Hotdesk: The Homegrown UAE Platform Providing Instant Access to Remote Workspaces
Company Story Hotdesk is the homegrown UAE platform providing instant access to remote workspaces at your fingertips. Here's the story of how we built it, why we built it, and where we're headed next. Key Takeaways Hotdesk was born from CEO Mohamed Khaled's experience at PwC, where limited workspace options while travelling sparked the idea […]
Company Story
Hotdesk is the homegrown UAE platform providing instant access to remote workspaces at your fingertips. Here's the story of how we built it, why we built it, and where we're headed next.
Key Takeaways
- Hotdesk was born from CEO Mohamed Khaled's experience at PwC, where limited workspace options while travelling sparked the idea for an on-demand booking platform.
- The platform grew from 15 bookings in its first month to 10,000+ monthly bookings in under 12 months across the UAE and Egypt.
- Hotdesk supports the "3.0 work model" -- a hybrid blend of office, home, and co-working -- with no fixed commitments.
- The platform is expanding into Saudi Arabia and the European market, led by a team of 50+ professionals from Google, Swvl, WeWork, and more.
The Origin Story: From Big Four to Startup
Before entering the startup world, our CEO Mohamed Khaled spent more than six years as a Senior Associate at one of the Big Four -- PwC, Deloitte, EY, and KPMG -- the world's largest consulting firms, accounting for nearly 40 percent of the industry's $150 billion global market.
Mohamed spent most of his time travelling and working from various locations across the region, often in silos. He was limited to where he could work from when it wasn't at a client's office. Towards the end of his time at PwC, he began to rethink the ways of co-working, realizing that more flexible working options were needed for workforces of the future to adapt and thrive. That was the germinal idea behind Hotdesk.
Hotdesk began simultaneous operations in 2020 in the UAE and Egypt. The UAE serves as the company's headquarters, while Egypt acts as the base for operations and technology teams. Today, Mohamed leads a team of over 50 top-flight professionals who have joined Hotdesk from Google, Swvl, WeWork, and other leading companies.
The 3.0 Work Model
Hotdesk supports what we call the "3.0 work model" -- where the new work order is a hybrid blend of working from the office, home, and now co-working spaces. The world evolved from Work 1.0 (everyone in the office) through Work 2.0 (everyone at home) to this current hybrid model, and Hotdesk provides the infrastructure to make it work seamlessly.
| Work Model | Era | How It Works |
|---|---|---|
| Work 1.0 | Pre-pandemic | Everyone goes to the office, every day |
| Work 2.0 | Pandemic | Everyone works from home |
| Work 3.0 | Now | Hybrid blend of office, home, and co-working spaces |
Solving the Flexibility Problem
Many startups, consultants, freelancers, and creatives looking to work in co-working spaces are restricted to fixed locations, often with large fees and long-term agreements, which lead to limited flexibility. That's where Hotdesk comes in.
Hotdesk empowers users to search for and book workspaces, meeting rooms, and private offices on an hourly, daily, monthly, or yearly basis -- with no fixed commitment. The result: workspace access that adapts to you, not the other way around.
The Old Way vs. The Hotdesk Way
Traditional Coworking
- Fixed locations with limited options
- Large upfront fees
- Long-term agreements and commitments
- Limited flexibility to scale or move
Hotdesk
- On-demand access to workspaces globally
- No fixed commitment
- Book by the hour, day, month, or year
- Scale up or down instantly
Disrupting Enterprise Workspace
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many corporate houses have adopted more flexible working policies, driven by employee demand and the importance of enabling ease of working wherever staff happen to be based. Mohamed spotted an opportunity here -- to offer flexible, company-vetted and approved spaces for businesses to provide their staff when they are travelling or prefer to work from somewhere other than the traditional office environment.
This enterprise angle transformed Hotdesk from a consumer booking app into a platform that serves the world's largest companies alongside individual freelancers and startups.
Growth in Numbers
From 15 bookings in our first month to over 10,000+ monthly bookings in less than 12 months -- across the UAE and Egypt. That growth came from solving a genuine pain point at the right moment in the evolution of work.
What's Next: KSA and Europe
Following a year of tremendous growth in the UAE and Egypt, Hotdesk is expanding into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). For years, the KSA has offered an abundance of opportunity, and Hotdesk now feels this is the time to lay down its marker and offer solutions to the ever-growing ecosystem of freelancers, startups, and small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
Beyond the region, Hotdesk has its sights set on scaling from East to West -- providing its unique product offering to the ever-demanding European market.
| Market | Status | Opportunity |
|---|---|---|
| UAE | Headquarters -- fully operational | Established base with 10,000+ monthly bookings |
| Egypt | Operations & tech base -- fully operational | Technology development and regional growth |
| KSA | Expanding | Growing ecosystem of freelancers, startups, and SMEs |
| Europe | Planned | High demand for flexible working solutions |
Press Coverage
The Arabian Press: Read the feature Khaleej Times: Read the feature
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Hotdesk and where was it founded?
Hotdesk is a homegrown UAE platform that provides instant access to remote workspaces. It began simultaneous operations in 2020 in the UAE and Egypt, with the UAE serving as headquarters and Egypt as the base for operations and technology teams. The company was founded by Mohamed Khaled, who spent over six years as a Senior Associate at PwC before entering the startup world.
What is the 3.0 work model that Hotdesk supports?
The 3.0 work model is a hybrid blend of working from the office, home, and co-working spaces. It represents the evolution from Work 1.0 (everyone in the office) through Work 2.0 (everyone at home) to the current model where workers move fluidly between all three environments based on their needs.
How does Hotdesk solve workspace flexibility challenges?
Many professionals and businesses are restricted to fixed workspace locations with large fees and long-term agreements, limiting their flexibility. Hotdesk empowers users to search for and book workspaces, meeting rooms, and private offices on an hourly, daily, monthly, or yearly basis with no fixed commitment.
How does Hotdesk serve enterprise clients?
Since the pandemic, many corporate houses have adopted more flexible working policies. Hotdesk offers flexible, company-vetted and approved spaces for these businesses to provide their staff when they are travelling or prefer to work from somewhere other than the traditional office environment.
Is Hotdesk expanding to Saudi Arabia?
Yes, following tremendous growth in the UAE and Egypt, Hotdesk announced expansion into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) to serve its growing ecosystem of freelancers, startups, and SMEs. The company also has plans to scale into the European market.
