HqO Brings Tech-Enabled Amenities and Experiences to Tenant Communities in Urban-Suburban Offices

Tenant Experience Platform Launches with National Development, Boylston Properties, and The Bulfinch Companies, Inc. at Commercial Real Estate Properties Outside of Boston

Thursday, June 28, 2018 — Boston, MA — HqO, a tenant experience platform for commercial real estate, today announced that it launched with three new landlords at office properties totaling 1.2M square feet in the Boston area. On the heels of launching at Jamestown’s Innovation and Design Building in Boston’s Seaport neighborhood, the HqO mobile app is now available to tenants of The District Burlington, owned by National Development, the Hillsite Office Building in Needham, owned by an affiliate of The Bulfinch Companies, and LINX in Watertown, owned by Boylston Properties.

According to CBRE, suburban office submarkets with urban characteristics (or “urban-suburban” offices) are in the best position to capture occupier demand due to live-work-play dynamics, including higher densities of office space, housing and retail, as well as transportation access and other amenities. Additionally, in 2017 rents in more than 50 percent of the most established urban-suburban markets exceeded their downtown counterparts. As city prices continue to rise, an aging millennial generation is relocating to accessible, amenity-rich suburbs, and businesses are taking advantage of this migration in order to capture the most in-demand generation for talent.

HqO gives landlords a solution to meet the demands of connected tenants who expect an amenity-orientated, community-driven, and mobile-friendly work environment. The mobile app serves as a remote control to the office building, offering tenants the best in premium amenities, onsite experiences, local perks, communication functionality with property managers, transportation and shuttle access, and one central location to access all information and updates about the building.

“The urban-suburban market is thriving in part because it requires that landlords pay close attention to the tenant experience in order to compete with the conveniences of working downtown,” said Chase Garbarino, CEO and co-founder of HqO. “It makes sense that forward-thinking landlords like National Development, Boylston Properties, and Bulfinch, would be some of the first to adopt mobile technology that will not only transform how tenants interact with the property and onsite amenities, but also greatly improve their daily work experience, which makes it easier for businesses to recruit and retain the best talent.”

The District Burlington by National Development

The District Burlington is 1.2M SF of state-of-the-art workspace and on-site access to seven curated restaurants, fitness & wellness facilities, walkable open space, a bike share, a private shuttle to the Alewife T stop, community gardens and more. Known for offering tenants a premium workplace environment, National Development chose HqO to give tenants mobile access to and increased communication about the wide variety of unique experiences, activities and amenities onsite daily.

“The tenant experience at The District Burlington is our biggest priority and we place a strong emphasis on the amenities that help with work/life balance,” said Leah Harsfield, Vice President, Asset Management for National Development. “HqO will help us meet our goal of creating a tech-enabled experience that tenants have come to expect combined with a work environment that they love to come to every day.”

LINX by Boylston Properties

LINX boasts 185,000 square feet of lab space in the East End neighborhood of Watertown, MA, and is home to some of the most innovative biotech businesses in the Greater Boston area. With more than 30 years of experience owning and operating retail, residential, hotel, office, and research buildings, Boylston Properties is leveraging HqO to connect tenants of its Class A, LEED Gold lab space to a variety of premium amenities, experiences and local perks, as well as an on-site coffee and sandwich shop, bicycle storage, showers & locker rooms, over 500 parking spots, and a private shuttle to Harvard Square.

“LINX embodies our broader strategy to revitalize the East End neighborhood of Watertown and attract the top companies from all around Boston with modern mixed-use facilities, premium amenities, and urban accessibility. HqO was the perfect partner to ensure professionals working at LINX are engaged and excited about the workplace and neighborhood experience,” said Bill McQuillan, Principal at Boylston Properties.

Hillsite Office Building by The Bulfinch Companies

The Hillsite Office Building is a seven-story, 111,928 sf office property located in the heart of the N2 Innovation District and Central Route 128 market. Tenants of the building experience a convenient commute off of I-95/Route 128, with access to dozens of local restaurants and retailers, fitness centers, daycare/preschool, and food trucks. The building offers plenty of tenant and guest parking, train shuttle service, bike racks, and fresh food kiosks. By partnering with HqO, Bulfinch is furthering its commitment to improve tenants’ daily work experience by bringing unique amenities onsite and opening up more perks around the office building – all available to Hillsite tenants exclusively on their mobile phone.

“Bulfinch is laser focused on providing the best workspace for our tenants who call Hillsite home, and HqO helps these professionals discover and engage with the amenities and experiences that make it a special place to work,” said Mike Wilcox, SVP, Director of Leasing at Bulfinch. “Creating a connected and amenity rich work environment allows us to not only retain existing tenants, but also attract other top tier companies to our building.”

The HqO app is available for immediate free download by tenants in Google Play and the iTunes App Store.

About HqO

HqO is a tenant experience platform that helps landlords optimize their property and provide a workspace that tenants will love. Headquartered in Boston, HqO partners with leading landlords, property managers, and brokers who want to attract innovative tenants, provide a premium experience, and increase overall asset value. For more information, visit https://www.HqO.co or follow HqO on Twitter @HqOapp.

About Boylston Properties

Boylston Properties is a 34-year-old Boston-based developer of urban mixed-use projects including retail, residential, hotel, office, and research buildings. The company draws upon urban and suburban development experience on its own or with partners in the Northeast U.S. markets, many in the Greater Boston area. Boylston Properties has recently opened the 150-room Marriott Residence Inn Boston Watertown and LINX, 185,000 square feet of office space, both near Arsenal Yards which is currently under development. For more information, please go to www.boylstonproperties.com.

About National Development

For over 30 years, National Development has been one of the most active real estate development firms in Massachusetts. Specializing in multi-family, commercial office, mixed-use, retail, industrial, hotel and senior housing projects, National Development and its affiliates have developed over 28 million square feet of space. National Development is also one of the region’s largest property management companies and currently manages over 9 million square feet of commercial space and 2,400 residential units. For more information, visit www.natdev.com or follow @nationaldevelop.

About The Bulfinch Companies, Inc.

The Bulfinch Companies, Inc. is a private commercial real estate investment firm specializing in the development, acquisition, repositioning and management of properties in Greater Boston. Since its inception in 1936, Bulfinch has developed, acquired and repositioned approximately $1 billion in commercial real estate. For more information, visit: www.bulfinch.com.