September October 2017

16 CALIFORNIA LODGING NEWS www.calodging.com Designing a Functional Hotel Room By Svetlana Muzaleva, Next Design Studio, Inc. ABUNDANCE OF EMERGING BRANDS and service concepts motivates hotel owners to deliver a variety of guest experiences in both, public areas and guestrooms to differentiate their properties in constantly changing and vibrant hospitality landscape. With the ever-increasing importance of social media and desire for providing “Instagram” moments for the guests to promote the property via word-of-mouth, there is a need for the design of the space to be unforgettable and visually impactful. In the race of achieving memorable and attractive space, one element that should never be forgotten, is the functionality of the space. This functionality should address both, guest experience as well as ease of maintenance for hotel staff. So, how does this relate to the hotel room design? When it comes to design, there are a multitude of approaches and things to consider. First, new built and renovation require entirely different frame of mind. Budget will be the next serious consideration that will require balancing the desires and the reality. The most successful projects, in our opinion, happen with the design team in place from the very beginning of the design process; the members of the team including, but not limited to: owner, hotel brand representative, architect, interior designer, lighting designer, engineers, general contractor, purchasing agent and marketing team. Including hotel management personnel brings an extremely valuable insight and suggestions. Having this team in place from the start considerably speeds up the design process and the decision making reducing the possibility of mistakes and changes down the line. Typical hotel room design involves addressing the same universal needs of the traveler: place to rest and relax, possibly work and clean up. How well those needs are addressed will result in better reviews and happier repeat guests. Imagine yourself being this guest when designing the space. What would you require? What would you like? What would you prefer? What would make the space better for you? Imagine checking into this room and spending some time going about your activities. How easy is it for you to navigate within the room? Where can you place your suit case? Is there a space to unpack the toiletries? How is the light level? What if it is not just you, but you and your co-worker or significant other? What if you have a disability? Now imagine yourself being one of the staff members that needs to take care of the room. How would your experience measure up? Is it easy for you to access the room and perform your duties? When every functional detail is thought through and addressed it is then the room is functional and ready for the layer of design, colors, textures and style. Technology plays an important role in the design of today’s hotel room. It is revered and feared. With lightning-fast changes of different devices, software and apps, each claiming to be the next best thing and the future, it is increasingly hard to differentiate and predict what will be essential for the property’s image and what will go to the wayside. How do you please tech-savvy younger guests without alienating and making the experience more difficult for some of the older clients? On a brighter and less scary side, some of these technologies address the management concerns, such as mini-bar software that alerts the staff when the bar needs to be re-filled and saves the maintenance time, allows the guest keyless access to their rooms, texting concierges, streaming to TV technologies, robot- deliveries to guestrooms, smart lighting and temperature that can be controlled by the guests from their phones remotely. All these improve guest’s experience of the property. When it comes to the guestroom, good design needs to allow for the future changes and possible integration of new technologies. “Green” technology sometimes is perceived as costly, not glamorous and a hassle, while, if implemented correctly, it saves money and often pays for itself in a short period of time. Luckily, often it is an integral part of local codes in many municipalities and becomes a requirement versus an upgrade. With the current innovations in development of the materials, lots of recycled fabrics and hard