Shifting trends in hospitality design

ZK: Within the luxury market, we’re seeing a deeper focus on unique and tailored experiences. These are extraordinary experiences, often tied to a particular location or geographic landscape. Rather than luxury being typically affiliated with, say, opulent interiors, design today embraces values such as sustainability, inclusivity and authenticity. At the same time, storytelling, elements of surprise and intuitive personalisation remain key defining concepts.

In our work with leading hotel operators and luxury brands, such as Ritz Carlton and InterContinental, our main aim is to create spaces and moments you wouldn’t find anywhere else. The narrative for the guest experience is born from the local context. We then develop an architectural and interior response based on this narrative that links the community, culture and landscape together. 

SM: Elsewhere, the shift from opulence to authenticity is reflected in the materiality of hotel interiors. We’re seeing developers deploy natural materials, drawing on local varieties like simple terracotta. Luxury today isn’t about copy-and-paste fancy formulas, it’s about differentiation anchored in local textures. Increasingly, clients want to celebrate local culture, but often in a contemporary way. For us, this means observing traditional features and heritage guidelines, but applying a modern twist that creates something new. 

ZK: In Baku, Azerbaijan, we’re developing an iconic ​‘luxury’ IHG hotel whose defining features will be its connection to the city’s cultural past. The destination and community, as much as the hotel itself, is the major selling point for guests. In another project, on the Saudi Arabian coast, we’re helping to create a vibrant waterfront hub, including 19 hotels across a range of market classes. The idea here is to provide moments of ​‘quiet luxury’ and joy, offering respite from busy tourist areas and activities, and helping guests make meaningful connections with place. 

SM: Also in the Middle East, we’re involved in high-end golf resorts and spas that engage with agritourism, ecotourism and adventure. Guests will be exposed to traditional and modern farming practices, authentic farm-to-table dishes and dining, and ancient irrigation principles. They’ll also be immersed in challenging topographical environments, such as deserts and mountains. Luxury no longer means a purely pampered experience; these projects show that hospitality destinations can be successfully located in fairly inhospitable environments. 

ZK: People are travelling and dining alone more – but in reality, hospitality design is increasingly focused on supporting the interconnectedness of people and community. Certain lifestyle hotels offer services, informed by local people and knowledge, that help guests to connect with the surrounding neighbourhood. So people aren’t really alone. They’re embraced by this culture of connectedness and care and genuine, heartfelt hospitality. 

SM: Demand for communal spaces is also on the rise. Yes, people may be arriving at hotels on their own more, but the spaces within hotels now encourage very communal experiences. Lobbies, for instance, are becoming areas where people can work and socialise; where they can hold meetings, have drinks, engage with other guests. And increasingly, as designers we’re thinking about how spaces can be made more flexible to accommodate a multiplicity of communal functions and interactions. There’s definitely a shift away from individualism towards more communally oriented architecture and interiors. 

ZK: The trend of ​‘upskilling’ is still there, but it’s evolved. Increasingly, hospitality guests are looking for ​‘self-betterment’ in the broader sense. They’re looking for a transformative experience on an emotional and physical level. It’s part of the wider transformation economy, whereby people travel to change themselves, with the resort or hotel as the gateway to transformation. Operators are providing carefully curated ​‘challenge and reward’ experiences, focusing on fitness or adventure in ways that help to elevate guests’ performance. People want to challenges themselves, raise their game and achieve personal optimisation. 

SM: There’s also a growing trend for self-improvement ​‘summits’ within hospitality environments, often attended by high net-worth individuals and celebrities. And yes, these ​‘improvements’ are less tangible than they were previously. In Bhutan, Aman’s Quest for Happiness programme is the perfect example, promising a ​‘culturally transformative experience’ for its guests based around tranquillity and spiritualism. 

ZK: I would say about 50% of the projects we’re working on are ​‘getaway’ resorts, with the need to escape urban life shaping the narratives we develop for architecture and interiors. As part of this trend, ​‘digital detox’ programmes are a growing phenomenon, with guests required to abstain from the use of mobile phones or screens. This supports people’s need to ​‘switch off’ and immerse themselves in nature, or simply put some distance between themselves and their normal – often urban – routines.

But that’s not to say technology can’t play a positive role in hospitality design. It’s the nature of the technology and how it’s implemented that matters. For example, AI-driven personalisation or guestroom lighting in relation to the circadian rhythm can enhance a guest’s wellbeing and overall experience. 

SM: Many modern hotels embrace tech-enabled functionality, with guests needing apps and QR codes to unlock their rooms or order food. This directly interrupts digital downtime. So, it’s about establishing a balance. Where tech can make a difference is by gathering data on sleep patterns and dietary requirements, or by improving efficiencies through process automation. These things can help to create a really smooth and pleasant stay for guests, which ultimately is the key objective for us as designers.