Sage Hospitality Group reinvents hybrid work using Zoom Workplace and Zoom Spaces

Providing better customer experiences starts with positive employee experiences. Sage Hospitality Group’s mission is to “enrich lives, one experience at a time,” and the team knows this commitment extends to its employees.

Sage believes that focusing on individual moments can make a big difference. The business has an extraordinary reach, operating more than 65 hotels and 30 restaurants nationwide. Behind the scenes, Sage believes in fostering a hybrid working culture where on-site and remote team members can collaborate easily, stay connected, and feel included.

Zoom has been central to this effort. Eric Skogen, Senior Director of IT Operations at Sage, explains where it all began: “Before Zoom, we lacked a centralized meeting and collaboration tool. We also lacked a seamless conference room experience. Zoom stood out as the best solution. It’s extremely user-friendly and empowers our team to work from anywhere.”

When Sage’s rapid growth called for a new office space, they turned to Zoom again. This time, their goal was to reimagine hybrid working and create a dynamic, technology-forward space that showcased them as a best-in-class employer.

Taking inspiration from Zoom’s offices

Eric and his team explained their goals to Zoom and visited Zoom’s Denver offices to see how the latest innovations could transform the new Sage workplace.

“We saw how much the technology had improved since our initial rollout,” Eric says. “We realized that we could choose different configurations for our brand new space and push the boundaries of what hybrid work could look like.”

Sage wanted to design a space where employees could easily collaborate without technology overwhelming the environment. They wanted tools that would boost productivity while complementing the office’s design.

It was a big undertaking, and they decided to harness the full capabilities of Zoom Workplace and Zoom Spaces to build a dynamic, flexible space designed as more than just a place to work, but a place where employees would want to be.

Comfortable spaces with integrated technology

Sage partnered with local resource Cloud Connextions for the build and design of their new space, and the expertise of the Cloud Connextions team proved invaluable. Their attention to detail, extensive experience with Zoom, and comprehensive installation and support offerings made them the perfect choice to lead the project. The result is a seamless, modern environment that supports Sage’s needs and reflects their commitment to quality and innovation.

Sage chose to utilize Zoom Spaces, a full suite of flexible work solutions, to make it easy for hybrid teams to collaborate. The platform seamlessly integrates advanced technology into conference rooms and shared areas, driving collaboration and inclusivity. A standout feature of their new space is a “living room” where employees can relax and have small impromptu meetings. “It has a fireplace, tables and chairs, couches, and it gives off a real homey feel,” Eric says.

Next to that is the boardroom, which offers maximum flexibility. A moveable glass wall transforms the two spaces into one at the touch of a button, perfect for their regular all-hands meetings. “We combine both rooms to create a multi-screen setup, with speakers, microphones, and cameras embedded in the ceiling. Even remote employees feel like they’re in the room with us and can fully participate,” Eric explains.

Zoom Rooms technology powers these spaces and other conference rooms, while the conferencing tools, whiteboarding, and digital signage help create an integrated experience for both in-person and remote collaboration.

Whiteboarding allows teams to connect from anywhere to visually plan projects and workflows, and clarify complex concepts. 

“The ability to save a Zoom whiteboard, share it with other meeting participants, and then reopen and adjust it is huge. It keeps everybody aligned and on track,” Eric says.

Digital signage adds another layer of value, displaying company announcements, milestones, and events. “We have 98-inch monitors showcasing the phenomenal job of our property teams,” Eric says. “They’ve been a big hit with employees.”

Sage also implemented DTEN all-in-one video conferencing systems to optimize their Zoom Spaces even further and improve the quality of their audio and visuals. These innovations have enhanced the meeting experience to enable remote employees to feel just as engaged as their in-office colleagues. 

“In a recent survey, our employees called out our Zoom Spaces for how well the technology works, how easy it is to operate, and how much better the meeting experience is now compared to our old setup,” Eric says. “Our Zoom Rooms are always full now.”

Enhanced collaboration with Zoom Workplace

With Zoom Workplace deployed, Sage unified its communication and collaboration tools, instantly streamlining daily tasks and making it easier for teams to work together.

One key upgrade was implementing Zoom Phone, a cloud-based system that works in the office or on the go, on any compatible device. Sage added soundproof phone booths, which the team saw in the Zoom offices. The phone booths give employees a private, flexible space to collaborate, apart from the traditional conference room.

Another upgrade came from Zoom Team Chat, which Sage employees quickly adopted. The AI-first collaboration hub minimizes email clutter and hastens communication. “We used another product before, but we found that Zoom Team Chat provides a similar experience at a much lower cost per user,” Eric says. “It’s easy to connect with anyone in the company, and we get a lot more done via Team Chat now, instead of sending emails back and forth. That’s a huge win for us.”

Team Chat is particularly effective on large, complex projects, as Eric explains. “We’re working on a large, nationwide project, and Team Chat makes it much easier to get everybody on the same page and focused on completing the tasks at hand, compared to email or even meetings.”

Centralizing tools under the Zoom Workplace platform has made life simpler for everyone. Zoom has become an integral part of Sage’s daily operations. “People no longer waste time jumping between different applications to get work done,” Eric says. “Also, from a support perspective, having everything in one place makes resolving issues much simpler.”

Zoom AI Companion helps keep everyone on track

Since Sage’s initial implementation, Zoom has added more AI features to keep teams organized and focused. Eric now uses Zoom AI Companion Meeting Summary to remove the need for detailed manual note-taking and automatically capture key discussion points, decisions, and action items. The AI assistant generates clear, actionable summaries that provide everyone with a single version of the truth to help increase accountability.

“I use it for every meeting. I find it's very accurate and it helps to keep us all pulling in the same direction,” Eric says. “I think the main thing that AI Companion Meeting Summary does for me and my team is, it gives us an actionable recap of the meeting, with a detailed summary and a list of next steps that helps keep me and my team accountable."

He continues, “When there's a challenge or an issue about a decision, we can always reference back to show that we were all on the same page at one point. It makes it much easier to keep projects moving forward when everybody can reference back and everybody has the same memory of what was discussed.”

Driving engagement and saving time

Sage’s vibrant new office, powered by a full suite of Zoom solutions, has transformed how teams work together. Employees across departments feel equally connected, productive, and included, whether in the office, at an on-site event, or working out of a coffee shop. 

Productivity has soared across the board. While face-to-face engagement with business partners remains important, Zoom reduces the need for costly, time-consuming travel. Zoom meetings often replace flights for singular meetings with general managers, reducing hassle and costs.

Integrated communication tools reduce the administrative burden, too, allowing employees to focus on higher-value tasks. Team Chat, in particular, reduces email overload and accelerates decision-making on cross-functional projects, so things get done faster.

Using Zoom in Sage's new office, Eric is more enthusiastic about the platform than ever. “It's all Zoom, all the time in our office. Any organization that wants to simplify their ecosystem would benefit from implementing Zoom.”