The document discusses key aspects of hospitality design, focusing on hotel interior design. It covers common terms, types of lodging facilities, and design elements for key areas like the lobby, guest rooms, and suites. Proper lighting, furniture, finishes, and code requirements are important considerations for guest rooms. The lobby is the critical first impression and must handle guest circulation effectively. Attention to design details and quality materials can enhance the guest experience.

1. HOSPITALITY
DESIGN
PRESENTATION ADAPTED FROM MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY INTERIOR DESIGN PROGRAM

2. COMMON TERMS
• AMENITIES - services or items that are provided to make the guest’s stay
more convenient or pleasant. Examples include: soap, hair dryers,
bathrobes, high-speed internet access, and in-room mini bars.
• BACK OF HOUSE – Those areas where employees have minimal contact
with guests, such as the business office, laundry, and kitchen.
• GUESTROOM BAY – The amount of space required to house a single
standard guest room.
• FRONT OF THE HOUSE – Those areas where employees have the most
contact with guests, such as the registration desk, guest rooms, and food
and beverage areas.
• FUNCTION SPACES – Spaces utilized for meetings, banquets, and other
specialized functions.
• GUEST SERVICES – Services provided to enhance the guest’s stay at the
facility, such as room service, valet service, bell service, health club, and
dining room.
• HOTEL MANAGEMENT – The individual or corporation that has made an
agreement with the hotel owner to operate the hotel facility.
• LODGING FACILITY – A facility that provides sleeping accommodations for
individuals away from their permanent homes. Most also provide food and
beverage services. Sometimes called a lodging property or transient living
facility.
• PROPERTY – The lodging facility, including the building and all the land
owned by the facility.
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3. HOTELS MOTELS OTHER
Downtown or city center Budget Bed and Breakfast
Suburban Suburban Lodge
Convention Airport Inn
Conference Highway Hostel
Commercial Motor Inn Extended Stay
Residential & Condo Tourist Home
Boutique Boarding House
Superluxury Executive Training and Conference Center
Mega Hotel University Conference Center
Casino
Airport
Highway
Resorts
Golf, Tennis, Beach
Ski
Spa Resorts
Vacation Ownership
Theme Park
Cruise Ships
All-suite
Shopping Mall Hotel
PRIMARY
TYPES
OF
LODGING
FACILITIES
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4. LODGING TYPE DEFINITIONS
• CONVENTION HOTELS – cater to large business, professional, or other
other organizational groups, where the emphasis during the stay is on
meetings or related activities
• CONFERENCE CENTERS - hotels specially designed and organized for
smaller meetings and conferences than those held at convention hotels
• COMMERCIAL HOTELS - hotels that cater to business travelers are
commonly located in urban centers or near central business districts
• BOUTIQUE HOTELS – are usually smaller than the other types of hotels;
commonly located in downtown areas, but can be found in many locations
• SUPERLUXURY HOTELS - provides impeccable service, amenities, and
design. The staff places an emphasis on the privacy of guests, discretion
and security.
• CASINO HOTELS – combine various price points of interior design with the
casino experience; often have a combination of theaters, entertainment,
great food, and beverage facilities and, of course, places to spend the night
when gambling concludes for the day
• RESORT HOTELS – lodging facilities that have, as part of their services
extensive, recreational facilities or activities. They come in many varieties,
including those catering to guests interested in high-quality golf
experiences, ski lodges, luxurious beach resorts, or mixed-use theme park
resorts.
• RESIDENTIAL HOTELS – those in which the majority of guests are
accommodated for long-term stays, perhaps months or even years at a
time.
• ALL-SUITE HOTELS – lodging facilities where all the guest rooms are suites
consisting of a separate bedroom and living area. Many all-suite hotels
also offer kitchen facilities within the suite.
• MOTELS – lodging facilities that generally offer limited services and cater
primarily to the traveler using an automobile. They are generally located in
suburban and rural areas.
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5. PLANNING AND INTERIOR DESIGN ELEMENTS
• Guest rooms have minimum standard sizes and furniture configurations, regardless of the type of facility.
• All lodging facilities need a lobby with a place for guest to register and pay their bills.
• THREE BASIC PRODUCTS TO SELL TO POTENTIAL GUESTS
• GUEST ACCOMMODATIONS OR GUEST ROOMS
• ADDITIONAL GUEST SERVICES
• I.E. AMENITIES IN GUEST ROOMS, GIFT SHOPS AND NEWSSTANDS, FOOD AND BEVERAGE SERVICES OFFERED THROUGH
RESTAURANT AND ROOM SERVICE, AND RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES SUCH AS A SPA OR SWIMMING POOL
• AMBIENCE
• This gives the facility its look and personality.
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6. CONCEPT
• The overall idea that unifies all parts of the facility and provides a specific direction for the
design.
• Usually prepared after the feasibility study since that information will direct portions of the
concept statement.
• Focuses on the planning and design of all the interior spaces, as well as the design of every
other detail of the hotel’s operation such as uniforms, graphics, and even the colors of linen
for guest rooms.
• The CONCEPT STATEMENT will examine characteristics of the feasibility study such as the
guest target market, the service offerings, the mix of accommodation offerings, and the
ambience.
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7. FURNITURE AND FINISHES
• Generally, the highest quality furnishings and materials will be reserved for the lobby and
the guest rooms. These spaces are the primary places that influence the guest and
therefore must be given the most careful consideration.
• Use of beautifully designed custom millwork on the registration desk, high-quality finish
products for architectural surfaces and upholstery, and quality accessories are some of
the ways the interior designer creates the appropriate ambiance.
• Lobby furniture must withstand the abuse of numerous users, guests bumping suitcases
into and placed on the furniture, and regular maintenance.
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8. FURNITURE AND FINISHES
• Interior finishes in guest rooms must be easy to maintain and stand up to abuse.
• Carpeting is usually tightly tufted carpeting over padding in the bed area, with various
other materials such as ceramic tile in the bathroom and dressing area.
• The challenge to the interior designer is to specify products that will be aesthetically
appropriate for the concept and allow easy maintenance while standing up to the abuse
of heavy use.
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9. LIGHTING
• General lighting is needed for general traffic movement and safety within any interior
space. Accent lighting is used to call attention to specific areas or elements of any
interior space.
• Accent lighting is used to call attention to specific areas or elements of the space.
• In some areas, a third type of lighting called SPARKLE LIGHTING is used to create special
effects and give atmosphere to a room.
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10. LIGHTING
• Guest room lighting design must also be planned for a variety of activities.
• The lighting design of the guest room has a strong relationship to residential design.
• TASK LIGHTING at the bedside for reading is often provided by small fixtures on bedside tables
or wall sconces.
• HIGH-QUALITY task lighting is necessary for shaving and applying makeup in the bathroom
and dressing area.
• Switches that control general lighting –usually via floor lamp in the guest room or a ceiling
fixture near the door – provides safe lighting when the guest enters the room.
• Additional lighting for reading or working is necessary at a desk or table area.
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11. CODE REQUIREMENTS
• Hotels area considered to be a type of RESIDENTIAL OCCUPANCY in the building code.
• However, all but the smallest lodging facilities are actually mixed occupancies.
• A lodging property can include a combination of residential, assembly, business, and
mercantile occupancies.
• A combination of the application BUILDING, FIRE, AND LIFE SAFETY codes will also impact the
design decisions related to the materials and, in some cases, the products specified for a
lodging facility.
• CARPET specified for exit access corridors needs a higher fire safety classification than carpet
in guest rooms and hotel offices.
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12. CODE REQUIREMENTS [CORRIDORS]
• Corridors that are considered exit access corridors will have more stringent requirements related to their
width as well as their architectural finishes.
• Some aisles between furniture might also have width restrictions since they may be considered exist
access aisles.
• Widths of corridors and aisles are based largely on the occupancy load in the specific areas and on uses
of spaces.
• Because of accessibility requirements, corridors and aisles are generally required to be a minimum of 36
inches wide.
• CARPET specified for exit access corridors needs a higher fire safety classification than carpet in guest
rooms and hotel offices.
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13. The lobby provides the first critical impression the guest or visitor will have of the
hotel. It might be intimate and well appointed in a boutique hotel or large, bustling,
and dramatic to handle the crowds for a convention.
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THE LOBBY

14. 14
THE LOBBY
The lobby is the busy place with guests and
visitors coming and going, sometimes at a
frantic pace and in great numbers.
Not only does it serve for check-in and check-
out, it is the main circulation space moving
guests to the guest rooms and to public spaces
such as restaurants, recreation areas, and
conference spaces.
The lobby serves as a place for guests to meet
other guests and visitors, and perhaps to relax
away from guest rooms, thus becoming a
gathering place.

15. THE LOBBY
• Attention to the planning and circulation of space and traffic patterns is very
important. New guests checking in with luggage will want to find the
registration desk easily and locate the elevators to get to their rooms.
• Sometimes the amount of this traffic alone can cause congestion in the lobby
when several large groups check in at the same time.
• This important PRIMARY traffic pattern must adequately handle expected peak
volumes of traffic.
• Secondary traffic paths must smoothly move guests and visitors from the lobby
to restaurants, retail outlets, and gift shops, as well as function rooms.
• Secondary traffic paths also move guests to seating provided in the lobby.
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16. TYPICAL FRONT DESK FUNCTIONS
• Guest registration stations
• Guest check-out and cashier stations
• Guest mail and messages
• Key boxes
• Guest information (concierge)
• Space for assistant manager
• Reservations
• House and pay phones
• Events directory
• Bellman station (nearby)
• Bellman carts storage (nearby)
• Luggage storage (nearby)
FRONT
DESK
AND
RECEPTION/LOBBY
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• In larger hotels, concierge is a staff member who provides information about
the local area, helps with reservations for dinner at local off-site restaurants,
sells tickets for plays or sporting events, and provides other aid to make the
guest’s stay more enjoyable and trouble-free.
• The larger the hotel, the larger the lobby and reception (front) desk should be
• The CONCEPT and THEME of the hotel will establish the design treatments and
ambience of the lobby and hotel in general. Styles of furniture, fabric choices,
architectural millwork and architectural treatments and finishes, accessories,
and, of course, the color scheme will be driven by the concept developed in
the early planning of the facility.
• Materials on the architectural surfaces and upholstery
must be durable and easy to maintain, as well as meet
local fire safety codes.
• It is common for major traffic paths to be defined
by some type of hard surface flooring, while carpeting
is used in seating areas.

17. GUEST ROOMS
• Guests are often hoping for or expecting a space that is more luxurious and
aesthetically interesting than what they have at home.
• It is obvious that hotels gain the largest percentage of their income from
renting guest rooms.
• At the same time, the design of the guest rooms and the products and finishes
for these spaces is the greatest expense.
• Adding one item to a room may not seem like much, but that item could be
multiplied by hundreds, as it will likely be repeated in each room.
• Each item and each finish specified for the guest rooms must be done with
careful consideration for expense, aesthetics, and function.
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18. GUEST ROOMS
• Guest room floor planning involves determining the greatest number of rooms
and suites on each floor, as well as providing space for guest and service
elevators, stairs, and service areas such as linen rooms, vending areas, and
circulation space.
• Any one floor of the hotel will likely have a variety of room sizes.
• Some rooms will have a queen- or king-size bed, while others will have two
double beds (called a double double).
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19. GUEST ROOMS
• Hotels compete for guests by offering larger guest rooms, exciting guest room
décor, interesting art and accessories, comfortable desk chairs, and, oh yes,
feather beds!
• The bedroom/dressing zone is most commonly located adjacent to the
entrance to the guest room, with the closet located in that same area.
• One common ploy is to separate the lavatories from the tub and water closet
space.
• Resorts and luxury properties add a shower to the bathroom and perhaps a
whirlpool tub rather than a standard bathtub.
• The hotel’s target market will have a great influence on the space allowances
and materials specifications in these zones.
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20. TIPS FOR THE DESIGN OF GUEST ROOMS
Provide sufficient space on all sides of all beds for housekeeping services. The work area will also require an extra telephone, internet
connection, and a task light.
Provide a minimum of one bedside table with a lamp and space for a
small clock radio as well as a light fixture. Many hotels provide a bedside
table and lamp on both sides of queen- and king-sized beds.
A small eating zone might be a part of the concept, with a small
refrigerator with a chargeable bar and snack service, as well as a
coffee maker.
Soft seating, either a comfortable club chair or love seat positioned for
easy viewing of the television. Floor or table lamps are also required in
this location.
A suite hotel provides a small kitchen – which could be as simple as a
sink and a microwave oven or a true small kitchen with full-size
appliances – plus a small dining table and chairs.
Love seats and sofas, if specified, are often sleeper units to provide room
for extra sleeping accommodations.
Appropriate accessories such as wall mirrors and framed graphics
selected to enhance the design concept of the rooms.
An armoire or custom cabinet that will accommodate a television as well
as dresser drawers.
A table desk or dresser/desk combination, along with a chair such as
a dining room-style chair, make up the work area. Business class and
higher-priced hotels use office desk chairs in the work area.
Guest
Rooms
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21. GUEST ROOMS
• Considered part of the dressing zone but generally located across from the
beds are the armoires or dressers. Dressing areas require a dresser, closet,
mirror, and space to accommodate luggage.
• Headboards, mattresses, chairs, dressers, desks and other furniture or millwork
must be commercial-grade products to take abuse but look like something the
guests may have at home.
• Plastic laminate finishes on furniture items are most commonly selected for
tables, dressers, and headboards.
• Luxury and high-value properties utilize wood-veneered case goods.
• Fabrics for bedspreads and soft seating should be selected with maintenance
and fire safety in mind.
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22. GUEST ROOMS [WALLCOVERING/FABRIC]
• Commercial-grade carpeting and hard surface flooring are a must, as are
commercial-grade wall coverings.
• Luxury hotels are one of the few types of facilities that can effectively use a limited
amount of non-commercial grade materials for wallcoverings in guest rooms.
• Textured vinyl wallcoverings, grasscloth, and even painted surfaces serve as wall
treatment options.
• Faux finishes are used sparingly and only in some luxury properties due to their high
cost.
• Larger patterns are more often reserved for bedspreads and draperies.
• Window treatments should include both an overdrape of some decorative fabric or
pattern and a blackout drape to provide privacy and light control.
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23. GUEST ROOMS [ART]
• Artwork or accessories are necessary to complete the design concept, but they
must be chosen with economy as well as appearance in mind.
• Reproduction paintings, prints, and photographs for the walls are most
common.
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24. GUEST ROOMS [LIGHTING]
• General and safety lighting via a ceiling fixture at the entrance door or a floor
lamp on a switch at the entrance door is a must.
• Sconces or bedside table fixtures provide additional general lighting and serve
as task lights for reading in bed.
• Task lights area also needed at the desk and soft seating locations. If the room
is large, coved lighting may be employed for general lighting.
• High-quality lighting is needed in the bathroom and the dressing area.
• Most hotels have changed to fixtures using longer-burning fluorescent lamps to
provide better energy economy.
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25. GUEST ROOMS [SUITES]
• Suite rooms are commonly located on the upper floors of the hotel, providing
better views, quiet, and privacy.
• Some hotels place suites at the corners of the floors, where it is sometimes
difficult to create regular-sized rooms.
• Suites may have private balconies or patios whenever the hotel has feature
views of the city or area.
• The designer also will upgrade the quality of materials, furniture, and
accessories in the suites, making these rooms worth their high prices.
• A portion of suite accommodations will also have to be designed to meet the
ADA requirements.
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26. GUEST ROOMS [CODE REQ.]
• Code requirements for guest rooms need to be verified with local jurisdictions.
• Depending on the jurisdiction and the size of the facility, architectural finishes
for walls within guest rooms must be required to meet Class A, B, or C
standards.
• Flooring materials must meet Class II standards as a minimum.
• Draperies and other vertical textile hangings are required to pass the vertical
flame test.
• Mattresses must meet local code restrictions, which might exceed the US
federal DOC FF4-72 test requirement.
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27. 27

28. 28 Assignment
Present a quick case study of any hotel interior – international