Sensual & Green Future: Q&A with Yasmine Mahmoudieh
by Mary Scoviak, Contributing Editor -- HOTELS Magazine, 9/1/2007
 Yasmine Mahmoudieh Founder of Mahmoudieh Design and Mahmoudieh Concepts, Berlin and London |
Yasmine Mahmoudieh, architect, interior designer and founder and principle of Mahmoudieh Design and Mahmoudieh Concepts, Berlin and London, predicts a sensual, green future for hotel design.
How did you get started in hotel design and how have things changed over the last two decades?
Mahmoudieh: After I was graduated from UCLA in 1985, I started my career as an architect. Hotel design was very traditional, not at all innovative. The chance to move into an industry that had had the same classic approach in order to change it intrigued me. But, also, I like to travel, to learn and speak different languages, to get to know more countries through my work. I saw that hotel interior design would do that.
When I started, design was a nice commodity, not a necessity. Now, it’s one of the main competitive features of hotels. Some of the biggest changes have come about because of technical advances and computers. We’re seeing a lot of design inspiration from the chemical industry, not just the traditional sources such as furniture manufacturers.
How much does fashion drive design?
Mahmoudieh: I designed shops before I designed hotels. Retailers taught me how to use design to build a brand identity. That was long before hoteliers were looking to do that.
The problem with following fashion is that it changes four times a year. Hotel design has to last 10 years or more; it’s judged over time. There is a danger in having a look that will become outdated too quickly. So, you have to anticipate what will happen. Most hotels take three to five years to build. When I talk to manufacturers, I don’t want to know what they’re selling today. I want to know what’s going to be at the end of the product chain three to four years from now.
How far should design push the envelope?
Mahmoudieh: No matter where I work or on what type of project, I consider what human beings would want from a hotel. Customers are more educated about design, and they are more selective. With low-fare airlines, they are traveling more. They have seen more. They have become more critical. That makes it more competitive for hotels.
Sometimes, you have to lead guests by the hand because they want to stay at their comfort level. But, if you show them what’s next and what’s interesting about it, you can get them excited about a different look. I like to blend elements of the local culture with something new in a way that satisfies the needs of human beings. That is formula for design that will last.
What is next?
Mahmoudieh: When I’m designing a room, I imagine I am the guest. What do I see? What do I smell? How does the fabric feel to my touch? If hoteliers want to give guests a great experience, they will have to address all five senses. That was the impetus behind my traveling Five+Sensotel hotels of the future exhibition. The future of design is about giving the customer more choices that reflect a sensory experience: For taste, a mini-bar with better health and nutritional choices; for hearing, not just airport music, but music selections that range from classical to jazz alongside a plug-and-play connection for their iPods; for smell, a menu of special scents or the choice of using none at all; for sight, a clear flow of space with dramatic lighting changes to enhance the mood; and, for touch, fabrics that are soft and nice. We’re starting to incorporate aspects of this into the hotels we’re working on now, including a Crowne Plaza in St. Petersburg and a ski resort. I come up with a scent machine that goes into production by the end of the year.
Overall, we will be seeing major changes in lighting that shifts the mood of the room and the hotel from day to evening. We’ll also see lighting being used as a design element in the guestrooms. We have a room designed so that a wall is illuminated with a red light that shines through to the bathroom. In the public spaces, we’ll be seeing more open space. At the turn of the 19th century, hotels were not just places to stay. They were accommodations for celebrities, writers and artists. Mass travel changed all that. Now, it’s going full circle and hotel lobbies are meeting places once again. After decades of low profits or no profits, hotel restaurants are becoming successful again as people seek to be more social. Guestrooms and especially guest bathrooms are getting bigger. It’s more about the human being with bathrooms more like hammams and unusual elements like a bathtub with a curved piece that supports your back. Suites will continue to look more like lofts.
There are so many new materials available such as a paint that literally can be scratched with a key and just have the mark wash off. Designers will be using more acrylics because there are eco-friendly versions available and because they offer so much scope. Acrylic can be patterned; it can have other materials sandwiched inside of it; and it can be any color you choose. We’ll also see new media impacting design. We’re using some images from video artists we found at the video art gallery, Sketch, in London to add another dimension to the hotel experience.
We’re always looking for new and different materials that set us apart from some of the big design companies. They never research. They just take what’s on the market and use it because it’s cheaper that way.”
What about customers who like hotels just as they are?
Mahmoudieh: Operators are thinking a lot about that, and at least some of them see that they can’t be everything to everyone. When I was working on the Radisson SAS Royal Hotel Copenhagen, Kurt Ritter (CEO, Rezidor Hotel Group) told me, ‘Design so that 80% of the people will love this hotel and the other 20% will hate it. I want a statement, a hotel that has personality.’ That’s smart marketing because it means you now who your customer is.
It’s changing the hotel model. I’m talking with some investors about a new lifestyle brand that will be closer than fashion to the hotel world from my point of view. I also just made a proposal for a lifestyle hotel chain that could be customizable by region—not just a chain of repeated, standardized units. In Turkey, we are developing a master plan for 850 hectares, including two hotels, luxury houses, apartments, large conference facilities, a small city center, marina, golf course and an academy for art and architecture. That could blend a hotel function with an option for art and architecture students who could stay and study all year. I’m often too early with ideas. In 1992, I proposed that one of the leading European-based coffee products companies create a coffee house chain in Europe. We explored that, but they didn’t see the market. Their view was that the United States needed coffee houses because much of the coffee served there was so bad. It’s hard to convince investors to take a risk. What they don’t see is that is a calculated risk and to be really successful you need that.”
Is change easier on a big budget?
Mahmoudieh: “I won’t accept a job that doesn’t have a realistic budget. So, I decline more jobs than I accept. But, that said, design has nothing to do with luxury. A 3-star hotel can have inventive design. Not everything has to be expensive. You need to concentrate on a few important things that have impact.”
How hard is it to do ‘green’ design?
Mahmoudieh: With budgets and what’s on the market, it’s hard to do a 100% green design. But we can integrate green elements as we find new materials. We’re working with acrylics made from leaves. We’re also looking at a new product made from potato starch in Japan which can be used for screens because of its durability.
There’s also the cost factor. Green materials can be more expensive on the front end, but they are more cost effective over the long term. Owners need to consider how the choice of materials and lighting will impact the environment and/or their energy costs and factor that into the planning fees.
What are your pet peeves as a guest?
Mahmoudieh: Ninety percent of hotels have horrible lighting. I’d like to see more eco-friendly lighting. It’s more expensive to buy initially but saves money over time. I like the idea of customer-friendly lighting, but the number of colors should be limited which should be left up to the hotelier and the guest. You don’t want everyone winding up with green-lighted faces.
I hate technology that isn’t easy to operate. Too many times, I check into a hotel, I’m tired and get into a room with a 10-button control. I don’t want to have to guess which button opens the curtains or turns on the lights. I recently designed a touch screen with icons so that guests don’t have to guess.
Some hotels could be doing more to market themselves on the Internet. If I can see only two or three images of a hotel, I tend to think the hotel must be substandard or that’s something is wrong with it. Why would I spend money on a room I can’t see? If the design is good, why isn’t the hotel selling that?
Which operators are leading the way?
Mahmoudieh: A lot of small hotel operators worldwide. Amanresorts has strong architecture, great décor and great service. Also, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, with W, has shown that a big hotel chain can make design a major feature in its concept. The idea behind aloft is brilliant, but some of the execution has been a little disappointing. I am not sure they have been executed, but the design concept I have seen did not convince me completely.
You’re an inveterate traveler. Where would you like work to take you?
Mahmoudieh: I enjoy working in Turkey and Russia already and could imagine working in Japan, Caribbean, but also in the former eastern European countries also. I’d like to be able to bring the language of its cultures into hotel projects for this century. I’d like to ensure that we conserve the identity of each country. I like mixing rich local cultures with modern ingredients—analyzing that and finding the beauty in it.
What are some do’s and don’ts for good design?
Mahmoudieh: Get on the design track early in the process. Be genuine. Know why we’re doing what you’re doing. I ask all of my designers why they do things the way they do, what it has to do with the country and the client and what it has to do with the guest. As for don’ts, the biggest one is don’t copy.
What was your favorite project and which was the biggest challenge?
Mahmoudieh: There have been challenges with the Intercontinental Resorthotel Berchtesgaden (controversial because this 5-star luxury resort was built on the site of Adolf Hitler’s Eagles Nest). I understand people’s difficulty with this, but I see it as an effort to bury that history, to erase that past and to evolve toward the future.
My favorite is easily the Hotel Rheinsberg. It was the first 4-star hotel designed for people with disabilities. At the opening, a woman in a wheelchair came up to me with tears in her eyes and thanked me for opening up the same experiences ambulatory people have when traveling. It’s not often that hotel designers get to do something for humanity, something that makes people feel they have a better life in this direct sort of way.
How will hotel uniforms change to reflect the new design trends?
Mahmoudieh: The uniforms have to be more fashionable. I have designed the uniforms for some of my projects because it is important to have consistency with the design language of the hotel.
