More good news for the office space market worldwide. As Regus goes, so does the rest of the executive suite market.

LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Regus (UK:RGU), the worlds largest prvoider of executive suite and flexible wokspace, was upgraded to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse on Friday. "We had thought that occupancy in particular would have continued to decline throughout the first half of 2010 focusing investor attention on shorter-term earnings risk rather than longer-term value. But management now notes that pricing and occupancy has stabilized," the broker said. "With a trough in the first-half, we expect earnings and cashflow to more than quadruple between from 2010 estimates to 2013 estimates," the broker added. Shares rose 2.9%

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Is there a difference between an executive office suite and coworking office space? You bet there is. According to Frank Cottle, Chairman and Founder of Alliance Business Centers Network, " they are marketing to two different user groups and each using their own mixture of 'people, place and technology' to align themselves with their prospective client groups. A great deal is the 'packaging' as you suggest, but also the manner of service delivery is different on the emphasis of one end or the other on the 'collaboration and community' development issues"

The big difference, as Frank so well put it, is that an executive suite is focused on "facility" while the coworking space is focused on "community" and generally a focused community such as high tech, web development, accounting or businesses with a common thread. Even those executive suites that have networking meeting on a regular basis are still not really a coworking space.

See the full discussion, including 42 comments, with leading industry experts at our OfficeFinder LinkedIn Discussion Group.

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Selecting a serviced office is an important step in ensuring the success of your business. The reason for this nomenclature is that the office comes with all of the most common services already in place. This type of office is often called a "turn-key" office or an executive suite.

If you need a venue to hold meetings with clients, sign contracts, negotiate, and do some paperwork, this office solution might be just what you should lease. By renting this type of business space, you'll have a furnished private office with computer equipment but share common needs such as reception area, meeting room(s), and other resources used by the entire group housed in the overall space. You'll be able to use certain equipment and services on a “pay per use” basis.

Here are tips and caveats you should be aware of when selecting a serviced office for your business needs:

• Location: Choose a location which is convenient for you, but also convenient for your clients. Is there parking available either on-site or nearby? What about handicapped parking? Is the building easy to spot or well-known? You want your clients to be able to find you easily and get to your door without walking blocks in the wind, rain, heat, or cold.
• Appearance: Does the building entrance, lobby, and office interior make the statement about you and your business that you want and need? You need furnishings which are attractive and elegant yet not pretentious. Making the right statement about your operation is critical. Is the meeting room comfortable enough for a two- or three-hour meeting if those are occasionally part of your business lifestyle.
• Equipment: Learn what equipment is provided in the turnkey office lease. You will likely find a desktop computer included, but check to make certain it is powerful enough to meet your needs. Learn what the restrictions are regarding bringing in your own laptop or other equipment if needed. Realize that equipment you own may not be covered by the insurance covering other equipment, so keep this in mind and learn if the services provided by any specialized equipment are available nearby for a fee. Also, learn what speed internet connection is provided and ensure the speed meets your needs. If wifi is important to you, find out if it is in place.
• Receptionist: Listen to the receptionist answer a phone call or call in yourself to see how the phone is service. Your messages will be taken by this staff person and your clients will have contact with him or her, so you want to ensure the job is done well.
• Pay Per Use: Speaking of fees, you want to make sure exactly what the fees are for every pay-as-you-go service. These services will almost certainly include use of the copier and fax machine but may include other services such as large paper printers, binders, or other less common equipment. Ascertain that the costs are reasonable. Compare prices with nearby providers for services you use in massive quantities; it may well be less expensive to have the local Kinko's or similar store produce large copying jobs. Ensure you don't get "nickeled and dimed."
  
• Lease Provisions: Carefully read all the provisions in the rental agreement. Unlike renting vacant office space which you staff, there will be extensive details about what your private area will contain and what can or can't be done with it, who must maintain what items, and other matters which deserve your attention.
• Provider: Find a reputable executive office suite provider to help you locate the perfect serviced office. See our post on selecting a provider. You can find great brokers online, Like OfficeFinder.com, who have sound knowledge of this type of office and are waiting to help you.

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Regus (RGU.L), the world's largest provider of executive suites and flexible workspaces, announces today its 2010 annual result. 

EBIT was down by 67% from 2009. Their cash position is still strong at £191.5m (USD $117.7m) down from 2009 levels of £237.0m. A dividend increase of 8% was also announced. Despite the lowered earnings, they were within the range of analysts expectations. Regus's stock price was up 15.6% on this news as of 11:17AM EDT.

Mark Dixon, Chairman of Regus stated "In the year to 31 December 2010, we added 20,122 workstations an increase of 13% on 2009 for a total investment of £69.7 million. Approximately half of this growth came from acquisitions in markets such as Brazil, China, UK and USA.  We will continue to explore such opportunities as we look to strengthen our market position and deliver on our strategy."

"In terms of outlook we remain cautious on the economy, however we have been encouraged by recent positive trends that reflect the continued strategic delivery of our initiatives. In 2011 we are well positioned for a year of solid revenue growth and business improvement with continuing strong underlying cash flow generation."

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DALLAS, March 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- "85 percent of U.S. companies now offer their staff some form of flexible working, according to a new global research report from Regus, global leader in flexible workplace solutions.  The majority of those same companies are finding that flexible working is bringing them significant benefits, including reduced overhead expenses, improved staff productivity and work-life balance. Additionally, 62 percent of U.S. businesses believe flexible working costs less than fixed office working."

"75 percent of businesses offering flexible working assert their staff has significantly better work-life balance, improving satisfaction and motivation."

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