The designs presented in this volume offer a wide and varied vision of the latest trends in bar and restaurant design, selected from the most cutting-edge, wining-and-dining hotspots in the world. With ...
W Hotels Worldwide and Red Roof debut experience-driven spaces.
By Mary Scoviak
User-friendly isn’t just a buzzword for your smartphone screen. Designers have been turning more and more to the guest experience for inspiration. Pretty isn’t enough to make a statement. The focus is becoming a vignette of how the space should feel rather than a rendering of how it should look. Two very different flags’ new rollouts really drive the point home.
For its first French property, W wanted to capture the magic of the city of lights. W Global Brand Design and Rockwell Group Europe centered the hotel around the concept of “the spark,” a pattern on the outsized, curving digital wall that twines through much of the 91-room property. The tempo of the spark (a dotted pattern forming abstract clouds) varies depending on the location within the hotel, the time of day and for events. Red lighting adds energy to the DJ booth, elevators and staircases.
Red Roof might not seem like an obvious counterpart to W, but the same principles of creating an experience apply to the design of the NextGen prototype. Besides the nuts-and-bolts conveniences like more electrical outlets and flat-screen TVs, the redesign focuses on adding guest-requested modern touches like faux-hardwood floors and area rug-style carpet and upgraded bathroom features.
It’s no surprise that designers are creating style based on guest preferences. Especially in a post-recession climate where guests expect more of their stay, it’s crucial to provide a space that works at every level. This trend will likely only strengthen in 2012 and beyond as new technology and materials expand the horizons.
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