New York

DANIEL Zumbrunnen needed space for training 70 employees at NBCUniversal in 2013.

"I was looking for flexibility," he said, "a large room to hold all the participants, but also rooms for smaller sessions". Mr Zumbrunnen, director of talent development at the company, ruled out hotels because he said they required him to book sleeping rooms to guarantee meeting space; up to 80 per cent of the attendees were commuters. And he was put off by steep prices for soft drinks, up to US$7 each.