Showing real foresight and typifying our fusion of skills and expertise from a variety of sectors, Maritime Capital founder Toby Hunter’s Workhotel concept was a genuine world-first.

Described as the UK’s funkiest office brand, Workhotel was an uplifting working environment with the service levels, customer experience and flexibility of a top hotel.

The pioneering working/living scheme was aimed at clients who wanted a fast, efficient, reliable office space solution that was presented stylishly.

At the time, Workhotel had no competitor and was designed to give people a hub that combined aspects of working from home, working in an office, working from a hotel and working on the road.  

The initial concept rose from the ashes of the Buncefield oil depot explosion, which presented Maritime with an opportunity to redevelop a previously owned, damaged, four-storey office unit situated on a nearby business park.

Toby’s groundbreaking idea was put into practice, mapping all of the positive reasons why people enjoy working in an office, working from home, working on the road or from a hotel and combining them all in one hub environment.

Workhotel occupied a prominent position in the heart of the Maylands Business Park, close to both the M1 and M25 motorways, enabling customers to access large and small rentable working spaces, meeting rooms, social areas and a restaurant.

The vibrant ‘Workkitchen’ complemented Workhotel wonderfully and gave guests and local diners somewhere to eat, relax and discuss business.

Not only did it improve the scope of office space in the industrial estate, it also offered Hemel Hempstead something fresh, exciting and an excellent place to eat and buy good food.

The concept of fully serviced offices and co-working spaces with expanded amenities has been mirrored in recent years by multi-billion pound start-ups, but Toby Hunter and Maritime Capital can be considered as trailblazers of the business model.

Workhotel’s success illustrates our ability to innovate in the market, spot an opportunity and use our decades of experience to coordinate and manage major projects.