Exclusive! The Hotel Room of the Future

How can you best use the spaces in a hotel? Interior designers Keshia Groenendaal (Studio Bower) and Floor Duijndam (Atelier FLOOR) are jointly researching the Hotel Room of the Future. With HOTELVAK, they share some of their findings.

"Hotels are increasingly frequented by a new generation of people who travel and work remotely - remotely," says Groenendaal. "They have outgrown the hostel but do not have the budget to stay in luxury hotels for long periods of time."

Groenendaal and Duijndam believe in a form that sits between hostel and hotel. "The new generation of guests does expect their own room but it may be smaller, so that more rooms fit into a hotel. So a compact space, mainly suitable for sleeping. The lobby then needs enough space to work, combined with places to be able to disconnect for a while. For guests who want to work in their room, there may be hotel rooms with a small desk."

According to Groenendaal, it is important to look critically at how space is used in a hotel. "In the Netherlands, space is simply scarce and therefore needs to be used well. This can be done by using a space in different ways." 

In the hotel industry, both interior designers say, it is clearly visible that the number of business guests is declining. Groenendaal: "The boundaries between business and private stays are blurring and this has consequences. Combining work and pleasure requires a different layout. You can eat and work at a good table. Meetings can also be held in a lounge setting. This creates a mix of informal and formal. So be creative: if you can give a space multiple functions, try that."

"A hotel chain that shows well how this is possible is ZOKU, to which I was also invited to contribute. The lobby has plenty of space to work and smaller rooms have been created for meetings. You are still aware of your surroundings, creating a living room feel. Also Locke
Living does this very well. This chain is a bit more focused on short stays. You see people spreading their free time more and more. Three weeks can also become five weeks, but then they also have to work during that time. At the same time, guests do not suddenly have twice the budget for such a longer stay."

Both Locke Living and ZOKU also create a connection with the city. ZOKU invites local residents to come and work and Locke Living offers yoga classes, for example. "In this way, a hotel can become a part of a city and its neighbourhood. Hotels can also consider membership to be allowed to work there or use its facilities."

Given the demands that the new generation of guests places on a hotel, it makes sense that Duijndam and Groenendaal's work goes far beyond cosmetic surgery. "We focus first on architecture, routing and layout," says Groenendaal. "Then it's about function, light, acoustics and other architectural aspects. We want to add value by tackling the architectural part first. The interior is then just as important, the use of materials, preferably circular, applying the right lighting, the final appearance, look and feel. Everything hangs together."

According to Groenendaal, sustainability is very important. "If energy label C does indeed become mandatory for hotels too, it is important to think about this now. Moreover, the new generation of travellers wants to stay in a sustainable hotel. Sustainability starts with using a hotel efficiently, so that less needs to be built. In addition, think about second-use furniture. The core is then reused, while the rest is refurbished. We are currently researching sustainable materials for both finishes and furniture. We use our knowledge to help hoteliers with their own hotel room of the future."