It's an unrealistic expectation to design the perfect hotel room. After all, different people have different tastes. Some look for luxurious royal rooms, some look for functionality and comfort, and for some people, traveling on a budget is all that matters! So you see, it's unrealistic to design hotel rooms appealing to everyone. Nevertheless, functionality and comfort are two things that ~almost~ all hotel rooms have in common. Anyhow it's up to you what type of travelers you're mainly targeting, so you know what exactly it is that you are investing in.
A thing to bear in mind is, you can always achieve comfort and functionality with simple plain mattresses and really basic props that we'll get to later. However, before that, we also want to touch on the fact that, as a hotelier, you want to design hotel rooms in a way that your guests experience something different. The unique guest experience is what you're going for when it comes to design, because that, ultimately becomes the meaning and the soul of your hotel. Answer this question: would you rather stay at a hotel with plain beds and simple furniture that is just enough for a good night's sleep, or stay at a hotel with a unique story to tell you? This concept was first introduced to the hospitality industry by Ian Schrager in the late 70s, Schrager is the owner of STUDIO54 in New York.
Long story short, if your answer to the question above was "I'd rather stay at a hotel with a tangible and unique story." then we've got you covered with some basic tips on how to design hotel rooms:
Lighting is both a decorative asset and an essential feature of every room. Why? Because you can set the mood and the personality of the room with proper lighting, or you can use colorful, creative lightings to decorate your room as well as illuminate it. Lighting also has to be customizable for the traveler for maximum functionality and comfort. The light switches must be accessible and ideally close to the bed. Multiway switches are great to invest in as it's pretty annoying to search for buttons left and right.
Also, take control of the lighting. Arrange your furniture in a way that the lighting and the furnishings make sense. For example, don't put the bed where there's too much lighting, or try to light up the areas where it's needed. Play around with your stuff if you need to, but get it right!
Whether the design is elegant and luxurious or youthful and jubilant, bathrooms are a significant part of your property. When it comes to hotel room designs, it's mandatory to remember that bathrooms are not the most spacious parts of your rooms, but they can be tricky to put together. You'll need to arrange a dry place for washcloths and bathroom goodies. There needs to be good utility in the bathrooms as well, from hooks to electricity sockets.
Additionally, when it comes to bathrooms, bear in mind that good-smelling toiletries are significant elements! It's such a simple thing but very pleasant nevertheless. Who doesn't like the smell of lavender after all?
Simple things go a long way when it comes to utility in hotel rooms design. A rule of thumb you'll always bear in mind is - never sacrifice functionality for beautifications - though it's a big positive to appear pleasant to travelers' eyes, you want them to be comfortable more than you want your décor to be an eye-candy.
Always go for cute little things that help out with the guest experience. Towel hooks, extra sockets, built-in USB chargers, luggage racks, and you get the point. There are plenty of tiny things that help a lot with the guest experience and guest engagement that do not necessarily cost a lot! Sweet deal.
One other thing you can do is to utilize the room space to provide good services. Set up separate clean rooms inside each room for housekeeping, or tinker around with ideas. The less you take time to deliver in-room services, the better. Not all the fun utility is for the traveler!
As mentioned before, maintaining a persona and a unique identity for your hotel is a big win. It often costs close to nothing but is valuable in lots of ways! When you're creating your hotel brand identity, one thing to consider is to make sure your interior hotel room design looks right when juxtaposed with the exterior environment. For example, if you're in a mountainous area, represent your locale in your interior design.
Though it might be "cringe-y" or "boring" to some, it's okay to opt-in for a more stereotypical aesthetic in your design. This will force people who like your design style to say "yes" to a night's stay at your property and create more opportunities for guests to engage in activities. One rock and one.. two... three birds!
Common areas are places that your guests meet each other. These public hubs represent the culture of your hospitality brand, which makes it a worthy element for your investments. Set aside the fact that the face of your property is the front desk and front door. The first indoorsy area a traveler sees when entering your property is the common area. Therefore, just like each room representing your property's unique identity and culture, the common areas need to represent you as well. This is especially very important if you're encouraging your guests to participate in your activities and campaigns.
Also nowadays that hygiene is such an essential element, it's not a positive point for you to have a clean common area. It's a must! Which makes the competition relatively harder in decorating and utilizing common areas. Anyhow, we encourage you to get creative and create a unique identity for your property that is never seen before! Research if you must but make it happen at any cost.
In summary, if there's one thing we want you to take away from the entirety of the article, it's the "create an identity" part. We've been involved in the hospitality industry for a long time, and we've also heard experts say it times and times again. An eye-catching hospitality property is a unique one. So we encourage you - if it's not too late for you - to even consider the uniqueness of your brand when choosing a name, let aside the hotel room design!