Hotel design trends come and go and then tend to come back again and again, for example, mid-century modern.

The latest wave of hotel design has turned toward the traditional, focused on creating a warm, welcoming atmosphere.

Futuristic, stark minimalism seems to have reached its peak. Recently, designers are increasingly using patterns, textures, and layered lighting.  They’re embracing a more comfortable vibe, often referred to as hygge, to deliver outstanding guest experiences. Some of this may be in response to the cold, isolating, dystopian world we lived through during the pandemic. Or it may just be time for a change after a decade or more of minimalism.

This guide explains some ways hotel designers are beginning to create cozier environments for guests, along with some other trends we see emerging on the horizon.

Ergonomic Design

A proven way to deliver comfort to lodgers is by leveraging ergonomic design, which is all about providing support and ease of use, whether it’s through furniture, technology, tools, equipment, or other room fittings.

Ergonomics directly addresses the physical abilities and limitations of the human body in how we accomplish tasks, use tools, and live and work in environments. The more ergonomically-accommodating hotel rooms are, the more comfortable and happy guests will be.

Multi-Generational Travel

After the pandemic moratorium, people are traveling in groups again, perhaps more than ever. While it’s great to see families and friends visit places together, it poses unique challenges for hotel companies and designers, especially when groups of people from different generations book a stay.

Multi-generational travel involves people of different ages and abilities lodging together. They all have different needs and expectations and want individualized experiences.

While it’s impossible to design for virtually everyone in a single hotel, it’s a best practice to allow guests to tailor their surroundings to their individual needs. Think of it this way: Hotel furnishings should fit different kinds of people; people should not be forced to fit themselves into furnishings.

You want hotel spaces and furnishings to be:

  • Accessible to the vast majority of people
  • Easy and intuitive to use
  • Safe and secure.

Designing for multigenerational stays will help your property attract more family and friend groups, a travel trend that will continue for the foreseeable future.

The Advent of Bleisure Travel

The people at the front desks of hotels often ask: Are you traveling for business or leisure?

Today, the answer is more and more: Bleisure.

Because of the remote work-from-home revolution that has lived on past the pandemic, more travelers are bringing work with them on holiday. They can do business from practically anywhere. For instance, they can work during the day from their hotel room or shared space, then go touring in the evening. Add to this the traditional business travelers who extend their visits to explore new places.

Providing flexible spaces and furnishings for bleisure travelers goes a long way toward making their stays comfortable. Consider:

  • Functional desks that don’t necessarily dominate a room
  • Lighting that’s appropriate for Zoom calls, reading, and relaxing
  • Easy connectivity and monitors that can serve entertainment and work purposes
  • Public spaces that can be used for both work and play.

There is a reason the old corporate hotels are being transformed into more flexible lodgings. People who travel for business and leisure are now a force in the industry.

Sustainable Spaces

For most people, green isn’t just good. It provides a sense of comfort in their lives. That’s why one of the most popular — and challenging — hotel design trends is embracing sustainability. It’s often difficult to identify sustainable design tactics people staying in hotels will recognize and appreciate. Here are a few:

  • Repurposing and upcycling. Many guests value making the effort to breathe new life into existing spaces and pieces creatively. However, all trash is not treasure. For instance, water-damaged MDF pieces will never be acceptable to even the greenest guest. Need help finding sustainable hotel furnishings? The experts at Stroud Group are available to help you out.
  • Energy efficiency. Two things that are easy to control to be environmentally conscious are lighting and temperature. Designing spaces to take advantage of natural light promotes energy efficiency while also reducing eye strain. Using energy-efficient lighting to supplement sunlight is a necessary aspect of green design today. Finally, maintaining a consistent, mild temperature in your hotel properties is good for both guests and the planet.
  • Incorporating nature. Bring the outside in via potted plants or indoor gardens as a part of your hotel designs and create outdoor dining and entertainment areas. These tactics will signal that your hotel group is aligned with nature.
  • Furnish for the long term.Good pieces cost money. However, most guests today will appreciate your investment in high-quality, long-lasting furniture because it won’t end up as landfill any time soon.

Develop Hometels

Renting other people’s homes and spaces is a popular lodging trend because people like the emotions associated with being at home, especially when traveling with groups.

Hotels can counter this by jumping on the hometel trend, which brings together much of what we’ve covered – multi-generational travel, bleisure, and sustainability – delivering a feeling of being at home no matter where you visit and who you travel with.

Good design looks good and functions effectively. Great design is emotional.

Hotel guests today seek out travel experiences that align with their beliefs and values.

They want comfortable, homey spaces, natural lighting, plants, recycling bins, customizable multi-purpose furniture, private suites with all the amenities, and common rooms capable of hosting all travelers. On top of all that, they want to be surrounded by things that make them FEEL, whether it’s to laugh, be surprised, experience nostalgia, or whatever you imagine them feeling.

Selecting objects for hotels that evoke emotion can be challenging. The experts at Stroud Group are available to listen to what you want to accomplish from a design perspective and how you want to make people feel, and guide you to the items that will help you achieve all your objectives.