Case Study — Coworking / Hospitality / SaaS
Building a subscription-based coworking platform with real-time booking for AndCo
The Client
AndCo is a subscription-based coworking and meeting room booking platform based in Europe. Members browse and book desks, meeting rooms, and event spaces across a network of partner venues — with real-time availability, instant booking, and QR/NFC check-in.
Marotino was brought on to design and build the entire SaaS platform from scratch — member-facing booking, venue-facing management, subscription billing, and real-time availability infrastructure.
The Problem
Coworking operators and independent venues had no unified platform for subscription-based workspace access. Existing solutions were either venue-management tools (not consumer-facing) or marketplace aggregators with high commissions. AndCo needed a full SaaS platform — member-facing booking, venue-facing management, subscription billing, and real-time availability — built from scratch.
Challenges & Solutions
Multi-Venue Real-Time Availability
Syncing availability across dozens of venues with different room types, capacities, and booking rules was technically complex.
Event-Driven Availability Engine
Built a real-time availability system using event-driven architecture with WebSocket updates — ensuring members always see accurate, up-to-the-second availability across all venues.
Subscription + Pay-Per-Use Hybrid
Members needed both monthly subscription access and the ability to book premium rooms on a pay-per-use basis. Two billing models in one platform.
Stripe-Powered Dual Billing
Implemented Stripe Subscriptions for recurring membership plans alongside Stripe Checkout for one-off premium bookings — unified in a single billing dashboard for both members and operators.
QR/NFC Check-In Across Venues
Physical check-in needed to work reliably across different venues with varying hardware setups, network conditions, and access control systems.
Universal Check-In SDK
Developed a lightweight check-in SDK that supports both QR code scanning and NFC tap — working offline-first with sync-on-reconnect to handle spotty venue Wi-Fi.
Venue Onboarding Complexity
Each venue had different room configurations, pricing models, availability rules, and branding requirements. Onboarding needed to be fast, not a dev project.
Self-Service Venue Dashboard
Built a comprehensive venue management portal where operators can configure rooms, set pricing and availability rules, upload photos, and manage their bookings — all without developer involvement.
Member Engagement & Retention
Subscription platforms live and die by retention. Members needed reasons to stay beyond the initial signup.
Smart Engagement Layer
Integrated Mailchimp for targeted campaigns, push notifications for new venue launches, and a recommendation engine that suggests workspaces based on booking history and preferences.
What We Delivered
Member-Facing Booking Platform
Full-featured web app for browsing venues, checking real-time availability, booking desks and rooms, managing subscriptions, and handling payments.
Venue Management Dashboard
Self-service portal for venue operators to manage rooms, pricing, availability, bookings, and member check-ins.
Subscription & Payment Infrastructure
Stripe-powered billing system supporting recurring subscriptions, one-off bookings, invoicing, and refund management.
QR/NFC Check-In System
Hardware-integrated check-in solution working across venues with offline support and automatic sync.
Marketing & Engagement Pipeline
Automated email workflows, push notifications, and member recommendation engine to drive engagement and reduce churn.
Technology Stack
Results
Active members across multiple cities within the first year of launch — strong organic adoption driven by the platform experience.
Partner venues onboarded — operators reported measurable increases in off-peak desk and room utilization thanks to dynamic pricing and smart recommendations.
Fully automated operations — from booking to check-in to billing, the entire member journey runs without manual intervention.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a coworking booking platform and how does it work?
A coworking booking platform is a SaaS product that connects workspace seekers with venue operators. Members browse available desks, meeting rooms, and event spaces across a network of partner venues — checking real-time availability, booking instantly, and accessing spaces via QR or NFC check-in. For venue operators, it provides a management dashboard to control pricing, availability, and bookings without any technical knowledge.
How does the subscription model work alongside pay-per-use bookings?
AndCo supports a hybrid billing model powered by Stripe. Members can subscribe to monthly plans that include a set number of desk hours or room bookings, and separately purchase premium spaces or additional time on a pay-per-use basis. Both billing types are unified in a single member dashboard with transparent invoicing and payment history.
How does the QR and NFC check-in system work?
When a member arrives at a venue, they check in by scanning a QR code displayed at the entrance or tapping their phone on an NFC reader. The system verifies their booking and subscription status in real time. The check-in SDK was built to work offline-first — if the venue's internet connection drops, check-ins are queued locally and synced automatically when connectivity returns.
How do venues get onboarded onto the platform?
Venue onboarding is fully self-service. Operators sign up, configure their rooms and desks (capacity, amenities, photos, pricing rules), set availability schedules, and publish their space — all through a dedicated management dashboard. No developer involvement is needed, and most venues complete onboarding within a single day.
What technology stack powers the AndCo platform?
The member-facing platform is built with React.js for a responsive, app-like web experience. The backend runs on Node.js with Express, hosted on AWS (EC2, S3, Lambda, CloudFront). PostgreSQL handles relational data, Stripe manages all payment and subscription logic, and Mailgun/Mailchimp power transactional and marketing communications.
Can the platform scale to support hundreds of venues?
Yes. The architecture was designed for horizontal scalability from day one. AWS infrastructure auto-scales based on demand, the event-driven availability system handles concurrent bookings across hundreds of venues without conflicts, and the database layer uses connection pooling and read replicas for high-traffic scenarios.
How does the platform benefit venue operators?
Venue operators gain access to a steady stream of pre-qualified members without marketing overhead. The platform drives off-peak utilization through dynamic pricing and smart recommendations, handles all billing and payment collection, and provides analytics on occupancy, revenue, and member behavior — all through a self-service dashboard.
Can Marotino build a similar platform for a different industry?
Absolutely. The multi-vendor marketplace architecture, real-time availability engine, subscription billing, and check-in infrastructure built for AndCo can be adapted to any industry that connects service providers with consumers — from fitness studios and salon networks to co-living spaces and shared kitchen platforms.
Need a booking or marketplace platform?
Let's talk about how Marotino can design and build a scalable SaaS platform for your industry.