Claire

The Best Coworking Spaces & Meeting Rooms in Cheltenham

November 20, 2024 by Claire

Discover the perfect coworking spaces in Cheltenham to meet your requirements.

With more and more people choosing a coworking setup, out-of-office workspaces have become increasingly popular, so picking the right one can be overwhelming.

a table showing whats on offer at coworking spaces in cheltenham

Whether you’re a freelancer, entrepreneur, start-up business, or company employee, Cheltenham boasts a range of private offices and desk spaces for you to choose from. What matters most to you – free coffee, dog-friendly spaces, private parking, or public transport links?

The Workplace

Located in Montpellier and Cheltenham town

The Workplace offers a mix of the professional and comfortable, featuring contemporary open-plan spaces as well as cosy booths. The Workplace is situated along Montpellier’s Regency streets, with a variety of independent businesses, boutiques and cafes if you fancy a luxury day out.

Pros

Unlimited access to free locally-roasted coffee and Clipper tea

Superfast, secure Wi-Fi

Very dog-friendly

Private parking

Electric standing desks and monitors

Monthly socials

Flexible plans and bookings

Communal kitchen

The Workplace (Star Lodge) coworking desk

MX

Located in Cheltenham town centre

Opened in 2024, this cyber-oriented coworking space was created in collaboration with Cheltenham Borough Council and is dedicated to the growth of the tech community.

Pros

Use of kitchen

Access to phone booths

Superfast dedicated broadband

Weekly socials

The Workplace (Star Lodge) coworking space

Dodo Works

Located close to Cheltenham town centre

If you prefer a more casual vibe with access to a gastropub downstairs, then Dodo Works is a great option.

Pros

Hip coworking desks

Discounted food and drink from the pub downstairs

Regular socials and events

Dog-friendly

Communal kitchen

Lightning-fast WiFi

Clockwise

Blending the corporate feel of the office with the laid-back atmosphere of a café, Clockwise spans three floors and offers a ‘Club Lounge’ for members to work in. Perfect for connecting with other coworkers!

Pros

Quiz nights

On-site café to purchase food and drink from

Roof terrace

High-speed WiFi

Joining The Workplace Network

Do we have what’s important to you? Let’s answer the most frequently asked questions we hear in the flexible workspace community.

Do you need 24/7 access?
Members are granted full-time access thanks to our clever virtual key app, Kisi.

How many days would you like to come in per month?
We have the biggest variation of part-time plans, including 4 days per month, 8 days, or 12 days per month, as well as flexible day passes, and full-time contracts. No other coworking facility in Cheltenham offers this.

Do you need flexibility? E.g. certain months require more/less/no access.
We do not require any notice period – each membership can be switched, paused, or cancelled on a monthly basis, in case you’re jetting off or have other commitments.

Is The Workplace fully equipped?
You just need to bring your laptop (and accessories of choice like keyboard/mouse/chargers). Every desk is complete with a monitor plus HDMI cable and charging point. We have lots of spare items so if you forget something we can most likely get you sorted! You certainly won’t have to bring your own milk or teabags either. Our kitchen is fully fitted and stocked, with the option to purchase from our tuck shop too.

Would you like to have access to multiple locations?
At the moment we have two sites to choose from, including Cheltenham’s regency town centre and prestigious Montpellier. As a Nomad you can book either space according to your diary.

Do prices include VAT?
All prices are inclusive of VAT to make your accounts easier! We are totally transparent and won’t give any vague descriptions such as ‘prices starting from…’

Do you need a meeting room for the day?
We offer several meeting rooms across our locations that can be booked by members and non-members, which include secure, superfast Wi-Fi and unlimited hot drinks as standard.

Want to book online with the click of a button?
We provide a useful online bookings system where you can access a calendar and floorplan to help you choose your preferred desk. There is also an app version for members to install.

Do you have a desk preference?
At The Workplace you can book a specific desk but we recommend doing so in advance rather than picking it on the day. This is possible to do so through our bookings app which shows a floorplan of the desks and whether they are currently reserved.

Do you require a private office for you and your team?
We currently have a selection of private offices available at Star Lodge. Our serviced offices include absolutely everything you need to work efficiently – all you need is your laptop.

Would you like to bring your dog?
We love to meet your poochy companions, as long as they’re demure and mindful of others.

What makes us different to competitors?
Well, besides all of the above, we can confidently say that we offer the best value and most flexible (full-time and part-time) memberships in Gloucestershire.

Ready to start your membership?
Simply fill in the form here and we can set you up!

Pumpkin Painting Social at Star Lodge

October 31, 2024 by Claire

Happy Halloween!

We have never been big on Halloween decorations before, but this year we turned pumpkin decorating into a social affair…

Yesterday afternoon our members at Star Lodge got stuck in with pumpkin fun – without all the guts! To keep our bamboo tables in one piece we opted for the paintbrush instead of the carving knife.

Social events are a regular occurrence at The Workplace with our wellbeing boardgame Friday being well-attended. But painting definitely lends itself to more artistic freedom so it was fantastic to watch people’s designs come to life and not be ruined by a slip of the blade, which always seems to happen.

Although The Workplace hosts many cyber security experts and tech professionals, we are clearly still a creative community!

If you have never tried this, it’s definitely a lot of fun. Some of the team suggested it would be even better with glow-in-the-dark paints, which would be interesting to see.

Let us know how you’ve decorated during spooky season…

Sustainability at The Workplace:

July 4, 2023 by Claire

Sustainability has been a key part of who we are since day one. This is much more than simply turning some lights off, or recycling the occasional plastic cup. From the design and sourcing of our office furnishings, to the way we think about our energy use and waste – sustainability plays a vital part in how we operate on every single day. Here is what we do:

Office furnishings:
Why is our office furniture so sustainable? Well, the answer is actually really simple. It’s all about going back to basics and saying no to cheap, mass-produced furnishings. Our furniture is built to last and created with solid, natural materials wherever possible. For example, our outdoor benches are simply solid hardwood, coated with oil-based varnish. As you can see below, these sit above the old radiators from the building renovations – meaning they look great and nothing has been wasted!
The Workplace outdoor seating

Inside is a similar story. We build our desk tops from solid bamboo with oil-based coating which means that they are sturdy and will last an incredibly long time. However, if any do eventually need to be disposed of, they will fully decompose because they are entirely natural.

Of course, not everything can be made from wood and as good as it is for desks and benches – you probably wouldn’t appreciate a wooden office chair! Our chairs are supplied by Herman Miller who have a world leading sustainability program. The chairs are made from primarily recycled plastics, much of which has been collected from the ocean. If parts do break, they are individually replaceable which of course reduces waste and means that we don’t need to dispose of entire chairs.

Office Supplies:
Our office is always stocked up with a range of items for our members. Little changes in shopping habits can make really important differences which is why we buy from responsible companies and shop locally wherever possible.

We source our freshly roasted gourmet coffee from Ritual Coffee Co. Not only is this sourced in a socially responsible way from small scale farmers and co-operatives across the world – but the coffee is roasted just one mile away from our Star Lodge offices.

Similarly, we source our milk from Cotteswold Dairy who are based only 2.5 miles away from our town centre offices. Again, they have an exciting sustainability policy which ensures that our milk is supplied by red tractor approved farms which are generally within a 30 mile radius –reducing the need for long distance transport whilst supporting nearby businesses and farmers.

Some items simply can’t be supplied by local businesses. Even when this is the case, we check sustainability policies and ensure what we buy is organic or recyclable wherever possible. Here, small choices such as buying unbleached teabags, or paper hand towels from FSC approved suppliers can make all the difference.

On an even smaller scale, we compost all of our food waste and our members recycle food packaging – further reducing our landfill waste.

The Buildings:

We are lucky that our two sites, Star Lodge and Frogmore House are both very bright, well adapted buildings. Star Lodge features a modern coworking area which is primarily glass fronted. This lets in lots of natural light and means that – along with energy saving LED bulbs – we can keep electricity usage to a minimum.

The Glass House at Star Lodge also features a sedum roof. This increases biodiversity whilst reducing our heating and cooling needs because the plants help to provide a natural insulation barrier. Perhaps most importantly – it provides a great place for squirrels to play!

When we do need to keep the building chilled or heated, we primarily use heat source air pumps through the air con units. These are much more efficient than using radiators and other more traditional ways of heating the building.

Getting to work:
Making it easier to get to our offices in sustainable ways really benefits our members. We are located in Cheltenham Town Centre, so most of our members from the town will walk or cycle in. We provide secure, CCTV monitored bike racks – and a private shower to ensure cycling to work is a viable option.

For those who drive, there’s the option of a PodPoint charger to make it easier for members who own electric cars.

Conclusion:
We think that the small choices we make are just as important as the bigger decisions. By considering sustainability in everything we do, it’s possible to reduce our impact on the environment whilst also encouraging our members to do the same.

Thinking about sustainability also makes our coworking and offices nice places to be – natural light, greenery and solid wood furniture creates a really enjoyable space to work in – and it certainly seems to keep our members happy!

BBC Radio 5 Live Interview: Wake Up to Money

July 12, 2022 by Claire

Sean: Can you describe what your remote office space in Cheltenham is like, literally what it’s like inside and whereabouts in Cheltenham it is?

Claire: We’ve got a couple of spaces – one of them is based in the town centre and another much bigger one in Montpellier, so we are really close to the centre of everything. We do coworking spaces and have about fifty desks that people just hire by the day. Or lots of members come in monthly for a set number of days to run their businesses. We also have some private offices, virtual offices, and meeting spaces.

S: So, there’s a variety of things there. What are you seeing in particular? What services are you seeing have an increase this week?

C: It’s just the daily passes for coworking. People who have never been into coworking before are finding that they suddenly need to work from home and might not have the facilities. They may have children at home, so they are booking in the night before and coming in the morning to have a desk for the day.

S: Are people literally doing a bit of Googling the night before? Doing a classic ‘office space Cheltenham’ Google and then you pop up, or are these relationships you’ve had with businesses before, where they are looking to start using that a bit more frequently?

C: When I’ve spoken to them, they’ve been saying it has been searching for hot desks and coworking desks on Google and up we pop. We’re the only ones who offer day passes so they’re booking at 10 o’clock at night and coming in at 8 o’clock in the morning.

S: And do you have a bit of a game plan for a week like this to try and entice people to keep doing that – is that your thinking?

C: Yes, we think it’s great for anybody to find out about coworking. Especially since there are so many industries that don’t think they can cowork who come in and then they actually stay. We had some people who came in yesterday just for the day and by the afternoon they had booked permanent desks and will be coming in every month. They were saying ‘why would we commute to London everyday when this is nicer and easier?’

S: Amazing how quickly these things can change. Do you know who ends up paying for that? Are the workers themselves coughing up for it or are they able to expense it back to their business so that they are not actually having increased costs of having an office?

C: I think it is roughly fifty-fifty. We send invoices directly to businesses so lots of them are expensing. But a lot of people are actually finding that – though they thought the idea of working from home is great and they’ve agreed to it – they’re going stir crazy and just pay for it themselves because they are so much more productive here.

S: Right, so it’s not just a step away from headquarters – this is a step away from the working from home that some people have done?

C: Totally. The kind of demographics of the people we have in, almost all have office space at home but they’re choosing not to use it five days a week if that’s what their job is asking them to do. It works much better for them to come in about two days a week and break the week up.

S: And are there other demographics? Do you spot trends of the type of person coming in to your workspaces?

C: The people that come in are so varied. The only thing that I’ve managed to narrow down is that they are all very intelligent. We have writers, authors, people that work for newspapers, we get the typical cyber people – as you would expect in Cheltenham – but we also get lawyers, recruitment consultants, and software engineers. The thing they have in common, among the variety of jobs, is that they’re really bright and they’re motivated.

S: Interesting. What consequences do you see of that when you have a bunch of intelligent, hard-working people of Cheltenham from various sectors all in the same space?

C: It works brilliantly because people who come in would normally be going to their own office and only speaking to people from their own industry. Instead, they are coming in and talking to people they would never normally meet in their work environment. So, we’ve got people that are doing cyber things talking to people working in defence who are talking to recruiters and accountants. They wouldn’t normally every come across these people so there are some really interesting conversations that go on in the kitchen here.

S: Fascinating stuff, Claire. Thank you for a bit of insight for us to see how it is affecting people’s work this week. Potentially, could this be another jolt for many people around the country to work in a bit of a different way? This will no doubt add to the debate about whether employers want us all back into offices as many days a week as possible. Does it make any difference to be based at headquarters or in a remote office space somewhere?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0018grd

Best Business Mailbox Service

July 10, 2022 by Claire

The Workplace is voted the Best Business Mailbox Service in Gloucestershire!

(U.K. Enterprise Awards 2021)

With virtual membership, you can benefit from 24-hour access to your own mailbox. The area is covered by CCTV for maximum security and is available at both of our Cheltenham offices. And for an extra £5 per month your company can be registered with Companies House to either of our addresses.

Benefits of natural light in The Workplace

July 4, 2022 by Claire

Written by Georgie Robinson, 15, who spent the week with us for her work experience.

Today, more people are working from home than ever before. Coronavirus has meant that many people who previously worked in an office environment are now spending their days cooped up at home in front of a computer screen. This raises the question: Is it healthy to spend that much time inside?

Studies have shown that the average desk-based employee can spend 70% of their day indoors on a computer, which can have huge consequences on both mental and physical health, and increases the chances of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Not to mention, spending too much time indoors can impact your ability to focus, and spending just twenty minutes in the open air does the same thing as one cup of coffee, just without any of the less-welcome side effects!

Staring at a computer screen for hours without a break can lead to bad eyesight, back pains and much more. So, taking regular breaks to look away from your screen is vital for your health. While working inside, there is only so much you can look at. But outside, seeing different objects in nature from a distance can relax your eye muscles and encourage you to look away more often.

Trees, natural light, and fresh air are all said to have a positive impact on mental wellbeing, which is why having an outdoor space to work is so beneficial. You may be worried that spending time outdoors could result in doing less work, but nature actually helps relieve stress and prevents distractions. This results in more productivity and fewer sick leaves.

The Workplace provides outdoor workspaces and desks with lots of natural light, so even if working outside isn’t your cup of tea, you can still have access to sunlight and nature. It is scientifically proven that walking among trees can improve your short-term memory by 20%, so being situated near Montpellier Park also makes it easy to go for a stroll and clear your head during breaks.

Introducing Coworking to Montpellier

December 22, 2021 by Claire

Does your current Workplace offer a healthy work-life balance? Are you sitting comfortably, surrounded by inspiring people, with variety and flexibility?

Whether you belong to a multi-national team or are self-employed, work better in the morning or late at night, need an office space daily, or just once, our spaces are open to all.

Since 2018, The Workplace has been operating as a coworking service for a growing number of local and international members. We saw start-up businesses bloom, and the most unlikely collaborations become success stories.

Overflowing with creativity and entrepreneurship, The Workplace has recently opened a larger site at the Star Lodge in Montpellier. Having a space in the centre of town encapsulated the social buzz of coworking, a work style that overlooks a host of different people from all business backgrounds.

Our newest location contains a wider selection of coworking spaces, including open-plan offices, individual hideaways, and group rooms. The building is much like an amplified version of the original Workplace, with both shared and private spaces. In addition, we offer two spacious conference rooms, an upgrade from the Frogmore site’s single meeting room.

Our Montpellier site has car parking facilities, along with bike/scooter stands to suit your travel preferences. Alongside this, we have shared amenities, including a kitchen space as well as a bathroom complete with shower facilities.

Our coworking offices are a welcome alternative if you are keen to convert from a crowded strip-lit office or from a wobbly kitchen table. The Workplace introduces a mindful work-life balance, with high-quality facilities and ergonomically efficient furnishings to ensure members’ comfort. Here, your office space prioritises your physical and mental well-being and accommodates individual needs.

The Future of Workspaces after Lockdown

February 22, 2021 by Claire

Several months ago (Covid intervened) I was interviewed, along with some of our fabulous members, by Harrison Clark Rickerbys, to help inform their research into the future of workspaces.

The pandemic has appeared to have amplified their findings; people want flexibility to work from home, but also need to be around others. How can employers improve their work environments to to make them appeal more to workers? https://www.linkedin.com/embed/feed/update/urn:li:ugcPost:6768545135740366848

Why Coworking is on the rise

September 15, 2020 by Claire

What are the benefits of working from home? Being able to load the dishwasher on between Zoom meetings? Take the dog for a walk while you put your ‘out of office’ notification on? How about poor posture, ‘tech neck’, and increased stress? According to a study recently released by the job discovery platform DirectlyApply, these are some of the potential impacts of remote working.

Lack of social connections, poor workspace ergonomics and long periods stuck at home can all have a negative impact on our wellbeing. This is where a well considered co-working space can be so valuable. In the early days of lockdown, many people had to hastily conceive makeshift workspaces and they are already starting to take their toll. Working at the kitchen table means you can linger on your laptop right up until dinner. That cool, quirky chair you chose is contributing to an aching back and shoulders. The screen you peer into daily seems to be shrinking as the weeks go on…

In lockdown, many have discovered the freedom to plan our own working day. Co-working offers us these benefits and also steps up into the space where home working falls short. Maintaining a work-life balance is tough when your desk is a few steps from your bed and those unexpected collaborations that spring from conversations at the watercooler simply can’t happen.

DESIGNED FOR WORKER WELLBEING

The Workplace, our co-working space in the centre of Cheltenham, has been designed to overcome the downfalls of home working and magnify the highlights. Workplace wellbeing is important to us; our naturally bright and airy space helps to combat Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS). Herman Miller chairs provide customisable support and our smart desks can be pre-set with up to three height preferences and will even remind you at set intervals to change position. The desks come with 24″ monitors that you can adjust to avoid the dreaded tech neck-shoulder pain resulting from being hunched over a laptop.

As social beings, we naturally want to connect with others; the impacts of social isolation include high blood pressure, heart disease, anxiety and a weakened immune system. In The Workplace, the watercooler and coffee machine provide traditional landmarks for post-weekend chats while our Slack community is where we arrange socials. Over lockdown we held regular Zooms so members could check-in and chat if they felt like it.

ENABLED BY THE LATEST TECH

The latest tech is what makes The Workplace such a flexible, secure and efficient workspace. Covid-19 has ushered in the age of the video call, which makes access to a fast, secure and reliable connection vital. Excellent internet access is something we’ve always prioritised at The Workplace; ours is actively managed 24/7 and has four levels of firewall. No more blurry Google Hangouts or your connection dropping out just as an action plan is being discussed.

Tech wizardry also gives our members the flexibility to book and choose a desk online when they want. There are quiet areas, smaller and larger spaces so that members can select a desk according to the kind of work environment they prefer. A cloud-based door access system means members come and go as they please.

BENEFITS FOR COMPANIES

Access to secure, hi-tech working spaces on a flexible basis is becoming a serious consideration for many companies. Inflexible and premium-rate leases on corporate property seem less attractive in the post Covid-19 future. The flexible membership plans of spaces such as The Workspace will be an increasingly attractive option for companies looking to reduce the number of employees permanently based in corporate HQs. Even organisations that previous spurned remote working are reconsidering the future as their successfully adapt to remote working.

Like all professional workplaces, we’ve followed Government guidance for working safely during Covid-19 to ensure our stay members safe and productive. Many of our members are back in The Workplace to capitalise on the benefits of remote working while avoiding the pitfalls. We think co-working is the best way to blend the flexibility of home working with the advantages of a stimulating, friendly and innovative office space. Okay, we haven’t figured out how our members can load the dishwasher remotely while they are here but with a community of software developers in The Workplace, we can work on it!

Covid-19 Secure Policy

May 28, 2020 by Claire

Fortunately, Cheltenham has a very low rate of Covid-19, but of course we want to ensure we do everything to keep levels low.

Moving Around

The Workplace already has several systems in place which would reduce the chances of spread. For example:

Touch-free door unlocking
No one changes desks during the day
24 hr access allowing people to work during the quieter evenings or weekends

We have made a number of changes to reduces transmission further, and we need all members and their guests to follow them so that everyone feels safe.

To reduce air transmission:

Disposable face masks will be available, if requested.
Only 1 person will be allowed in the kitchen at a time. The breakfast bar will not be used.
Passing places on the stairs will be marked.
- The Planning Place door will be fixed open and the first part used as a passing place for anyone waiting to get downstairs.
Whenever possible the windows will be open.
HEPA air filters have been installed throughout the workplace. These filters can remove particles, the size of those that can carry COVID 19, from the air.

The Work Areas

The desks have been rearranged to allow 2m between seats.
Some desks have been taken out of use.
Some screens have also been fitted to reduce contact between people seated and those walking past.
Every evening, all surfaces and touch points are thoroughly disinfected.

We are looking forward to welcoming members back, please get in touch if you have any questions.