Brands: Colony Coworking Space

Role-play as Friends characters & gossip over endless coffee at this coworking pop-up in KL

[This is a sponsored article with Colony.]

Admit it. As much as we want to believe we’re above workplace gossip, it seems to be something that just… happens.

For your own job security, you’d probably keep it hush-hush, and only dive into it with your most trusted work bestie. 

But what if you could air it out, all in the name of good fun?

Jerry Coworking Space (Jerry) is making this possible with their free Avenue K pop-up event,  happening from now until June 19, 2023.

For context, Jerry is the “no bullsh*t” (their words) younger sibling to their bougie elder sister, Colony, which is known for their luxury work spaces. 

The bells and whistles of coworking—like free-flow coffee and snacks—are cut out at Jerry, to keep things affordable for customers.

But Jerry now wants to try something new, albeit not too far off from their usual offerings, and this first pop-up event of theirs is just a teaser to that.

Embracing workplace shenanigans 

As the pop-up event is themed, “What Happens in Jerry, Stays in Jerry”, they’ve got several installations whereby your only job is to have fun.

But first, coffee. 

For that, Jerry has partnered with INTERFOLK, so you can redeem all-day unlimited speciality coffee, for RM30.

Coffee and gossip can give rise to bad breath though, so the How Crappy Is Your Boss section is where you’ll be able to freshen up.

Grab mints from different tubes at the Rate-Your-Boss Mint-O-Meter to reveal how you feel about your boss. Each tube has a different descriptor, from “You love your boss” to “You’re quitting after you get your bonus”. 

At the end of the day, the levels of the remaining mints in different tubes will show how everyone really feels about their bosses.

Or, maybe you’re chill with your boss, and instead have an issue with your peculiar colleagues.

Those who say they don’t have coworkers with unusual behaviours are either lying or have been working remotely for too long. 

The Spot Your Colleague Corner is where you can identify those quirky colleagues of yours.

If you’re feeling bold, snap a photo of a matching character and send it to your peculiar colleague with the caption, “This made me think of you.” 

Now watch the friendship blossom. 

Over in the Cards Against Your Colleague section, inspired by Cards Against Humanity, you can pick out three cards from the stash and form a comical storyline about your coworkers.

The unlimited coffee purchase will also get you an entry to spin a virtual wheel and win up to RM7,000 in prizes, so you don’t need to keep waiting on that bonus.

But for those who actually want a challenge to make the reward sweeter, prizes can be won from games like Jerry’s Block Breakout Challenge, inspired by the gold bar challenge that went viral online. 

Using one hand, your goal is to extract a heavy metal bar from the clear acrylic box it’s kept in, through a small hole. 

The task comes with an unrealistic deadline too, so you only get 60 seconds to complete it.

Aside from all the fun, there are also spaces here where you can get serious. While your peers mess around, workaholics can get some tasks done at the six workstations available.

If you ever need a break from the fun or work, then check out Not Monica’s Apartment, the Friends-themed meeting room, where you can role-play as the sitcom’s characters gossiping over coffee.

These are just some teasers that we can disclose about the job description, so for the full experience, you’ll have to clock in at Avenue K yourself.

An identity crisis or new brand direction?

The whole idea behind Jerry is meant to be a no-frills coworking space, a complete 180° of Colony’s luxury concept. 

Jerry offers private rooms with high-speed WiFi, large desks, and ergonomic chairs to cut out distractions and help you stay focused on your work. 

With online bookings and unmanned door locks, using a private room at Jerry ensures you won’t have to speak to a single soul, something that we really enjoyed when working there. 

Over the past two years since their launch, the brand has expanded to eight outlets within Klang Valley alone, and even accommodates emart24’s HQ.

All Jerry outlets are strategically placed, too. Available in locations like SS15, Damansara Uptown, Kuchai Lama, and more, guests are never too far from eateries, conveniences, public transport, and parking spaces.

With a 4.8 Google review rating, and most of the positive comments making a mention of the cleanliness and efficiency of basic necessities facilitated in the space, clearly, Jerry seems to be doing something right with their bare-bones concept. 

So, what’s up with the themed pop-up?

“We’re working towards extending our product offerings to include meeting rooms,” Alia Azmi, Jerry’s Content Specialist, revealed. 

Jerry’s new meeting rooms won’t be regular ones, either. They’ll be thematic, fun, and slightly off-beat, with an unapologetic charm (i.e. Not Monica’s Apartment) that evokes the brand’s sassy personality, inspired by Deadpool. 

Alia elaborated that only a select few Jerry outlets will see the new addition, based on the feasibility and size of the spaces. The Damansara Heights and TTDI locations are some examples.

Eventually, the new concept will be fully unrolled in all upcoming Jerry outlets.

Until then, the pop-up event at Avenue K will be the closest thing to experiencing the new offering in a more fun and interactive way.

• Learn more about Jerry’s Avenue K pop-up here.
• Read more coworking space articles here.

Also Read: Looking for your ideal vacay vibe? We’ve matched your star sign to these 26 spots in M’sia.

Featured Image Credit: Jerry Coworking Space

Planning an event in KL? These 5 factors will ensure your venue can cover your bases.

[This is a sponsored article with Colony.]

Whether you’re organising a small, intimate wedding, or orchestrating an elaborate business seminar, event planning is a huge task.

It’s a stressful one, too. As an event planner, you’d want to ensure that all the details from flower arrangements and music playlist, down to the food service, are just right. 

Thus, choosing a venue with precise features and amenities can make the planning process easier.

In partnership with Colony, we’ve created a guide that can help ensure that your bases are covered when picking an event space in KL.

1. Size of the venue

This is probably the most important factor when considering an event space, as you’d want your guests to be comfortably accommodated.

If you’re getting food catered, you’d need to set up a buffet line. If you’re hosting a product launch, there should be ample room for people to experience the goods themselves.

Would you want a waiting area for your guests to mingle before they join the main event? This element of surprise could be memorable to attendees.

Will they be standing or sitting? Do you need dining tables, cocktail tables, or a dance floor even? Six square feet per person is a good rule of thumb for a standing crowd. 

All things considered, there needs to be sufficient floor space mapped out for the whole experience. Planning the event’s flow of traffic can help you visualise this.

It’s also helpful when event spaces can give you recommendations for how many pax they can accommodate. 

For example, Colony does so on their site, and provides indications of the guest capacity for cocktail, theatre, banquet, and classroom seating arrangements.

2. Dining and snack options

Some event venues come with their own catering and dining packages to complement the occasion. Charges are usually based on the number of attendees.

Venues without kitchen facilities may have partnerships with caterers that you could book. For instance, Colony works with outsourced vendors that can offer canapé and finger foods for its event spaces. 

Of course, arranging your own dining options for more intimate events is an option too. You can host a potluck with guests, or dine out at nearby restaurants, if your event is in a central location.

When it comes to food, the set-up and cleanup are other factors in question too. 

Does your venue have a service crew? If so, what would be the additional charges you’d need to be aware of?

If these services aren’t provided by your venue, you’ll need to hire your own service crew or find volunteers.

3. Environment and ambience of the space

When you close your eyes and picture the big day, what vibe does it give off? Romantic and chic, cosy and intimate, outdoorsy and natural, or opulent ballroom glam?

Some venues such as hotel ballrooms are more of a blank canvas which can be dressed up or down accordingly to host a wedding or business conference, while other venues come readily decorated with different themes.

Examples of readily-themed event venues include Colony’s New York Tribeca aesthetic at Star Boulevard KLCC, a British colonial-inspired one at KL Eco City, or elements of a Gentlemen’s Club at KLCC.

If you are decorating, or feel that your themed venue could use a little more embellishments, you could DIY to save a bit on costs, but could be spending more time on each aspect.

If you want a fuss-free experience, you could work with professional event planners and their partnered vendors. 

Aware that this is a request appreciated by many, Colony also offers its own packages where their hospitality team can help.

It’s good to keep in mind that if you’re getting services from outsourced vendors, you should book them in advance, so they can slot you in based on their availability.

4. Tech amenities provided

Some large events, like conferences, would call for audio/visual (AV) equipment such as microphones, projectors, and more.

Similarly, for an engagement party or wedding, you’d want a good sound system for celebratory speeches, karaoke, or dance sessions.

And with everyone enjoying themselves, things can get loud. 

Thus, you’d want the venue to have good soundproofing panels and acoustics, so that disturbing other occupants in the building isn’t a concern.

Something easily overlooked is also the availability of complimentary WiFi, because otherwise how will your guests rave about your event on social media?

Sourcing AV equipment can be tricky if you don’t know where to look, so it’s best to ask your venue provider if they have suggestions, or their own equipment you could rent.

5. Parking availability for drivers

For city dwellers, driving is commonplace. And when you’re selecting an event venue, parking availability matters. After all, you don’t want your guests to get stressed about struggling to find parking.

Usually, if you’re hosting a family event, guests will carpool. For example, you might be expecting 50 relatives, but they’ll come in only 15 cars. In this case, parking is less of a worry.

But say you’re hosting an extravagant corporate seminar. If guests aren’t using e-hailing services or public transport, then they’ll likely be driving their own cars. 

The venue you pick will need ample parking space, and preferably be basement or covered parking to account for bad weather.

Parking ticket validation is also something you might want to consider working out with your venue provider, as it’s something that guests will greatly appreciate. 

-//-

Planning an event is by no means cheap, and the lavishness of your soirée is still dependent on your budget.

More than the cost of renting a venue, there might also be the costs of rental decor, vendors, service crew, catering, and more to think about. 

One way you could get better deals is through packages offered by the venue, or by getting sponsors for your event.

Ultimately, event organising can be overwhelming, and it’s important to have a checklist of everything you require, along with the associated costs.

It’s not a task to be left to the last minute. Give yourself ample time to plan, prepare, and finalise the details. 

If you rather leave the planning to the experts, you can set aside about 10% of your total event budget to work with a professional planner who can bring your vision to life.

Or if you’re already planning to take advantage of Colony’s themed event venues, then their hospitality team is ready to help with various parts of the planning and preparation. 

• Book a tour of Colony’s event spaces here.
• Read other articles about Colony here.

Also Read: ZCOVA expands to offer lab-grown diamonds with a message that “if you want it, then get it”

Featured Image Credit: Colony

5 reasons to treat your employees with an office at Colony’s luxury coworking spaces

[This is a sponsored article with Colony.]

Whether your company is operating fully back at the office, WFH, or hybrid work, being exposed to a new environment can spark a much-needed break from the mundane. For companies with a dedicated budget for leisure and retreats, Colony’s luxury coworking spaces make an enticing option.

Some locations Colony is present at include Eco City, KLCC, Mutiara Damansara, and Star Boulevard—the brand’s 35,000 sq ft flagship outlet.

Each branch comes with upscaled, private workspaces, namely Colony’s Private Offices and Luxe Suites. On top of having fully furnished rooms, the latter has its own mini-bar and Google Home setup. 

There are also Reserved Desks available for those who prefer the traditional coworking space setup of having a private desk while being around others. 

Here are five benefits of choosing Colony as your new office.

1. Luxuriously designed spaces to inspire creativity

Uniquely designed, each Colony location comes with a personality of its own.

Whether it’s a New York Tribeca aesthetic at Star Boulevard, a British colonial-inspired one at Eco City, or boasting elements of Gentlemen’s Club at KLCC, Colony creates a warm and welcoming space.

These distinctive designs coupled with contemporary furnishing can serve as inspiration, beneficial for those doing creative work. 

Not to mention, the space serves as a beautiful backdrop for content creators, for example.

2. 5-star hospitality, so you can focus on tasks that matter

Colony has prided itself on its 5-star hospitality from the very start, something we’ve personally experienced before too. 

To elaborate, all workspaces at Colony are granted printing and scanning credits, mail and parcel-handling services, as well as daily housekeeping. Those opting for a Luxe Suite will even get access to personal butler services.

Believing that people should always be taken care of, Colony’s hospitality team would even go the extra mile for their clients. For example, one Senior Community Manager at Colony had travelled across the country during the RMCO just to hand a laptop to one of their guests. 

Another incident of Colony’s exemplary hospitality was shown when a guest tore his shirt at a metal frame of Colony’s entryway. 

Not only did Colony’s team provide a first aid kit to address his small gash, but they also presented him with a brand-new shirt of the same size and design. 

Having all the luxuries of being attended to will provide your employees with the time and space to focus fully on their tasks, without the disruptions of minuscule to-do’s.

3. Community events for team-building activities and celebrations

Hosting a community of mature startups and corporates, Colony provides guests access to thoughtfully curated events to mingle with distinguished professionals.

Some events organised by Colony this year included a Halloween-themed movie night at its KLCC outlet, group yoga at Mutiara Damansara, and a “build your own” doughnut day.

They also had a Deepavali celebration where Colony’s Community Managers at Star Boulevard held a beautifully planned feast for guests.

Even if you plan to host your own team-building celebration at Colony, the coworking space has partners on board to help in the planning process, from event decor to catering, among other requests. 

This gives you the opportunity to focus on the smaller details that will make your team event or celebration a productive and memorable one.

4. A kids’ playroom to put working parents’ minds at ease

With the year-end school holidays coming up, working parents in your team may appreciate a dedicated space to keep their kids close while they work.

Colony meets this demand with its kids’ playroom, where there are toys and other educational materials available in the space to keep guests’ children occupied.

There are also desks and chairs, so parents can work in proximity to their children as they play for as long as they please.

5. Ultra flexible plans for lower-commitment leases

If you’re already convinced to experience Colony’s luxury coworking space, but are unable to commit to a long-term lease of 30 days minimum, you can opt for the Ultra Flex Solution plan.

Under Ultra Flex, you could terminate your contract with Colony in one working day, and get your deposit back within seven working days.

This flexible plan also has a lowered deposit at RM500, as opposed to a regular two-month rental deposit. To add, you’ll have the opportunity to freeze and resume your memberships anytime.

Colony’s Ultra Flex Solution can help businesses achieve the agility to work around unforeseen issues easily. 

With the uncertainty brought on by the current economic situation, Colony’s flexible leases are an opportunity to experience luxury coworking without long-term commitment.

• If you’re interested in making a booking at Colony’s luxury coworking spaces, you can reach them here.
• Read other articles on Colony here.

Also Read: To help SMEs expand in M’sia, Lalamove offers affordable, on-demand interstate deliveries

Featured Image Credit: Colony

Colony ups the ante this Oct with curated brand partners in a fully immersive wedding fair

[This is a sponsored article with Colony.]

For most couples, planning a wedding is no easy feat, and all the stresses it comes with can make your big day feel a little less fulfilling.

My managing director Sarah could share her experience of how much time and resources were wasted on her own wedding, and in the end, she didn’t even enjoy herself fully.

This is largely due to the fact that, as it is with any other elaborate event, a wedding requires a lot of planning to ensure that everything, even down to the little party poppers going off, are in sync.

Here are some of the common stressors when it comes to perfecting preparations for your big day.

It’s not all sunshine and rainbows 

Finding the right venue can be quite the headache, as it firstly needs to be large enough to accommodate all your friends and family members you intend on inviting.

On top of that, the place should at least have a banquet service to serve food to your guests, and basic audio visual equipment like an LCD screen or a projector for taking guests down the memory lane of your relationship.

You need to factor in specific food preferences, allergies, and how many people you will be feeding, then find the right caterers who can meet all these requirements.

Next, arguably the most stressful part about planning a wedding is ensuring that schedules for all parties like the vendors, venue, and your guests, are aligned.

Last but not least, the wedding budget. Planning a wedding is not cheap, and it seems to be on the rise ever since Malaysia has entered the endemic phase.

To give a bit of perspective, a very small-scale wedding could cost anywhere from RM20,000 to RM40,000. 

For an average-scale wedding these days that hosts up to around 100 to 150 guests, you’re looking at costs ranging from RM50,000 to RM200,000.

A two-day fair of immersive wedding experiences

In order to address all these concerns, Colony is hosting the Wedding Fair in KL by Colony at Star Boulevard KLCC, on November 5 and 6, 2022. It aims to provide a fully immersive wedding experience for pre-newlyweds.

What sets this wedding fair apart from the rest is that Colony aims to help couples envision how their wedding could look like at their dedicated event space.

Each of the spaces caters to different wedding preferences. And with this setup, you’re able to have a clearer vision of your wedding instead of the many “what if’s”.

For example, The Ballroom, which is a 4,000 sq ft space that comfortably accommodates up to 250 guests will have an English/Chinese, and Nikah-type wedding setup.

Meanwhile, The Rooftop Garden, which provides a personalisable summer garden space with a view of Malaysia’s iconic Petronas Twin Towers, will have a wedding ceremony setup suitable for up to 80 attendees complete with a wedding backdrop and walkway set up.

There’s also The Tea Room, an elegant and spacious suite for up to 25 pax filled with floral and pastel colours suitable for tea ceremonies.

Last but not least, they have The Library, which is a luxurious-looking space great for photoshoots. It can also serve as a place for friends and family to relax and mingle around.

For those who like how the fair has these spaces set up, you can request to have your wedding done in the very same space, with the same settings as shown at the fair.

Speaking of which, if you book a wedding package during the fair, you’ll get an RM1,000+ discount with a minimum spend of RM16,000+, or an RM2,000+ discount with a minimum spend of RM20,000+.

These packages include access to the entirety of The Ballroom, The Rooftop Garden, and The Tea Room, on top of free access to The Library.

The fair also allows attendees to explore what Colony’s curated vendors have to offer.

Some notable wedding vendors will include I Heart Party, an award-winning event designer and stylist, as well as event setup provider like VC Entertainment.

Instead of booths, Colony aims to maximise their spaces with actual wedding arrangements to give couples a visual representation of how their wedding could look at Colony’s various event spaces.

According to Colony, unlike at other wedding fairs, their partner vendors and staff will only approach you if you want to know further information, and will otherwise just remain on standby without being too pushy.

Walk in & leave with no commitments

Unlike last year when Colony only accepted guests that had RSVP’d beforehand, they now allow guests to walk in without needing to make reservations.

However, by making a reservation beforehand, Colony will assign a dedicated wedding consultant who will give couples a personalised tour around the wedding fair. They’ll also assist them should they have any questions throughout the tour.

In addition to that, Colony wants to reward the wedding fair attendees by giving them a chance to win a complimentary Castra – Glamping in the City Staycation package for up to 10 pax.

For context, Castra by Colony is a luxury outdoor glamping concept brought to the heart of KL city. To get a feel for what a staycation there might be like, you can check out our latest review on it here.

Walk-in registrants will be entitled to one entry for the lucky draw while those that have RSVP’d beforehand will be granted two entries instead.

Couples that have signed and paid for a package to have their wedding at the Colony during the fair itself will get three entries instead.

• Find more information about the Wedding Fair in KL by Colony here.
• RSVP for the wedding fair here.

Also Read: Health is no laughing matter, so Harith Iskander & wife Dr Jezamine launched a wellness line

You Should Consider Breaking Up With Your Long-Term Office Space, Here’s Why

[This article was written in collaboration with Colony.]

As a nation, we’ve become very familiar with the concept of working from home the past few months. At Vulcan Post, our Malaysian office has been closed for more months than it’s been open in 2020, and we probably won’t be going back in until 2021 comes about.

That’s at least 6 months of us having an unused office while still paying rent.

Savills, an international property agency believes that offices will still be needed in the coming months, but the leasing volumes would be significantly lower compared to 2019.

Offices as we know them are due for a change. 

Are Long-Term Offices Still Relevant?

Although the workforce in general has become very familiar with working from home, Savills concluded that offices will still act as a hub for in-person brainstorming sessions or as a ‘break from the usual’. 

Because let’s face it, meeting up with a fellow colleague feels more efficient than talking to them through a Zoom call. Companies have also realised that the WFH situation has resulted in a loss in productivity, with 70% of employees saying that they’re less productive at home.

The whole situation has made businesses realise that they need to be on the lookout for alternatives. Take for example, a flexible workspace arrangement. This offers businesses a space for employees to work in, without the looming presence of a long-term contract.

When the pandemic is over, experts envision that offices will still be utilised, but with an increased focus on flexibility, wellness and collaboration. 

Getting Down To The Bottom Line: Pricing

In this climate, many companies are looking for ways to cut down on unneeded overhead costs to ensure that they’re able to focus on what’s more important, such as paying employees. 

Like us, if you have a long-term space, even if the office is unused, you’re still forking out money to pay for rent, electricity, water and even internet bills.

Sadly, for companies in a permanent office situation or a year-long contract, terminating a contract can be a costly decision with no easy exit strategies nor freedom to react to current economic demands.

A flexible office could serve as a solution here. But even flexible offices usually require the company to serve a 30-day notice, and after that, businesses wouldn’t get their deposit back immediately.

This would mean that cash flow would still be an issue. Even if you do opt for a flexible office, you might not have the money to immediately transition into one due to its demanding deposits and high monthly fees.

Looking to address the issues mentioned above, Colony, a Malaysian co-working space is now offering companies a solution called Ultra Flex.

A True Flex Office Option For Businesses 

With Colony’s Ultra Flex, employees are still able to meet up and work together safely in an office space, while giving the businesses the opportunity to retain cash flow whilst prioritising ultimate flexibility.

When your company opts for Ultra Flex and runs into a cash-strapped period, you could terminate the contract with Colony within 1 working day, and your deposit is returned within 7 working days.

Compare that with normal leasing, whose deposit refunds could take up to 60 days or completely forfeited.

But if your company falls on tough times and doesn’t have cash in hand urgently, but still requires an office to work out from on certain days, or you now find shifting your workforce to WFH temporarily, you could opt to freeze your membership anytime, within 1 working day’s notice.

Example: If another wave were to strike again, you could freeze your membership with Colony and resume when the wave clears and it’s safe for your employees to return back to the office once more, without any incurring additional charges. 

With Colony’s Ultra Flex solution, you can opt for different office types too. If you wish to have a private office, you can do just that. Or for smaller teams, you could request for a Reserved Desk instead.

For those who are looking into a more leaner plan, you can customise your workplace with Colony based on your requirement with a mix of private offices and reserved desks.

As for deposits, Colony will require RM500 per workstation, if you’re taking a private office. If you’re taking Reserved Desks instead, you won’t even have to pay any deposit.

Compared to other lease or tenancy agreements that require a deposit of 2-month’s lease, this seems like a better choice.

Colony’s Ultra Flex solution is available at all 5 of their locations—KL Sentral, KLCC, Star Boulevard, Mutiara Damansara and Eco City spaces.

• For more information on Colony’s Ultra Flex solution, click here.
• Read up more on what we’ve written about Colony in the past here.

Also Read: Malaysia Is Leading A Key Agenda In Asia-Pacific For 2020, Here’s What You Need To Know

Featured Image Credit: LYCS Architecture on Unsplash

8 Stories Of Extravagant Hospitality That Will Change The Way You Think About Work

Founded by Timothy Tiah and Audrey Ooi in late 2017, Colony’s brand of luxury coworking spaces is known for its attention to hospitality.

Across their five branches, Colony’s team believes in helping members to feel at home in their space.

Now, you might be thinking to yourself, “Isn’t that expected though? The members are paying for that service.”

While that’s true, these eight real-life stories of guests who experienced Colony’s hospitality first-hand will perhaps demonstrate how a service team can take the route above and beyond.

1. Ending Relationships The Right Way

A lady who worked at Colony @ Eco City had recently broken up with her boyfriend. When the team learnt of this, they decided to prepare a break-up kit for her, along with personal sticky notes on each product.

To help her get over him, they included pampering products like a face mask, chocolates and candy, and even threw in tissues for her tears.

But that wasn’t all, as they also provided a trash bag to throw away any unwanted memories of him, and even included a lighter in case throwing them away wasn’t enough.

Breaking up is never an easy task, but it’s always nice to know that someone cares for you and in this instance, the Colony team touched her heart and she even wrote a letter to the team to thank them.

2. A Shirt’s Worst Enemy: A Door

One day, Varun was rushing into the office. In the process, his shirt got stuck to the metal frame of Colony’s entrance and was torn. He was left with a small gash too.

Immediately, the team provided him with a first aid kit for disinfecting and wound dressing. Which to him was already a nice thing for the team to do. 

But, the very next day, Colony presented him with a brand new shirt of the same size and design too. Even Varun was shocked at how ‘powerful’ the Colony team was.

3. Flying Comfortably, Colony Style

When one of the companies at Colony @ KL Sentral was going to the US for a business trip, the team at Colony decided to provide them with airplane kits that came with a face mask, steam eye mask, eye drops, mints, earplugs, and hand sanitiser.

Long flights are never easy because you’ll never know what kind of passengers you’re sitting with. At least with an eye mask and earplugs, you’ll be in more comfortable hands.

They even bought one of them a pair of earphones because his had gone missing, and while he rejected them the first few times Colony presented them to him, he eventually gave in and took them gratefully.

4. Attracting Inspiration

Vicky is a Colony guest at their KLCC branch who was about to head out to a work meeting to close a deal.

Since she practices the law of attraction, she told Colony’s team that she usually look for reminders to keep her motivated about what she wants, and on that occasion, it was the deal that she wanted to close.

Hearing this, Colony’s Community Manager personally designed some motivational quotes, and put together a quote vision board for Vicky.

She was pleasantly surprised when they presented it to her, because she had been thinking about getting one for herself.

Today, she still has the board placed on her office desk. And yes, if you were wondering, she managed to seal the deal.

5. Just Like Family

Becky, who works with Food For the Hungry, was rushing a deadline for her upcoming event at Colony, she needed help with bulk printing and creating a bunting (a type of banner) last minute.

The Colony team jumped in to help out and did about 1,000 pages of printing and binding, and got her a bunting within 24 hours.

During the event, Colony’s Community Managers noticed that one of the guests was falling sick and made a care package for the guest to make them feel better.

After the event had ended, Becky sent the team an email and told them how Colony’s team felt like an extension of her own, especially with how much they helped her out. This shows that Colony doesn’t just help their guests, but their guests’ guests too.

6. Keeping All 600+ Of Their Guests Safe From Air Pollution

If you recall not too long ago, Malaysia was hit with a few weeks of strong haze, with an air pollution index of more than 200 in Kuala Lumpur alone. 

Concerned about the wellbeing of their guests, all teams from Colony initiated a door-to-door visit of all their guests, bearing haze-away care packages that consisted of masks and eye drops.

To make it even more unique, all of the packages come with their very own haze-related puns too, to brighten a cloudy day.

The care packages weren’t specific to just their guests, as even the walk-in guests and the ones that are on tours snagged a care package of their own.

7. Breakfast For One, Memories For All

Last day of work tends to be emotional. But, this got even more emotional once the Colony team brought Ms. J a big breakfast along with some strawberries as an afternoon snack on her last day of work.

But, that’s not all. The team goes the extra mile and got her a gift too: a glass water bottle with her name written on it in cursive, as well as a few Polaroid photos for memories’ sake.

8. The Best Gift A Coffee Lover Could Ask For

Similar to Ms. J, it was also Ms. M’s last day of work when Colony surprised her with a gift. She hadn’t expected the team to know that she was leaving, but the team had found out that information from her colleague, Miss H, anyway.

Ms. M’s love for coffee was well known throughout her time there. So, the Colony team decided to gift her something that could be used for a long time: a reusable coffee cup. It was wrapped beautifully too.

Small Acts That Go A Long Way

Besides doing small, dedicated acts of care for its members, Colony also makes changes that benefit its overall community of members.

One example of this is how they converted their nursing room (which wasn’t used often) at Colony @ Star Boulevard KLCC into a prayer room.

All their centres now have prayer rooms available, whether it be a converted nap room or prayer rooms already within the building.

Sometimes making the best work environment isn’t about large gestures. And in a competitive industry like the coworking scene, every little differentiating point helps a team and their location to stand out. 

These stories goes to show that the Colony team will always prioritise the satisfaction and the happiness of their members.

Since 2020 is coming, if you’re thinking of moving to a new office anytime soon, you should give Colony a try as they have multiple different packages to fit different needs. The benefit is, you’ll get a hospitality team that goes above and beyond for your satisfaction.

• You can read up on our other Colony articles here.

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Booking Lucky Wedding Dates in 2020 Is Competitive, This New KL Venue Helps You “Silently” Win

Some people dream of getting hitched at grand places: an old castle overlooking the hills, a massive church, or maybe a wedding in Paris. While those sound wonderful and dream-like, it is often not realistic, considering the cost of organising anything overseas.

Luckily, in Malaysia, we’re not short of scenic views. What is a little more competitive is securing the best dates. 

If you want your big day to fall on a “nice date”, for 2020, you’d know most of the local popular wedding spots are booked out by now, especially on dates such as 12/12/2020 or 8/8/2020.

Trivia Time: Some Chinese couples place a lot of importance on auspicious wedding dates because of the belief that they signify joy, prosperity and harmony in the marriage. 

A new venue looked at the situation, and they came up with their own unique approach for couples wanting the best of feng shui-endorsed dates.

Let The Twin Towers Be The Tallest Witnesses At Your Wedding

You might know Colony as a brand that operates luxury coworking spaces.

But how does it measure up as a wedding location? 

Well, Colony’s latest coworking space, located at Star Boulevard KLCC, has a rooftop garden with a breathtaking view of KLCC behind it along with a grand ballroom.

According to the Colony team, the ballroom is able to fit 200-250 guests with roughly 20 round tables. If the couple wants to have Viking style seating, the ballroom can fit roughly 150 guests.

As for the rooftop garden, it can fit 50 seated guests—perfect for an intimate wedding ceremony. 

The layout of the rooftop garden is fully customisable to suit your wedding theme. They don’t have existing non-removable furniture that will ruin those crucial shots.

Having a wedding here means that you will be able to have all your major events in one place. Have the ceremony on the rooftop, move to the ballroom for the luncheon and dinner, then reset the rooftop for an afterparty with the KL night skyline as your backdrop. 

Colony’s reputation was built on their expertise with hospitality, and the team also has experience with large-scale events. And yes, they’ve dealt with high-stress wedding situations before. So they’ll be there to provide support on your big day.

But along to the solution…

May The Bids Ever Be In Your Favour

Colony has actually chosen to have a silent auction for the following auspicious dates: 6/6/2020, 8/8/2020, 10/10/2020 and 12/12/2020.

Dictionary Time: A silent auction is just like a normal auction, but bidding is done anonymously and privately. Bidders usually are only allowed to bid once, and will not know the current high bid. 

We asked the team about choosing the silent auction format. After all, wouldn’t running a normal auction mean that they can drive prices up higher, with couples trying to outbid the competition for the best dates?

The Colony team told us, “It would be quite stressful for couples if they were to always be notified when someone bids higher. Wedding planning is already stressful enough.” 

Bidding is easy. Just go to the Silent Auction page and submit your bid. The bids start at RM20,000 with a minimum increment of RM1,500. Each bidder is only entitled to bid once, and the winner will be the one with the highest bid.

Disclaimer: Do note that the submission of a bid means that you are entering into an agreement to rent the venue at the offered price.

The winner will then have access to the Ballroom and rooftop garden for the whole day, along with access to a complimentary luxe suite as a bridal room to do their makeup, for storage and more.

During registration, there is a secondary preferred date category that can be filled. This is actually a consolation prize for those who failed to win the bid. 

If your secondary preferred date is not on a blackout date (i.e. busy dates where discounts for hotels or fares are not applicable, usually on a busy season), Colony will waive the rental of the rooftop garden.

For context, the rent for the ballroom and rooftop garden is normally priced at RM17,000, and the rental of the ballroom alone is RM15,000 (prices subject to change). If you just want to rent the rooftop garden, it will cost you around RM5,000.

The auction is already ongoing and will end on the 12th of October 2019. So make sure you submit your bid before then.

If you’re still on the fence, Colony will also be holding a Wedding Fair at the Colony Star Boulevard KLCC on the 5th of October. The place will be designed to look like an actual wedding is going on, so you can walk in and be inspired.

• Find out more about the silent auction for the Colony Star Boulevard KLCC venue here.

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Featured Image Credit: Colony

An Insider Look At How This Coworking Space Works To Reach A 5-Star Hospitality Rating

Throughout my life, I’ve never really been exposed to the other side of the hospitality chain.

When it comes to 5-star hotels or restaurants, my experience has always been from a customer’s perspective and it stops there.

Because of this, I must admit that I can be quite ignorant on what it really takes to step up and provide service that can make anyone feel like a VIP.

But can this service be replicated outside of the normal conventional hospitality locations like hotels?

Colony Co-working Space, a co-working space that provides guests with a premium working experience, believes this factor is what is contributing to their growth.

To understand what they meant by that, Colony invited me to try living the life of a Community Manager for a few days and it was definitely an experience.

Starting The Day Off

Arriving at Colony KLCC in the wee hours of the morning (okay it wasn’t that early), I noticed that the co-working space was already as it usually is.

This was thanks to Alan, one of the senior Community Managers who acted as my “boss” during my short stay as a team member.

He greeted me with a warm smile and a polite poise before sharing with me how a usual morning in Colony goes.

Being the first one in at about 8.30AM, he starts off his opening routine by turning all the lights on, but it’s not as simple as that.

“We have to make sure that the brightness of the lights are exactly the same as during our launch so that our guests are placed in a familiar setting every time they come here to work,” shared Alan.

My surprised expression didn’t stop him from sharing about another important factor during their opening: the music. It’s something I usually brush off when working in co-working spaces but for the Community Managers, it can make a world of a difference.

To control this, he unlocked his phone to show me an app called MusicSpace, which allows them to control the music that plays throughout the space all day.

Alan continued, “The music we choose here is a genre that mixes relaxation and inspires creativity, so it can’t be anything too aggressive.”

The same song is also never repeated twice to prevent boredom and they make sure to change their playlist every 2 months to bring new sounds within the walls.

The morning shift ends with a quick round around the area to make sure everything follows their Plan-o-gram—a comprehensive visual guide showing how Colony should look like at all times, from the arrangement of the room decors to the way the blinds are adjusted.

Talk about attention to detail!

Going Into The Afternoon

As lunch time approached, I spent most of my time in the Community Managers’ main room and it was quite a bustling scene.

People continuously streamed in and out, some were the usual tenants while others purchased the day pass or prepaid time pass. It’s a pretty common scene as Colony often gets guests who come in while waiting for their flights, meetings and such.

“Which gives us even more reason to create a good first impression so that these guests would feel compelled to come back,” explained Alan.

For this, Colony prepares special vouchers for their temporary guests to access certain amenities like free coffee and printing services.

“We have a Google sheet document to show exactly how many hours are left in a pass while monitoring the exact amount of amenities the guests are entitled to based on what they paid for, like the printing privileges and reservations of meeting rooms,” shared Alan.

As he was in the middle of showing me how he prepares the vouchers, we were interrupted by one of his colleagues mentioning that he needed to help set up for meetings.

As Colony attracts quite a number of entrepreneurs, it’s common for them to have web conferences so to make sure there aren’t any issues during the meeting, Alan makes sure the set up is perfect.

Afterwards, he was suddenly called back to the concierge area as there was a problem with one of the guest’s access card.

He opened his Access Cards List, which keeps track of the access permissions for each guest. He noticed immediately that the guest was late in paying rent and that the payment just came through.

“Our payment terms are quite flexible, but we haven’t received any form of payment by a certain date, we usually block access to the cards and will only reinstate once the payment has been verified,” added Alan.

In The Evening

The day went on with Alan almost never really being able to sit down as there’s always something to do. But I noticed that it was always done with a smile on his face.

At around 4PM, Alan mentioned that it was time for one of his daily rounds to which I accompanied him.

While I was following his tracks, I noticed that his gaze darted left and right all the time, and he mentioned that as he started working for Colony, he was trained to see everything from a 360 degree perspective instead of just one way.

“It helps me make sure that everything is in order and that everything is as it should be,” said Alan which I found impressive.

He shared that the team constantly does rounds every 2 hours or so to mingle with guests, and the common hotspots are at the water coolers or at the smoking area.

These are the chances where the community managers will get hints from the guests on how to better their experience of being in Colony.

An example he gave was of a guest complaining about how she was too cold despite her colleagues thinking the room temperature’s fine.

Alan then said we had to make a pit stop, to drop a gift for one of the guests – a blanket, nicely wrapped with a ribbon. He explained that this is part of the Guest Happiness Fund that they were given, where the team gets RM100 per guest per day.

During their team meetings, Alan will let the team know on what exactly the fund was used for and whether it created a strong impact to the guests, such as getting new dry clothes for guests who may have been stuck in the rain.

This is a part of Timothy Tiah’s goal in finding different ways to make the guests happy beyond their usual satisfaction level and is a part of Colony’s attention to detail to give the best experience.

“We’re also trying out this new experiment to enhance the hospitality experience. We want to try removing a decision from our guest because people are generally happier when they have to make fewer decisions. So in line with Colony’s way of anticipating someone’s needs (like where to park, what to eat), we can help with that.”
– Timothy Tiah, CEO of Colony

The daily round ended with Alan stopping by the cafe where he noticed a guest had a visitor with him, sitting with no beverage. I took Alan’s cue and passed him a water bottle, and as someone who usually doesn’t bother with other people’s business, I have to admit, that small gesture did feel rewarding in a way.

-//-

By the end of my “training”, I was exhausted, and it was only day 1.

After about a week of being a Community Manager, it definitely takes more work than it looks.

On the outside, it may not seem like much, but there are actually layers of tasks that the Community Managers have to complete on a day-to-day basis.

To keep themselves accountable, Alan shared that the team has a maintenance tracker system where the tasks included there have to be completed within 24 hours – as part of the ownership value that Colony prides themselves over.

People may think it’s easy to be in the hospitality scene, but it can get tough because the mental exhaustion is real. But to the Community Managers here, it’s worth it knowing that the guests leave the co-working space with a smile on their face after a genuine great experience working there.

“It may seem like just a job, but for us here at Colony, it feels more like a mission. Making sure our guests feel like they’re getting a 5-star experience everyday is a daily challenge, but it’s something I’m proud to say we’re accomplishing,” said Alan.

And that is something I can attest to.

This article is written in collaboration with Colony.

Also Read: In Laymen Terms: What Mercedes-Benz Means When They Say The New A-Class Is “Just Like You”

Colony Says Their Hospitality Has Levelled Up—We Secretly Put It To The Test

Nestled in the heart of KL, Colony KLCC is a triple ace that combines a prime location, lavish furnishings and focus on hospitality.

They’ve recent launched a second office in Eco-City and from the start, co-founder Timothy Tiah’s vision has always been to change how Malaysians approached offices. Since we spend a large chunk of our waking hours in them, he wanted to build offices that employees actually feel happy in.

To this end, he wanted an office space that provided a five-star-hotel level of service—where guests’ needs aren’t just met, they’re anticipated.

Back when we wrote our original review of Colony, they were in their second month of operation, and the team running it was also very new to their job.

Now that they’ve had almost a full year behind them, the Colony team believes that they’ve reached a new high point in their service level, and they wanted to prove it to us.

To be honest, we didn’t require a lot of convincing—it’s hard to turn down a “five-star office” experience after all.

What Does Levelling Up Even Entail?

We already covered the location, facilities and amenities there in our previous review and safe to say, these had actually improved. For instance, even the in-house café has changed and switched up their menu to include a greater variety of choices.

Since the team said that they’d levelled up, we thought we’d step it up on our end too.

Instead of just doing a straightforward review, we decided to push the team a little further by setting a few challenges, and documenting how they responded to them.

Disclosure: This post was written in collaboration with Colony, but the team serving us was not informed of our objective. They were only told that we were to be working in the office for a set period of time.

Challenge 1: A mousepad

On our very first day, we asked for a mousepad, since one of our writers had misplaced his. The team gave us their apologies, as they did not have any on hand.

However, later in the day, we did come back from a break to find these black placemats on our tables instead, which served as mousepads pretty well.

Note: Private offices in Colony can be pre-decorated with little homey touches—and for a fee—you can request for the team to include those when you get in.

Outcome: Challenge met. Kinda.

Challenge 2: An extension cord and a whiteboard marker

Colony offices actually come with plenty of power points in the walls, but we wanted to see if they could fulfil something that might be a fairly common request.

We asked, and they delivered (with an apology too, as it took them about an hour to get it to us).

The whiteboard marker came a lot faster.

Outcome: Challenge met.

Challenge 3: A translation

So far, we’d made a lot of requests for physical things, so this request was meant to hopefully throw them off (not that we wanted them to fail, of course).

Professing an absolute ignorance of Chinese language in general (which isn’t too far from the truth), I brought an article to the Concierge, and requested a translation.

The first community manager was quick to tell me that he too was a “banana”, but two other team members immediately stepped up to the plate, checked out the article, and were able to give me a quick gist and overall summary of the piece (which I had counter-checked with a colleague who could actually read Mandarin).

Throughout, the Colony team members were unfailingly polite, answered all my questions, and were quick to reassure me that my request was not unusual or a bother.

Outcome: Challenge met.

Challenge 4: A last-minute request for a birthday cake surprise

It just so happened that both our director and I had birthdays this month.

So we decided to throw a small celebration in Colony. As the person being surprised, I didn’t know this was even a challenge—my team members did this on their own.

To up the ante a little, the sneaky planners decided not to inform the Colony team ahead of time. Instead, they put in a request at around 10 am, with specific flavour requests too (Earl Grey or Tiramisu, for anyone else who wants to get me a cake!).

So just after lunch, there was a knock on the door, and they delivered.

Besides getting the cake (on the house too), lighting the candles up, and bringing it to our door, they even brought over the plates and cutlery to eat the cake with.

Outcome: Challenge met.

Score: 4/4 for challenges.

Besides the challenges, we had other observations about the Colony team that we didn’t have to orchestrate or request. So for a bonus round, here’s what we noticed.

Observation 1: Greetings

In the past, the team had always been meticulously polite. However, this time round, we did notice that they took extra effort to greet everyone who was walking through the hallways (and no, it wasn’t just us).

The greeting was often accompanied by the guest’s name too, which shows that they actually take the time to remember their tenants by name.

We also had one of the Colony team knock on our door and check in on us once every day or so, just to make sure we were doing alright and to see if we had any requests or problems.

Observation 2: Coffee offer

One day after we’d had lunch in-house, one of the Colony team members chanced upon us and offered us coffee.

We were actually on our way out to buy it, but didn’t take him up on his offer as one of our colleagues is lactose intolerant and we wanted to find a dairy-free option, which leads me to my next point…

Observation 3: Remembering personal details that matter.

Having told one of the community managers that we had a lactose intolerant member of the team, this was actually something the entire Colony team took note of, and made an effort to accomodate.

Whenever delivering any gifts or surprises or fulfilling requests, they would note that something had dairy and drop us a friendly warning, for our colleague’s sake.

For instance, when they brought us these cheese tarts as an after-lunch treat, they made sure to let us know that it wasn’t dairy-free, and thus not suitable for our colleague’s consumption.

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You can probably already tell, but we had a really good time in Colony. If the five-star hotel treatment was what they were going for, short of having a bell that we could jingle (or an office phone) to summon them, they’re getting pretty close.

And according to their founder, Timothy Tiah, they still have some ways to go before they hit the standard he is fully satisfied with. Right now, they’re still looking at even more ways to tweak and improve guest experience.

We know what one of our colleagues enjoyed the most about working there, besides the top-notch service.

Thanks for having us, Colony! And we definitely won’t say no if you invite us in to work at your office again!

• Check out our coverage of Colony here, and our write-ups on general co-working here.

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I Try Working At The Most Expensive Office In M’sia That Charges RM10k/Month Per Person

• We were given the chance to review the new Jamestown Suite at Colony Co-working Space, currently the most expensive office in Malaysia. 
• Specially for Vulcan Post readers, you can get a 30% discount to try working at the Jamestown Suite for a day and this promotion will run for the rest of August 2018. Just send us an e-mail at team@vulcanpost.com and we’ll put you in touch with the Colony team for further details. 

When Colony Co-working Space came into the industry last year, they stepped out of the crowd with their premium branding of turning your office life into a 5-star hotel experience.

And after getting the chance to review the KLCC outlet ourselves, I can concur that the team is definitely putting major efforts into making sure they impress with their hospitality and location.

Now they’re taking it one step further with the introduction of the most expensive office you can rent on the market in Malaysia. With the launch of their second outlet in KL Eco City, Colony also adds a new high-end addition to their range called the Jamestown Suite.

Timothy Tiah, CEO of Colony says many coworking spaces and serviced offices have one thing in common: they invest heavily in the common areas but the private offices themselves are very plain and simple. It’s usually just tables and chairs.

After discussing with his team on how they can bring the 5-star experience over to offices, they decided to take it to the next level by going even more expensive.

“Jamestown was the first colony in America, which was at the time a new promised land. So we chose this name because we believe this new concept opens us up to a new market since nobody has ever done this before,” said Timothy.

The space is built across 215 square feet, specially designed to accommodate one person. The rent goes up to RM10,000 a month, costing at RM46.5 per square foot which is over 3 times the highest rentals in KL.

The company is also looking to pioneer the concept of “workcation” in renting the room for RM300 a day.

With such a hefty price tag attached to it, I was intrigued to experience the suite for myself. Luckily, I was given the opportunity to do so last week after the official launch of the outlet.

Nowadays, it’s common for offices to easily assume that decking out a space to the brim is the best way to entice people. I’m more of a minimalist, so the entire overview on a quick glance was instantly appealing. It’s simple because it isn’t overwhelming filled with unnecessary glamourous clutter; it’s classy because it exudes a premium feel with the furnishings that’s there.

The large mahogany desk was the primary area to work at. There were a few items prepared, such as a mug and pens for personal use, along with a display monitor.

An improvement that Colony invested in were the chairs placed in all the offices. Priced at over RM1,800 each, the chair can be adjusted according to the best fit for your seating pleasure.

Across from the desk was a plush sofa which faced the television—I admit, I made a lot of use of it.

Sitting at the bar area, there was a nice basket of treats ready to welcome guests filled with goodies from chocolates (the community managers had to refill the Hershey kisses bowl once I left the office), assortment of nuts, and fine alcohol choices. Unlike most hotels who’d charge them to your bill, these are free.

It was also the perfect place to take phone calls, what with the natural daylight pouring in from the large windows, giving a relaxing warm ambiance around the bar area.

You don’t have to walk out of the office when you need a beverage, because there’s a personal mini fridge right at the side of the bar table.

Google Home, Your Own Personal Assistant

If I were a CEO, the only thing missing in that room was a personal assistant to tell me my schedule for the day.

Which actually came true thanks to Google Home.

I’ve never had the chance to play with the AI system before this, so I was pretty enthused by the whole concept.

Even though it’s a straightforward system where you call out to Google Home to help with something and it responds, it still made me feel like a proper VIP whenever my orders were received.

With the Google Home, you can open and close the curtains or turn the lights on and off on-demand.

I also made sure to test out whether it could find more obscure music (some pretentious-sounding French song) on Spotify and to my surprise, it successfully did.

Whilst working at the desk, I called out for Google Home to play something on TV and without even needing to look up, a Netflix show came on.

Colony shared that it was possible to save multiple profiles on Google Home according to the desired settings you want. So if you want music to play at a certain level, sync your schedule for Google Home to read out loud, and more, this is a pretty handy feature.

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This suite comes as a preview of what Colony has planned for their 3rd location in Q Sentral, which aims to have more of these suites offered but bigger and better.

Timothy shared that as they will have more room to play in Q Sentral, he’s looking to take feedback from how to improve the Jamestown Suite to give an overall better experience to their tenants.

“At Colony we care a lot about our guest experience and that includes the experience they have in their own offices. So we’re pioneering this new concept which we believe will eventually become the standard of the industry.”

So Is It Worth It?

It’s definitely a different experience than what most of us are used to.

One thing I will applaud Jamestown Suite over is that it accomplishes its goal of making you feel exclusive, like you’re a very important and prestigious executive ready to get work done in a premium-designed office.

If you’re looking to indulge in working at the Four Seasons equivalent of coworking spaces, I’d say it’s worth a try.

Timothy added “There’s good demand for hospitality at the workplace. When you talk about community and collaboration, it generally only resonates with a small segment of the market where people want to meet other people.”

“The wider workforce though don’t put a lot of value in community or about meeting people. What they do care about is the work environment and being able to attract and retain the best people in their teams. That’s the market we want to operate at, where people are taken care of at the workspace. ”

Currently despite the fact that we have our own homes, we still pay for rooms in 5-Star hotels with great hospitality because we want the experience of an escape, to be pampered.

So the idea of paying for a temporary experience that is more luxurious isn’t new to us, and it’s something that most urban Malaysians wouldn’t mind forking money out for either. So why not apply that concept to work so that we can enjoy it better?

Perhaps then we may be less dependent on short getaways to escape work.

This article was written in collaboration with Colony.

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