Architectural & Design Team - Hotel Development Guide

Designing a hotel is a team process and cannot be successfully executed in isolation. It requires a layered and synchronised architectural team and close coordination with and input from the owner, hotel manager, consultants and approval authorities. Professional relationships, trust and shared vision, are fundamental to the delivery of an on-time effective hotel project.

The structure of the architectural team can vary according to the developer’s resources, the hotel segment and configuration, scope and budget of the project or master development, availability of professional expertise, construction strategy and project timing. There is no specific right way, but there are short cuts which can cause issues and ultimately failure of the project.

In-House Architects

Where hotel project investment is being carried out by real estate developers, especially in emerging markets, it is common that the project team retains its internal architect, or architectural team and other project resources. Focus for such investors is often on alternate commercial real estate such as residential or retail, but they recognise the opportunity for hotel investment, to exploit a market gap, diversify a portfolio or support a master plan.

The existence of the in-house project resources including architect provide for a tangible advantage for the developer since they know the micro market well. They also appreciate the needs of the investor, are established as a team, are able to deploy resources as required, can deliver at a more efficient cost, and are experienced locally with such vital elements as material & labour supply issues, authorities, regulations and permitting.

Nevertheless, it is essential to recognise the limitations of the in-house architectural team as they are unlikely to have broad experience in hotels. The strengths of such a resource lay in their knowledge and familiarity of the market in for example communicating with local authorities, the cost savings in extensive systematic tasks for example in detailed design and the trust of the investor. Functions of the design process that necessitate hotel specific proficiency, such as concept design and interior design, are best supported by external professionals and commissioning of listed experts is often a precondition of hotel operators.

Concept Design Architects

The role of a hotel concept (or outline) designer is to tackle and resolve the issues of the scale, mass and form of the hotel building. This vision needs to reference the hotel brief established in the feasibility stages, development limitations set by local building regulations and fit harmoniously within the social and commercial context of the surrounding environment. The output may initially provide for a range of uncluttered and relatively simple concept schemes, which are then examined and refined maximising and balancing functionality, quality, cost and aesthetics.

This role is highly specialised, requiring the individual or architectural practise to have had extensive experience of hotel projects in the same segment as the project. It is the most critical part of the design process and arguably the most creative. This element of the process need not require a long timescale and depending on the project, design resources, and verification of the concept brief/contract are achievable in as short as four to six weeks. However, it is essential that the final concept has full approval within the project team. Indeed it is often a valuable assessment and milestone to ensure the owner and the manager are on the same page, with the same committed vision.

A frequent error in emerging markets hotel design is to jump straight into the detailed design using the basic parameters of the limitations of the site or driven by the administrative approvals process advance directly to the building facades. This approach is often completed in-house or by architects that understand the owner’s desire for volume yield and the planning authorities’ cultural requirements, but most often have little or no idea of the functioning of a hotel operation. Such an approach can cause immense damage to the feasibility of the final product, miss out on significant commercial opportunities, cause delays in correcting approvals, reduce product options/choice and add substantial cost to the development which can break the feasibility of the project.

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Detailed Design Architects

The detailed (including schematic and later working) design architect’s role is to refine the output of the hotel concept designer to produce comprehensive scaled and harmonised architectural plans ready for further elaboration by the interior designer, statutory approval and tender. This phase is by definition meticulous and protracted, requiring a broad team of experts in universal and hotel specific technical design. With the concept design agreed and the detailed design team in place, a regular stand-alone hotel would typically take upwards of six months to deliver the structural & MEP strategy concept, schematic design and tender documentation.

It is possible to execute the detailed design by a combination of in-house or commissioned general lead architects, together with additional specialist hotel designers (such as audio visual and IT systems, fire strategy, kitchen, landscape, laundry, signage, spa), or with an international full-service architectural firm focused and precisely experienced in hotels. Since the detailed design phase requires close cooperation with local authorities, local presence and understanding are essential; however, this needs to be balanced with the knowledge of hotel systems, so the design team are not going through a learning process, delaying the process and committing costly errors. Each approach has its merits and issues but is adaptable to a hybrid solution following the resources of the developer, needs of the project and the budget.

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Interior Designers

The role of the hotel interior designer incorporates a broad scope of activities containing creative arts and architectural design and is not clearly defined or regulated. It should not be misconstrued with interior decoration as at a professional level the planning and design of hotel interiors is a critical and complex role intersecting with architecture and engineering and requiring knowledge of build codes, fire & safety regulations, electrical and mechanical systems. For procurement and fit-out tenders to avoid later disputes with suppliers/contractors, the interior designer’s output needs to be exceptionally detailed and utterly unambiguous.

The experience and scope of the interior designer must cover all zones relevant to the development property including public areas, restaurants, conference and meeting facilities, outlets (unless highly specialised such as spa or medical), guest bedrooms and bathrooms. The interior designer’s choice of fabrics, artwork, colour schemes, furniture, wall, ceiling and floor coverings, lighting and accessories must strike a delicate balance between aesthetic appeal, comfort, functionality, durability/reliability, technical flexibility, health, safety & security, brand conformity, cultural sensitivity, and procurement and operational cost.

In the case of a branded hotel, it is highly beneficial to have an interior designer who has an understanding of the brand design scheme; indeed, the hotel group may offer only a concise list of interior design options. Nevertheless, it is essential that the interior designer is representing the interests of the investor before those of the brand as the interior design suggestions and specifications has a significant bearing on the cost of the hotel project.

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Kitchen Designers

Kitchen design and the technical interpretation of the hotel’s food & drink service concept into an efficient production unit is a highly specific design function usually beyond the scope of even the most qualified hotel detailed design architects. Hotel brand managers with prescriptive hotel and restaurant concepts may provide generic kitchen layouts and often have scalable models of equipment requirements. However, besides the scalable demand of the main restaurant(s) each hotel needs to consider several other complex factors in the planning of the kitchen(s) including the hotel’s overall catering (outlet, guestroom, outside and employee) necessities, space limitations, and the specific environment and local relegations. It is possible to resolve the kitchen design issues between the architect, operator/brand manager, chef and developer or otherwise commission an independent kitchen designer with regional expertise to support the process and ensure the delivery of a functional, ergonomic, safe, compliant, capital cost-effective, energy-efficient, flexible, durable/reliable kitchen(s).

A modern commercial kitchen needs to take technical conditions and cost factors into account, including the architecture, interior design, MEP services, and processes/workflows of employees, supply, storage and waste. With the high cost of capital equipment, it is vital that the advice recommendations and procurement process are independent and transparent, reflect the specific needs of the food service concepts in the property and are flexible to change in the future.

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Other Design Specialists

Back of House Design: Coordination and space planning for support areas and access routes including components such as offices, storage, bays, corridors, stairs and the positioning/specifications of elevators. Design for functions such as hotel administration, employee changing facilities, staff flows, security, CCTV placement, housekeeping areas and flows, and engineering facilities and workshop requirements. Depending on the scope and experience of the detailed design architect or the technical agreement/scope with the operator, there may be a void in the delivery of back of house design to be filled.

Landscape Design: On the majority of urban hotel projects, the design team’s brief already includes the landscape planning, design and management of external spaces. However, for resorts whose business is driven by its external facilities (where the detailed design architect is not a resort specialist), or where the hotel has extensive grounds, or there are demands for sensitive external planning which necessitates environmental impact assessment, then a dedicated landscape architect may be required to supplement the design team. The landscape forms a critical role in the arrival experience, and with the growing trends of experiential travel, lifestyle & fitness, and community engagement, the use of dynamic exterior design is heightened. Landscape architects are professionals in the engineering and artistic approach to the landform and exterior structures, circulation routes, ground surveys, local authority planning, environmental site design, water treatment, biodiversity programmes, native planting, contemporary external equipment, furniture, lighting and finishing materials.

Laundry Design: The strategy for the management of laundry wholly in-house or partially/fully outsourced is dependent on factors including availability of third-party laundry providers, quality control, capital vs operation cost, property space limitations, and local regulations. In any case, it is usually possible to resolve the laundry design issues between the architect, operator/brand manager, housekeeper and developer. However, where the strategy favours a full in-house laundry, it may be beneficial to engage an independent laundry designer to support the process and ensure the delivery of a functional, ergonomic, safe, compliant, capital/labour/energy cost-efficient, durable/reliable laundry. Trust in design provision from laundry equipment suppliers should be avoided unless within the project team there is technical and operational knowledge of laundry facilities. Hotel back of house or kitchen designers often partner with laundry specialists to provide a full package. The designer needs to factor linen/uniform flow processes (incoming dirty, weighing, sorting, wash, dry, spot control, iron, fold, stack, wrap, store and distribution), detail specific placement for the utilities and equipment, provide utility schedules that specify water, power, gas, drain, incoming airflow and exhaust requirements and providing MEP drawings for the building contractors.

Spa Design: Hotel spas vary significantly in size, have a broad range of styles and facilities, have a distinct infrastructure and ambience from the hotel’s leisure, and offer as a minimum separate reception/changing facilities, thermal baths or suites, treatment/therapy rooms and rest areas. Where the spa is core to the hotel and drives significant destination business or is substantial in size (above 600sqm), the engagement of an independent spa consultant/designer is likely to be beneficial, unless the hotel operator is spa resort focused and has an in-house spa team. As a lifestyle product, spas are subject to trend, market and competition, requiring high levels of capital, labour and utility expense. Thus, before any definitive planning is undertaken the feasibility needs to be well-researched and a clear business plan, bespoke concept, and design brief needs to be in place. The design brief must include conceptual zoning (including seamless BOH functionality), space planning, sketch layouts, room data sheets, MEP/FF&E guidance, and identification and recommendation of operating equipment. A spa consultant can assist the project team and hotel operator in the unique aspects of spa recruitment, training, SOP’s, pre-opening marketing and other services or be retained for the spa management or ongoing operational support and advice.