Meeting rooms: what they really cost
Most serviced office operators include a monthly credit of meeting-room hours in the desk rate and charge an hourly rate beyond it. The credit is where operators differ most: two offices at the same headline rate can be hundreds of dollars a month apart once real usage is priced in. Rates vary by room size, by time of day in some buildings, and catering, video equipment and after-hours access are usually charged on top. The comparison that matters is the desk rate plus your genuine monthly usage, not the headline alone.
- Usual model
- A monthly credit of hours, then an hourly rate.
- Credit varies
- Widely between operators at the same desk rate.
- Priced by
- Room size, and sometimes time of day.
- Usually extra
- Catering, AV, after-hours access, guest wifi.
- Unused credit
- Normally expires monthly — it does not roll over.
- Compare on
- Desk rate plus your real monthly usage.
How the credit model works
Operators bundle a number of meeting-room hours into the monthly fee — sometimes as hours, sometimes as a dollar credit against a rate card. Beyond that allowance you are billed hourly, and the rate depends on the room: a four-person room and a twelve-person boardroom are very different numbers in the same building.
Credits almost always reset monthly and almost never roll over, so a light month subsidises nothing. If your usage is seasonal — board meetings quarterly, say — the credit is worth less to you than the headline suggests.
Why two identical desk rates are not identical
This is where serviced offices are genuinely hard to compare. Two suites can be quoted at the same rate per desk while one includes a generous credit and the other includes almost none. For a team that runs client meetings several times a week, that difference can exceed the gap in the rent itself.
The way through it is arithmetic rather than negotiation. Estimate the hours you will actually book in a normal month, price them against each operator's rate card after the credit, and add that to the desk rate. Compare those two totals. It is the only comparison that reflects what you will pay.
The extras worth asking about
Catering is ordered through the operator and charged per head. Video conferencing equipment is sometimes included in the room rate and sometimes hired. After-hours bookings can attract both a room charge and an air-conditioning charge, which are billed separately. Guest wifi is normally free but occasionally metered for large events.
None of these are unreasonable. They are simply easier to accept when they were on the proposal than when they first appear on an invoice, so it is worth asking for the full rate card before you sign rather than the headline rate alone.
Common questions
Are meeting rooms free in a serviced office?
How much do meeting rooms cost per hour?
Do unused meeting room hours roll over?
What else is charged on top of the room?
General information only. This guide explains how office leasing usually works in Australia. It is not legal, financial or tax advice, it does not take account of your circumstances, and lease terms and legislation change. Get advice on your own lease before you sign it.
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