Within the U.S., way of life inns now signify 32.4 % of open branded inns, a major improve from 2000. There’s no scarcity of way of life boutique inns in the present day. In actual fact, the time period “way of life” has been so extensively adopted by massive hospitality manufacturers that it’s laborious to inform what it even means anymore. Properties are sometimes heavy on development, and light-weight on substance, centered extra on photograph ops than visitor expertise. The consequence? A sea of style-forward areas that each one begin to really feel the identical. That’s why a profitable way of life lodge in the present day can’t simply be one other train in branding or inside design. It has to start out and finish with the visitor.
As a longtime hotelier who’s traveled throughout continents and stayed in lots of of inns, Bijal Panwala is aware of firsthand how usually lodge design misses the mark. For instance, there are far too many rooms that look nice in images however usually don’t perform effectively in apply. Different particulars that company discover, like poor lighting within the lavatory, awkward furnishings layouts, or a scarcity of sound privateness, are sometimes neglected by operators centered on type, somewhat than perform.
As an alternative of replicating what already exists, hoteliers should have a look at the lodge expertise from the attitude of the visitor, not the property proprietor. Design selections must be rooted in precise visitor habits. For instance, implementing fog-proof mirrors within the lavatory, so two folks can prepare without delay, directly, can be an enchancment. Incorporating sound machines in each room as a default, somewhat than a nice-to-have, for a greater evening’s sleep is one other chance. One may additionally use built-in audio system that play music from the primary room into the toilet, making the complete house extra usable and cohesive. It’s not nearly devices or furnishings. It’s about how company truly reside within the house.
Probably the most profitable way of life inns perceive that the keep itself is a part of the expertise; the properties aren’t only a place to relaxation between actions. A real way of life lodge doesn’t simply look completely different; it makes you are feeling completely different. It turns into a part of your journey story.
Different concepts embrace changing massive dressers with open closet methods to cut back litter and make packing and unpacking simpler. Public areas should be reconsidered to assist how folks work and socialize post-pandemic, together with offering extra energy shops, versatile seating, and communal areas that double as co-working areas by day and social lounges by evening.
A wise way of life lodge isn’t nearly being cool. It’s about being helpful. It’s about fixing the little issues that make a keep really feel seamless. In an trade flooded with choices, company will at all times keep in mind how a lodge made them really feel, and whether or not it made their lives simpler or tougher.
For house owners and operators hoping to enter, or reinvent themselves in, the approach to life class, the recommendation is easy: don’t begin along with your model imaginative and prescient. Begin along with your company. Ask your self: What are the ache factors of their day? What do they should relaxation, recharge, and really feel impressed? What would truly make their expertise simpler or extra pleasant? Design round that. Construct round that. Function with that in thoughts day-after-day. As a result of in the end, the strongest boutique inns don’t simply mirror a model – they mirror the company they serve.
