Good Design For Hospitality

Recently I went out for dinner to a luxury hotel and was offered a table next to the window overlooking a beautiful garden. The ambience was enchanting with a candle lit table and soft background music.

- Himank Goswami

But soon the evening started turning unpleasant when we realised that our table was right behind an extremely busy service station. We could hear the waiters mumble, sounds of the cutlery and worst of all, the irritating noise of the cheque printer every now & then.

The restaurant failed to deliver (at least to us) what it was designed for despite being a high specification space. We often come across plentiful of such instances where practicality and usability are compromised over design.

So what is a good design? A good design is essentially a combination of how it looks, what it does, what value it adds to a space, is ergonomic and user-friendly. It is important to know and realise that a design, especially a design in the hospitality industry, first needs to work well and then look good!

In addition to the aesthetic appeal, a good design needs to fulfill the purpose it was designed for, every single time, flawlessly. A good design is the culmination of innovation, functionality, durability, detail and elegance. A well-crafted space or product can easily have a positive effect on its user and her/his well-being. Below are some characteristics of a good design in the context of the hospitality industry.

Functional and Ergonomic

The foremost expectation from a good design in hospitality is that it must perform & perform well. It must work before it looks good. make a low back but great looking bar stool and the guests will curse you.

A backlit mirror over a vanity is an example of aesthetics infused with functionality. The backlighting enhances the visual appeal of the mirror but at the same time lights up the face for a better reflection in the mirror. Whilst a sunken marble bathtub only looks good but disappoint upon usage.