THE NEW SERENITY

The appeal of the new and serenity - two contradictory aspects reconciled in a hotel concept. Matt Turner from the magazine Sleeper explains how these two poles can determine the success of a city hotel.

Urbanisation and the fast pace of life are defining features of today’s society. One consequence of this state of affairs is that fashion and trends are subject to ever shorter cycles. The appeal of the new and hip is a key attribute of the modern urban nomad’s raison d’être. Individual style is forever redefining itself - and this is equally true when we are on our travels. Much like the cities, hotels are also enjoying a comeback as manifestations of lifestyle and culture. Accordingly, ‘genius loci’ and ‘social hotspot’ are two buzzwords in current hotel design trends. A hotel is to be something special, with a surprise factor for the guest. But there is more to it than that.

There is also a quite different, contradictory aspiration driving forward-looking hotel concepts: In a globally interconnected world, people spend a lot of time travelling. People who are always on the move miss home and the feeling of security it offers. Successful hotel concepts in cities around the world thus perform the feat of offering the guest a new experience and at the same time a reassuring sense of familiarity. Along with all the soft factors, what contribution can architecture and design make here? Let us consider the lobbies and rooms. As a counterpoint to the public area, it is the option of retreating into a space of their own that helps guests to feel at home. The bathroom plays a particularly crucial role here. From the personal luxury of a compact bathroom to the lavish, large-scale wellness oasis - for the sake of the guests’ wellbeing, both areas must exude a sense of reassuring security.

In a nutshell, ‘welcome’ and ‘wellness” are the decisive success factors behind viable hotel concepts. On the one hand, the hotel becomes a meeting place for the urban community boasting the hippest design credentials, while on the other it is an intuitive feel-good place for overnight stays.

About the interviewee:

Matt Turner is the editor-in-chief of Sleeper, the leading international trend magazine for hotel design. The London media brand has launched a number of innovative industry events, including the networking conference Sleepover and the European Hotel Design Awards. Industry insider Matt Turner is an enthusiastic traveller and writer, and his work appears in such publications as the Financial Times, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Wallpaper.