HqO Further Propels Global Commercial Real Estate Transformation with Launch of ‘Best Spaces to Work in London’

World’s First Certification Programme for Unparalleled Workplace Experiences

LONDON, 3 January 2024—HqO, the world’s leading real estate experience platform, today announced the launch of ‘2024 Best Spaces to Work in London’, the only recognition and certification programme dedicated to scoring and validating end-user real estate experiences in spaces across the city. This comes on the heels of the programme’s successful launch in the US just a few weeks ago in Boston. 

Published quarterly, the list will be based on real estate experience data from occupiers and their employees gathered through HqO’s proprietary Intelligence suite of products leveraging the world’s most powerful and trusted employee experience assessment framework.

This news follows HqO’s recent £40 million Series D funding announcement and launch of their Real Estate Experience (REX) Platform. HqO continues to partner with industry leaders to solve unprecedented occupier attraction and retention challenges. 

‘London is one of the most vibrant cities in the world, with a workforce of 5.5 million, including 650,000 finance professionals in the city alone. Best Spaces to Work plays a pivotal role in pinpointing the properties, offices, and amenities throughout London that provide the exceptional experiences employees now demand throughout their workday,’ said Samuel Warren, VP (EMEA) of HqO. ‘The pandemic compelled the commercial real estate sector to shift towards a customer-oriented approach, and the tangible results are evident in the data. Owners and operators who prioritise end-user experience are achieving higher rents, lower vacancy, and their occupiers are seeing higher levels of employee retention.’

To participate in the programme, nominated spaces—buildings, offices, and amenities alike—undergo a REX Assessment to generate their REX Score, the quality measure of the end-user experiences within their space. Scores are then compared with data gathered over the last decade from over 8,000 workplaces and more than 1.7 million employees. If a REX Score meets or exceeds benchmarks from this data, the space will be certified and promoted as one of the Best Spaces to Work in London.

‘For the first time in the history of the commercial real estate industry, prioritising the end-user experience within workspaces is not merely a choice, it is critical for future success,’ remarked Chase Garbarino, Co-Founder and CEO at HqO. ‘With office occupancy at an unprecedented low and the competition for top talent reaching new heights, maintaining a strong REX Score will provide a competitive edge in this rapidly evolving market. This is precisely why HqO has introduced its Best Spaces to Work programme to Boston and now London. We aim to spotlight the most exceptional workspaces—spaces that are revitalising workplace culture, fostering community, and enhancing engagement. Undoubtedly, this programme will prove to be a game-changer for tenant and employee acquisition and retention.’

Best Spaces to Work will soon be rolling out to other major cities around the world, including Paris, Amsterdam, New York, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.

To secure your place in the first publication of ‘2024 Best Spaces to Work in London’,  nominate your space by 31 January 2024. Visit our website today to get started. 

About HqO:
HqO is leading the transformation of the way people experience real estate. Through its Real Estate Experience (REX) Platform—a powerful and dynamic suite of applications and services—HqO has powered over 400 million square feet at over 700 properties across 32 countries. The world’s most innovative organisations rely on HqO to drive operational excellence by maximising and boosting tenant and employee acquisition, retention, and engagement.

For more information, visit www.hqo.com.

For additional questions, please reach out to [email protected].