Designed To Win

Architect BobbyMukherjiwrites about the power of design to transform a hotelsbottom lineand rake in the numbers.

Design is very important from an investment standpoint for the success of any hotel. We believe that design should be specific and unique to the location, function and the star category of the hotel.

It also becomes imperative to understand your audience and the surroundings as design has a huge psychological impact on the end-user. It is equally important to instill a sense of space in design that befits the local environment and culture. We have worked on the Marriott hotels in Jaipur and Jaisalmer. The Marriott in Jaipur was made at a time when the rest of the hotels offered local palatial luxury. We, on the contrary, chose to do a contemporary interpretation of Rajasthan's culture, which worked very well.

The cotemporary hotel was a breath of fresh air for guests, especially for thelocal residents of the city. It became their watering hole as it comprised versatile all-day dining with interactive kitchens tossing up world cuisine, as well as a lounge bar that allowed them to let their hair down on weekends.

Similarly, the minimalistic styled The Marriott in Jaisalmer boasted local flavours and catered to tourists who probably would have liked to experience the best of both worlds. While the palatial style was prevalent anyway, we decided to strip it down to make an impact, keeping one philosophy in mind, 'Less is More.' It was planned as a Courtyard Marriott, but solely because of superior design, the hotel got upgraded to a standalone Marriott.