April is the month we all start to become impatient for summer, so for this week’s blog we’re looking at hotel design and what makes a home from home aesthetic. Hotel Design has changed in recent years – with the reasons for travel and need for accommodation changing – but also how we work. More of us are working flexibly and remotely, so when we’re on the move – we need somewhere that we can rest our heads but also use as office space, meeting space and place to eat, drink, exercise and unwind.

A successful hotel concept is so much more than design and physical layout. The overall ambiance and mood of the hotel is set by the aesthetics combined with the service provided and experience gained from staying as a guest or visitor.

Unique experiences are in high demand – with the likes of AirBnB, serviced apartments and boutique hotels becoming accommodation of choice for many over large chain hotels. So what does this say about what guests are after? – individuality and a home from home.

The hotel needs to tell a story – a reason for being and assets and attributes to back it up. These qualities can in turn define the aesthetic and visual brand identity but also direct the quality of the service and even the food and drink available. It’s good to have a theme as a starting point, to steer the intention of the hotel – catering to the target clientele.

Hotels have had to respond to the attention drawn to wellbeing and mental-health in recent years and so hotels have had to cater to this. We’re seeing more spa and gym spaces but also rooms with natural light, luxurious toiletries, biophilia in form of artwork but also houseplants and some hotels even provide yoga mats and in-house work out videos!

The most important rule is to remember that the hotel design is not for everyone – the most successful schemes have narrowed down their specific guests and worked out what age they are, what they do, what they earn and what they like – and created a space in turn, to provide the perfect home from home.

We’ve created a gallery of modern hotel and accommodation schemes that we think showcase how individuality really does pack a punch when it comes to successful design schemes!