CO-LIVING

Co-living is a cross between co-working spaces and house rentals – with flatmates. For the longer-stay business traveller or expat, a co-living set-up can give you the chance to stay in a stimulating environment alongside like-minded people. Working is central to the experience but so is sharing an evening meal or hosting a party. They are like modern communes for professionals.

Co-working giant We Work (now valued at more than US$16 billion) is beta-testing stylish co-living spaces on New York’s Wall Street and Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia. By 2018 it is predicted that the new We Live brand will be generating more than US$600 million a year, with people staying from one night to one month at a time. Private studios start from US$135/`8,819 a night and come with fold-out beds, TVs, AirPlay speaker systems and kitchens.

Roam runs co-living centres in London’s Sloane Square, Miami, Madrid and Bali. Tokyo and San Francisco are coming soon. Rooms come with en suite bathrooms, and one-week leases cost from US$500.

Serviced apartment company the Ascott Limited is launching a brand called Lyf (pronounced “life”), aimed at millennials. By 2020, it intends to have 10,000 Lyf co-living units complete with videoconferencing and hammocks. Communal spaces will offer Foosball tables, giant ball pits and cooking classes. Ascott CEO Lee Chee Koon says: “We are on the lookout for sites in key gateway cities for Lyf in Australia, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the UK.” Other co-living ventures include the Collective, Pure House, Open Door, Commonspace, Zoku and Sabbatical.