The architecture and design process of hotels holds an abundance of mystery in many cases, stirring a variety of reactions from the various stakeholders involved in the process.
For many hotel owners and operators, this process can cause high anxiety and sleepless nights wondering what crazy ideas the interior design firm might concoct. Will the furniture fit? Was the right site chosen? Will the operator be able to clean and maintain the property in an efficient manner?
However, we live in a time of stratospheric intelligence and information that are accessible within a nanosecond, and a savvy owner/developer will leverage this information as much as possible.
When architecture and design firms embrace data-driven design, much of this mystery and anxiety is eliminated, as the basis of design relies on historical and real-time data to inform the design.
For example, if the owner/operator provides the design team with the top five guest personas the hotel is targeting, this information narrows the design funnel quite a bit, allowing designers to be more creative while simultaneously paying more attention to the performance and specifications needed to meet tangible guest expectations.
If, however, design teams are left to their own imagination to guess who the hotel guest is, the design packages easily can miss the target, resulting in more fees and schedule delays.
An experienced design team will bring forward data from previous projects and also will research and gather leading-edge evidence from case studies and other successful projects to inform the owner/developer.
For example, when considering whether to make a deeper investment into fitness and wellness, Cornell University’s Center for Hospitality Research found that guest satisfaction has a direct correlation to a property’s financial performance. The basic findings are that even the smallest increase in a hotel’s review scores can increase the hotel’s revenue. More specifically, a “1-point increase in the 100-point ReviewPro Global Review Index [GRI] can result in a 1.42% increase in the property’s revenue per available room [RevPAR].”
This makes the goal of receiving high online marks even more important for property managers. Guests giving positive reviews are 38% more likely to give a top overall satisfaction score with their review, according to Accor’s Wellbeing Whitepaper. Wellness amenities are continuing to rise in importance to hotel guests.
When brought in at an early stage, a professional interior designer profoundly can create many different potential guest experiences through careful space planning, lighting design, interior finish selections, furniture and fixture specifications, artwork, window treatments and more.
A common issue with hotel design is that sometimes public areas are not properly sized or are poorly arranged. An experienced interior designer can take this into consideration at an early stage of the planning process and optimally utilize and design the available space.
By bringing the architect, engineers, interior designer, procurement firm and general contractor to the table early in the process, the owner practically can guarantee a lower cost for his or her project.
This integrated design approach encourages communication and problem-solving, pulls forward the years of experience that each professional offers, provides the contractor with enough information to provide pricing early in the project instead of waiting for a bid process and greatly reduces the number of change orders during construction, as the contractor understands the project’s vision and design. Fewer surprises equal few change orders.
Data regarding furniture, fixtures and equipment is wide-ranging and includes case goods, soft goods, lighting, artwork, window coverings, flooring, wallcoverings, custom décor and more. For some, it can also include electronics, IT, controls, apps and other technology.
Identifying who, what and where early on through a data-driven responsibility matrix places everyone in their own lanes, encouraging creativity and efficiency. Furniture, fixtures and equipment budgeting is extremely data-driven. This should not mean that the lowest price always wins, as not all FF&E is created equal. The specifications data should be thoroughly evaluated in relation to the overall project goals, schedule and life-cycle cost.
By understanding the different sources of data available, incentivizing design and construction teams to design and build to the evidence-based design and FF&E package in an integrated fashion, owners and developers can offer an expanded guest experience while also enjoying healthier profits.
Suzie Hall, ASID, LEED AP ID+C, NEWH Member, is the Founder and President of Cornerstone Design, an award-winning interior design firm servicing the hospitality, commercial, and multi-family markets. Highly regarded as a design and procurement expert with a specialty in modular design, she launched the Cornerstone Collective in early 2020.
The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Hotel News Now or CoStar Group and its affiliated companies. Bloggers published on this site are given the freedom to express views that may be controversial, but our goal is to provoke thought and constructive discussion within our reader community. Please feel free to contact an editor with any questions or concern.