Getting visitors to choose your hotel over another in the city is all about offering a unique point of difference, but shouting louder than the hotel giants and small boutiques can be tough. You want your hotel to be attractive to guests but not at the cost of your brand identity. But how can you do this?

Let me introduce you to residential interior design trends.

This wasn’t always the case. If we look back at the industry 30-40 years ago, the hotel’s job was to provide the basics with luxury on top. As the global travel market exploded in recent years, driven by the increasing affordability of air travel, providing somewhere to rest your head was no longer enough.

As with most businesses, hoteliers quickly established that they had to provide a competitive edge to visitors, offering an experience unlike any other. One way to do that is to make guests feel more at home when they’re visiting a new place.

What are the key elements of home comforts being integrated into hotel designs?

Home is the kind of vague concept that could mean any number of things depending on who you ask.

From a visual perspective, hoteliers who want to incorporate key elements of the home in their hotel designs work to find a balance between furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FF&E) that meets industry standards on criteria such as durability and fire safety while also adding to that home away from home feel.

Details like furniture, mattress quality, and in-room tea and coffee making facilities can all add to this effect.

How have guest preferences for homely comforts shaped recent hotel design trends?

The way people are travelling has changed since the pandemic with guests increasingly searching for hotels that offer some familiar comforts. Long gone are the days where guests are searching for a room to get their head down in after a long day, they’re now looking for a home away from home, where they can feel a sense of belonging.

Because of this shift, hoteliers have begun to re-look at the way their hotels are designed, offering multi-functional spaces that integrate workstations, lounge areas, and kitchen appliances within guest rooms. Cosy furniture, warm colour palettes, and a mixture of smart lighting has also made its way into the hotel industry to help guests further feel relaxed in their environment and transforming hotels into spaces that don’t just offer luxury, but also offer the familiarity of the home.

How do textiles and soft furnishings contribute to a homely atmosphere in hotels?

Historically, hotels would have a lot of different furnishings and textiles across the property that felt rigid. Now hotels are exploring ways they can make their guests feel comfortable. One way of doing this is by looking at the textiles and soft furnishings.

Softer designs and furnishings can help to create that home away from home feel for many guests. That means adding features like unexpected textures and colours to armchairs and sofas as well as mixing and matching textiles on the bed to create a warm and well-designed space.

What role does lighting play in creating a residential feel in hotels?

Lighting may be a subtle detail, but if it doesn’t function properly and fails to set the appropriate mood, guests may feel like they could have had a better experience elsewhere. To strike the balance between a home away from home and a luxury hotel experience, hoteliers should consider a variety of light sources to create a warm and inviting atmosphere.

Public spaces such as lobbies and restaurants should feature ambient, task, and accent lighting whereas rooms should include a mixture of overhead lighting, floor lamps, vanity lighting and dimming capabilities to give guests a variety of options.

What challenges do designers face when incorporating home-like elements into hotels?

Balancing residential trends with the aesthetic of the hotel – designers need to find the right balance between trend and professionalism of the hotel. Adding too many residential elements can result in the hotel looking informal, but adding too little can make it feel too sterile.
Safety and Compliance – any hotel should take their health and safety seriously and this may limit the number of safe options available to designers.
Durability and maintenance – hotels get more foot traffic than the home, so designers need to make sure they’re opting for materials and furniture that’s durable and easy to maintain.
Space constraints – adding in home elements such as lounge spaces, work areas and kitchenettes to a hotel room can be tough and designers need to think carefully about how to maximise the space without making the room feel overcrowded.
Budget constraints – furnishings that are high quality usually come with a high price tag and this can make it difficult to achieve the desired look.

How might the trend of home comforts in hotel design evolve in the future?

The future of hotel design will need to be as dynamic and adaptable as the people who use them and the trend of home comforts will continue to evolve, changing how guests use the space.

Modular and flexible spaces – as more guests demand flexibility, we’ll start to see designers and hoteliers adopt modular concepts. Hotel rooms with lounge areas will be designed to adapt to a variety of needs, such as converting it into an office or dining space. The addition of mobile walls and adaptable furniture will help this.
Hybrid living and workspaces – because the way we live and work has changed since the pandemic, we will start to see a rise of traditional hotels acting as hybrid apartments, living, and working spaces. This will offer business guests the flexibility they need and everything in between.
Enhanced personalisation – hotels will start to use data and AI to tailor guest experiences. In the future we could see rooms become ‘smarter’ enabling guests to give their preferences beforehand so that their rooms are set-up to their likes and dislikes before they arrive.

Final Thoughts

As the hotel industry evolves, so must its design aesthetic. By blurring the lines between home and hospitality, this can lead to enhanced customer satisfaction through creating inviting experiences that are like a second home.

As we look to the future, we will see more flexible, consumer-oriented designs that cater to the diverse needs of the modern traveller and as this trend progresses, hotels will start to create environments that combine the best parts of home with the best parts of a luxury hotel.

If you would like to learn more about how SP3 London can assist with your high-end design project, including design management and additional services, please contact us today.