Bed, Bath and Beyond

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Where is guest room design headed today and tomorrow?

t was a bed that changed all the rules.
At first, Westin’s Heavenly Bed seemed counter-intuitive: an all-white bed in a hospitality environment. But it turned out that hotel guests like the clean, crisp look — a look inspired by residential design. What they also liked was knowing that the same bed — complete with the same number of pillows and the exact same linens — would always be waiting for them when they opened their hotel room door, no matter which Westin location they visited around the world.
“It really changed the industry forever,” says Erin Hoover, vice-president of Design for Starwood’s Westin and Sheraton brands. “And it began that trend of really looking at residential design for inspiration.”
Last year, Starwood celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Westin Heavenly Bed; today, the mattresses can still be found in Westin rooms across the globe, although other hotels are doing their own R&D to bring innovative new features into their rooms. The result: designs that are keeping up with the trends, while creating some buzz of their own. The residential look still rules, it’s true, but whether it’s through functionality or new technology, hoteliers are finding new ways to make their guest rooms stand out.
But make no mistake, at the heart of any hotel room is the bed. “At the end of the day, we sell a good night’s sleep,” says Randy Zupanski, general manager of the new Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel in Vancouver. “If you’re going to do anything right, it better be the bed.” At Zupanski’s new hotel — which opened in February, just in time for the Winter Olympics — it’s all about the Stearns and Foster bed, a brand by Sealy. That’s not all that sets its rooms apart, he says. A room may start with the bed, and it may be the most important item according to most guests who visit, but one can’t stop there. Today’s discerning traveller wants a whole lot more.
Technology, for example, is absolutely crucial to room design in the modern, connected world. At The Fairmont Pacific Rim, high-definition TVs are in every room, with about 20 HD channels to choose from. Rooms are also kitted out with new technology to make them a lot more energy efficient, something an increasing number of guests are looking for. “We have a system called INNCOM, which, among other things, controls light in the rooms,” Zupanski says. “When you leave the room the lights shut off automatically. When you arrive back the lights go on. It is the same with temperature control; when you leave the room it goes to a preset temperature.”
Technology might just be this decade’s answer to the Heavenly Bed: the differentiator that can set one hotel’s rooms apart from the competition. “I think that we’re really just scratching the surface,” says Dawn Koenig, vice-president of Brand Performance and Support for Hilton’s Home2 Suites and Homewood Suites extended-stay brands. “I think our customers will continue to push us to really look at technology and the innovation there.”
Some examples of what guests might see in the future? Maybe they’ll be opening their suite door using a cellphone or perhaps they will be changing their own wall art digitally. “People are already looking at these types of features; they want to be ready for whenever it becomes popular,” Koenig says. “But the important thing is you also have to be very cognizant of cost…owners have to think about how much revenue it’s going to bring in.”
Besides the bed and technological gadgetry in a hotel room, hoteliers still have plenty to consider when it comes to room design. And, while it may not sound as sexy as some of the high-tech components, functionality is still one of the top concerns for most guests. After all, business travellers need to use their rooms, not only for sleeping, but as an away-from-home office as well. Even today’s leisure travellers often bring laptops with them and they want to be able to multi-task.
When Staybridge Suites — IHG’s upper-tier extended-stay hotel brand — wanted to create leading-edge designs of the future, it went to the designers of the future, partnering with the Georgia-based Savannah College of Art and Design’s (SCAD) interior design graduate program to reconfigure its rooms. The students found that functionality, and guests’ ability to personalize a space, was paramount.
“[They looked at] how guests are really utilizing the space,” says Robert Radomski, Staybridge’s vice-president of Global Brand Management. “So they talked to a number of guests about their visits to our hotels and made a lot of observations as far as what they needed. And part of what they needed was more storage and more versatility in how they use the space.”
To make guests more comfortable, Staybridge added several elements to its room design, including a hutch integrated into the desk to add more storage for their work papers and supplies. There’s customizable shelving in the closets and they’ve introduced frosted-glass cabinet doors in the kitchen area to help give guests an idea of what’s inside — glasses or a toaster, for instance — so they don’t have to open every single cabinet to find what they’re looking for.
Functional spaces aren’t just important in extended-stay hotels — they can make a difference in any property. Skyline Hotels and Resorts provides guests with amenities like in-room washers and dryers, individual air purifiers and kitchenettes at its Toronto-based Pantages Hotel and The Cosmopolitan Hotel. “Just to make the business travel experience a bit less arduous,” says Kevin Toth, Skyline’s new COO.
Toth believes travellers still want a guest room that has a residential feel. While a contemporary, clutter-free design is important, they expect rooms to have warmth and personality. Michael Kaye, Skyline’s design and procurement manager, is currently working on new room designs for the Pantages and he sees trends that are running parallel with those in the residential sector. Wallpaper is coming back, he says, with bold colours or patterns used for accent walls. Hardwood flooring has been increasingly popular in recent years, but high-quality carpet is making a comeback, too. “Carpets have gone through a lot of changes in the way they’re manufactured, so they’re a lot easier to clean and maintain,” Kaye notes.
Sheer curtains with blackout screens behind, as well as frosted-glass walls separating bathroom from bedroom are other hot design elements, says Kaye. In the Pantages, he’s even looking into using Caesarstone or marble countertops in the bedrooms; it’s more costly, but it’s also more durable. “It maintains the integrity of the furniture,” he says.
Finally, another room feature travellers could be seeing more of in the future is something they can’t see at all — a custom scent. It’s something Koenig, for one, is looking into at Hilton’s extended-stay brands, although she’s doing so with caution. “Scent can be very important to people, but it can also be polarizing,” she says. “If it’s a scent that a guest doesn’t like, it could leave a bad impression.”
As for the brand that started the bed war? Westin has moved beyond the bedroom, introducing the Heavenly Shower in 2001 and it is in the process of introducing dining tables to its new rooms, offering guests the ultimate in residential amenities — a proper place to eat. But if you ask Hoover, nothing in the industry has come along since the Heavenly Bed was introduced that’s affected room design trends to the same degree.
“Certainly people have explored other areas,” she says. “But I can’t think of another element that’s gone into a guest room that’s had the same kind of impact.”u
It was a bed that changed all the rules. At first, Westin’s Heavenly Bed seemed counter-intuitive: an all-white bed in a hospitality environment. But it turned out that hotel guests like the clean, crisp look — a look inspired by residential design. What they also liked was knowing that the same bed — complete with the same number of pillows and the exact same linens — would always be waiting for them when they opened their hotel room door, no matter which Westin location they visited around the world.
“It really changed the industry forever,” says Erin Hoover, vice-president of Design for Starwood’s Westin and Sheraton brands. “And it began that trend of really looking at residential design for inspiration.”
Last year, Starwood celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Westin Heavenly Bed; today, the mattresses can still be found in Westin rooms across the globe, although other hotels are doing their own R&D to bring innovative new features into their rooms. The result: designs that are keeping up with the trends, while creating some buzz of their own. The residential look still rules, it’s true, but whether it’s through functionality or new technology, hoteliers are finding new ways to make their guest rooms stand out.
But make no mistake, at the heart of any hotel room is the bed. “At the end of the day, we sell a good night’s sleep,” says Randy Zupanski, general manager of the new Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel in Vancouver. “If you’re going to do anything right, it better be the bed.” At Zupanski’s new hotel — which opened in February, just in time for the Winter Olympics — it’s all about the Stearns and Foster bed, a brand by Sealy. That’s not all that sets its rooms apart, he says. A room may start with the bed, and it may be the most important item according to most guests who visit, but one can’t stop there. Today’s discerning traveller wants a whole lot more.
Technology, for example, is absolutely crucial to room design in the modern, connected world. At The Fairmont Pacific Rim, high-definition TVs are in every room, with about 20 HD channels to choose from. Rooms are also kitted out with new technology to make them a lot more energy efficient, something an increasing number of guests are looking for. “We have a system called INNCOM, which, among other things, controls light in the rooms,” Zupanski says. “When you leave the room the lights shut off automatically. When you arrive back the lights go on. It is the same with temperature control; when you leave the room it goes to a preset temperature.”
Technology might just be this decade’s answer to the Heavenly Bed: the differentiator that can set one hotel’s rooms apart from the competition. “I think that we’re really just scratching the surface,” says Dawn Koenig, vice-president of Brand Performance and Support for Hilton’s Home2 Suites and Homewood Suites extended-stay brands. “I think our customers will continue to push us to really look at technology and the innovation there.”
Some examples of what guests might see in the future? Maybe they’ll be opening their suite door using a cellphone or perhaps they will be changing their own wall art digitally. “People are already looking at these types of features; they want to be ready for whenever it becomes popular,” Koenig says. “But the important thing is you also have to be very cognizant of cost…owners have to think about how much revenue it’s going to bring in.”
Besides the bed and technological gadgetry in a hotel room, hoteliers still have plenty to consider when it comes to room design. And, while it may not sound as sexy as some of the high-tech components, functionality is still one of the top concerns for most guests. After all, business travellers need to use their rooms, not only for sleeping, but as an away-from-home office as well. Even today’s leisure travellers often bring laptops with them and they want to be able to multi-task.
When Staybridge Suites — IHG’s upper-tier extended-stay hotel brand — wanted to create leading-edge designs of the future, it went to the designers of the future, partnering with the Georgia-based Savannah College of Art and Design’s (SCAD) interior design graduate program to reconfigure its rooms. The students found that functionality, and guests’ ability to personalize a space, was paramount.
“[They looked at] how guests are really utilizing the space,” says Robert Radomski, Staybridge’s vice-president of Global Brand Management. “So they talked to a number of guests about their visits to our hotels and made a lot of observations as far as what they needed. And part of what they needed was more storage and more versatility in how they use the space.”
To make guests more comfortable, Staybridge added several elements to its room design, including a hutch integrated into the desk to add more storage for their work papers and supplies. There’s customizable shelving in the closets and they’ve introduced frosted-glass cabinet doors in the kitchen area to help give guests an idea of what’s inside — glasses or a toaster, for instance — so they don’t have to open every single cabinet to find what they’re looking for.
Functional spaces aren’t just important in extended-stay hotels — they can make a difference in any property. Skyline Hotels and Resorts provides guests with amenities like in-room washers and dryers, individual air purifiers and kitchenettes at its Toronto-based Pantages Hotel and The Cosmopolitan Hotel. “Just to make the business travel experience a bit less arduous,” says Kevin Toth, Skyline’s new COO.
Toth believes travellers still want a guest room that has a residential feel. While a contemporary, clutter-free design is important, they expect rooms to have warmth and personality. Michael Kaye, Skyline’s design and procurement manager, is currently working on new room designs for the Pantages and he sees trends that are running parallel with those in the residential sector. Wallpaper is coming back, he says, with bold colours or patterns used for accent walls. Hardwood flooring has been increasingly popular in recent years, but high-quality carpet is making a comeback, too. “Carpets have gone through a lot of changes in the way they’re manufactured, so they’re a lot easier to clean and maintain,” Kaye notes.
Sheer curtains with blackout screens behind, as well as frosted-glass walls separating bathroom from bedroom are other hot design elements, says Kaye. In the Pantages, he’s even looking into using Caesarstone or marble countertops in the bedrooms; it’s more costly, but it’s also more durable. “It maintains the integrity of the furniture,” he says.
Finally, another room feature travellers could be seeing more of in the future is something they can’t see at all — a custom scent. It’s something Koenig, for one, is looking into at Hilton’s extended-stay brands, although she’s doing so with caution. “Scent can be very important to people, but it can also be polarizing,” she says. “If it’s a scent that a guest doesn’t like, it could leave a bad impression.”
As for the brand that started the bed war? Westin has moved beyond the bedroom, introducing the Heavenly Shower in 2001 and it is in the process of introducing dining tables to its new rooms, offering guests the ultimate in residential amenities — a proper place to eat. But if you ask Hoover, nothing in the industry has come along since the Heavenly Bed was introduced that’s affected room design trends to the same degree.
“Certainly people have explored other areas,” she says. “But I can’t think of another element that’s gone into a guest room that’s had the same kind of impact.”

 

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