What's Trending in Design as we Move into 2023 - LNE Spa #93

By Paige Harris Corporate Director of Design & Development, Valor Hospitality Partner

Travel has begun to return to pre-pandemic levels, with airports seeing a surge in traffic and hotels across the country staying fully booked. The hospitality industry faced a massive shift when the pandemic hit, bringing forth new methods and motivators once travel returned. Consumers are more excited than ever to travel now, but are becoming more intentional with where and how they spend their time, and the industry is moving to accommodate and reflect that shift.

The focus has shifted to showcasing unique features of properties and destinations to make people want to travel again. Both business and leisure travel have been increasing, and so have the number of people traveling as a family and with their pets. Hotel design is based on what travelers are looking for, and below are five new design trends we'll be seeing as we move into 2023.

1. Technology will Remain A Top Priority

Much of our everyday life is reliant on technology, and that only increased once the pandemic began. We quickly had to transition and adjust to video calling loved ones, Zoom meetings, virtual conferences, and remote work. While many people have returned to office life in some aspects, remote work life has proven to be here to stay at least for the time being, and hotel & spa design needs to take notice to adjust to remote workers traveling and their needs.

As business travel is picking up, many people are now taking part in bleisure travel and extending their work trips for personal fun. With this change, properties must have technology top of mind when making design decisions for the upcoming year. Many are now working from their hotel rooms while they're traveling. Making the guest rooms and common spaces conducive to work, such as having a semi-private area or adding more outlets and tables to the lobby, will be beneficial so that people can get work done while still engaging in the energy of a property.

Aside from using technology for work, people have become accustomed to the efficiency it provides. The driving force of design should always be considering how we can engage client and make processes easier for them. For example, check into the hotel and spa via their smartphone. Or, incorporate technology that connects their phone to the in-room speakers to play their choice of music, adjust the thermostat, or dim the lights.

Design can also influence a hotel's digital presence. Adding a mural or striking decor encourages photography and social sharing, which can engage additional followers and drive digital traffic. Consider also adding a QR code next to any unique murals or decor can add another element for clients to engage with the artwork and further integrate technology into your design.

2. An Increased Focus on Making Loved Ones Comfortable

Family travel is on the rise, and after a spike in adoptions during the pandemic, that often includes their pets. Approximately 78% of pet owners acquired their pets during the pandemic, and 66% of pet owners have spent more money on their pets recently to help them adjust to being alone more often, as they are out of the house more than before.

Properties will be looking to become more petfriendly, by adding amenities such as dog runs, dog walking services and special treats for pets, while still being clean. These pet friendly design elements can help attract a wider audience of travelers and encourage them to stay longer as well, given they can bring their loved ones along on the trip. Locations might begin to incorporate pet friendly design.

Families who are traveling with their children will be looking for activities they can all do together, including the Spa. Additionally, hotels and Spas can hold more family-friendly events, or provide a more educational experience and teach kids about the history of the location they're visiting.

3. The Great Outdoors will Stay Great

Properties will be utilizing and expanding their outdoor space more and more. Getting outside was a large part of how people stayed safe and entertained throughout the pandemic, and its popularity has remained steady. It's still an important part of hotel and spa design because it gives guests the option to distance themselves from others if they would like to.

Hotels and Sps are capitalizing on their outdoor space by expanding existing areas and providing guests with outdoor experiences they can enjoy onsite. This could include outdoor dining, outdoor gym options or larger balconies that encourage guests to utilize the space more often.

Additionally, as we look toward future builds, many developers are seeking destinations with an outdoor appeal – a national park, mountain range or body of water – tailoring their design around the natural environment. This approach is geared to meet the needs and desires of today's travelers, who have embraced the outdoors during the pandemic and want to continue doing so in their future travels.

4. Local Connections Matter More Than Ever Before

Its anticipated that hotels and spas will offer more unique experiences for clients to partake in, focused on hyperlocal design. Properties are drawing inspiration from their communities, incorporating those features into the guest rooms and common spaces to enhance the client experience.

To add to this, properties can incorporate more of the local community by furnishing and decorating the hotel using local artists' work. Working with local artists will help further integrate your property with the community and boost the local economy, along with giving guests the chance to experience yet another taste of the area they are staying within.

5. Taking Sustainability One Step Further

Hoteliers have long desired to place sustainability and environmentalism at the forefront, and thoughtful design can help reduce a property's carbon footprint. For example, hotels may be using bulk amenities in bathrooms to cut down on waste, adding recycling canisters in guest rooms, and partnering with local businesses to shorten the supply chain.

As a example, The Lodge at Gulf State Park, located on the Alabama Gulf Coast, recently designed a poolside bar with sustainability in mind. The design team ensured the lighting specifications and illumination levels don't disrupt local wildlife and sourced materials that are native to the area. In doing so, the team ensured to elevate the property's design, while still keeping the local area and sustainability efforts top of mind.

Traditionally, design for a new hotel and spa begins two years before opening, meaning many newer properties were designed pre-pandemic and do not reflect the shift in design that it caused. With a heightened focus on technology, comfort for the whole family, connection to the outdoors and the local community, and an emphasis on sustainability, we are poised to create innovative new properties and experiences guests will love for years to come.

While these are exciting new changes and developments in the industry as we step away from prototypical properties, but the goal of the trends we will be seeing in 2023 is to create more engaged clients and elevate their experience. If we're able to create a connection with them and provide outstanding service, recommendations, and spa innovation, they will want to return to create more memories with us.

About Paige Harris: Corporate Director of Design and Development for Valor Hospitality Partners, a global, full-service hotel management company. In this role, Ms. Harris oversees property plans for sites that are both fully operational, in development, and under construction to strategically merge the interests of the owner, operations, and brand while ensuring the project stays within budget. She does this with the overarching goal to align the design intent and execution with the high standard of excellence in design and function that Valor is known for within the industry. She is acknowledged for being able to provide exceptional value through the consideration of the aesthetic, functional and economic dimensions of both project and process.