These Trends Are Shaping the Hotels and Hospitality Industry

HKS may not exactly be a household name, but the architecture and design firm’s long and impressive list of hospitality projects certainly includes many hotel brands fitting that description.

W Hotel Bellevue, the MGM National Harbor, One & Only Palmilla, The St. Regis Punta Mita and the Esperanza in Cabo San Lucas are just some of the notable projects the trendsetting firm has completed in recent years.

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To further underscore the firm’s importance in the hospitality world, a recent list of the top 15 hotels in all of Mexico included five HKS projects.

It’s hardly an overstatement to say that HKS is playing a significant role in reimagining the future of hotels. As it does so, the firm’s focus is on crafting hotel designs that transcend time while also remaining relevant to the today’s travelers.

With that in mind, TravelPulse recently spoke with HKS Principal Don Harrier, director of the company’s San Francisco office, about the trends that he believes are currently shaping hotel development.

Drawing upon knowledge developed during more than three decades of working on hospitality projects, and his role heading up one of HKS’ four global hospitality studios, Harrier talked about things such as technology being used to create serenity for travelers, hotels increasingly trying to create a sense of place, responsible design and the evolving focus of sustainability.

Technology to Create Serenity

There has been much buzz in the hotel industry about technology and its various uses to serve guests. Robots providing drinks and the elimination of front desk service in favor of self-check-in via a mobile phone or app are just a few examples.

However, Harrier suggested that firms like HKS are increasingly more focused on using technology to create a pleasant experience for guests, rather than wowing them with the latest high-tech gadget.

“We are trying to find the atmospheric comfort and climate level that puts people at ease, and creates something memorable in its own right,” explained Harrier. “It’s about how you can apply new lighting technology inside a guest room to enhance the environment and humidifiers that balance the body.”

Sustainability Is No Longer Simply About What You Give Up

For years now, much of the sustainability effort in the hospitality industry has focused on foregoing things in order to reduce energy and consumption, Harrier noted.

Think – using towels multiple times before washing them or keeping the same linens on your bed for more than one night, rather than having the bed redone daily.

Harrier suggested this focus may be evolving somewhat. While reusing towels and sheets will continue, there’s a broadening of the idea of sustainability and what it means, while at the same time, returning it to its original foundations.

“If you look at it from its roots, sustainability is about natural materials and using things that are locally sourced,” said Harrier.

Locally sourced has, in fact, become a wildly popular buzzword among hotels far and wide, and includes everything from locally sourced foods to locally sourced arts and furnishings made by local craftsmen.

In addition, Harrier noted fewer properties are going to the effort of seeking LEED certification, a well-known and respected rating system devised to evaluate a building’s environmental performance and encourage market transformation toward sustainable design.

“It’s an expense many developers don’t see value in, particularly as energy codes, local, state or otherwise, begin to push the envelope in terms of sustainable requirements,” Harrier explained. “Often times you can get to silver certification just by following local code.”

Responsible Design

A few years ago, HKS spearheaded the notion of using mindful materials in building construction. That idea included manufacturers providing evidence that their products did not contain VOCs and other such harmful elements.

Now more than ever, according to Harrier, there are even deeper conversations taking place about responsible design.

“You can present and design a hotel from sheets to flooring to wall covering and exterior with responsible materials,” said Harrier.

Curating Individualized Offerings

The Ritz-Carltons and Four Seasons of the world are legendary, in large part, for knowing about their guest’s wishes, tastes, hobbies and desires on a very detailed level. Such personalized attention is expected at luxury hotels of that level.

But now even sub-brands are getting into the curated service offerings, says Harrier.

“Now the sub-brands are catching on,” said Harrier. “They are more focused on developing brand loyalty. So they will know all about you when you walk in the door. They will know you are a runner. They will have a list of running paths or if you bike, the concierge may have curated offerings, things you didn’t necessarily ask for but that they want to offer you.”

Creating a Sense of Place

Between the five to seven major hotel operators in the country—such as Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt—there are easily more than 100 sub-brands.

For consumers, this proliferation of offerings can dilute a well-known brand’s identity and make it difficult for the traveler to identify which hotel makes the most sense for them.

To help solve this problem, Harrier said hotels are increasingly focusing on differentiating themselves by creating a very distinct sense of place at each property.

“These new sub-brands are moving in that direction,” said Harrier. “If the property is in downtown San Francisco or Hollywood or Tucson, they are focusing very, very heavily on what that means. And that includes what it means in terms of the guest visit and what can be brought into the hotel and into the guest experience, something that a guest won’t experience elsewhere.”

That effort includes unique food and beverage experiences from property to property, hyperlocal spa treatments, or bringing regional artists onsite to paint artwork that goes up in the hotel.

“In terms of a trend, it’s sort of a realization that all of these hotels are trying to compete and differentiate themselves,” said Harrier.