East Hartford Flex Space opened this month within the new Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites East Hartford hotel. Image courtesy of East Hartford Flex Space

A cold call from an East Hartford hotel developer provided an opportunity for a central Connecticut coworking operator to test a new real estate model for expansion.

Four years later, the conversation bore fruit with last week’s grand opening of East Hartford Flex Space. The coworking center occupies a 2,700 office suite within the Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites East Hartford hotel.

Gary Patel, who acquired the former Ramada Inn and redeveloped it as a dual-branded hotel, was looking for a coworking operator to occupy a portion of his first Connecticut property.

“We had not heard of this model before,” said Annisa Teich, founder of three central Connecticut coworking properties. “It is definitely more than a business center.”

The new East Hartford Flex Space includes nine private offices rented by the hour, day and month and hot desk-style coworking stations.

Before the pandemic, Teich saw an unfilled niche in central Connecticut’s commercial real estate ecosystem. National coworking chains such as WeWork bypassed the region, providing an opening for a local operator to step in.

Teich’s original coworking center has occupied several buildings in West Hartford and currently is located at 557 Prospect Ave.

Outreach from Windsor Director of Economic Development Patrick McMahon helped Teich secure a second location that opened in 2023: a 3,800 square-foot space called Windsor Worx in a former tobacco netting factory at 41 Mechanic St.

Remote workers for companies without local offices dominate the West Hartford clientele, Teich said. Entrepreneurs are more prevalent at the Windsor location.

The East Hartford location operates under a management agreement, in contrast to the traditional leases at the West Hartford and Windsor locations.

Industrious Expands Fairfield County Footprint

A national coworking chain’s expansion is filling spaces in a pair of properties in Greenwich and Darien.

New York-based Industrious opened its first Connecticut location in June at 5 Greenwich Office Park, occupying nearly 18,000 square feet and offering day passes from $60 and private offices starting at $1,427 per month. The company’s business model could avert some of the risks that led to WeWork’s bankruptcy reorganization. Industrious strikes management agreements with landlords, in lieu of traditional long-term leases.

CBRE acquired Industrious in 2025, as it continues to expand beyond 250 locations in more than 80 cities globally.

An Industrious spokesperson declined an interview request about its Connecticut expansion plans.

Industrious was a natural fit for Baywater Properties’ Corbin District property in Darien, a mixed-use redevelopment that includes office space, retail and apartments in downtown Darien, the developer said. In a promotional campaign, Industrious said the 10 Market St. location will span three floors and combine “big-city polish with small-town ease.”

Industrious will open a 12,000 square-foot coworking center in February, Baywater Properties co-founder and CEO David Genovese said.

“Creating an opportunity in Darien for Industrious fit our mission perfectly, given our train proximity and the number of office users in this area who are seeking a high quality workspace in a heavily amenitized location,” Genovese said in an email.