Design
New strategies and trends in hotel and resort design, including renovation projects and new construction. A look at the different facets of the design process, from construction to architecture to interior, including environmentally friendly and green design as well as the design of spa and other recreation and outdoor areas.
Interior
News, features and insight into the interior design of hotels and resorts, from public spaces to guestroom bathrooms and bedrooms to food and beverage outlets.
Sherwin-Williams Color Picks Affect Hotel Decor
The economy. Japan’s tsunami. The Mediterranean. Fashion. All contributed to the hottest colors — blues, reds, greens, neutrals and a pop of yellow — in the 2012 color palette identified by paint company Sherwin-Williams. ...
2012 Design Awards: Building Success
The amount of new openings in recent years has dwindled as a result of the credit crunch, but three new developments persevered through the downturn to open last year and ultimately prevail in this year’s Lodging Hospitality Design Awards contest....
Architecture
Strategies, news and information on the architectural aspect of the design process for hotels and resorts, from concept to drawings to construction and opening.
2012 Design Awards: Building Success
The amount of new openings in recent years has dwindled as a result of the credit crunch, but three new developments persevered through the downturn to open last year and ultimately prevail in this year’s Lodging Hospitality Design Awards contest....
First Impressions Start at Parking Garages
Imagine driving through the exciting new environs of the vacation getaway you have planned on for months, fresh off a six-hour flight. Eager with anticipation, you pull up to the all-inclusive resort where you will be spending the next week in sensory bliss. As you reach the property’s gates ...
Green
News, strategies and insight on green and other eco-friendly designs and products for hotels and resorts.
Best Western Is Latest to Partner with Soap Recycler
Best Western International has partnered with Clean the World to recycle hotel soap and bottled amenities and provide poor folks around the world with hygiene care. Clean the World is a non-profit that collects used soap products from hotels, remanufactures them and distributes them to U.S. and Canadian homeless shelters as well as missions in 45 countries. ...
Renovations
News , features and strategies on the renovations of hotels and resorts, including public spaces, guestrooms, back of house areas, food and beverage outlets and spa and recreation areas.
Motel 6 Celebrates 50-Year Milestone
Fifty years go, homebuilders Paul Greene and William Becker built their first motel on the sandy shores of Santa Barbara’s Cabrillo Beach. That no-frills property offered rooms for just $6 per night. Today, 1,100 hotels in the Motel 6 chain still offer some of the lowest rates in the nation. In fact,...
Construction
News and strategies for the construction process of new-build and adaptive-reuse hotel and resort projects, including insight into construction materials, labor and costs.
Hyatt’s Leaning Tower an Architectural Marvel
With a tilt of 18 degrees — greater than the famed Leaning Tower of Pisa — the Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi opened on the first day of winter last year. The unique architecture cantilevers rooms over the city, giving guests panoramic views and a feeling of floating above it all....
Homewood Suites Slims Down
Upscale extended-stay chain Homewood Suites recently introduced a next-generation prototype that’s smaller and less expensive to build than previous incarnations of the product. The Gen 9 prototype, which is currently being rolled out for new projects, gives developers an opportunity to build Homewoods on slightly smaller or oddly shaped land parcels....
Spa & Recreation
Design news and insight covering the outdoor, spa, pool and other recreational areas of hotels and resorts.
Hotel Spas Look For Improved Performance in 2012
It’s been a tough five years for hotel spas, but 2012 should a better year, particularly for those hotel operators who approach their spas as businesses, rather than just property amenities. According to a new study from PKF Consulting, hotel spas had sharper declines in revenues and profits in 2008 and 2009 than did hotels overall. And while improvements in the hotel industry started in early 2010, the spa business didn’t begin to get healthy until a year later....
The Splendor of Kohler’s American Club
While its name is synonymous with the quality bathroom fixtures it manufactures, Wisconsin-based Kohler Co. also maintains a significant presence in the lodging industry, anchored by The American Club, its luxury hotel in Kohler’s hometown....
