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Boutique Hotel Design

Luxury Boutique Style Bedroom in Contemporary Country Style
Luxury Boutique Style Bedroom in Contemporary Country Style

The term “Boutique Hotel” was termed in the 1980’s and referred to independent hotels with aspirational design and excellent service.  It was largely a reaction to the chain hotels and the lack of sense of place that was felt these hotels offered, ie you could enter a X hotel somewhere in the world and not really know whereabouts you were until you were without setting foot outside! Of course these days the chain hotels have largely upped their game and style, individuality and sense of place have become a discerning factor for many travellers who hanker after “authenticity” as part of their cultural experience when holiday making.

Designing Your Hotel

So what can you do if you are a small hotel or guest house to increase your desirability and increase those all important bookings. The boutique hotel trend offers those even with the smallest of spaces, small numbers of rooms a chance to excel with a bit of design know how. The first things to consider in my opinion are your existing brand, location and your building.  To create a sense of authenticity your interior should fit with all these aspects. Of course if your brand is something you feel is out of date or incongruent with your location and building then this could be changed along with your refurbishment. For example if you have bought a Cornish coastal hotel and it had a family name in the hotel title which associated with the  old owners, it would no longer be relevant and it would be ideal to change it to something which lets people recognize it as a coastal hotel in Newquay such as “Towan Beach Hotel”. When we hear something as simple as this our mind begins to create a sense of place.  Tap into that and develop it, its your story and your hotel is unique, that is what people will buy into.

 

So let’s say we are trying to create a boutique hotel with a contemporary coastal theme on a budget. A good place to start is by simply changing the window treatments (this is your curtains or blinds).  You can keep walls largely neutral and add accents of colours using cushions and runners on the beds.  You may want to have a feature wall behind the bedhead. Try and avoid putting beds below windows but on the wall which your focus is naturally drawn to when you enter the room. If you have a particularly wonderful window and view it would be nice to be able to place the bed so that you can see this window opposite it for example. Try and work your design around the best points of your room’s architecture. If you have fantastic ceilings then keep other elements simple and perhaps pick out the ceiling in two shades of white for example. A simple way to create a feature wall is to use a paint colour on one wall which picks up on your main fabrics in the room. Blues work particularly well with yellow or orange for a contemporary look.  If you want a more traditional look think of the blue and white florals which are reminiscent of pottery, these can look really fresh and work well with either white painted furniture for a slightly shabby chic effect or dark timber furniture for a very classic traditional look. Keep flooring simple, a plain neutral carpet in a mid tone or timber flooring is good particularly if you have original floorboards that can be sanded back and waxed. Patterned carpets are to be avoided as these are dated. If timber flooring is not in such good condition consider making good and painting it in an off white or neutral colour such as a Farrow and Ball Mouses Back or String. Good quality plain white bedding can be used – I much prefer to see plain bedding that is lifted by a small patterned runner in a more delicate fabric with some cushions in complementary fabrics.  Try to give each room a different scheme and its own accent fabric. Pe0ple love individuality and you can give rooms much more personality in this way.  There should be common elements to the rooms so maybe you pick different fabrics from the same range for example a large floral master room, a small ditsy floral single room, a stripe for the twin or family room.

Artwork and Scale

Pay attention to the scale of your room, if you have very high ceilings and a large room then small pieces of artwork placed either side of a small window will not look right. You would be better to cluster a few smaller pieces to give it more impact and “match” the scale of your large window and room.  Alternatively find larger pieces of art. If you only have two or three similar sized small pieces of similar size then set them in matching frames and group them vertically for example. I’m putting an online course together for hotel owners that perhaps couldn’t justify working with a designer 1:1.

Have Your Say

If you would like to benefit from cost effective online interior design service,  influence the shape of things to come  by answering 5 questions here and leave your email at the end so I can give you a heads up when it goes live!

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6ZQP8VL

Or if you prefer leave me a question or  comment below and I’ll respond!

All the Best Rachel B x

Luxury Hospitality Interior Designer BA Hons, APMP

Spinriver Design ltd

Designing Your Hotel VIP Suite to Maximise ROI

Spa Treatment Room
Relaxing Spa Treatment Room

A private spa bath is a necessity for a VIP or Bridal Suite in a luxury hotel today in order to maximise your return on investment and be able to offer private spa treatments, but what facilities should be provided around this?

Well let’s enter into our suite via a lobby for example, which would have a focal point with an elegant piece of furniture such as a console with a beautiful bowl or objet d’art upon it.  Aside from the reception lounge and dining area and guest w.c. what would a VIP guest expect?

The suite should be located adjacent to a couples treatment room that has two treatment couches, storage for spa equipment and a wash hand basin for the therapists use.  Guests would also need access to two separate showers as if they were for example both to have a body wrap treatment they would need to wash this off to finish the treatment process.

Attention should be paidby the interior designer to the materials used in each of the rooms;  so that it is in keeping with the location, period and context of the hotel, region and country. Authenticity is key to providing as luxurious experience as possible.

Spacious vanity areas for grooming and double wash hand basins should be provided in the area with a w.c. and a separate dressing area should be provided if possible.

There should be a relaxing area for post spa time with furniure such as daybeds or chaise longues to lounge on in bathrobes.  Also in a warmer climate an outdoor relaxation area should be provided with a panoramic view where possible. If there is a private pool area then care needs to be taken to choose elegant water resistant furniture for the poolside with loungers and small tables.

VIP guests expect spa toiletries of good quality to be complimentary to their stay as well as small luxury gifts such as wine, flowers and chocolates.

If there is room a small sauna and steam cabin may also be provided but this is not always possible.

Smart technology can also be incorporated so that the guests stay can be tailored to greet them on the the flat screen tv, they can easily dim lights to suit their moods and open large blinds or curtains without having to get up. It can also be used for the different lighting scenes needed in the VIP couples treatment room.

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Rachel Bogdaniec of Spinriver Design ltd can provide spa design to hotels incorporating these important factors plus many more to make the most of the space available in your hotel and ensure that every square metre is making you the best return on investment. We work closely with local furniture, smart technology (availble to new build and retrofit) and soft furnishing suppliers to ensure that you get the best possible design and a finish to impress.

We’d love to hep you get it right! Ask a question for free on our facebook page http://www.facebook.com/SpinriverDesign or leave a comment here if you prefer!

 

Ultra Chic Hotel Design

Ultra Chic Hotel with Shutters
Ultra Chic Hotel with Shutters (inage courtesy of the California Company via Facebook)

The hospitality market is becoming more and more varied these days, and those who are designing hotels need to be aware of the latest trends as they develop their own ideas.  Inspiration for designs can be taken from almost anywhere, but there are a number of features found in chic hotels which can help generate ideas for those who are designing a new commercial space.

General design details

It is important for a chic hotel to avoid any clutter.  Too many knick knacks and the guests will begin to feel as though the walls are closing in on them.  A feeling of spaciousness, even in a small room, can be achieved by just having one or two pieces on show.  One or two pictures on the wall and perhaps a vase on a side table for holding fresh flowers will be enough.

The colour scheme should also be kept simple.  Neutral walls provide the perfect backdrop for any room.  Additionally colours can then be picked out for the other features of the room, such as soft furnishings.  Wallpaper is once again becoming fashionable, and a modern spin is to create a feature wall instead of wallpapering a whole room.

Light fittings can be used to bring out the sparkle in a room.  A chandelier fitting as the room’s main light source is a good idea.  Chandeliers are available in a variety of styles, so the hotel could feature one in a traditional style or opt for a more modern design.  The correct lighting can also help create a welcoming atmosphere in the hotel through the use of adjustable lighting or lamps.

Features of popular hotels

Interior design inspiration can be taken from other chic hotels.  There are a number of hotels around the world that have opted for unique and stylish features, and studying them for inspiration can help when putting together a design for a new property.  Some hotels have decided to include unique items in their guest rooms, such as pencils which have been made from recycled CD cases and hand-made stationery.

If the budget is unlimited for a chic hotel design, it may be possible to include remote control features around the room and bathroom.  For instance, a hotel in Tokyo has equipped its bathrooms with remote controls so that the technology in the room can be operated while the guest is relaxing in the tub.

A chic hotel should also ensure that the most is made of the views.  In a city, this generally means large windows which not only offer great views, but also let in plenty of natural light.  In other areas, such as hotels on the island of St Lucia, it might mean that a whole wall is absent.  The design allows guests to see out, but others cannot see in thanks to the strategic positioning of the suites.

Careful consideration should be given to the type of guest that the hotel is intended to attract.  Keeping the design simple and neutral will ensure fairly broad appeal, but if the aim is to bring in one particular demographic, then the design will need to take this into consideration.

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Interior Designer Rachel Bogdaniec has previous experience of working with award winning, leading five star hotel brands and understands how to create the luxury look on any budget. Give her a call on 07590 530806 01637 872247 for an informal discussion of your hotel refurbishment needs or email her at rachel@spinriverdesign.com. Alternatively write on our facebook wall and we will respond for free as soon as possible!