Stop Optimising Prices. Start Understanding Booking Behaviour.

Data is history. Reports tell you what happened. The question is, what do they tell us about tomorrow?

When it comes to increasing revenue, most conversations start with pricing. Should we increase  meeting room rates, offer more discounts or look at dynamic pricing?

But the latest Flexspace Observatory report suggests we might be starting in the wrong place. Looking at booking data from coworking spaces across the US, UK and Spain, the biggest insight isn’t about pricing; it’s about behaviour.

Q2 data tells an intent story

Across all three markets, bookings follow remarkably similar patterns in recent data from the US, UK and Spain.

Morning is still king. Demand peaks between 8 am and 10 am before falling during the afternoon. Smaller meeting rooms dominate, with one-to-five-person spaces attracting the greatest share of bookings. Members and non-members don’t just pay different prices; they book differently and place different value on your spaces. Together, these findings tell an interesting story about the preferences, habits and behaviours of our customers.

The Q2 report isn’t really a report about meeting rooms. It’s a report about intent.

Every booking reflects a decision someone has made about where, when and how they want to work. The better we understand those decisions, the better we can design our spaces, experiences and pricing around them.

Treat every booking as a signal

Before changing prices, ask yourself a simpler question: do you actually know why people are booking the way they are?

Most operators look at occupancy, revenue and average booking value. Few measure booking behaviour. If you don’t understand what’s driving demand, changing prices is just another experiment.

That’s why I think the report is more interesting than another discussion about dynamic pricing.

Every booking at your space answers a question.

• Which spaces do people genuinely value?
• Which inventory is underused?
• When are members most likely to book?
• Where are people willing to pay a premium?
• What behaviours repeat day after day?

Those signals are arguably more valuable than the price itself. Because if you understand why people behave the way they do, you have more options than simply changing the price.

Pricing is just one lever

Yes, you could introduce dynamic pricing, and it may be the right answer.

• But the same data might tell you to:
• Redesign your meeting room mix
• Rethink your membership benefits
• Encourage off-peak bookings
• Surface quieter spaces more effectively
• Improve your digital storefront so people find the right space faster

Sometimes the answer will be pricing, but often it’s your product design, operations or marketing.

Start with customer behaviour

That’s why I think operators should ask a different question.

Not: How much should this meeting room cost?
But: Why are people booking this room at this time?

Behaviour should shape pricing, not the other way around.

And as AI gives us better tools to analyse booking patterns, the operators who get ahead won’t be the ones changing prices fastest. They’ll be the ones learning fastest.

AI and always-on learning

For me, the most interesting thing AI brings to dynamic pricing isn’t automation; it’s the continuous learning you gain. Instead of reviewing reports once a quarter, operators can spot behavioural changes as they happen, respond in the moment (or very shortly after) and make better decisions about the future.

That changes how we should think about booking systems too.

They’re no longer just operational tools. They’re one of the richest sources of customer research you have. Every search, booking, cancellation and repeat reservation tells you something about your customers.

Your advantage isn’t AI. It’s proprietary customer behaviour

Every operator can buy AI. Every operator can experiment with dynamic pricing. Those advantages won’t last for long. What competitors can’t copy is the behavioural data generated by your own members—or how quickly you learn from it.

Hotels and airlines don’t optimise rates because they enjoy changing prices. They’re trying to influence demand, improve utilisation and maximise revenue. Your coworking business should think the same way: understand customers well enough to influence demand.

Bookings tell you what happened; behaviour tells you why it happened. And that’s where your competitive advantage lies.