Kildare's newest co-working hub opens in Naas

Osprey Hub in Naas / PHOTOS: AISHLING CONWAY

placeholder image — Osprey Hub in Naas / PHOTOS: AISHLING CONWAY

A new co-working hub at the Osprey Hotel in Naas is hoping to capitalise on an increase in the number of people remote working rather than enduring long commutes to the office.

The former night club — Time: Bar + Venue — has been transformed into a hi-tech virtual and hybrid facility.

The shared office space offers a total of 22 self contained booths and desk spaces — each with an ergonomic desk and chair and with access to high speed broadband.

Also available is a sound proof booth for extra privacy for telephone or video calls. The hub is available between 9am and 5.30pm from Monday to Friday.

“This is for anybody who wants to escape the isolation of working from home but doesn’t want to go back to the big commute to the office,” said business centre manager Lorraine Birchall (above).

“The shared office space will help you get more done with fewer distractions than working from home.”

Lorraine added: “Plus you have the the all-important opportunity to interact with others, which can help to generate ideas and build your network.”

The hub also contains a meeting room and conference room which are both equipped with a 55-inch monitor and a Polycom Premium USB Video/Speaker bar for hybrid conferencing over Microsoft Teams or Zoom.

In addition, a fully stocked coffee dock area with free beverages including herbal teas also accommodates 18 people.

Toilets are in the adjacent corridor for extra convenience. Other extras are lockable desk pedestals.

The Osprey Hotel, which is part of the international PREM Group, had planned to build its hub even before the Covid-19 pandemic and following delays due to restrictions it was finally finished in January.

Lorraine said: “The timing has been very good because the pandemic has accelerated remote working and there is a shift away from the long commutes and the big office environment.”

Prices start from €25 plus VAT per day (including free parking for vehicle or bicycles) up to monthly packages with extra benefits such as discounts in the hotel.

I tried the Osprey Hub for a morning last week and found it a very productive space to get work such as working on a laptop or making phone calls.

Very reassuring were bottles of sanitising gel on every desk and, incidentally, the hub also has air filtering technology built into rooms.

The adjustable swivel chairs are very comfortable and the tall height of the booth walls allows you to fully inhabit your own work space without your eyes being diverted elsewhere.

You have three power point sockets and two USB portsat each desk space. You also have access to a desk lamp if required.

Large windows give lots of natural light and my view for my stay consisted of budding blossoms on trees in the car park.

The airy rooms allow you to relax and ‘get your head into your work’ — whether it be dealing with emails or preparing reports.

On the day I visited, there were Naas-based employees of big multinationals who had working at home for the past two years.

Additionally, at the reception desk, there are meet-and-greet areas where somebody meeting a client can sit down with them in comfortable booths.

Connected Hubs.ie

The Osprey Hub is also part of the Connected Hubs.ie - a Government’s National Hub Network for individual hubs to come together under a shared identity to maximise the economic opportunity of remote working.

The National Hub Network has the support of Government, remote working advocacy groups and industry representatives. In this way, ConnectedHubs.ie also encompasses a range of key features that deliver significant benefits to member hubs, hub clients, employers, local communities and the wider economy.

For more, see ospreyhotel.ie/osprey-hub.