For over 20 years, the Color Harmony series has provided widely acclaimed comprehensive expert color advice and insight into how color works, what can be achieved with the right color choices, and ...
A new wave of owners is opening a pipeline of interesting hotel design work
The map for European hospitality design work has changed a lot in the past 18 months. In terms of design itself, Europe is seeing an explosion of good ideas, with various styles, themes, orientations, etc., freely displayed and accepted.
The client market also has a different look. While major hotel chains were the locomotives of the industry before the end of 2008, they slowed their engines last year. Many regrouped, cut budgets and looked for ways to enhance every euro invested for the good of the bottom line. Time frames contracted. Two years ago, companies were projecting out 18 months; last year and early in 2010, it was more like three.
Still, they have work. Limited-service flags continue to proliferate across Europe. Historic hotels that require major technical and security updates also have been on the chains' radar. But, mostly, they are coming to designers for small projects such as renovations of a lobby, restaurant or a block of guestrooms. They're also turning to firms for think-tank input on new concepts or reinventions of existing ones.
Generally, though, it's the independent hoteliers who have the money to continue or to start developing interesting projects. Owners and small chains in France, Spain and Germany are taking advantage of stabilized or falling real estate and contractor pricing to expand their hotel investments.
That's challenging, but it's not necessarily all bad news. However, it does require a more innovative approach to marketing. For example, since we saw that we could no longer rely primarily on international hotel chains to fill our boards, we've been working to develop relationships with the up-and-comers in the three- and four-star sectors. Obviously, the independent market is fragmented. You can't just pay a call on people at headquarters and hope to establish a relationship that could lead to multiple jobs across a chain. So, it's important to be visible at places independent hoteliers need to be to do their business.
Creating model room exhibits for large trade fairs such as Equip'hotel and Igeho increases visibility to a broad audience. We also did a design for the sanitary technology company, Geberit Aquaclean, that reimagined the showroom as a spa—something that showed off our capabilities to a broader market.
Experience with major chains gives us a key selling point in presentations to the new wave of clients entering into or growing within the hotel industry. We can apply the lessons we've learned from the giants and the processes we've developed in response to helping independents overlay best practices from large-scale operations onto their boutique portfolios. So, they get big-enterprise solutions that are workable and cost-effective for a small group.
Overall, Europe's hotel market is slowly improving, and I am very optimistic regarding the end of 2010 and 2011. The large international players will return to the market as more deals get done, and the small groups and independents will be able to leverage their expanding portfolios. The best practices necessitated by the recession should enable interior architects in Europe to grow their businesses in both sectors.
Fabrice Knoll is a co-founder (with his brother, Didier Knoll) of DFKNOLL, Paris. For more on that firm, go to www.dfknoll-architecturedesign.com
Did you enjoy this article? Click here to subscribe to the magazine.
