When talking about AltSpace and coworking a statement along the line of ‘oh, like a serviced office then?’ The answer that I currently use is ‘kinda’ and then try to explain how coworking is different from a serviced office.

In general a serviced office has a private office with space for 1-3 people. You then have the option to get Internet access, telephones, fax service and other ‘business services’. The meeting rooms and board room often come at an extra cost. Most things are based on ‘usage’ which you get to decide to use or not.

To give an idea a colleague said he just rented a serviced office shortly before AltSpace opened just one block away. It has desks for 2, or 3 at a pinch for $2,600 per month. They then quoted ‘high speed Internet access’ at a further $1,000 a month and use of meeting rooms at $60 per hour. He has the private area for him and one other but anything else he does the billing starts. He also lacks the interaction with others as they are each walled off from each other. This is fine for a private conversation or phone call but 95% or more the walls are not required.

At AltSpace we have desks and chairs which are probably better than most serviced offices. We have two meeting rooms, library/lounge area, complete kitchen with tea, coffee, etc. also have WiFi and 24/7 access. All for the same monthly cost. The cost for 2 based on the above setup would be $1,000 or less. Only 25% of the equivalent serviced office costs. As well as that you can interact with those around you and make private calls in one of the meeting rooms if required.

The one thing, other than cost, that a serviced office has that AltSpace does not is the ability to store documents to any degree. If you are a lawyer or HR consultant and have lots of dead trees around you then serviced office could be better option for you.

This is a quick guide to the difference. Another key thing is coworking is very much aimed at the individual and not the company. While AltSpace does have a 2 person company working out of the office it is very much aimed at the individual and the interaction of everyone in the office. A serviced office provider seems more aimed at the client company and not about the community of those in the offices.