Designing an Unforgettable Hotel Guest Experience: Gerard Glintmeijer of FG stijl, a sponsor company at the marcus evans Infrastructure & Property Development MEA Summit 2014, on designing a luxury hotel experience.

1. Interview with: Gerard Glintmeijer,
Founder, FG stijl
“Long gone are the days of selecting a
hotel for its beds alone, or simply its
location. Hotels have become an
integral part of the traveller‟s experi-
ence, and sometimes itself the reason
to visit,” says Gerard Glintmeijer,
Founder, FG stijl. “Hotels today are
theatre, entertainment, leisure and
cultural destination all-in-one, and the
design process must reflect this new
prominence,” he adds.
An interior design firm, FG stijl is a
sponsor company at the marcus evans
Infrastructure & Property Develop-
ment MEA Summit 2014.
What is challenging infrastructure
and property developers in the
Middle East today? What is the
industry missing?
Developers in the region are in an
enviable position to be able to work on
so many exciting new-build projects,
but such projects bring their own
challenges. Buildings with an existing
heritage have a firm position in their
environment. They often have an
existing attraction to the community
they serve or contribute a certain
cultural cachet. Of course new-build
developers have an obligation to respect
the cultural context as well, but the
challenge is in creating properties that
are significant as a destination in rapidly
growing urban landscapes. Their
properties need to tell a story to a
growing population and develop a
reason to draw people to it. Hotels form
such a central role in the development
of the region because they are equally a
destination for a city‟s residents as
much as its tourists. Many new-build
properties have already done this very
successfully (think of the Madinat
Jumeirah, DIFC, Old Town and Dubai
Mall) and this is the benchmark to which
developers need to aspire to develop for
future generations of residents and to
remain an attractive destination for
tourists.
What design elements are often
forgotten?
Today, in the age of accelerated
development, design and functionality
details suffer in execution. We design
hotel interiors and the total guest
experience. That is why we say we
design for people. It starts with the
hotel guest and taking them away to
another place. To do that well, the
design must be aligned with the hotel
operations. Not only do we understand
luxury hotel design but we pride
ourselves on our understanding of hotel
operations and the requirements of
hotel brands. We have built up excellent
rapports with our clients and many hotel
operators over the years, because we
respect the requirements of a well-
functioning hotel, while bringing new
passion, creativity and detail to each
project. Details include designing with
workflow in mind, service and clearing,
access to stores and back-of-house,
plug locations and audio-visual
integration, pantry sizes and location,
acoustic and lighting levels, the tactile
experience. All of these details have a
direct effect on the guest experience
and ensure your operator can manage a
hotel optimally.
What are the demands and expecta-
tions of the luxury segment in the
region?
Luxury is so much more than what is
fancy, big or expensive. It is an
experience that is almost intangible. It
should envelop you but be difficult to
pinpoint, and therefore, luxurious
surroundings should put you completely
at ease but leave you aspiring for
something similar. Firms like Chanel and
Hermes have always been acutely
aware of contemporary demands in
their design, but their respect for quality
have made their designs timeless, and
have therefore so often set the
benchmark in their markets. FG stijl
understand that luxury evolves like
fashion but that the basis for all luxury
is a respect for quality and detail, and
this is how we approach hospitality
design. With such a well-travelled
population, and with hotels forming a
central role in the fabric of society in the
region, interiors need to be acutely in
tune with the evolution of luxury.
Successful developers are those that
build destination properties that stay
ahead of the curve in design and
respect the timelessness of quality and
we opened our office in Dubai to help
developers achieve this.
Designing an Unforgettable
Hotel Guest Experience
Luxury is
so much
more than
what is
fancy,
big or
expensive

2. How do you determine the design requirements of a project?
There are a vast number of determining factors in the development of a hotel design but the foremost of these are the owner‟s
vision and market forces. Developers and owners need to consider the competitive benchmark of the property, number of rooms,
average rate, suitable operators, the prominence of F&B operations, target customer, and business or leisure operations. The
design takes direction from all these factors and illustrates the importance of the design briefing, the initial research phase and an
understanding of the local market; another reason for the opening of our Dubai office.
In this competitive environment, what is most effective for differentiating properties?
What was previously unthinkable has in the current urban age become possible. Cities are transforming themselves into landscapes
of pleasure, in which hotels play a central role. Destination choices involve a consideration of both the place and the experience
offered during the stay, be it at a city hotel, a mountain resort or a tropical island. Hotels have become an integral part of the
traveller‟s experience and sometimes itself the reason to visit. They have helped reshape cityscapes and altered the international
image of many cities and countries. They have sometimes defined cities by establishing new icons. We only need to think of
Dubai‟s Burj al Arab hotel, the Raffles Hotel in Singapore or the Waldorf Astoria in New York to recall the essence of those cities.
Hotels will always remain influential in branding and forming the image of a city. Rivalry between the various hotel brands has
established a greater choice of hotel types and any city typically holds a great number of hotel options. Luxury, business and
boutique hotels all cater to the different desires of the contemporary global traveller.
Within city regeneration, hotels can play an important role. Newly opened destination hotels act as magnets, creating waves of
development in the surrounding area. The conversions of old prisons into luxury hotels, or redesigns of abandoned harbour sheds
into luxury destinations, have become symbolic of the regeneration of neglected city areas. Consider New York‟s Meat Packing
district, or Sydney Harbour‟s Woolloomooloo Wharf to understand the possibilities for transformation.
Hotels today are theatre, entertainment, leisure and cultural destination all in one, and the design process must reflect this new
prominence.
What makes an unforgettable hotel experience?
An unforgettable experience in a hotel is when design details and operational excellence are perfectly attuned. From the moment
guests are greeted till the time they check out, guests are being told a story that takes them away to another time or a world away
from their own. An unforgettable moment can be a single outstanding meal or service experience, but mostly it will be the sum of
all its parts. That is why interior design is the creation of the complete guest experience. Exceptional design is the soul and
character of a property. It is the heavenly bed, the sumptuous chandeliers, the exquisite fabrics and the finest furniture. It is the
fine crystal, the bone china, and the softest linen. Successful interior design creates the best night‟s sleep, the perfect cocktail and
that unforgettable meal. Ultimately, it is your guests‟ very first impression and most indelible memory.
The alignment with hotel operations - how can it be done successfully?
Attention to detail and quality is critical for success, as is a holistic approach to hotel design. Developers must look at all the parts
collectively to achieve the unforgettable experience. Good project management ensures that all the designed elements have been
considered in concurrence and the guest experiences a coherent design language. Interior designers should be given, and should
assume, the mandate to review all the design elements. This includes graphic design, signage, branding, uniforms, lighting, table-
top, amenities, and so much more. Developers should see the benefits of including interior designers in the selection process
throughout, so that they drive the vision while serving the requirements of the operator. Our commitment to full-service design is
another motive for opening our Dubai office as we support owners and hotel brands in their expansion in the region.

3. About the Infrastructure & Property Development MEA
Summit 2014
Offering much more than any conference, exhibition or trade show, this exclusive
meeting will bring together esteemed industry thought leaders and solution
providers to a highly focused and interactive networking event. The Summit
includes presentations on performing a delicate balancing act by adopting a superior
level of quality, sustainability and convenience within allocated budgets, and
validating development plans to showcase the booming market and deliver profit-
generating products.
www.ipdsummit.com
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About FG stijl
FG stijl are a full service interior design firm, specializing in high-end hospitality and exclusive residential properties with offices in
Amsterdam and Dubai. In March 2014 FG Stijl celebrated their 19th anniversary. The first decade produced a prolific body of work,
the culmination of which was expressed in their native Amsterdam‟s award-winning The College Hotel, which opened in 2005.
These efforts secured the Prix Villégiature award for „Best Hotel Interior Design in Europe‟. It was early in their careers that the FG
stijl founders, Colin Finnegan and Gerard Glintmeijer (the „F‟ and „G‟ of FG stijl), secured commissions to give shape to our vision in
four of the Netherlands‟ Michelin starred restaurants. The Michelin world embraces ambience almost as much as it does
gastronomy and designing for users at the pinnacle of this international standard ensured that quality and people have always
shaped the way that we design.
From these strong foundations FG stijl continued to grow as a full service interior design agency commissioned to work on major
hotel brands such as Hyatt, Mandarin Oriental, Sheraton, and Jumeirah. Their designs can also be found in exceptional private
residences around the world, landmark projects such as BMW Welt and the Albertina Museum, and the private jet lounge at
Schiphol International Airport.
FG stijl work on hotel projects, restaurants, spas, private residences, lounges, retail and museums, across Europe, Asia and The
Middle East, demonstrating a cross-cultural and multi-disciplinary capability to meet the design requirements of any project.
www.fgstijl.com
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