Hotel Design Trends

New hotel trends you’ll see popping up include:

Multipurpose Lobbies- Reaching out to the younger generation. Hotels are redesigning their lobbies to have their guests come for cocktails, coffee, or just a place to check their emails and hangout with the family.  I recently noticed this with my trip to Charlotte NC. The Marriott Hotel in South park had many lounge areas sectioned off for guests to choose from.  Along with scented candles and various pitchers of fruit infused water.  It was such a welcoming environment that guests were taking advantage of daily.

Source

No More Tubs- Many hotels, like Marriott are doing away with bathtubs, and opting for showers instead.  Marriott is “advising our newly built hotels to put showers in 75% of their rooms.”* New technologies in grout allow them to be easier to clean than in the past and color tile options add a new element of creative design for the bathrooms.

Pump Dispensers- Hotels are also beginning to get rid of those cute little bottles of shampoo and conditioner, and installing soap dispensers instead. While including soap dispensers would be easier for those with limited hand mobility, I would imagine that many people- myself included- will miss those tiny bottles that travel so well.

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Electronic Check In- Similar to the kiosks you see at airports, hotels are adding electronic check in spots for guests. Some of Starwood’s Aloft hotels are offering “Smart Check In” that will text a guest on the day of their stay with information on getting into their room- bypassing the line at the check in counter.** 

Energy Efficient- Looking for ways to save on their energy costs, hotels are adding technology that requires guests to use their hotel keys to keep the lights on.  I experienced this at the Platinum Hotel in Las Vegas.  I had to place my room key next to the door to keep the lights going in the hotel room.  It was really not an inconvenience in anyway and saved me from unnecessarily leaving any lights on while I was out of the room.  Many hotels are also considering adding a motion light detector for the hallways to keep them from having to stay lit all day.

 Sources:

Construction Writers

Naples News

What hotel changes would you like to see?  Which ones will you miss?

How Green is Green?

Are you thinking about “Going Green” for the New Year? Like any New Year’s Resolution, it is hard to keep if you plan to do it all at once.

Where do you begin? If you are one of the thousands of home owners in the US planning a bathroom remodel in 2010 you have found a great place to start.

Begin by asking yourself a few questions. Do materials ultimately determine what shade of green a bath will be or does the water usage in the bathroom once it is in use by the home owner determine how green the space is? I believe that the answer is a personal one. Green is in the eye of the beholder.

Here are some ways that a bathroom can be green:

• Conservation of water usage - by using a Low Flow Shower Heads you save up to 30% on your water usage without sacrificing a great shower

• Energy efficient lights and heating can save dollars and minimize your impact on the grid.

• Recycled glass tiles make a beautiful design statement and are a great re-use of materials.

• Materials from local sources minimizes your carbon footprint. If you are lucky enough to live in an area with a Cabinetry Company you can use regionally grown woods by local trades people.

• Universal Design of the space. Click Here to read more on how Universal Design is Green.

• Re-use of “grey water” from the bathroom to the garden.

• On-demand water heaters have been in use worldwide for years. They are a great way to save space, save water and energy.

• Anti-Microbial coatings in areas where water can deposit is a effective way of preventing the spread of germs in the bathroom.

The discussion of green often promotes more questions than answers, but it offers the bath designer and the homeowner an incredible opportunity to explore options and come up with an amazing end result. New products are introduced daily giving us more design opportunities and tools to be greener than ever before.

Happy New Year!

Hana Hammer