Where To Find Your Design Inspiration

by Mary Scoviak, Contributing Editor -- HOTELS Magazine, 5/1/2007

What puts the "hot" in hotel? François Bertrand, project architect with London-based Jestico & Whiles (the design firm that delivered the "wow" factor for properties from One Aldwych and the Hempel to the Malmaisons in Birmingham and Oxford and Hiltons in Manchester and Canary Wharf) discusses what should be on the aesthetic wish lists of owners and operators who want to heat up the competition.

HOTELS: What are the new directions for hotel design?

François Bertrand, Jestico & Whiles

Bertrand: A modern hotel is not necessarily a "trendy" hotel. By being too trendy the hotel will date before opening. The design of a hotel is based on the brand, the location and the budget. A hotel resort on the Riviera won't have the same aspirations and design that a cosmopolitan hotel will have. The same is true for business, leisure and resort design. It would be very different for each sector. Each type of brand needs to be identified clearly, and each needs to have different approach if it wants to satisfy its guests. A Malmaison hotel, Hilton hotel or a Marriot hotel cannot be compared one to another. All of them will have a different brief and aspirations.

HOTELS: What's ahead for public spaces?

Bertrand: An open plan concept helps to monetize the public areas. The lobby is more open toward the bar area, with these two areas now merge into one to another. The reception is "hidden," or least it is not really emphasized. That creates a broader sense of welcome for guests and non-guests.

Bars should be able to appeal to both the guest and the non-guest, as should the restaurant. The concept of the restaurant should be distinct from the open plan bar/lobby. Restaurant space should be 'screened" in order to create atmospheric zoning which could be opened according to the flow of customers.

HOTELS: What's next for the guestrooms?

Bertrand: In general the design of the guest bedroom depends on the space and the size of the bedroom itself-and, of course, the brand and the budget. The classic design of a single desk and credenza unit has disappeared. In their place is one unit is created to provide extra space to work or simply to drop the key or to store personnel items. Plasma screens fixed onto walls now are becoming common, another factor that helps to free up valuable space. New technologies such the I-Pod, which has flooded the market, are replacing HI-FI units and becoming part of the design paradigm. Internet connections are now available in any room, so the desk has to provide all of the facilities to plug in and work on a laptop easily and comfortably.

HOTLES: Few areas have changed as much as guest bathrooms. What will give a hotel a competitive edge now?

Bertrand: The fully tiled walk-in shower become more successful is taking over. Bathtubs are reserved only for the four-fixture bathroom. Potentially, small waterproof TVs might be incorporated into bathrooms. In fact, this option has been already discussed few times. The design continues to moving toward the spa feel: relaxing, fresh. The space on the vanity unit is increasing, which gives the guest more space for the guest and imbues the bathroom with a more luxurious feel.

HOTELS: What will be the new inspirations?

Bertrand: Inspiration comes from the environment, the location of the hotel, from architectural details and features and from fashion. Obviously the brand and the client's brief are also very important and we need to twist our inspiration to comply. The constant launch of new materials also is part of our inspiration as are images, color and feel. We try to create a dynamic atmosphere. We look to develop a theme that can be used throughout the hotel in order to link all the spaces.

How a designer designs his or her home can be very important. 'Home' is the place where designer can experiment with design, ideas and new details. However, home design could be over design in a hotel. Still, there are ways to re-use some details. Home design generates a lot of ideas. Crazy or simple, it also generates the atmosphere of a room, which could be reinterpreted on large scale such as hotel. Hotels should be friendlier-less corporate with more of that 'home' feel. I think the boutique hotel design type will be the way forward as these types of hotels aspire to reflect the representative of any home.

HOTLES:What can guests expect to see next in terms of materials and colors?

Bertrand: We like to employ new and innovative materials and we try to promote them as much as we can with the clients. However, the price of the materials is a major factor and compromises often have to be made. Colors and finishes often are associated with and influenced by the brand. So, it is very difficult to associate any certain colors and/or finish with a pure definition of what makes a hotel modern.

The type of furniture is part of how you differentiate a modern hotel from a classic one. Absence of any complicated details, with simple, bold furniture and contemporary fabrics all say modern.

HOTELS: What makes for "good" design?

Bertrand: The best surprise for a design is having a client who will push the boundary of your design even further than you could imagine, who is aware of what or she desires for the design, and who will trust your vision.