With co-living spaces already opened in Bali, Miami and Madrid, we're not sure what's taken Roam Co-Living so long to make their way to San Francisco—but we bet some renters are pretty excited. The co-living start-up offers high-end week-to-week or month-to-month co-living situations in extraordinary venues, including in a stunning SF mansion.
Roam's concept is an interesting one. "With Internet access from anywhere, where we live and where we work are colliding in unpredictable and intriguing ways," explains the Roam Co-Living website. Members can theoretically hop from one Roam location to another, working remotely along their amazing life adventures. Roam co-living spaces include much more than just bedroom and bathrooms. Yoga studios, conference rooms, special events and outings, classes and creative endeavors are all part of their "location independent lifestyle."
"Venture capitalists have begun investing in co-living spaces for talent working at startups, using the 'adult dorms' as a way to relocate people quickly to crowded, pricey cities like San Francisco," explained the San Francisco Business Times. "They primarily target millennial workers seeking a fast, simple way to move to pricey metro areas."
At $1,200 a week, the San Francisco location appears to be more expensive than Roam's other locations (and most other cities' monthly rents), but it might be worth it to those who can afford it. Because the digs? Amazing. Roam has partnered with network Factory and taken over the breathtaking Archbishop's Mansion at 1000 Fulton Street. The ballroom will be converted to a yoga and meditation space and the dining room seats a staggering 40 people.
Is hasn't all necessarily been smooth sailing, however. Last March, TechCrunch writer Kim-Mai Cutler announced she would be leaving her position to explore the world as a columnist and would be working with Roam as they developed their concept. When SFist reached out for her reaction to the new San Francisco space, Cutler had had a change of heart—big time. "I and about half of the employees of this company left five months ago," Cutler wrote to SFist. "I haven't had anything to do with Roam for several months and I certainly wouldn't open a co-housing space in this city at this price."
Roam enthusiasts couldn't disagree more. Vijay Umpathy, a product manager at Google Inbox, is one of the many testimonials flashing across the Roam website. "Roam is the first time that I kind of bought into an experience," said Umpathy, "and it has completely changed my outlook on where I would choose to stay and how I want to live."
Good for you, Vijay! Please invite us over to check out the mansion.
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