HqO Blog • Observations

Observations

Friday Isn’t the Office’s Problem – Monday Is

Reading Time: 4 minutesPeople aren’t going in to eat lunch or hang out. They’re going in to meet, collaborate, and use the parts of the building they can’t replicate at home.

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Ten Percent of Office Buildings Are Carrying 60% of the Vacancy

Reading Time: 4 minutesJLL just published its Q1 2026 U.S. Office Market Dynamics report. One number buried on page six tells you more about the state of office than everything else in the document combined.

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The Biggest Firms Are Still Betting on London Offices

Reading Time: 4 minutesBlackRock and JP Morgan are both betting billions on London offices. The vacancy headlines are missing the real story about where the market is heading.

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Tenant Credits: The Strategic Infrastructure Behind CRE’s Most Loyal Buildings

Reading Time: 3 minutesTenant credit programs do more than reward loyalty — they build it…

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Why Service Levels Determine Whether Employees Come Back to the Office

Reading Time: 3 minutesThe office attendance debate is really a service quality debate. Here’s why high service levels aren’t a cost — they’re the business case for the building itself.

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Two Types of Landlords: One Is Building Tomorrow

Reading Time: 2 minutesCommercial real estate is splitting into two models: transactional landlords managing decline and experiential organizations building platforms. Which one are you?

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The Class B Renaissance: Why Smart Technology Is the Great Equalizer in the Amenity Wars

Reading Time: 3 minutesThe commercial real estate amenity wars didn’t start with the pandemic; they’ve been escalating since the 1980s. In the office building market, what qualifies as Class A today becomes Class B tomorrow as tenant expectations continuously evolve.

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Closing the Experience Gap with REX

Reading Time: 2 minutesThe Future of Experiential CRE Commercial Real Estate (CRE) is at a crossroads. Decades of technological and market…

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Reimagining the Built World: in Conversation with Steve Weikal ahead of STRATA

Reading Time: 3 minutesOn October 16, 2025, a select group of leaders will gather for STRATA, a summit cohosted with the…

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Computer board electrical circuit with AI key

How AI is Transforming Commercial Real Estate

Reading Time: 2 minutesThe commercial real estate (CRE) industry has always reflected the broader economy. Today, that reflection is sharper than…

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Rethinking CRE: From Square Feet to the Quantum Workplace

Reading Time: 2 minutesFor decades, we’ve worshiped at the altar of the 9-to-5. But let’s be honest: it was never about…

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The Intelligent Building: AI’s Role in Redefining Commercial Real Estate Value Propositions

Reading Time: 2 minutesWhy the “Transactional Landlord” Model Is Obsolete in Modern Commercial Real Estate You know the type. The landlord…

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Paris aerial panorama with river Seine and Eiffel tower, France. Romantic summer holidays vacation destination. Panoramic view above historical Parisian buildings and landmarks with blue sky and sun

Why it’s time for Europe to focus on REX

Reading Time: 3 minutesAcross the world, the role and importance of physical workspaces is evolving, and Europe is no exception. While…

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Observations: Finding a Workplace Experience Strategy to Fit Your Employees’ Needs

Reading Time: 6 minutesThe Workplace. Who knew that the workplace—the location that used to bring us all together— would become the…

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Thomas Sinner Observations

The HqO Difference: Making Sales Matter

Reading Time: 3 minutesHave you ever received a sales call? Imagine: you’re sitting in your office, you’re working diligently, and then,…

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Ryan Thorp Observations
How Graphic Design Enhances the Workplace Experience

Reading Time: 5 minutesAs a Senior Graphic Designer at HqO, I know that…

Observations Blog, Bonnie Hommeyer
Building a Connected Experience with Mobile Technology

Reading Time: 6 minutes“Read this one, mama,” my three-year-old daughter said, as she…

Mobile Access and the Office: Making it ‘Click’ | HqO
Mobile Access and the Office: Making it ‘Click’

Reading Time: 4 minutesI sometimes try to remember what mobile access meant to…

A More Meaningful Workplace from a WX Manager | HqO
A More Meaningful Workplace: From the Inside Looking Out

Reading Time: 6 minutesI take a lot of notes. Post-its, Google Docs, my…

Engineering a Great Workplace Experience | HqO
Engineering a Great Workplace Experience

Reading Time: 6 minutesAs a software engineer, my job is to work on…

Workplace Experience: the Secret Behind High Performing Teams | HqO
Workplace Experience: the Secret Behind High Performing Teams

Reading Time: 4 minutesIt goes without saying that the workplaces we are experiencing…

Hospitality Experiences in CRE: Is Technology the Key? | HqO
Is Technology the Key Behind Hospitality Experiences in the Workplace?

Reading Time: 4 minutesThe commercial real estate world is collectively progressing, thanks in…

An Engineer’s Perspective on Workplace Experience
An Engineer’s Perspective on Workplace Experience

Reading Time: 6 minutesWhen you step outside of your front door, you’re probably…

ESG and Your Building

Reading Time: 5 minutesIn the past few years, we’ve seen many changes to…

The Deconstruction of Property Management | HqO
The Deconstruction of Property Management

Reading Time: 4 minutesThe office has changed a lot since March 2020, when…

Canada's Return to Office and the Role of Technology | HqO
The Role of Technology in Canada’s Return to Office

Reading Time: 4 minutesThere’s a burning question among Canadians and the larger global…

Getting Tenant Data That Matters in Commercial Real Estate | HqO
Getting Tenant Data That Matters

Reading Time: 4 minutesIn “The New Tenant Journey,” we explored the importance of…

The New Tenant Journey in Commercial Real Estate | HqO
The New Tenant Journey

Reading Time: 4 minutesThe dynamics of the employer-employee relationship have profoundly changed in…

The Office as a Destination for Engagement | HqO
The Office as a Destination

Reading Time: 3 minutesThe office is the highest and best form of engagement…