Discussing the latest hotel industry trends and paths to success has become a trend unto itself. The hotel industry often details every progress made towards advancements as well as the latest technology and what it is being used for and how people are adapting to the way they travel. While the industry itself will remain the same, hotel design trends are constantly evolving which may demand change in hotel marketing and technology. In essence, it boils down to the various ways hotels capitalize these changes and trends.
Best Hotel Design Trends and Tips that Bring Success in 2024
Personalizing Guest Experience with Hotel Design and Customer Service
While the success of the hotel business is unpredictable, one thing is for certain: generic and impersonal hotels struggle for survival. Your hotel should have a personality that is expressed by the design connects both existing and prospective guests together. The hotel’s character is a crucial ingredient for visitors who are looking for a unique traveling experience. Apart from the design, the personality can also be conveyed by the property and hotel staff.
Customer service and the layout of every hotel room reflect the hotel brand you represent. The interior design and other decorating statements can support your brand. You can also humanize your business by strengthening your online presence with sharing brand stories, anecdotes, and whimsical moments on your social media channels but expressing empathy and compassion for your guests is paramount. Creating memorable experiences for your guests go beyond offering services and amenities. Boutique hotels have learned to be creative insofar as tailoring guest experiences to their preferences with personalized greetings, rooms set up according to their request, and unique products curated by the hotel itself. The boutique model of the hotel design can truly create a genuine and captivating experience that visitors, and especially millennials, expect these days.
Integrating with Local Culture
Designing your hotel to blend in with local surroundings is one of the newer hotel industry trends. Location site with breathtaking views are taking center stage, providing guests with unique and memorable experiences. Site integration concentrates on the sense of awe which makes a first impression. Finding the perfect location to establish your hotel is chief followed by creating low impact structures to blend in with local surroundings.
Many guests, but largely millennials appreciate it when hotels become a vocal point for locals. Hotels are increasingly evolving to cultural hubs where guests can join exercise classes, enjoy full body massages, and attend concerts and other local events they host. This particular trend requires adding local touches to the hotel outdoor design as well as the interior décor. Recruiting local designers and artists can help create the ambience you want your guests to feel. Keeping up to date with the changes in consumer (local) tastes along with the rise of technology can bring the desired innovation to your hotel design.
Necessity of Seamless Technology
The importance of having seamless connectivity across platforms and devices is growing as more millennials are travelling. The number of millennial travellers has reached 72% in 2016. Additionally, 55% of millennials claim to have extended their business trips into some extra leisure time. They are also more likely pursue careers that require them to travel for business: 38% of millenials have went on business trips compared to the 23% for Generation X and 8% for the Boomers, respectively. BY 2020, millennials are expected to make up 50% of global travelers. Millennial travellers have cemented the relationship between leisure and business travel, making them inseparable.
The current market is tech-savvy and they are imparting their knowledge and skills to other generations as well. This all results in the expectations guests have for efficient hotel service with the use of technology. Many hotel companies are paying close attention and are streamlining services with mobile check-ins and mobile keys along with digital concierge services which guests and staff are provided with. Guest facing technology has exploded shortly after it was introduced to the market as guests now have control of everything with just a few taps on their tablets, desktops, smartphones or iPhones from lighting, temperature, television programs, music, to blinds and room services. Messaging services have improved overtime and hotels are in better contact with their guests about bookings, services, requests, and feedback.
Prioritizing Health and Substanability
Eco-friendly initiatives are becoming the norm in the hotel industry as more hotel companies are leaning on environmentally sustainable practices from using (renewable) natural resources, tackling water scarcity, recycling materials to solar energy. More initiatives are being made to measure and reduce carbon footprints and use of LED lighting in efforts to limit energy consumption. Several hotels have already have updated systems so that AC units and lights automatically switch off when guests leave their rooms. Many hoteliers are incorporating more live greenery and natural light into their hotel outdoor design as well into their interior space. This trend is seen as one of the cheapest design options to give more character to your hotel while enhancing guest experience at the same time.
People are progressively becoming health conscious as they are environmentally cognizant. The advent of technology has made it easier for people to track their health with many apps and devices that monitor blood pressure, calorie consumption, sleep, etc. Hotels are trying to accommodate guests who are seeking wellness to stay fit in both body and mind while traveling. Some have changed their hotel menus to include more healthful items. Others have upgraded their amenities to include fitness classes. Ultimately, the combination of personalization and data are what binds these trends together. The more familiarized you become with the market as well as with the needs of your guests, the better quality of service and experience you will be able to provide for them.
Taking Hotel Outdoor Design Inside
One of the most interesting hotel design trends to watch is bringing the outdoor experience, including al-fresco dining, into hotel lobbies and corridors. Depending on the interior layout plan, hotels are featuring indoor waterfalls, all-season terraces and outdoor style patio furniture, adding plants, and providing paranormal views. This trend gives hotels a more natural feel which can potentially enhance guest experience and generate more revenue. Investing in a biophilic design for your lobby can reap the rewards of success in your hotel business endeavors.
If designers are unable to fit natural elements inside, you can use large windows to allow your guests to experience as much outdoors as possible. As for areas where including live plants and waterfalls seem impractical, you can evoke nature with design by installing a fireplace which can produce a soothing effect among guests. Alternatively, personalizing guest experience can result in happy customers and increase profit margins – something many hoteliers strive for.