Hotel design involves the planning, drafting,

design A design is the concept or proposal for an object, process, or system. The word ''design'' refers to something that is or has been intentionally created by a thinking agent, and is sometimes used to refer to the inherent nature of something ...

and development of

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

s. The concept of hotel design is rooted in traditions of

hospitality Hospitality is the relationship of a host towards a guest, wherein the host receives the guest with some amount of goodwill and welcome. This includes the reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers. Louis de Jaucourt, Louis, ...

to travellers dating back to ancient times, and the development of many diverse types of hotels has occurred in many cultures. For example, the advent of rail travel in the early 1900s led to the planning, design and development of hotels near railroad stations that catered to rail travelers. Hotels around Grand Central Terminal in New York City are an example of this phenomenon. Hotel

interior design Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. With a keen eye for detail and a Creativity, creative flair, an ...

and styles are very diverse, with numerous variations existent.

Types of hotels

Numerous types of hotel designs exist in the world. Examples of hotel designs include guest palaces across

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

, English country inns, hotel-casino resorts, designer and art hotels, hotel-spa resorts,

boutique hotel Boutique hotels are small-capacity Hotel, hotels that provide more personalized service than typical hotels. They typically have fewer than a hundred rooms, and are considered more "trendy" and "intimate", often due to their location in urban ar ...

s, "no-frills" hotels that offer very basic amenities at budget rates, basic rooming houses, monasteries offering refuge and spare bedrooms rented out in ordinary homes. Another type is capsule hotels, which are offered in Japan as an option for those who just need the basic necessities during their stay. Historically, the development of

lodging Lodging refers to the use of a short-term dwelling, usually by renting the living space or sometimes through some other arrangement. People who travel and stay away from home for more than a day need lodging for sleep, rest, food, safety, shel ...

areas and facilities was sometimes driven by their physical locations, such as at river crossings, at major trading posts or in locations lending themselves to defense, such as forts or

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

s. Property location continues to be a key consideration in hotel design in contemporary times. Many hotels throughout the United States cater to either tourists or residents. Visitors of the hotel have the options ranging from renting a room for one night or renting a suite for a month. Though residential hotels are not as popular today as they were in the past, they still provide a significant number of America's homes.

Professional design

Contemporary hotel design can be sophisticated and functional, involving specialist

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

s and designers, environmental and structural

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

s, interior designers and skilled contractors and suppliers, particularly for large, intricate projects. Hotel design can involve the refurbishment of an existing building already used for lodging, the conversion of a building previously used for another purpose or the

construction Construction are processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design that continues until the a ...

of new buildings. USA base
Newport Design Group
is considered among the Top Design Firms specializing in branded hotels for many of the top franchises. Other firms include ReardonSmith Architects, HOK, Gensler and WATG. Hotel design involves planning regarding the estimated client needs for the facility along with the designers' vision. Hotel buildings may have several various functions, including

restaurant A restaurant is an establishment that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and Delivery (commerce), food delivery services. Restaurants ...

s, outdoor facilities and swimming pools, fitness centers and spas. Contemporary hotel design involves effectively integrating these various aspects of hotel operations within a location to minimize interference with one another. For example, hotel design includes considerations to avoid guests being inundated with excessive noise and the movement of people. Hotels are usually designed from the inside-out to ensure the practical functionality and relationship of its parts.

Cultural influences

Hotel designers bring to their work their own cultural

mores Mores (, sometimes ; , plural form of singular , meaning "manner, custom, usage, or habit") are social norms that are widely observed within a particular society or culture. Mores determine what is considered morally acceptable or unacceptable ...

and need to understand the culture in which the hotel will operate if working outside their native environment. Due to travel becoming international in scope, links with local traditions in many hotel designs have been weakened, and ‘International’ has become a style in its own right. Some hotels base their operations with a theme of vernacular local traditional styles, while others have modernist stylistic designs. Hotel design ranges from basic variables, such as the appropriate height for bed head light switches to the more specialized, such as the right layout for a kitchen or the sightlines from reception areas to enable control and protection of entry to rooms. The pace of change in hotel design has, as in most areas of modern life, increased with the development of innovative technology. Despite cultural variations, hotels commonly function to provide a welcome environment that supports the comfort of its guests for work, rest and relaxation.

Maintenance

Hotels are permanently undergoing maintenance or renovation work (roofing, furniture, electricity, entertainment options, new ecological standards), so a constant reorganization plan must be prepared.

Notes

References