What are some of the concerns hoteliers bring up during the interior design process?

David: Considering the brand identity, ensuring operational aspects are implemented, and local or easy availability of anything which needs to be replaced in the future are the most common concerns from hotel operators. Both HBA, our high-end product, and StudioHBA, our mid-tier product, work very closely with operators.

Dausser: Hoteliers want to maximise their guests’ experience during their visit, while challenging competitors and increasing ROI for investors and owners. As a result, most of the concerns revolve around cultural appropriateness, trends in hospitality design and aesthetics including the use of fashionable materials, classy colours, and functionality of spaces.

Amyas: This varies, but typical concerns revolve around the durability of materials, the budget (more precisely, where best to invest it), and ultimately timings – when the different stages of the design process can be presented, agreed and progressed into the various packages of information for tender. There is always a discussion around budget, and balancing the design vision with the affordability of realising it.

Rosha: Hoteliers today are investing in quality branded mid-scale hotels and are mostly concerned about the customer journey and emotional experience of guests during their stay. Brand standards are changing to be more about how they want people to feel while exploring the hotel and its environment. Employee well-being and back-of-house spaces that ensure satisfaction are also part of the design process.

Martin: During a recent meeting, an operator was explaining how the design of a hotel had major flaws in terms of operational flow. There was a 200-metre walk to service guests from the kitchen; no allowance for refuse and two restaurants which could not be accessed directly due to a swimming pool in the middle. Obviously it’s important that the owner engages an operational consultant during the design process.

Tareq: Hoteliers are always looking for a personal touch, something that their clients can easily feel connected to from the moment they enter. Concerns are mostly based around the ability to offer value for money and being able to adjust the hotel offering, to the needs of the guest the hotel wants to attract.

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