The rise and fall of the cowork space in Mallorca

An alternative to the uncongenial cybercafé, the first informal cowork opened in Berlin in 1995 as a space for hackers to come together and pool knowledge. That same year, the term ‘coworking’ was coined by American game designer Bernie DeKoven - albeit to describe the collaborative style rather than the space. The world’s first official cowork opened in 2005 - San Francisco Coworking Space - and the revolution began. By 2007, the word ‘coworking’ had made its way into Wikipedia.

The pandemic of 2020 was pivotal for the fall, and rise, of the cowork model. At first, shared spaces were off the menu and the workforce retreated home. But, the dream of working with one hand on a mouse and the other in the fridge quickly became a nightmare of solitude. To satisfy a craving for human interaction, the market opened for small, agile coworking spaces and the revolution was back on track.

Warm, accessible, and beautiful, Mallorca is a key player in the cowork scene - fuelled yet further by the introduction of the digital nomad visa in 2022. And, in terms of locations, entrepreneurs are spoiled for choice.

Opening last month in Porto Pi, Space is the only cowork with views across the Bay of Palma, including the remodelled Club de Mar and iconic cathedral. Andy Slack, a prolific tech entrepreneur and owner of Space, said: “Since COVID, coworking has spiralled upwards in terms of popularity. People neither want nor need to go back to the office full time, but working from home has proven to be an inadequate solution. It takes discipline to work effectively - procrastination is a TV remote away - and it’s hard to disconnect of an evening when your computer screen is constantly winking at you.

“At Space, we’ve created a clean, bright working environment with large, shared desks, private offices and meeting room hire. Once signed-up, members gain 24/7 access to beat time zones and heavy deadlines. By keeping our contracts to a one-month minimum, we attract a more settled individual who becomes part of the Space family. In partnership with Olive Valley – a business community of passionate self-starters – we run monthly meetups to share ideas and learn from one another. The opportunity for collaboration is priceless, and I have a long-term vision to foster this entrepreneurial ecosystem.”

Over in Playa de Palma, Baysense is one of the largest coworks in Mallorca with 1,400m² of office space. Managing Partner, Reinhold Lang, opened doors in 2021: “I’m also CEO of performance marketing and data analytics company Synatix Spain SL and needed space for my own employees. We found the ideal 500m² beachside premises, just five minutes from Palma Airport and 15 from the city centre. To start, we had excess capacity, so advertised to coworkers and were fully booked from the word go. When the office next door became available, we added a further 900m² and Baysense2 is now also fully rented.

“Our business model allows for workers to rent by the hour, day, or week, but 90% of our clients are on longer month-or-more contracts. Our meeting rooms can be rented on demand, and entrepreneur networking group Business de Baleares convenes at our 160m² lounge each week. Although it’s not the plan, we mainly rent to German companies, and help many take their first step into Mallorca by providing a virtual office with the magic address that is key to securing a CIF or NIF. Surrounded by restaurants and shops, we’re also one minute from the sea, allowing for a timeout surf or swim – the perfect work-life balance.”

From the largest to the longest established and Cómodo&Co. Back in 2005, its first incarnation was serviced offices, but gradually the market dictated a need for more flexible working and, a decade later, the Cómodo&Co concept was born. Founder and Director Jim Drabbe explains: “Our operational design has pivoted to reflect prevailing trends. First, we broke out our office units into an open floor of cowork space, keeping cubicles for privacy, then the dividers also fell by the wayside. Our latest cowork in Arxiduc Lluís Salvador best reflects the current predilection towards supersize tables full of hot-deskers. Guests may wear noise-blocking headphones but thrive off the motivation that comes from sitting next to someone who is working hard.

“The cómodo – comfortable – ethos can be seen throughout the three city centre locations, with natural materials, leafy plants, decorative tiles and good lighting. At Arxiduc we installed our very own café: Batx. Open to the public, it was an amazing move, people love it, a vibrant spot for interacting with fellow coworkers or meeting colleagues and friends. We attract a nice mix - over 70% Spanish - with a slightly more international flavour over the summer. For example, right now we have tonnes of Americans booking by the day. Most clients are on longer contracts – some have been with us for years – but, with a one-month notice period, it’s possible to give up the desk for a few months’ globetrotting.

“So strong is the appetite for cowork, that we’re always looking to expand – but it needs to be exactly the right Palma location. In the meantime, we’re busy opening a second café on La Rambla.”
Someone who’s embraced flexible working is Nick Rees, Partner and MD for Southern Europe for LHC International. 18 months ago, Nick was looking for an office for his small, but growing, executive search team. He knocked up a spreadsheet comparing the costs (including the hidden ones) of half a dozen hybrid office spaces, and Santa Ponsa’s The Circle emerged victorious.

For further information visit the following websites: www.officespace.es, www.baysense.es, www.coworking-palma.com and www.circle-mallorca.de.

Nick concludes: “It made no sense to take on a large office with equally large overheads just for the pleasure of having swathes of unprofitable empty desks in anticipation of future growth. Therefore, from a cost-management perspective, The Circle was a logical move. We specialise in connecting top-tier management for luxury hospitality brands such as Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons, and The Circle is an appropriate brand fit in terms of aesthetic. The architecture is avant-garde and sexy, and there are smart meeting rooms, an industrial-chic canteen, a plant-filled courtyard and secure underground parking favoured by the supercar fraternity. Currently, we have expanded to two adjoining offices, and could easily take on another. The only slight negatives are inflexible fixed five-year contracts and a lack of electric car charging points but, overall, it’s a ritzy place to work.”