Design experts say hiring the right people, creating long-lasting designs and crafting a ‘wow’ factor are important in hotel design.

When planning design changes to a property, hoteliers must consider how to balance what’s trending and what will have the greatest impact on guests.

Speakers on the “Design to inspire: Creating the unexpected” panel at the Hunter Hotel Investment Conference stressed the importance of choosing designs with shelf life, hiring the right people and bringing contractors in early on in the process to create designs that last.

Avoiding trendy designs

Some hotels avoid trying to be too trendy when it comes to design so that designs don’t age too fast. Libby Patrick, president of Sims Patrick Studio, said small things can be trendier because they can easily be changed.

“The more alive an item is, the less time it’s going to live,” Patrick said. “Things like upholstery and pillows and light fixtures and things like that can be more trendy, more fashion-oriented.

“We believe that if there’s a good design story, a great design can last forever.”

On the brand side of making design last, Bethany Warner, director of design management at Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, said the chain creates a refresh design every so often, and sends items like pillow covers, desk wraps and new drink menus to hotels to revitalize the design.

“For us, it’s all about going back to that design foundation and really creating a design, creating a foundation that we know will last,” she said.

Warner said the design team refreshes the look for each Starwood brand every four or five years.

Creating the ‘wow’ factor

Designers aim to create hotel designs that impress guests. Patrick said her team tries to give people more than they expect when it comes to design pieces, especially artwork and water features.

“We’re creating unexpected items within and giving people more than they expect,” Patrick said.

At Starwood properties, Warner said small touches can have a greater effect on guests.

“I think you can insert small things that have a big impact,” Warner said.

She said Starwood does this by giving guests the “wow” factor through its refresh program. Warner said changing a few small things can make the hotel’s design seem completely different, and guests often notice the small changes.

Finding the right team

When it comes to hiring people to add to your design team, it’s important to find someone who can do the job right. Alan Benjamin, president and founder of Benjamin West, said hoteliers should ask to see specs when it comes to hiring a design firm.

“Try and get design firms that are not hiring 13-year-olds to write specs,” Benjamin said. “With the expansion in the business right now and in (2016) and projected for (2017), there will probably be a world-record span on CapEx in (furniture, fixtures and equipment), both renovation and new build, and when you’re interviewing design firms, go beyond the pretty pictures, and say, ‘Can I see your spec book?’”

Sam Cicero Jr., president of Cicero’s Development Corporation, said contractors with experience should be brought into the design process in the early stages of planning.

“Over the years, we’ve learned a few things: You have to have the right tools, the right systems and the right strategy,” Cicero said. “It leads to a consistent success on every project.

“When clients don’t get the contractors on board with the rest of the team early, (the contractor is) coming late to the project and often does not (know) the goals and the strategies that the owner wants to achieve, so there’s often a lot of catch up.”