Article
Elevated Service Is the Ultimate Office Amenity
January 28, 2026 5 Minute Read
Canadian office buildings typically lag their U.S. counterparts when it comes to new offerings that are in line with the latest trends. Therein lies the opportunity for Canadian landlords.
“Seeing what’s happening in New York, San Francisco, Chicago and other big office markets help us glimpse into the future and forecast how things are going to play out in Canadian cities,” says Brendan Sullivan, a Toronto-based broker who heads CBRE Canada’s investor leasing business.
Industry-leading landlords in those cities are making great strides when it comes to amenities and customer experience. “Tenants are starving for landlord partners that can understand what they truly need and want,” Sullivan says. “They don’t want the landlord to design the amenity offerings first and then attempt to convince them of what they need.”
What Tenants Really Want
Sullivan recently toured office projects in New York, where he notes “the amenity wars are advanced.” One thing that stood out for him was how amenities there are “a symptom of tenant demand, and what tenants really want is elevated service in management.”
Elevated service is on full display at the landmark MetLife Building at 200 Park Ave., where CBRE’s New York HQ is based. In the late 2010s, when the owners set out to reposition the building, “they did so recognizing the need for elevated management with a focus on hospitality and the individual experience of the project,” Sullivan says.
CBRE’s Host platform has been a partner to implement the hospitality experience at 200 Park, which includes a lobby spanning two floors and more than 50,000 sq. ft., with VIP greeter service and the Avenue Lounge, a full-service gathering space for coffee, collaboration and client meetings.
“This is what we’re referring to when we talk about the flight to experience,” says Sullivan. “It feels like your walking into a luxury hotel where staff are aligned with the objective of elevating the experience of tenants and guests alike.”
Premium Food and Beverage
Sullivan's tour included One Vanderbilt, a 62-storey, 1.5 million sq. ft. office project by SLG Green and Hines.
Recognizing that tenants are seeking an elevated experience, the developers partnered with Dinex Group, run by celebrity chef Daniel Boulud. “It’s one of most recognized hospitality companies in the world,” Sullivan says.
Boulud and his team strategized with the landlord on how to deploy hospitality offerings throughout the building. Michelin Star restaurant and food and beverage service is available in the amenity spaces and lounges. And One Vanderbilt has the first Amex Centurion Lounge outside of an airport in the world; the space is operated in partnership with the building’s hospitality platform.
The development also boasts an impressive observation deck, according to Sullivan. “It feels like you’re in an art piece. It has this hospitality offering wrapped around it, and it’s open to the public not just tenants.”
Like Walking into the Crown Plaza
At 22 Vanderbilt, a hotel redeveloped into a state-of-the-art office tower, “it felt like I was walking into the Crown Plaza,” Sullivan says, noting that there’s a large café and restaurant opening into the lobby, and a concierge desk like you’d see in a luxury hotel. There’s also a semi-private club for building tenants, which includes a conference centre and gym.
Owned by the Milstein family and leased by CBRE, 22 Vanderbilt represents an experience-first office offering, says Sullivan. “The Milstein family elected to build an experience management business, which executed on their vision in this repositioned asset."
“In all of the office buildings we toured,” he adds, “it’s not the amenities – it’s how the amenity are managed that is the most impressive.”
Lessons for Canadian Landlords
The takeaway for Canadian office landlords? It’s not enough to simply build amenities and hope tenants like them. “It’s about creating and managing amenities to align with tenant demands,” Sullivan says.
“People want to feel different in office buildings, and building a golf simulator can get you a little closer. But if that’s not what your tenants want then the impact can be a net negative.
“What’s going to change the experience for an individual is how the office building and the space that it provides to the individual and company is managed.”
Not just for AAAs
Elevated service isn’t just for AAA buildings. ”It applies to everyone,” Sullivan says. “The older buildings, Class C buildings that want to be Bs, B’s to A’s and the As to be AAAs. It doesn’t have to cost tens of millions. It just requires a fundamental shift in how you’re delivering a service to your tenants and it can start on the margins.”
Don’t fret if you’re a landlord still confused as to where to begin. Sullivan and his team are here to assist.
“We’re at a point of generational change in how we use offices in Canadian cities,” he says. “And we can see from markets like Manhattan where that evolution is headed.
“So we can help our Canadian office clients position themselves for long term success by deeply understanding the intersection of people and company needs and creating a strategy that enhances everyone’s office experience.”
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