The emergence of the covid-19 is like a big test, which tested the ability of various industries to resist risks, deal with crises, and survive in adversity. Among them, one of the most affected industries is the hotel industry. Under the epidemic situation, most hotel companies are having difficulty. Some even face the risk of bankruptcy, especially in small and medium hotels. The struggle between humans and viruses is a long-term war, to survive in this post-covid world, small hotels need to upgrade their hotel safety management systems and move towards intelligent development. Firstly, start by changing the lobby design. Here are some small hotel lobby design ideas for your reference.
The hotel lobby is the largest indoor area in a hotel and has the most people flow area. In function, the hotel lobby belongs to the hotel center area, which is the place that most directly affects the guest’s first impression of the hotel.
The hotel lobby design plan also affects the hotel’s brand image. Many people are increasingly valuing hotel lobby design, especially during COVID-19. Modern hotel lobby design must be clean, comfortable, roomy, safe, friendly, and attractive to attract people to check in. Hotel lobby spaces can be divided into the entrance area, reception area, rest area, passageway, and elevator.
What is the hotel design next trend during the post-covid-19 era?
Green and healthy design becomes the focus
With the global outbreak of COVID-19, more and more people pay more attention to green ecological hotels. The green and healthy design will be a new next trend in the hotel industry.
How to integrate the concept of green and health in hotel design? It is a question we need to rethink. We need to pursue living in harmony with nature while developing the economy. For example, in the hotel idea, create a healthy hotel, use some furniture with natural wood color. In function, provide guests with a full range of staying experiences, such as diet and sports.
Focus on sustainable development
Modern luxury hotels have been plentful, and a large number of budget hotels are also gradually established. On the contrary, special-interest, personalized, boutique hotels will be more popular with specific consumer groups, which will be the next trend of hotel development. Combine with the prevailing management concepts to upgrade your hotel, which will make your hotel more popular and attractive.
Diversified functional space designs
Now, the post-00s generation has gradually become the main consumer group. Young customers have a more social space demand and more focus on the check-in experience. So the bar and restaurant of the future will become the social scene of a city, which is the embodiment of the future lifestyle change.
A hotel with diversified functional space designs will be fresher and more attractive. How to transform your single hotel lobby space into a multi-purpose space? For example, add some function spaces in your hotel lobby, such as a coffee table area, co-working zone, sports area, and so on.
Integration and intelligent design become a hot spot
Intelligence/5G/internet, modern IoT, AR, VR technologies have been advanced. Combine these technologies with hotel management, which can help guests with higher effective work and more comfortable life.
Specifically, combining the smart devices with the hotel software to create convenience and advanced hotel solutions, to build a “smart hotel”/ “future hotel”. For example, smartphone app control conditioning, curtains, exhaust fans, etc.
Higher requirements for hotel design capabilities
As technology develops, it plays a full role in promoting hotel design, but it will also bring about some changes in the hotel. This is undoubtedly a new trend.
The hotel can combine intelligent technology with its actual situation, and set up a unique scene mode (such as mobile phone control or voice control) basic on its customer groups, which can bring a unique check-in experience to guests.
Small hotel lobby design ideas.
1. Entrance area
(1) The hotel gate is the first and vital place to obstruct the blocking of the invasion of viruses. Hotels can express friendly, clear, and simple communication by setting signage here, which helps people to achieve a more comfortable staying experience.
Furthermore, clear signs demonstrating your commitment to fighting the covid-19 will enhance your hotel image and make your guests feel at ease.
Hotel signage also plays a significant role in influencing the first impression of customers. Colorful and clear signage can easily catch people’s eyes and can keep people’s minds.
(2) Arrange a concierge at the hotel gate to check the temperature and the health code of people who access the hotel. And register their personal information.
To reduce hotel labor costs, some hotels use robots to replace humans doing these works. Using robots also can make your hotel more intelligent and effective.
(3) Hotels can also put some facemasks at the gate and provide them to the guests for free. This hotel design idea not only can ensure that every guest is wearing a facemask but also improves the goodwill of the guests to the hotel.
2. Reception area
To prevent the spread of covid-19, many places practice social distancing by requiring people to keep a one-meter distance from each other. Hotels are no exception. But for small hotels, it means the lobby area is becoming more crowded.
How to maximize the use of limited resources, the following hotel reception design ideas for your reference:
(1) Set multiple reception desks. The hotel front desk is an essential part of the hotel. Hoteliers can set multiple front desks to avoid crowding at the front desk.
(2) Upgrade your hotel management system. In future development, the popularity and wide application of smart hotel systems must be the general hotel trend. Smart hotel systems can provide users with a safe and reliable service and perfectly meet their needs. Specifically, the smart hotel allows users contactless check-in and check-out. Upgrading hotel management systems are good for hotels and hotel guests.
On the one hand, although your hotel size is small, smart technology can make your hotel powerful and complete. Having an updated hotel management system will make your hotel more intelligent, and promote the transformation of your hotel.
On the other hand, your guests can self-service during the entire staying. Before arrival, guests can book a room online. After they arrive at the hotel, they can go straight to their room without front desk check-in. Because the new hotel system allows guests to use their smart devices to access the hotel, take the hotel elevator, unlock the door lock, control the room devices, order food online, and so on.
(3) Set hotel self-check-in kiosks. Having a hotel check-in kiosk can effectively reduce the stress of the front desk and reduce the time your guests spend in communal spaces. The main functions of the hotel self-check-in kiosk are including self-help choosing rooms, self-check-in, self-help pay cost, and self-check-out.
- Self-help chooses room – Real-time room information available.
- Self-check-in – Convenient check-in, no queues, no tedious manual service.
- Self-help pay cost– Support face recognition payment, bank card payment, and smartphone payment (Wechat, Alipay).
- Self-check-out – Check out in three seconds.
3. Rest area
The rest area of the hotel is used primarily by guests while they wait. This area is the second place in the hotel lobby where the guests have the most contact, so the rest area design is also very important.
During the pandemic, many hotels adopt clean, natural, bright, and simple hotel rest area designs. In decoration, most modern hotel lobby designs will use marble floor designs, which can make the hotel look cleaner.
In location, the rest area will be closer to the doors and windows, guests here not only can enjoy the scenic view out of the window but also can feel the plenty of natural light and ventilation. As for the lobby furnishings, tables in this area will not only place the hotel’s signature decor but also add free alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
To make this area more comfortable, warm, and relaxing, the hotel designer also can add some humanistic elements and natural material elements to this place. In detail, create warm lighting – chose a dim lighting design, and play some music appropriately. And choose soft furnishings that match the surrounding decoration environment, including carpets, sofas, antique tables, even walls, steps, etc.
In addition, the hotel can expand its hotel business in this area by creating multiple compound spaces like wine communication areas, coffee tasting areas, shared office areas, sports areas, etc. Create a multifunctional space that provides guests with an all-around experience.
At the same time can also promote the hotel brand culture and deepen the impression of the hotel brand in guests’ minds, by placing brochures for guests to browse.
4. Passageway and elevator
Each floor space in the hotel is generally connected by passageways, stairs, elevators, and waiting areas. This part design also affects people’s rating of the hotel.
Firstly, the exit sign is an essential part of this area, which should be placed conspicuously and in bright colors.
And then is the lighting, in this area, using a lighting method that combines functionality and decoration can make your hotel more advanced. In addition to maintaining the light environment, it is also important to maintain the color temperature consistency.
Lighting for different areas should be combined with local lighting, differentiated through brightness contrast, and a transition between them so that the overall light environment is close, comfortable, and relaxing.
To build a completely contactless hotel, you can install access controllers that allow remote control on the passageway door and elevator. (such as mobile devices access, face recognition access)
5. Other
1. Plant: You can properly place some plants in the lobby, which can make your hotel look more vibrant, close to nature, safer, and more comfortable.
2. Smell: Research has shown that a wonderful smell can put people in a good mood. So you can add a popular scent within the hotel lobbies, such as green tea, jasmine, and lemongrass.
3. Painting: Hotels can put some paintings in the hotel lobby, to create an art gallery, and appropriately use moody lighting to adjust the background environment, which can improve the hotel level.
The style of paintings should be chosen according to the hotel’s style. In a vintage hotel, for instance, vintage oil paintings are appropriate.
