Revolutionizing Spaces: A Candid Conversation with Staytion's CEO, Jane Toh – From Coworking to Business Agility in the Digital Era
Can you tell us more about the motivation behind starting Staytion and some of the challenges that were faced at the start of the business?
Staytion is designed to allow people to work anywhere on the move, in real-time. Starbucks is too noisy and crowded, and existing space booking platforms does not facilitate real time booking.
With the current technology in this day and age, everyone should be able to book a work desk, in the same way that you order a coffee or book a movie ticket. It’s all about real-time booking, to give users what they want, at the time that they need it; and not 2 days later.
Some of the challenges in the beginning included a lack of market awareness. People are still in the old mindset where they need to wait to get quote, and only have cafes as a real-time alternative. But we have been able to address this issue as we gain awareness in the market.
Could you elaborate on how Staytion integrates lifestyle and workspace options, offering "the best of both worlds for work and life"?
Life is work and work is life. It’s two integral elements that exist within the same ecosystem.
Instead of juggling and searching via different platforms, Staytion allows users to book work and lifestyle spaces within the same platform.
We are an aggregator platform with multiple types of spaces - private offices, shared workstations, meeting rooms, dance studio, film studios and more. This diversity allows members to choose the setting that best suits their work requirements, promoting productivity and work-life balance.
Event booking is on the rise as businesses greatly value face-to-face interaction post-pandemic. Our platform allows users to seamlessly click, search and view different types of event spaces for office events, networking and more.
How does Staytion assess the quality of spaces listed in Universal Spaces on its platform when determining whether to establish a partnership?
It’s tough to define “perfect space” or “ideal space” as the expectations for each user can be very different.
To manage this, we improve the user experience by ensuring that space operators provide realistic descriptions of their space. This is a process that we put a lot of effort into. In addition, we encourage users to post reviews after each use, so that fellow users in the community can obtain information of the space, from a user perspective.
In addition, we work with partners that can offer the infrastructure and facilities for users. Facilities include especially unlimited enterprise-grade wi-fi, availability of private offices, shared workspaces, and any additional amenities so that our users have a comfortable and fuss-free user experience.
Location is also another consideration when working with partner spaces. We look for partners who have spaces in strategically positioned locations within Singapore. This is so that we can provide our users a wide array of options island wide to provide convenience and meet their needs.
Partners can set different rates for listings. Can you explain the flexibility in rate management, such as daily, hourly, or monthly rates?
www.gostaytion.com is a marketplace, where space owners have the ease and freedom to list their preferred rates; and users can quickly and easily source for their ideal price and best value.
Users can go on a pay-per-use model (by the hour or by the day) before they take on a monthly membership, or a longer-term lease. They have 100% freedom to pay and use a space that best works for them, without the hassle of cancellation fees or termination notice.
Users can work with ease in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, South Korea and China, anytime at the click of a button.
Could you provide more insight into the composition of Staytion's team? What key qualities and attributes characterize your current team members as well as potential team members?
It is critical for the team in a startup to share our vision and align with our company mission. Other than attracting talent, it is extremely critical that everyone on the team swims in the same direction and beat to the heart of the company. When we started this marketplace platform, we only had 2 listings in the first month. Through the belief and grit of the team, we managed to grow to 1,000 listings in 6 countries in the next 10 months. This could not have been possible without the shared belief by the entire team.
What sets Staytion apart from other businesses in the industry?
We are a marketplace that provides ease of use for both end-users and space operators. Our target market is specific, and we will continue to ride the trend of providing space to facilitate hybrid work.
Are there any upcoming projects or initiatives that you're excited about and would like to share with our readers?
We are expanding into more countries in the months ahead, to truly provide our users with a global passport to work anytime, anywhere in the world via a single platform.
What is one piece of advice that you want to share among aspiring entrepreneurs? What is one piece of advice you’d give to entrepreneurs?
Steve Jobs once shared a piece of advice for entrepreneurs – to love what you do, because that deep passion is what will take a person through even the hardest time and at the lowest point. There will be more bad times than good ones, but if you truly love what the business is about, every setback becomes a lesson learnt, to propel the business to greater heights. This continued love and passion for the business, is what will make the company last a longer time.
Ready to elevate your workspace experience? Check out our curated spaces designed for your productivity and comfort. Book now and explore the limitless possibilities at www.gostaytion.com. Your ideal workspace awaits—reserve your spot today!