by Hotel and Restaurant Management
A hotel always seeks to provide its guest with the best, and although there are many types and categories all strive to provide excellent service. But what happens when the attention is excellent but the atmosphere is not in accordance with the place?
At this moment the interior design begins to take an exceptional role that makes the hotel live and also stand out for its architecture, identity and comfort.
This design facilitates a distribution of areas, which architecturally have already been captured, but when equipped with aesthetic and functional foundations transform the space. The interior design is configured as an integral unit, in which the exterior of the hotel is joined with the space beyond its walls, in a single set that transmits service, warmth and tranquility.
Joining elements
The treatment given to the design of a space marks the visitors; in the case of a hotel, it will generate in the guests a memory and the desire to return to that hotel. But, sometimes managers, architects and interior designers require a special approach that helps them solve some doubts that arise at the time of transforming a space or building a new hotel or resort such as: what is the trend of the moment? What elements can be used that are in line with the identity and image of the hotel? What happens if the weather of the place affects the type of furniture I should use? What do I use to help conserve the environment?
All these unknowns can be solved when you find in a single space all the elements, products and people necessary to answer them.
In Hospitality Design Boutique Exposition & Conference (HD Boutique), manufacturers, artists, decorators, designers, architects and other professionals who are part of the design of hospitality meet.
The atmosphere of this event offers a unique and distinct place for attendees to build relationships, discover new products, as well as exchange knowledge, experiences and learn about design trends to make hotels special places.
In the last HD Boutique, held on September 17 and 18, 2008, in Miami, and which had the participation of more than 4,900 hospitality professionals; design, dynamism, experience and creativity were the main protagonists.
Taking into account that the interior design starts from an analysis of the architecture and aesthetics that you want to inject into a space, as well as trends and concepts, HD Boutique presented visitors not only with new products but also with a series of conferences where topics such as the environment were discussed, luxury and sustainability, the new era of boutique hotels, as well as teaching some successful case studies.
Green, the color of the planet
One of the most important concerns of the planet at the moment in which we live is the damage that has been caused to the environment.
Because every day energy costs are rising, and green initiatives have not been used as they should, some hotels have begun to support these practices by implementing sustainable design solutions, in addition to modifying their air conditioning systems, lighting controls, and recycling. among others.
Within the HD Boutique conferences, this was one of the topics that stood out the most, both when talking about hotels and restaurants and spas.
Last year, the North American fast food chain Arby's, with the help of Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects, began a process to be more environmentally friendly from a prototype of more sustainable restaurants than the current one, so it has undertaken important measures to reduce energy consumption and emissions, as well as the use of environmentally sensitive products in their designs.
For example, in Latin America there are many hotels that have modified their practices towards more ecological and environmentally friendly ones. In Costa Rica, the tourism industry stands at $1.2 billion annually, becoming one of the most important tourist destinations in the region. The exuberance of its beaches and jungles have made it one of the countries that offers a great opportunity to create sensitive eco-resorts, in order to protect the country from natural beauty and take advantage of its popularity.
Another concept presented at the conferences was the development of environmentally friendly products and systems. In this case, green products for plumbing and bathrooms set a new trend. These developments feature water efficiency, standards, initiatives, and requirements, as well as indoor water efficiency and CREDITS in LEED (Leader in Energy, and Environmental Design), as well as showing how plumbing will be part of the future of hospitality design.
Design and communication
The interior of a hotel conveys an identity that is not only presented in its services, but also in its textiles, furniture and decoration as demonstrated by some speakers in the academic sessions of HD Boutique.
Interior design represents a mixture between environmental psychology, architecture and product design, establishing a conceptual direction and graphic communication that makes known the meaning of the place.
But all this is forged through a good contextualization of what is needed and what needs to be done. From this, plus a study of the requirements of the guests, the design project is carried out, which when it is finished will present the guest with unique sensations and experiences that will leave in his conscious and unconscious the desire and the need to return to that place.
The size of the hospitality properties has nothing to do with the originality of a design and its magnificence, as Roger Thomas explained, likewise, the boutique appeal provides an intimate and personal environment that is also one of the requirements of hospitality design.
Another aspect that is never thought of positively is the low budget, and many hotel owners and managers see it as a threat to a great design, but this is not the case. At the Hotel on Mt. Charleston in Las Vegas, the DiGuiseppe brothers carried out a redesign of the lobby and major public spaces with only $20,000.
HD boutique also enabled the expansion of topics that have not been discussed in depth in the industry; some people wonder if luxury and sustainability can coexist, and the truth is that although both are not mutually exclusive, designers are increasingly uniting them through a change in the world of luxury and the incorporation of sustainable initiatives in hotels of this style.
Concepts and the future
Other notions that were specified in the event were boutique hotels, which have increased in popularity in recent years.
These hotels must be framed by an idea of hospitality design that conveys an original identity, based on the sense of place and its location as proposed by Cheryl Rowley, by exposing the role of the designer in creating an original identity. This concept was expanded by presenting the case study of the Palomar and Monaco hotels. Likewise, the new era of boutique hotels is presented within the importance of the design and creative process of the brand.
Restaurants and their meaning were also a theme within HD Boutique. In this aspect, the concept of the restaurant was discussed and what architects and designers must do to direct their clients towards success, under the constraints of the budget and other elements.
The design, atmosphere, food and service are essential for restaurants, it is also important to have an investigation of the needs of the target audience, the demographic area where the restaurant will be, as well as what it is and will become and then implement a specific design that distinguishes this place from others by its style and its food.
Today the logistics of hospitality design are transforming the future. According to John McDonald, 2008 is typifying a point in the industry. Transportation costs across all forms have risen 50% since 2002, in an economy that has grown less than 20% since the last recession.
All these aspects influence the hospitality industry and therefore the design industry. Each of these, as well as others, were presented at HD Boutique, giving architects, designers, hoteliers, vacation operators and restaurateurs a broad vision of the present and future of the industry, as well as the trends and needs of that industry.
Next year HD Expo 2009 will be held at the Sands Convention Center in Las Vegas; the exhibition will be from May 14 to 16 and the conferences will be held from May 13 to 16. In September, the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami, Florida, will bring together manufacturers, artists, decorators, designers, architects and other hospitality professionals at HD Boutique 2009, September 14-15.
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