As a coliving expert and consultant in the industry, I'm often asked, "What exactly is coliving?
We've partnered up with one of the best guest experience coliving consultant, Leah Ziliak to launch a 6 part monthly blog post series . We're kicking off the series with our first blog post 'What is coliving?'. Happy Reading!
As a coliving expert and consultant in the industry, I'm often asked, "What exactly is coliving?
What is coliving?
The term ‘coliving’ can mean a lot of different things, so it’s easy to be confused. When I talk about coliving to friends, family and colleagues outside of the industry, I get some puzzled looks. Some imagine I'm part of a hippie commune, while others picture me living out an extended version of college dorm life.
Why would a professional woman in her 30s choose to live with housemates, instead of alone or with a partner? If you’ve found yourself wondering the same, let me start by telling you that modern-day coliving is a much more elevated experience than you might think.
So, what does exactly coliving mean?
In its simplest form, coliving is when a group of three or more unrelated people live together in one place. But the term has come to encompass a wide variety of living arrangements and situations over the years. From housing co-ops to hacker houses to student housing to high-rise community living, coliving has evolved to meet the needs of a new wave of people looking for communal living arrangements.
Interested in getting a glimpse of what coliving can look like? Imagine this...
You're living in a high-rise coliving in the city. You have a 9th-floor room all to yourself but pop downstairs to grab a coffee in the community kitchen. You hop on the community app and see that there's a Movie Night scheduled later that day and click 'Attend.' You use your smartphone for keyless entry into your kitchen storage unit to grab a muesli bar, and settle into your favourite spot in the coworking area to start your workday.
Examples of coliving spaces
You work remotely and book a room for a month at a coliving space in Spain. You’re staying in a quaint village by the sea in a historic apartment with a group of 10 other colivers. During the day, everyone works or studies quietly in the dedicated coworking area. At 5 pm, someone's pouring glasses of Tempranillo on the terrace and starting a skillshare event on SEO Strategies, before you all head out for tapas. Maybe you’ll stay another month or two? It sure beats working from your home office.
This is also coliving.
Modern-day coliving can present itself in a lot of different ways, with these being just two examples of many. There are coliving villages, coliving retreats, rural coliving, long-term residential coliving spaces and short-term destination-based coliving spaces. There are also coliving spaces intended for niche communities.
With so many different types of shared living spaces all over the world, there's a coliving space for anyone and everyone. And while they certainly all have their differences and are intended for different demographics, each of them prioritises the same things:
Community. Flexibility. Freedom. Experiences.
Benefits of coliving
So, why exactly is coliving such a huge trend right now? The growth in modern-day coliving comes about due to a shift in priorities amongst consumers, along with a strong push forward from the pandemic. Here are a few reasons why people are gravitating toward coliving now more than ever before:
- Ease of Living: When it comes to coliving, life is easier in every way. Although amenities differ from space to space, you will typically find perks like housekeeping, all-inclusive bills, fully furnished spaces, coworking areas, a dedicated community manager and events. Many spaces are prioritising tech, enabling enhanced security and keyless access for a seamless user experience and even more freedom. Some operators integrate platforms that enable members to connect based on similar interests and further encourage community interaction.
- Flexibility & Accessibility: With the rise of remote work due to the pandemic, consumers have more freedom and more choices than ever before. When you can work from anywhere in the world, you can live anywhere in the world. Coliving spaces typically offer flexible leases and furnished spaces. With coliving for example, you can move to London tomorrow with nothing more than a suitcase if you’d like.
- Experiences Over Things: In recent years, especially among millennials, we’ve seen a strong shift toward valuing experiences more than physical things. Consumers are willing to share spaces if it means having higher-quality interactions and experiences than they’d get living solo.
- Shared Economy: We no longer need to own a car, we have Uber. We don't need to buy a dress for that black-tie event, we have Rent the Runway. We don't need to own a villa in France, we have Airbnb. With the rise of the shared economy, consumers have access to all sorts of amenities, without the need to acquire a bunch of possessions. Sharing homes gives us access to spaces and experiences that we might not ever be able to afford on our own.
- Community: Throughout the pandemic, we’ve seen the negative effects that social isolation can have on our well-being. People are craving a real sense of connection and coliving delivers on this in every way. Far from being a millennial trend, coliving offers a solution to combat loneliness for those of all ages. With the rise of senior and multigenerational coliving, it's clear that the desire to be part of a connected community sticks with us throughout our lives.
So to recap, what is coliving in 2022? Coliving is a lifestyle. It’s a modern-day solution to an age-old need for a more connected, seamless living experience.
There's a meme I’ve seen going around that says, "Normalise splitting a mansion with your 5 best friends and 10 dogs." And, while ten dogs might be a bit much, I appreciate the overall sentiment.
The coliving movement is normalising living with an inspiring group of like-minded people. Through tech, through superior resident experiences, and through community, coliving is shifting the entire housing market and pushing it forward to provide more enriching at-home experiences.
So, when people ask me why someone would choose coliving, my question to them is, “Why not?” Coliving is the key.
Stay tuned for the second of our coliving blog posts series which will be live in June with a focus on hybrid hospitality.
Contact our team of experts to offer a seamless customer experience to your residents with SALTO.
