Lisa Haude, president of Houston-based Paradigm Design Group, has outlined her predicted hospitality design trends for 2020.
Smart technology
Incorporating additional ways that guests can function within their room using wireless or app technology will be popular in 2020. Options include controlling the thermostat, checking in or out of the hotel, ordering room service, opening and closing blinds, turning off and on lights. Essentially, the way our homes are starting to become more reliable on AI (artificial intelligence) will carry over to how we use spaces in a hotel.
This could also incorporate using smart technology to interact with guests in other languages. For example, real time translation earphones or smart glasses could provide a concierge or front desk attendant the ability to converse with a person from another country in their own language. Creating a personal and interactive relationship between the guest and operations will be an important goal in 2020.
Green and sustainable design
While most hotel developers and designers are already using or incorporating sustainable products into their design, I foresee an even larger push in this direction. More effort will be made to use, reuse, and recycle products; hotels will begin to incorporate the use of solar panels; and greater efforts will be made to reduce the carbon footprint when specifying and using materials.
Developers and designers will design buildings that can be the most energy efficient. Younger and upcoming generations are very aware of the planet and how we need to be more green; this is the generation that is more apt to purchasing electric cars, turning off lights that are not in use, and to not waste power. They are the ones who will understand how to effectively address the environment through their designs.
Airbnb
Airbnb will continue to influence the large hotel brands and push hoteliers to provide an option for guests that are looking for unique experiences and extended stays. This could include more hotels providing a home share type set up, or introducing more unique lifestyle brand opportunities that guests can pick from.
Emphasis on health and well-being
Guests want to be provided with updated state-of-the-art fitness centres that offer an amazing experience. This might include the creation of virtual workout opportunities that utilise virtual reality to provide guests with highly personalised exercise programmes, as well as an increase in today’s most popular workout products and services, such as Peloton.
In a spa setting, travellers will want to see fantastic lighting, air purification systems, vitamin-infused water, use of natural elements and diffusors, and sensory oils that continue to emphasise well-being and health.
New staff operations
The addition of robot room service or concierge services for routine items such as those conducted by housekeeping staff will allow operational team members more time to focus on personalised services for specific guest requests in order to provide that unique, individual experience that travellers are looking for.
Marketing
Incorporating new marketing strategies will be big in 2020. Hotels might utilise social media more in order to promote themselves as exciting and special destinations by encouraging guest image uploads as part of their marketing campaign.
This will also allow them to respond quickly if there is a negative review or complaint that has been issued online, for instance on Facebook, Yelp, or Twitter. More people now refer to these reviews, which can positively or negatively impact a hotel’s perception quickly.
