Creativity and distinction in the hotel business is essential to success. Hotel designers around the world have discovered the growing need for individuality in hotel spaces. Every day, hotel owners are ...
Bling has blung. Designers will have to learn a new language of luxury that’s more about comfort and welcome than overindulgence.
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Luxury hospitality has been hit harder by the worldwide financial disruption than any other segments of the hotel business. According to Mark Lomanno of STR (Smith Travel Research), it may rebound the quickest, but it has the farthest to go.
While all indications are that affluent travelers will indeed return, what they will be hoping to find in the hotels and resorts they visit will have morphed in a number of subtle ways. Shifting perceptions about luxury will account for changes that we are already seeing in high-end hospitality design.
To the extent that conspicuous consumption and ostentatious décor might be considered bad form in a global recession -- where so many people and businesses have been hard hit -- design aesthetics will be tamped down in new and renovated properties, thereby changing the look and reconsidering the definition of luxury.
While luxury conjures images of excess and indulgence, Isadore Sharp, founder, chairman and CEO of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, views it as something that goes deeper than aesthetics: "For our guests and clients, luxury is about making the most of their precious time. It's about feeling welcomed and recognized. It's about not having to worry about a thing."
Among affluent travelers, there seems to be a general self-consciousness about the appearance of over-indulgence and a desire to feel vindicated in some way. Sonu Shivdasani, CEO of Six Senses, identifies the shift as "a move away from conspicuous consumption to conscientious consumption."
In other words, bling has blung. When it comes to luxury hotel design in 2010 and beyond, expect to see less flash and more substance; comfort over coolness; friendliness over pretentiousness.
You can also expect to see more designers incorporating the local culture. Here's an example from a current project we're working on in the Philippines. Shelley Reiner, a WATG senior interior designer, was looking for an alternative to what has become a cliché in luxury hotel lobbies: a central, circular table topped by a lavish flower arrangement.
“The genesis of the idea emerged at a very nice homemade dinner with the client, the purchasing agent and me in the home of the furniture manufacturer for the project,” she explains. “We noted what a ‘luxury' it was to be able to meet to discuss business in such an informal and casual way over a great meal.” That prompted a conversation about the decline of social interaction due to the focus on speed and technology ... and led to a desire to encourage hotel guests to relax and enjoy the company of others.
“Ta da,” she says. “We seized on the idea of introducing a traditional Filipino board game as a focal point and placed a giant starfish-shaped Sungka in the center of the lobby.” The table seats 10 people and has pillows sprinkled around it to encourage people to jump into the game and to socialize in a casual setting.
Also aiming for authenticity, St. Regis recently went through the conversion of a property in Princeville, on the island of Kauai, that involved removing tons of polished marble, ornate railings and chandeliers, European themed furniture and artwork, and gilded Corinthian columns. Designers repositioned the Hawaii property to reflect its locale through the use of indigenous materials, paintings and sculpture by local artists, and custom-designed carpets and furnishings with a residential feel that exude warmth and hospitality.
In 2010 and beyond, polished brass and shiny chrome will be out. Natural stone and salvaged wood will be in. Recycled materials and accessories will enhance the guest experience and give a property a unique story to tell.
Simplicity and sustainability will be the key drivers for success.
Howard J. Wolff is senior vice president, WATG, Honolulu
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