The verdict in three sentences
For a Berlin employer with 900 staff on two floors plus a satellite office, a custom booking platform for rooms, desks, pool cars and equipment costs 60,000 to 140,000 EUR with a local agency (2026 market ballpark) and takes 10 to 12 weeks once the scope is frozen. Because the system records who books what and when, it falls under the works council's co-determination rights in Germany, so a signed Betriebsvereinbarung (works agreement) is the real critical path, not the code. Done well, it pays back through released ghost bookings and fewer leased square metres, which matters when Berlin office rents keep hybrid teams under pressure to shrink their footprint.
What the build includes and what each module costs
Most facility managers in Berlin already run Microsoft 365, so rooms exist as Outlook resources. The gap is everything else: hot desks, the six pool cars in the underground garage, laptops and event kits, and the rules that tie them together. The table below breaks down a typical scope for a local build.
| Module | Scope | Local cost (EUR, 2026 market ballpark) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rooms and desks | Floor plans, desk neighbourhoods, auto release after 15 minutes without check in | 14,000 to 30,000 | 3 weeks |
| Pool cars | Booking with cost centre, key handover, mileage, damage photos | 9,000 to 20,000 | 2 weeks |
| Equipment loans | Laptops, projectors, event kits, returns | 5,000 to 12,000 | 1 week |
| Microsoft 365 integration | Outlook resources, Teams links, two way calendar sync | 10,000 to 24,000 | 2 weeks |
| Entra ID SSO and roles | Employee, team assistant, facilities, works council read access | 5,000 to 12,000 | 1 week |
| Reporting | Aggregated occupancy per floor, no individual tracking by default | 8,000 to 22,000 | 1.5 weeks |
| Testing, rollout, onboarding | Pilot floor, documentation in German and English | 9,000 to 20,000 | 1.5 weeks |
| Total | 60,000 to 140,000 | 10 to 12 weeks |
If you are open to a nearshore team, Kolonell's prices for the same kind of build are 6,100 to 10,670 EUR for a medium application (4,000,000 to 7,000,000 FCFA) and 10,670 to 22,870 EUR and up for a complex one (7,000,000 to 15,000,000 FCFA and up), with monthly maintenance from 53 EUR (Basic) to 183 EUR (Premium). Delivery runs in English, and the German interface texts can be supplied by your team or a translator.
Designing for the works council from day one
Under the Works Constitution Act (BetrVG), the works council has a say over technical systems that are capable of monitoring employee behaviour or performance. A booking tool qualifies, even if nobody intends to watch anyone. The practical answer is to design the data model so that the agreement is easy to sign, and to involve the council in the first workshop rather than the last.
| Data point | Purpose | Who sees it | Suggested retention |
|---|---|---|---|
| Room booking with organiser name | Avoid double bookings | All employees see the slot, name visible to the team | Deleted after the meeting date plus a short buffer |
| Desk check in | Release unused desks | Only the employee and the system | Kept only as aggregated counts |
| Floor occupancy | Space planning | Facilities, works council | Aggregated, no names |
| Pool car mileage and cost centre | Cost allocation and tax records | Facilities, finance | According to your bookkeeping obligations |
| Damage photos | Insurance claims | Facilities | Until the claim is closed |
| Login events from Entra ID | Security | IT only | Short rolling window agreed with IT security |
Retention periods above are suggestions to discuss with your data protection officer, not legal advice. Host in an EU region, keep an audit log of admin actions, and document the processing in your GDPR records before the pilot starts.
Custom build, SaaS or Microsoft tools
Microsoft's own workplace features and dedicated desk booking SaaS products cover a lot of ground, with per user or per resource subscriptions at public prices that vary by plan. They are usually the right answer for rooms and desks only. A custom platform makes sense when pool cars, equipment and internal recharging between entities are in scope, or when the works council asks for data rules the SaaS cannot configure.
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Illustrative example: Lena, Head of Workplace at a 900 person software company in Berlin Friedrichshain, rents 4,800 m2 and sees real desk occupancy of 41 % while the booking calendar looks full. After rollout, auto release and check in reveal that one of the eight half floors can be sublet or given back at lease renewal. At an assumed 28 EUR per m2 per month, giving back 600 m2 saves 16,800 EUR per month. Against a 95,000 EUR local build plus around 1,500 EUR per month of hosting and support, payback lands in about 6 months; with a nearshore build at 18,000 EUR, it drops to roughly 5 weeks of savings.
FAQ
How much does a custom room and desk booking platform cost in Berlin in 2026?
Expect 60,000 to 140,000 EUR with a local agency for rooms, desks, pool cars and equipment with SSO (2026 market ballpark). A rooms and desks only scope typically sits closer to the lower half.
Do we need the works council's approval?
In practice yes, because a booking system can technically show who used which desk and when. Plan 4 to 8 weeks of discussion in parallel with design, and bring a draft data table like the one above to the first meeting.
Can it work with Entra ID and Outlook?
Yes, rooms stay Outlook resources and the platform syncs both ways, so people can keep booking from their calendar. Budget 10,000 to 24,000 EUR locally for this integration.
Should we just buy a desk booking SaaS?
If you only manage rooms and desks for fewer than 300 people, usually yes. Above 600 staff with pool cars and internal recharging, licence fees per user and rigid data rules often make a custom build cheaper over 3 years.
Who owns the code and data?
With a custom build, you do, which also makes the works council conversation simpler. Make sure the contract transfers IP and that hosting stays in an EU region.
Let's scope your project. Send us your headcount, number of rooms, desks and pool cars, and we will price a nearshore build with a clear 10 week plan. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
