Hotel interiors now offer a clever marriage of luxury and technology, resulting in experiences that play upon your senses and impact your mood, says Sapna Kulshrestha.
A hotel interior is no longer just about how it looks, but also how it feels, and its impact on a guest. Ambience essentially translates into moods, which has actually now become a powerful aspect of hospitality service delivery.
One of the big trends in hotel design right now is creating experiences that play upon your senses. Ramji Sarangan, business head, Edifice Architects, comments: “It is well known that our surroundings can have a significant impact on our moods and feelings, thus, in every hotel interior, the sensorial components such as colors, smells, sounds, and so on, acquire a great relevance”.
Hotels and other hospitality businesses have a plethora of choices while considering the mood they want to create.
For instance, to create a relaxing and peaceful atmosphere, candle light or subtle fragrances can add that perfect touch of elegance and serenity; on the other hand, to create an air of excitement, bright colours, furniture designs, upbeat music, and even the light arrangement, can inspire an exuberant mood.
Well planned lighting can create the right atmosphere for various purposes in a hotel interior. The ITC Maurya lobby area in New Delhi displays a dramatic atmosphere through an elegant mix of lamp lights marking the seating areas, and ceiling lights that accentuate the decorative ceiling art.
As Delhi architect Rajendra Srivastava explains: “The lighting ingredients for a French restaurant would be different from those for a Chinese one, to achieve the thematic experience; similarly bars with mahogany and leather interiors call for a different blend of light than those with a steel-and-glass look”.
The modern lighting control system gives enormous flexibility to distinguish individual zones with different light treatment, as can be seen in the Trident Hotel, Gurgaon, where the fire torches at the entrance and in the resident block mesmerises every guest.
Accent lighting can also be used to great effect such as in The Park, Chennai, where the wall of light on the grand staircase is a modern interpretation of walls of traditional diyas that light temples and homes across India.
The latest trend in hotel design is to appeal to all the five senses, offering what may be described as a ‘sensory stay’.
Pleasing aromas can enhance the perceived beauty of a room. Scents like lavender, eucalyptus, and citrus are a calming influence; a whiff of fresh baked bread or vanilla offers comfort; the aroma of freshly-brewed coffee is inviting to guests; while the smell of crisp white linen makes them feel clean and peaceful.
From infusing the lobby with a light fragrance to the music played in public spaces, the goal is to create a memorable experience that guests can smell, hear, and feel, rather than inundating them with visual stimulation.
Ripples Fragrance has initiated customised fragrances for companies in India. Kiran Ranga, CEO, states that they create signature fragrances based on a company’s brand, its culture, and its ethos.
In fact, many hotels are exploring the notion of sensory branding to create a point of difference. To appeal to the new-age guest, the Trident, Gurgaon uses jasmine oil especially imported from France in all areas of the hotel; similarly Diya Basu, director public relations, The Park, Kolkata, says: “Our hotel has developed customised room freshener, and plays tailored soundtracks for different areas as well”.
A well-chosen colour scheme too can be crucial in winning over hotel guests before they’ve even uttered a word. Colors create moods and atmospheres instantly – for better or worse.
The Park, Chennai, has cleverly used a palette of pale cream limestone, aqua leather, and chocolaty velvets, to create an oasis away from the chaos of the city.
In fact, colour can define spaces for visitors within the hotels, from the bar, to the fitness centre, to the conference facilities.
Indeed, hotels are now moving away from perennial shades of beige and suchlike, and considering a broader palette spectrum. At ITC Maurya, the room’s warm shades give you a sense of peace and comfort, especially at the end of an arduous day.
In addition, dramatic colour plans and off-the-wall mixes of patterns can create environments that aren’t just yet another hotel room for the guest.
The detailing and accessories too play a very important role in completing the experience of a hotel. Chandeliers, mirrors, dark wood furniture, and cabinets, are eye-catching and further emphasise the lavishness of the décor.
Adornments such as inlay work, moldings, and cutwork screens, and wallpaper in bold prints, further add to creating a warm interior, and accentuate the space. Making the bland spaces seem more artistic caters to the guest’s subconscious desire of luxury.
The Gold Leafing Studio has given a new visual dimension to luxury with varying treatments like antique, champagne, patina, crackle, oxidised and textured finishes in gold, silver and copper.
Imran Khan, CEO, Gold Leafing Studio, explains: ” Hotel interiors are incomplete without embellishments as they are essential to catering to the visitor’s sense of magnificence.
The classical, opulent styles of the bygone eras have made a comeback with new contemporary overtones, like the art of gold and silver leafing (gilding) that adds a glittery touch of our heritage to modern spaces. From antique to ultra modern, from rustic to royal, leafing can be used to achieve just about any look.”
What’s more, the right choice of soft furnishings, which includes the curtains, upholstery, lamp shades, cushions, and floor coverings like rugs, throws, and carpets, can augment the look of a room.
Rich, lustrous fabrics add depth to a space and convey feelings of comfort, lavishness and serenity –which is what makes a visitor’s stay at a hotel so enjoyable.
Krsna Mehta, Design Director, Zeba, says: “Fabrics and furnishings are essential to create a feeling of home, and add excitement in any given space. But they need to be considered in totality with other elements like lighting, colour, and furniture.
If the interior is minimalistic, rich fabrics, carpets, and colourful cushion can add a touch of play. Fabrics can be introduced to uplift an area not only in the form of carpeting, upholstery, or furnishing, but as a wall painting or art as well.
Furnishings are the easiest to change as per the ambience required, and custom made designs impart a signature style to any area of the hotel.”
Adds designer Deepi Singh of Muslin Store, Delhi: “Plush fabrics like Jacquard patterns, chenille, and velvet, are in vogue, plus foil-printed polyester-blended fabrics are being used for cushions and to upholster accent furniture pieces”.
“In the Premium rooms of The Park, Kolkata, each bedroom has one dominant colour of the seven Chakras in the form of wool rugs, bed throws, cushions, and curtains, that gives the guest a colour- energy experience”, remarks Basu.
Likewise, colours and patterns based upon nature bring instant holiday calm upon entering the suite, whilst an addition of traditional furnishings and materials bring alive a little bit of a local flavor to imbue a sense of destination for a tourist.
Similar to rich fabrics, a carpet-covered floor is soft to the touch and soothing to the eye, while conveying warmth. Thick, soft textures appeal to our senses and, because they absorb sound, create a feeling of privacy. One-colour schemes with a gradation of shades creates serenity, while bold patterns bring liveliness.
Carved carpets have irregular surfaces that absorb light unevenly creating variations of light and shadow, which causes the room to be more stimulating. Grayer, darker carpets are calming, whereas light, warm ones create cheerful surroundings.
Adds Ravi Mehra, marketing manager Shyam Ahuja: “Instead of machine made, mass produced floor coverings, designers are asking for customised designs and natural materials like cotton, silk, and wool, as it creates an exclusive and unified whole in the room, especially for theme suites.”
Furniture too has an integral role to play in any hotel interior, and is a key in setting the theme of a property, while helping guests form both first and lasting impressions. The right placement of furniture and the selection of materials can enhance feelings of comfort and security, and revitalise us subliminally.
High-style, idiosyncratic interiors provide a unique feel to each room, and furniture that draws from local influences seems more culturally sensitive to any tourist.
As seen in the Trident, Gurgaon, contemporary furniture, high- backed chairs along with Indian décor, and traditional crafts like thekri, mirror work, and gold leaf embellishment, offer a distinctive ambience.
Rohin Ramchandani, director, Grandeur Interiors, that has launched the ‘Hotel Contract Division’ in association with Italian company Gruppo Del Tongo, says: “The combination of beauty and function in furniture is what appeals to the guest. Furniture design isn’t about a cutting- edge style, but how it is different from others, and how it pampers and makes guests comfortable.”
Another medium, which has an uncanny characteristic of making the simplest design look breathtaking, is glass that can transform a hotel from a mere living space to a visually attractive place of stay for guests.
The Park Hotels’ bathrooms have glass walls opening into the living space, that create a sense of space for the guest.
Bringing together glass and water gives an organic look, like in glass wall waterfalls or water flowing below glass surfaces.
In addition to the visual impact, contemporary stained glass panels incorporate colour psychology into hotel spaces that could lift the mood of a cold uninviting reception area, or create a subtle, glowing atmosphere in a restaurant or bar. Similarly, beautiful interior plants, combined with the right décor and lighting, are the hallmarks of an inviting hotel interior.
These are ideal to break up the space, create privacy, mediate the indoor environment, and create a tranquil atmosphere, such as in large atriums in modern hotels that otherwise seem cold and overwhelming.
The Oberoi, Bangalore, by judiciously placing plants throughout the lobby and lotus leaves in the water fountain pool, combined with a green marble floor, has brought the calming effect of nature right inside to make guests feel welcome as soon as they step inside.
Another interesting aspect of hospitality interiors that can bring quality and value to any project, are the art works. Contemporary fine art in the lobby gives guests a warm feeling before they even get to their room.
A subtle but relaxing theme artwork in a busy city hotel can refresh the guest, while a tropical theme painting in a tropical location hotel can set the mood of the vacation that makes the stay more enjoyable.
For instance, in the Indiana Jones restaurant in Trident Mumbai, it is the huge artwork that sets the tone for the theme of the restaurant. Watercolour paintings, silk, and acrylic, are especially popular in hotels.
Coordinating the furniture, furnishings, colours , and paintings, makes for a refreshing atmosphere for the visitor, which is the concept evident in Trident, Mumbai, where special suites with unified colour schemes get carried in the wall paintings, floor carpets, as well as cushions and plants in the room.
Apart from art, candles are an important accessory that can be used in basically any space of the hotel as a decorating element, accent lighting, or for a pleasant therapeutic feeling.
They can set a specific mood… a romantic vibe in a dining room, an informal conversation atmosphere, or calming spa-like feel in the washroom area. Candle light, through its natural effects, can enhance the sensory experience of the guest.
Globally, designers now employ what is called ‘experience designing’, which entails thinking of the person who may be using the space, and then accommodate as many varied moods within the physical parameters of the space.
Lines, forms, colours, textures, designs and spaces – all that make the aesthetics of a hotel, contribute to the ambience an hotelier wants to create. The trick is to avoid the uniformity that’s creeping into contemporary hotel interiors, while instead looking for individuality.
