At 25 Kent, Global Holdings Turns a Hospitality Mindset Into Office Leasing Success

In 2026, office developers that best serve both their tenants and ROI are those that successfully apply the hospitality mindset that has taken hold in commercial real estate. Quality office tenants are seeking so much more than just space—they want workplaces with high-level amenities and outdoor areas in flourishing neighborhoods that offer convenience and community. These qualities help them attract and retain talent competitively.    

Global Holdings is the model of an office developer whose properties deliver more than just space. The firm’s 500,000-square-foot Williamsburg office building, 25 Kent, is the kind of mixed-use development designed for today’s forward-thinking companies. Offering flexible space options, cutting-edge sustainability measures, outdoor and rooftop terraces, numerous fitness and wellness options and ground-level retail, 25 Kent is not just a place to work, but an essential addition to one of the world’s hottest and hippest neighborhoods.

Partner Insights spoke to Chris Roth, Chief Operating Officer at Global Holdings, about how the firm’s hospitality-first approach is leading to leasing success across its entire office portfolio, and how 25 Kent is the poster child for why this approach works. 

Commercial Observer: How has an emphasis on hospitality and service helped make 25 Kent a desirable property for tenants?

Chris Roth: 25 Kent is one of my favorite buildings in New York City. It’s a really differentiated destination office building that thrives off an abundance of wellness amenities, outdoor access, and a highly curated mix of retail. This is all on top of being in the coolest neighborhood in the area, along the Williamsburg waterfront. We’ve got outdoor access on every single floor. There’s a fantastic rooftop amenity up top. It’s this incredibly centralized workplace experience that is dynamic in that you come to the office, and you’re part of the neighborhood. People want to come and stay in the neighborhood. 

When we took over the building, it was 48 percent occupied. We’re now at 72 percent, and the remainder of the vacancy all has paper on it. We’ve brought in this growing roster of technology, creative, AI and wellness tenants that intentionally choose to be here. It’s really an incredible mix of people and businesses. 

Global Holdings was an early adopter of bringing this hospitality-driven approach to office properties, and it’s an investment that has led to successful positioning across the entire office portfolio.

What drove Global Holdings to embrace this approach, and why do you think it’s gaining momentum for office owners?

We have a great hotel platform called Lore Group which operates award-winning hotels like Sea Containers London, Pulitzer Amsterdam and Riggs Washington DC, just to name a few. We take that hospitality ethos and those service standards and roll them into our office and residential portfolios, focusing on design, wellness, service, technology and programming. 

It’s gaining momentum because developers need to differentiate to provide office tenants with a reason to commute. Companies are not only competing for talent, but also for employees’ willingness to show up in person. At Global Holdings, we think well beyond the four walls of the office space and look at the building as an integrated experience.

Our approach to the office portfolio boils down to three things: convenience, great design, and high-quality common spaces and services that make people’s days easier and more enjoyable.

What are some of the other amenities at 25 Kent?

At 25 Kent, we have a fitness and wellness center, meditation spaces, a climbing wall, rentable scooters, and, given the waterfront and the Williamsburg neighborhood dynamic, a  12,000-square-foot rooftop terrace with incredible views across the water to Manhattan. 

Our in-house tenant experience includes a building app and thoughtfully-curated monthly services and events, as well as a 275-spot parking garage and a 150-bike storage facility.

Our goal is ultimately to create an environment that supports productivity, connectivity and well-being rather than treating each as separate considerations.

How do amenitized buildings lead to concrete performance improvements for tenant companies, including improvements in recruiting?

Williamsburg is where many from New York City’s best and brightest tech and creative workforce reside, and our tenants have made it abundantly clear that the quality of the workspace is an incredibly important factor for recruitment. 

The workplace also reinforces a company’s culture. A growing business wants its office to communicate something about who it is and where it is headed. 

Tell us about the building’s prebuilds, and why companies have shown a strong desire for them.

For fast-growing companies of all sizes, business needs can change faster than the traditional office design and construction process can keep up with. 

To address that, we have a number of prebuilt suites that range from  3,000- to 11,000-square-feet. Tenants can start with our co-working tenant Mindspace, then move into a 3,000-square-foot prebuild as they grow, then later they can move to an 11,000-square-foot prebuild. Before you know it, they’re taking a 25,000-square-foot raw space, and all of this is happening in the same building. 

All of these suites have exclusive access to a central amenity lounge with a coffee bar, pool table and conference room— another layer of amenitization within the prebuild construct. 

We’ve also found that prebuilds can function as temporary office space while a tenant’s floor is being done. We’ve had tenants stay in a 5,000- or 10,000-square-foot prebuild while their space is being outfitted, then we put the space back on the market.

How has Global Holdings employed retail to enhance the tenant experience?

We see retail as an extension of the amenity offering. It’s not separate. It needs to be highly strategic and curated, and it also drafts off of the vibrant surrounding Williamsburg neighborhood. 

We’ve got Kith, Othership, Pura Vida, Glowbar, Five Iron Golf, and other outlets across the spectrum of fashion, wellness, food, recreation and more. It’s a really energizing, well-programmed environment that attracts people not just during the work day, but seven days a week.

What are some of the sustainability improvements Global Holdings has made across its portfolio, and how have these made its buildings a more productive and enjoyable place to work?

We see sustainability as overlapping with tenant experience, and we prioritize it across our portfolio. 25 Kent has incredibly high-performance ventilation and air filtration systems. You might be surprised to hear this, but one of our tenants cited the building’s incredible air quality as a factor in their decision to sign at 25 Kent.

At Nomad Tower, we completed the first glass-only retrofit using a group called LuxWall, which has a special type of glazing technology. It’s essentially an insulated and vacuum-sealed piece of two-pane glass for better thermal insulation. It has reduced our utility expenses by almost a third, and we’re not even into winter yet. This is the first time this has been done on a 98 percent occupied office building while the tenants were in occupancy.

Because of this success, we’re looking to implement this technology across the portfolio. 

How has Global Holdings leaned into this strategy across its residential, commercial and hospitality portfolios?

We believe there’s no reason an office tenant should have a fundamentally different expectation of service because they’re in an office instead of a hotel or apartment building. High design, thoughtful amenities and a true sense of place are a common thread throughout our portfolio in all sectors. Our properties respond to how people actually want to enjoy their workday. 

On the commercial front, for example, Global Holdings invested in a $30 million repositioning that transformed 99 Park Avenue. After announcing these upgrades, we achieved over 300,000 square feet of leasing, and the property reached full occupancy in 2025.

On the residential side, this philosophy comes into practice across our Anagram brand. At Anagram Columbus Circle, for example, the building has a 13,000-square-foot amenity package spanning four floors including everything from an outdoor garden to a music lounge, along with wellness and entertainment programming, all within walking distance to Central Park.

Every property is a little different, but the broader philosophy is consistent. Real estate needs to deliver experiences, not simply space.