A hot desk is any free desk in a coworking space — first come, first served, usually paid by the day or week, cleared every evening. A dedicated desk is your own fixed desk that nobody else touches, paid monthly, with your monitor, notebook and coffee-cup ring exactly where you left them. In the hot desk vs dedicated desk question, the rule of thumb is blunt: fewer than three days a week, hot-desk; three or more, get your own desk.
The rest of this guide is the reasoning behind that rule — cost, belongings, routine and access — plus how the two models map onto real Ljubljana prices at makerSP_CE, where a day pass costs 20 € and a fixed monthly desk 135 €, all-in. If you are still comparing spaces rather than desk types, start with what coworking actually costs and come back.
What is a hot desk? (and what hot desking means)
“Hot desking” means working at whichever desk happens to be free, rather than having one assigned to you. The name supposedly comes from “hot bunking” on ships, where sailors on opposite shifts shared one bunk that never went cold — which tells you most of what you need to know about the model: efficient, flexible and nobody’s home.
In a coworking space, a hot desk is what you get with a day or weekly pass. You arrive, you take a free desk, you plug in, and in a good space you borrow what you forgot — at makerSP_CE that includes an external monitor and every cable and adapter in circulation (HDMI, USB-C, VGA, Lightning, docking). At the end of the day you pack your bag, and tomorrow you might sit somewhere else.
The strengths: you pay only for days you actually show up, there is no commitment, and every day is a clean start. The weaknesses: you carry everything in and out, you cannot leave a second screen set up, and on busy days the desk you liked is taken — or, in a small space, every desk is.
What is a dedicated desk?
A dedicated desk is the settled version: one fixed desk, yours alone, paid monthly. You leave the monitor connected at the angle you like, the ergonomic chair adjusted to your back, the drawer full of your chargers and snacks. Arriving at work takes eleven seconds: sit, open laptop, begin.
The dedicated desk is less about furniture than about routine. Anyone who has tried both tends to discover the same thing: a consistent place trains your brain to start faster. There is also the quiet logistics dividend — no daily setup and teardown, no bag full of peripherals, a locker for the rest.
The strengths: zero setup time, storage, a stable routine, and usually better access (your own keys rather than reception hours). The weaknesses: you pay for the month whether you show up or not, which is exactly why the three-days-a-week threshold matters.
Hot desk vs dedicated desk: the real trade-offs
| Hot desk | Dedicated desk | |
|---|---|---|
| Price logic | Pay per day or week used | Flat monthly price |
| Your belongings | Travel with you daily | Stay at the desk, plus lockers |
| Routine | New spot, fresh start | Same spot, instant start |
| Screen and setup | Borrow a monitor, plug in daily | Permanently set up |
| Access | Within the space’s day | Own keys, 24/7 at makerSP_CE |
| Break-even | Cheaper under ~7 days a month | Cheaper from ~7 days a month |
That last row is the whole argument in one line. At makerSP_CE prices, seven day passes cost 140 € — more than the 135 € monthly desk. So the moment you are in more than six days a month, the “commitment” is actually the frugal option, and it comes with keys, lockers and a desk that remembers you.
Who needs which: four honest profiles
- The visitor (1–5 days in town): hot desk, no contest. A day pass or weekly pass gives you a full workstation without owning anything. Call ahead — a small space can be full.
- The hybrid worker (1–2 office days a week): hot desk, still. Eight days a month sits near the break-even line, but if your days are irregular, paying per visit keeps you honest.
- The full-time freelancer or remote employee: dedicated desk. You will be in 15–20 days a month, so the desk works out at roughly 7–9 € a day — about the price of a weekday malica — and the routine dividend is where the real return hides.
- The two-person micro-team: dedicated desk, shared. At makerSP_CE you may share one desk with a partner, colleague or family member at no extra charge, which turns 135 € into a two-person office budget rounding error.
How it works at makerSP_CE in Ljubljana
The mapping is refreshingly literal. Day pass 20 € and weekly pass 70 € are the hot-desk lane: phone first (+386 30 393 405, there are 18 desks), take a free desk, borrow a monitor, print without limits, use the 12 m² call room, raid the kitchen. The monthly desk at 135 € is the dedicated lane: your own fixed desk and chair, two lockers, your own keys and codes with 24/7 access including holidays, and the meeting room on a no-booking “free? take it” basis.
Three clauses make the monthly option unusually low-risk. There is no notice period — you finish at the end of the current month. The price is fixed forever — the rate you sign at never rises. And you can freeze your membership while you travel, with your desk waiting when you return. The full inventory of what comes with the desk is in what you get at makerSP_CE.
A hot-desk policy for hybrid teams (the two-minute version)
If you run a small team on hybrid work, the same vocabulary scales up. A workable hot-desk policy needs only four rules: a desk-to-people ratio that reflects real attendance (start around one desk per two people and adjust), anchor days so the right people overlap, a clean-desk rule with lockers so evenings end tidily, and one shared calendar so nobody commutes to a full office. Small teams in a coworking space can skip the spreadsheet entirely: take one or two dedicated desks, share them, and let the space handle the rest.
Before you commit anywhere, run through the ten questions in how to choose a coworking space — desk type is only one of them.
Frequently asked questions
What does hot desking mean in practice?
It means no desk is assigned to you: you take whichever desk is free when you arrive and clear it when you leave. In coworking spaces, day and weekly passes work this way. You trade a fixed setup for flexibility and pay only for the days you actually use, which suits visitors and part-time office-goers.
Is a dedicated desk worth the extra money?
From about seven working days a month, yes — at makerSP_CE seven day passes (140 €) already cost more than the 135 € monthly desk. Beyond arithmetic, you gain a permanent setup, lockers, 24/7 keys and a routine that starts in seconds. Below that attendance, keep hot-desking and keep the difference.
Can I leave my monitor and things at a hot desk?
No — a hot desk is cleared every evening, and that is the point: it must be free for whoever arrives first tomorrow. If you need to leave a monitor, notes or chargers set up overnight, that is the textbook sign you have outgrown hot-desking and want a dedicated desk with lockers.
Can two people share one dedicated desk?
At makerSP_CE, yes. A monthly desk may be shared with a partner, colleague, friend or family member at no extra charge, which suits duos who alternate office days. You split 135 € between two people and each gets a fully equipped workstation, the call room, printing and the kitchen on their days in.
Do I get 24/7 access with a hot desk in Ljubljana?
Usually not. At makerSP_CE, around-the-clock access with your own keys and codes — holidays and New Year’s Eve included — comes with the monthly membership. Day and weekly visitors work within the day and should phone ahead to confirm a free desk, since the space has 18 desks and fills up.
Final thoughts
Hot desk vs dedicated desk is not really a philosophy question; it is attendance arithmetic plus an honest look at how much routine your work needs. Count your realistic days per month, check them against the break-even line, and let the boring maths decide.
In Ljubljana the numbers are mercifully round: 20 € a day to float, 135 € a month to nest, everything included either way — pick your lane on the price list.
Related reading
Book your desk at makerSP_CE
makerSP_CE coworking, Pivovarniška ulica 6, Ljubljana — right next to Tivoli Park. Day pass 20 €, week 70 €, month 135 €. 24/7 access, free parking 50 m from the door, meeting room and call room included.
Web: makerspace.si | E-mail: rezervacije@makerspace.si | Phone: +386 30 393 405
