Launcelot Investments
How Launcelot Investments are maximising their portfolio’s potential by partnering with Office Ready Technology
Launcelot Investments is a privately owned property company focused on asset management and property investment in London.
Their team partnered with Office Ready Technology to enhance the tech infrastructure of their commercial property portfolio; creating a better experience for their tenants and enabling Launcelot to compete with the quality, speed and service of managed workspaces.
Introduction
Launcelot owns commercial and residential properties in the City of London, Southwark, Marylebone, Knightsbridge and Clerkenwell. Launcelot initially approached Office Ready Technology to support their head office in Marylebone, which was undergoing a full refurbishment.
This project allowed ORT to demonstrate the value of their comprehensive building technology solutions, leading to further contracts across Launcelot’s wider commercial portfolio.
- Established: 1992
- Locations: City of London, Southwark, Marylebone, Knightsbridge and Clerkenwell
- Equipment: Occupier app for bookings and customer engagement, Audio system for music in club space, AV tech in meeting rooms and offices, CCTV with AI for people counting analytics, Access control system that provides digital access via mobile phone, Visitor Management system via the app, CONNECTIVITY WITH 2 LINES TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE BACKUP IN CASE OF FAILURE
THE CHALLENGE
Deliver bespoke technology solutions to add value to their portfolio and attract new tenants.
Launcelot has a valuable commercial portfolio, which includes a remarkable collection of prime office buildings close to Waterloo Station in London’s Southbank; along with other high-value properties across the city. But despite the continued growth of their portfolio, they had become concerned that they were missing out on significant potential revenue.
As with other commercial landlords, Launcelot is competing in a fast-evolving marketplace where tenant’s expectations are rapidly changing — especially when it comes to workspace technology. With over 1,300 co-working and serviced workspaces in London — and corporate demand for the ‘flex’ product on the continual rise — there’s never been more need among commercial landlords to invest in the latest building technology to support, simplify and improve the customer experience.
The team at Launcelot knew their buildings, despite their location and standard, were being passed over by prospects for spaces that could fulfill their tech needs. But they lacked the in-house experience. And if they tackled the undertaking on their own, there were costly overhead and operational risks to consider.
With the Wigmore Street project a success, they looked again to ORT for a solution.
“The team at ORT are a great sounding board for anything that involves tech, introducing us to relevant partners and new solutions where needed. In some ways, we use them as an advisory service — and will run anything tech-related past them first.”
Matt Thorley
Director at Launcelot Investments
The Solution
ORT was able to support Launcelot’s move towards providing fully managed workspaces.
The technology infrastructure of Launcelot’s buildings was a key element in ensuring faster and simplified lettings. Previously a tenant would need to apply for a wayleave agreement and arrange their fibre internet connection themselves — a drawn-out process which could take up to three months or more. This timeframe was far too slow to attract today's tenants who value speed and simplicity.
Working closely with Launcelot’s team, ORT created a strategic deployment plan to manage the roll-out of fibre internet services across their portfolio with resilient performance built-in with back-up lines. With 10GB fibre installed and ready, the data bandwidth needs of every tenant could be met — and occupation time was reduced to just ten days.
ORT was also able to support Launcelot’s move towards providing fully managed workspaces and a communal Club Rooms facility at Valentine Estate. Cutting-edge tech now comes as standard across these buildings, with the installation of door Access Controls, meeting room booking systems as well as the latest Audio-Visual equipment and Smart CCTV; all integrated through a bespoke workspace management application for the Estate. The Valentine app enables over 2,500 tenants to access the Club Rooms and breakout spaces, book and pay for meeting rooms, communicate with the management company and take advantage of local discounts — all through their smartphones.
ORT were also asked to manage Launcelot’s direct office tenants’ IT needs on an ongoing basis, now providing a no-obligation menu of services; from internet connectivity and WiFi management to video conferencing, firewalls and more. This has made for a better and more tech-integrated experience for Launcelot’s customers.
Services delivered
Fibre & Internet Connectivity
Meeting Room Video Conferencing
Wi-Fi
Wireless Screensharing
Access Control System
Sound System
Smart Video Surveillance
Workspace management application
“Beyond what they’ve achieved from a technology standpoint, ORT’s value-add is that personal, direct interaction with our tenants; sitting down and understanding their requirements, then walking through everything we can offer them. This has enabled Launcelot to offer even more services, without risks or all the direct overhead costs.”
Matt Thorley
Director at Launcelot Investments
The Impact
ORT’s involvement has led to a reduction in voids, has sped up tenant occupation and increased their overall rental income.
Customer expectations are at an all-time high. But when delivered properly, a cutting-edge technology offering, alongside high service levels, can attract and retain some of the most high-value tenants.
Launcelot is now equipped to compete with managed workspace and co-working spaces. ORT’s involvement has led to a reduction in voids, has sped up tenant occupation (from three months to ten days) and increased their overall rental income.
The strategic partnership with ORT has meant that Launcelot has been able to access expertise without taking on any of the direct overhead or operational risks; enabling them to tap into an ever-growing market, meet the demands of modern corporations and maximise their portfolio’s potential.
“The technology solutions that ORT have delivered through our partnership have had tangible benefits: from faster lease transactions and eliminating delayed move-ins due to wayleaves to increased rents enabled by our managed spaces. Their flexible approach means that solutions are tailored around each one of our properties, which has allowed us to maximise our investment and offer our customers exactly what they need.” — Jamie Byrom, Director at Launcelot Investments
- Fibre internet activation Down from 90 days to 24 hours
- Bespoke app introduced 2500 customers engaged
- Tenant occupation time Reduced by 88%
Unlock the value in your portfolio
For landlords, modernisation to meet the demands of today’s workforce can unlock huge opportunities — helping them to attract and retain customers. But tackling it alone can take time, investment and effort to deliver, alongside significant operational risks. The good news is you don’t have to.
As your strategic partners, we can help reveal your portfolio’s full potential and tap into this rapidly growing market.
Find out how much value you could add:
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