Joanne Allison discusses creating the “Instagram moments” which generate free advertising and striking a balance between functional service design and the all important guest experience to ensure reality exceeds expectation.

The look and feel of a place upon arrival can leave a lasting impression on all visitors and this is especially true for hotels. For potential guests, this initial impression is actually formed long before they set foot on the property. During the booking process, guests often rely on images alone, and not just the promotional images. I know that I have flicked through a slideshow of guest photos when looking to book a hotel. Often, I’m looking to see how the expectation lived up to reality for those who visited before me. Therein lies the key, expectation versus reality. 

Setting expectations and delivering upon these is central to all architecture projects. For hotels this is particularly important as it is carried not only to completion but into successful operation. Quality, therefore, is paramount throughout the design process. By setting the standards early in the project and managing these throughout, we as architects aim to deliver a finished building which meets the exceptional quality expected not only by the modern hotel guest but by the owner and operator. Good architecture and brand standards must be conceived at the start and carried through to completion, with the whole project team sharing the same vision for the outcome. Holding a central position in the project team and ideally appointed at the earliest opportunity, architects are best placed to manage quality in a project.

Hotel design must strike the delicate balance between the front facing, revenue generating guest areas and the essential back of house service areas. These buildings are highly serviced and must be designed for ease of operation whilst also presenting a welcoming and comfortable impression to guests. Both elements need to work efficiently and harmoniously and good design can really set some hotels apart. Intelligent layout design should allow staff to provide exemplary service without impeding on guests’ ease of navigation or enjoyment of spaces. Again, it is in making these two disparate design considerations work in harmony that architects are key within the design team. An architect’s expertise and project management can ensure seamless integration of services and interior design, transforming buildings into the luxury retreat, home away from home or functional overnight business trip that guests expect. Architectural language and interior flair is a powerful tool in communicating the hotel’s brand to potential guests and can deeply influence the impression of the hotel.

Alongside the initial impressions there are also the ‘Instagram moments” - inspiring and innovative interiors that spark a photography passion in guests, all ready to boast their experiences via social media. Creating aesthetically pleasing interiors which follow current trends can result in an abundance of free social media advertising for hotels. It’s often argued that social media shows “only the highlights” and in reality this can only be good for hotels - guests are happy to share all of the most photo-worthy parts of their stay. Deliberately or not, they are giving an impression of the hotel’s brand, inspiring others’ impressions, sparking a conversation and ultimately affecting likelihood of future bookings.

Successful architecture and interior design is of course not measured in these ‘Instagram moments’ but often in the most successful projects, the architectural design allows these moments to happen and captures the attention of prospective consumers. From the early design stages, we work with our clients to identify the unique selling point of their property and interpret this so the success of the business will last long beyond the initial launch.