Ever since Starbucks had the business acumen to make free WiFi as defining to its brand as `` grande frappucinos , '' workers have delighted in leaving their offices in favor of brighter , more caffeinated workspaces . As the traditional office undergoes a global demise , hotels are starting to change their function to accommodate the new wave of mobile workers . `` We 're really trying to transform the way people think about hotels , '' says Peggy Roe , Marriott International 's vice president of global operations services . `` We want people to think of Marriott as a place not just to come and sleep , but to work . '' Earlier this year , Marriott started testing a new concept called Workspace on Demand . In 35 hotels throughout the U.S. ( and one in Europe ) , guests and non-guests alike can book small-scale meeting space for $ 50 an hour . `` Customers said that they were basically sneaking into the lobby to steal WiFi , or else were sitting in our parking lot and plugging in from their car . We say , 'we give you permission . Come in and sit in our lobby . ' '' The last three months were an operational experiment , says Roe , one that was obviously successful . In the next two months , they will expand Workspace on Demand to six more locations in the U.S. , with an eye on their properties abroad . Read more : Tablets transform in-flight entertainment . Marriott essentially offers little more than a table and a plug , but , says Roe , `` mostly people just want a basic space to work . They have n't asked for more than that . '' Last month , Westin Hotels & Resorts launched Tangent , which is similarly aimed at a younger , more transient workforce . Their rooms , which are priced at $ 50 to $ 60 an hour , accommodate a smaller audience ( four max ) , and are a bit more tricked out . The focal point is media : scape , a worktable that lets multiple users drag and share documents from their person devices . There is a whiteboard area for brainstorming and even an Xbox . There is also a lounge area to help facilitate job interviews , a function that guests were previously performing in the hotel lobby . `` You 'd see a group of consultants hovering over a laptop , trying to prepare for a presentation , or else people had interviews , and the lobby was n't providing enough privacy for the topic they were discussing , '' says Brian Povinelli , senior vice president and global brand leader at Westin and Meridien . Read more : What women want : Hotels look to cater for more female business travelers . Westin saw an opportunity to accommodate not only their guests , but the wider community of rudderless workers , and launched Tangent in Boston and Arlington , Virginia , as well as in Munich , Germany . They plan to open 40 more in the U.S. by 2014 , and one in Bali is under construction . According to Westin 's research , 75 % of workers in the U.S. are on the move , meaning that for at least one day a week , they have no steady office . Worldwide , that number is 30 % , though growing quickly . The International Data Corporation ( IDC ) puts the number of mobile workers worldwide at 1.3 billion . `` From a corporate perspective , signing a five- to ten-year lease for an office building is a completely broken model , '' notes Mark Gilbreath , the founder and CEO of LiquidSpace , a kind of matchmaking platform that links displaced workers with rent-by-the-hour offices . The surge of transient workers , he contends , is not merely a function of increased technology ( though that has made it possible ) , it is also something being driven by companies . `` Real estate is the second largest expense for most companies , and if you look inside the corporate campus , that desk you 're assumed to be at all day , you 're only at a third of the time . '' In response , a growing number of companies have done away with assigned work spaces all together . Global consulting firm Accenture made business headlines last year when they abandoned permanent offices . LiquidSpace is partnered with Marriott , Westin and a number of real estate companies that want to earn a profit on underutilized office space . They are also partnered with big firms , such as Accenture , who use the LiquidSpace platform to allow employees to search for available desks internally . Read more : Business or pleasure ? Luxury hotels offer day-only rooms . Thus far , Westin and Marriott are pioneers in adapting the hospitality market to meet the demands of the tomorrow 's workforce . However , Gilbreath reckons it 's only a matter of time before other brands catch up . `` Hotels implicitly are in the business of space ; they are extraordinarily efficient at providing space on demand . The next logical step is to broaden the brand as a place to work , not just a place to sleep . ''
By some estimates , mobile workers number 1 billion globally . Microsoft is about to expand Work on Windows , a project aimed at supporting the growing number of transient workers . Westin has a similar program , Tangent , which caters to individuals and small groups that need an impromptu meeting space . Many companies have culled assigned office space in a bid to increase efficiency .