Why Hotel Designers Predict Bright Times Ahead

The global hotel industry will in all likelihood rebound quite nicely once things return to some sense of normalcy, according to top architects who specialize in hotel design. Given the current situation, hotels around the world are facing challenges the likes of which they’ve never experienced. However, the design work seems to be remaining steady, especially with clients that have been planning and budgeting for renovations for years now. While some are phasing to preserve cash flow, it is evident that hotels are committed to being competitive when the industry ticks back up again. Four highly respected designers offer their opinions.

With regards to the hotel industry, how has the current environment affected the design sector?

Clay Markham, Vice President, Global Sector Leader Hospitality, CallisonRTKL:

The effect on the design sector has been mixed. Hotel projects that were in planning have been put on hold because no one has any answers. Developers, in most cases, own properties that are now closed and hotel fee developers simply will not be able to find the debt that they would need to move their projects forward. Many projects are moving forward which were previously funded with the developers understanding that this will pass by the time of their property openings. However, the current environment has the design sector thinking about what is next. How can we be problem solvers and find ways to come out of this, not thinking that this will be back to business as usual, but jump forward to new ways of approaching problems that will change the way we design and the way we solve these problems to the advantage of our clients?

Shay Lam, Managing Executive and Studio Creative Director, TPG Architecture:

Design will need to champion and accommodate new behaviors. Some effects will require more immediate action, and will focus on pragmatic things such as reduced density and stringent cleaning cycles. Leveraging technology for frictionless and touchless experiences such as payments and transactions, check-ins and outs, and simple things like touchless bathrooms, will become more prominent in the designs for the industry.

What are you hearing from your hotel clients concerning their capital plans for the future?

Darrell Long, Design Principal and Regional Managing Director, Wilson Associates:

The seasoned clients and developers are taking advantage of the downtime, particularly the ones that are already funded. Some clients have placed their projects on hold, but most of the current clients are proceeding forward. The one thing we didn’t expect is the number of developers that are moving forward on new projects. That number is shockingly large. Most convey to us that because of our ability to be agile and how we restructured before the lockdown, gave them the confidence to work with us. 

Tom Horwitz, , Executive Vice President, NELSON Worldwide:

Most hotel brands are laser focused on proactive, short-term solutions right now. They are staying close to home and focusing on things like staff retention and wellbeing, in addition to keeping guests safe. We will likely see many hotel brands extend their timelines for capital improvements. Brands that were aiming for upgrades, renovations, and improvements in 2020 will most likely extend that timeline into 2021 and beyond.

Given what is likely to become some new travel standards, how will this play into future hotel design concepts?

Lam: Rather than drastic changes, the future hotel design might have subtle but impactful differences. Through integrating touchless or voice technology, hotels can provide a hands-free experience from the main entrance all the way to the guest room. The analog check-in (check-out) and physical keys cards will disappear. Hotels might integrate UV lighting to sterilized high traffic guest areas like the entry or the elevators. Also, implementing upgraded mechanical systems will achieve higher intake cycles. There might be changes to the sizes of the lobby and the guestroom, public versus private, with a greater focus on the private. Food and beverage will be impacted – the beloved buffet bar will disappear for packaged solutions. Stringent, visible cleaning will be the norm. Putting new maintenance protocols in place to alleviate guest anxieties about health and security will help to bring peace of mind for concerned guests.

Long: I remember years ago when everyone was up in arms about Millennials and designing to them. The idea of re-defining an industry because of one generation was absurd and reckless. It took a while, but the industry brutally discovered that designing to one small fraction of a clickbait society is a wrong business model. This is where we are now. Months down the road (hopefully), and depending on your geographic location, life will return to its usual normalcies and we will continue to forward ideas and solutions for the betterment of the project, not a purported impending type of societal guess. I do not subscribe to the notion that there will be a new normal. Respectfully, as humans, it’s in our nature to rebound. 

What are your predictions for the hotel industry as a whole?

Markham: The hospitality industry as a whole has proven to be resilient. However, with demand having softened a bit, I think that there will be a paring back of superfluous brands and properties that don’t match the new market that will emerge. The new market may look more like a preference for smaller lifestyle hotels which are more focused on individual experiences and needs. As well, there will certainly now be a solid and more concerted focus on wellness within the hotel design and the level and quality of service. That is certain.

Horwitz: The reality is many brands may struggle in the short term, but there’s a significant opportunity for hotel brands to reinvent what a trusted overnight stay looks like. While Airbnb has threatened the hotel industry over the last few years, the post-pandemic culture will not be kind to the sharing economy. Safety, health and informative communication will guide consumer decisions allowing those hotels who strategically respond and invest in their properties to provide a level of regulation, credibility and reassurance around cleanliness that shared platforms like Airbnb or VBRO cannot.

The conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.