VIRTUAL ROUNDTABLE: health & wellbeing in hospitality and hotel design
- louisedalrymple7
- Oct 10, 2020
- 4 min read
Updated: Jan 6, 2021
Editor of Hoteldesigns.net Hamish Kilburn discusses with Industry professionals the future of the Hotel wellness scene. I have pulled from the article some interesting questions and quotes...
HK: How will Covid-19 impact how hotels are designed?
"Mark Bruce: The truthful answer to that is that our clients are all trying to figure that out themselves, which is why this discussion is very timely. Six Senses arriving in London is a good example, with its core focus being wellness. What I will say, strictly architecturally, is that there is a wider emphasis on indoor/outdoor spaces, which I think makes sense to us. On the luxury end, customers want things to be the same but with more space. On the more lifestyle and budget end of the scale, travellers want confidence."
HK: Ivaylo, talk to us about SVART. How is this project challenging conventional methods of wellbeing and wellness?
Ivaylo Lefterv:
That’s a very wide question, I have to say. I’m addressing this situation having worked on both the design and operational side. From my perspective at least, we are trying too hard at the moment and, dare I say it, over reacting.First of all, we have no idea how things will evolve six months from now, so making any assumptions or drastic changes could be quite damaging. But equally, with SVART in particular, sustainability and wellness were already key pillars of that project. So, Covid-19 has somewhat brought attention to what we were already trying to achieve, which is a positive. The building itself, sheltering a new F&B concept, is part of the wellness journey. We have been discussing how we activate the building, and our conclusion is that we want the guest to be in control. We are talking about touchless without losing human interaction. That is an important balance. We are trying to allow the customer to be guided intuitively but also using technology as a tool to allow us to measure the condition of their stay and be able to adjust their experience accordingly. I do believe that lighting will become much more of a focus in the post-pandemic world.
"In the last six months, I have been talking with a lot with investors. My conclusion is that the last decade has already seen a shift in what brands wanted to provide. 10 years ago they were designing for their brands. Now they are designing for the people checking in to the hotel. I believe that the pandemic will just amplify this. People are more aware when it comes to wellness and wellbeing. We now need to avoid designing hotels that look like hospitals. It’s the balance the find when applying tech and keeping service fresh. We need to understand how to make our staff feel confident and comfortable to use the space. We need to make short-term solutions, and I hope that social distancing will not be a long-term hurdle. In 15 years from now, who will be the guest? That’s what we now need to think about." Veronica Givone, Managing Director at IA Interior Architects
"I can see the industry moving forward towards the guest designing their experience before check in. That will allow the actual hotel stay – take the arrival experience for example – to be more like a performance, a theatre if you like. The guestroom itself would become your butler to make it more personal without removing the human factor. Your reception becomes your living room, as opposed to being purely a practical and frankly unenjoyable element." Ivaylo Lefterov, Hotel Development Director, Miris
HK: Can sound offer solutions in the post-pandemic world?
Mark Bruce:"I was really pleased that this came up as a topic. I have never really spoken about sound in a roundtable discussion, but it’s important to consider. Like many of the sub topics we have explored in this session, we were analysing sound in hospitality before Covid-19 was a thing. The pandemic has allowed us to refocus on new ways to create atmosphere, and one of the most impactful ways to subconsciously evoke a mood in pursuit of wellness is to consider sound.A great example is Six Senses, and it is an absolute joy working with the brand. They talk about anti spaces, the moments in between moments. I believe that the spaces in between create the emotion and memories. We have been helping Six Senses to transfer their look and feel and their renowned focus on wellness into an urban environment, and sound has been a massive part of that. The minute you walk in, sound from the outside is muted – the perception of the city gets left behind and the focus turned to the naturally aerated lobby. As you move further towards the spa, the way sound is treated is going to be a very exciting part of the project. To see a leading brand like Six Senses embrace sound to elevate the experience is very exciting! I think it will add a lot of value to hospitality in the future."
“Gen Z want to be in control – they like choices.” – Chris Lee, Director of Architecture, Design & Construction, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.
The Industry professionals included in the discussion are:
Veronica Givone, Managing Director at IA Interior Architects
Mark Bruce, Director at EPR Architects
Chris Lee, Director of Architecture, Design & Construction at Wyndham Hotels and Resorts.
Ivaylo Lefterov, Hotel Development Director, Miris
Kobi Karp, Founding Principal of Kobi Karp Architecture and Design
Tom Bishop, Director of Project Management at Bruce Shaw
Dan Curtis, Senior Projects Surveyor at Core Five LLP
Matthew Voaden, HDR|Hurley Palmer Flatt
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