast-growing companies may need additional space before a conventional design and construction process can be completed.
Global Holdings addresses this challenge with prebuilt suites ranging from 3,000 to 11,000 square feet. Companies can begin with coworking space operated by Mindspace, move into a smaller prebuilt office as their teams expand and later take a larger suite.
For example, a tenant could start in a 3,000-square-foot space, move into an 11,000-square-foot suite and eventually lease 25,000 square feet of unfinished office space.
This arrangement allows businesses to remain in the same building while their space requirements change. It also reduces the need to relocate whenever a company reaches another stage of growth.
The prebuilt suites include access to a shared amenity lounge with a coffee bar, pool table and conference room. These facilities add another layer to the Office Experience while giving smaller tenants access to shared spaces.
The suites also serve a temporary purpose during construction. When a tenant’s permanent office is being fitted out, the company can occupy a 5,000- or 10,000-square-foot prebuilt space.
Once the permanent office is ready, the tenant can move into its finished space, allowing the temporary suite to return to the leasing market.
This flexibility can help reduce disruption for tenants while supporting more efficient use of the building.
Office Experience Extends Into Retail
Global Holdings considers retail an important part of the overall tenant offering at 25 Kent. Rather than treating shops and restaurants as separate uses, the company views them as extensions of the building’s amenities.
The retail mix is carefully selected to complement the character of Williamsburg and provide services that appeal to tenants and neighborhood visitors.
Businesses at the property include Kith, Othership, Pura Vida, Glowbar and Five Iron Golf. The wider selection covers fashion, wellness, food, recreation and other activities.
This mix helps create an active environment throughout the week. The retail spaces attract people during working hours, but they also give the property a role in the neighborhood beyond the traditional office day.
The strategy supports a broader Office Experience by making everyday services and leisure activities available within the development.
It can also benefit the surrounding area. Employees have convenient access to local businesses, while retailers gain exposure to office workers and residents who visit the district.
For developers, a carefully planned retail offering can help create a more complete destination. However, the selection needs to reflect the local market rather than simply fill available ground-floor space.
At 25 Kent, the goal is to connect the building with Williamsburg’s existing character while adding new reasons for people to visit.
Sustainability Improves the Workplace
Sustainability is another important part of Global Holdings’ approach. The company views environmental performance as closely connected to tenant comfort and the quality of the workplace.
At 25 Kent, the building has high-performance ventilation and air filtration systems. According to Roth, one tenant specifically identified the property’s air quality as a factor in its decision to sign a lease.
This example shows how environmental improvements can influence leasing decisions. Indoor air quality and building systems are not always visible to visitors, but they can have a direct effect on the daily experience of employees.
Global Holdings has also introduced new technology at Nomad Tower. The company completed what Roth described as the first glass-only retrofit using technology from LuxWall.
The system uses a special type of glazing with two panes of glass that are insulated and vacuum-sealed. The design improves thermal insulation and reduces the amount of energy needed to maintain indoor temperatures.
Roth said the upgrade had already reduced utility expenses by almost one-third, even before the building entered the winter season.
The project was also notable because the work took place in a building that was 98% occupied. Tenants remained in the property while the retrofit was completed.
Following the results at Nomad Tower, Global Holdings is considering introducing the technology across more of its portfolio.
These improvements support the company’s broader Office Experience strategy. Better building performance can reduce operating expenses while making indoor environments more comfortable for tenants.
Office Experience Connects the Entire Portfolio
Global Holdings applies its hospitality-focused philosophy across its commercial, residential and hotel businesses.
Roth said the company believes tenants should not have fundamentally different expectations of service simply because they are in an office rather than a hotel or apartment building.
High-quality design, thoughtful amenities and a strong sense of place are common features across the portfolio. Although each property has different requirements, the broader goal is to respond to how people want to live and work.
The company’s commercial properties provide examples of how this strategy can support leasing performance.
At 99 Park Avenue, Global Holdings invested $30 million in a major repositioning. After announcing the improvements, the company secured more than 300,000 square feet of leasing. The building reached full occupancy in 2025.
The result highlights the potential value of upgrading an existing property rather than relying only on new construction. Improvements to design, services and shared spaces can help older buildings compete for tenants.
The same philosophy appears in the company’s residential business through its Anagram brand.
At Anagram Columbus Circle, the property offers a 13,000-square-foot amenity package spread across four floors. Facilities include an outdoor garden, a music lounge, wellness spaces and entertainment programming.
The building is also within walking distance of Central Park, connecting its residential offering with the surrounding neighborhood.
Across these properties, Global Holdings is applying a consistent idea: real estate should provide an experience rather than simply deliver physical space.
Office Experience Shapes the Future of Leasing
The growing focus on hospitality reflects a wider change in commercial real estate. Office tenants are placing greater importance on the quality of their surroundings, the services available to employees and the connection between buildings and their neighborhoods.
For developers, this creates a need to think more carefully about how properties function throughout the day. A successful office building may need to combine flexible layouts, wellness facilities, outdoor areas, retail and reliable building services.
Global Holdings’ experience at 25 Kent illustrates how these features can work together. The increase in occupancy from 48% to 72%, along with leasing agreements covering the remaining vacancy, points to growing tenant interest in the property.
The company’s wider portfolio also suggests that hospitality principles can be applied beyond hotels. Office and residential properties can benefit from the same focus on service, design and a sense of place.
As businesses continue to compete for talent and encourage employees to return to shared workplaces, the Office Experience is likely to remain an important part of leasing decisions.
For property owners, the challenge is to create buildings that offer lasting value to both tenants and investors. That means looking beyond square footage and focusing on how people use, experience and connect with the spaces around them.
