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Disclosure
It’s been a very, very strange year for office workers. The DOSE team have always worked remotely. We know better than most the perils of working alone and the importance of a good offsite get-together when we can, which is why, for our first post-lockdown reunion, we booked an offsite staycation at The Hoxton Hotel, for some much needed face time. Shara reports on a recent stay…
Hettie, my co-founder, and I, have always worked apart, either from home, coffee shops or even whilst on holiday. When we need to bash things out, we get together for a power hour (or 12) offsite to hammer down new ideas. To do our first post lockdown reunion in style, we headed to The Hoxton Hotel, in Holborn – one our favourite staycation spots in London.
Offsite staycation at The Hoxton Hotel
The food
First things first: food. Rondo is the new onsite restaurant, and we convened there for brunch. It’s all cosy banquettes, warm lighting and a seasonal menu using top quality British ingredients. The chef is formerly of the restaurant St John, and the food is excellent. A menu including smashed avo and nduja scrambled eggs, topped with our favourite Tabasco sauce, fuelled us through our work session.
Later in the afternoon we snacked from the bar menu while making our way through the cocktail list. Each was flawless. I ordered a bitter espresso martini and Hettie went for a Virgin Mojito. Whatever you fancy, you can ask – and trust – the barman to create anything your tastebuds desire.
The work set up
I mentioned we were here to work, not just eat. And we picked this hotel for good reason: the Hoxton group has a reputation for trendy digital nomads working away in its lounge areas. However, at the group’s Shoreditch hotel, I found I could never get a space. Everyone had the same idea, so it was full of freelancers on their Macbooks drinking cold press juices. Here, though, they’ve thought of everything, and provided ample room.
The Hoxton Holborn has plenty of work spaces, with high tables as well as comfy squishy sofas, depending on exactly how productive you’re planning on being. There are plug sockets – often overlooked – everywhere, along with fast wifi for brilliant upload and download speeds. It’s also Covid-friendly, with socially distanced tables and menus that you scan onto your phone. If you want a room for a larger group, these can be hired in advance. You can work independently or chat as a team, in a totally functional but utterly serene environment.
Overnight stays
You may wish to spend the night after a hard day’s work. The Hoxton’s 220 bedrooms are all about compact luxury, though they do range in size. We sink into the beds, which have crips sheets and deep pillows. The radio is tuned to Smooth FM, which Hettie and I now find ourselves listening to at home, as it was so relaxing and soothing. The in-room coffee is delicious and the parquet floor and decor is beautiful, precisely where industrial meets chic. The bathrooms are spacious with well-curated products that you actually need. What more could you want?
Of course, The Hoxton Hotel’s Holborn location is brilliantly convenient, and the next morning, we head off refreshed into central London, thrilled to be out of lockdown and back in town. This is where to come for a work offsite, done right.
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