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Opinion


kbb Birmingham 2018 Show Special


How to… design bathrooms for hotels


Hotel specification is a huge growth area for the bathroom sector but, as a retailer that specialises in residential projects, how do you design a space that appeals to specifiers? We hear from Derek Miller, joint owner of Scope Bathrooms in Glasgow, the first of two contract specialists who reveals what you need to know in order to break into this lucrative market


I


n recent years, the hotel specification sector has become vitally important to the bathroom industry. As more and more players have entered the market,


with products manufactured in the Far East, our famous European brands have achieved growth by supplying an increasing number of products to the hospitality sector. London is a hotel hotspot, with a huge number of UK and international hotels being designed within a square mile of hipster Clerkenwell and Shoreditch. Many of our great suppliers have opened studios close by to serve the interior design and architecture community, and the international spec divisions of some major European bathroom brands have relocated to the UK capital.


But what what factors influence great design within hotel en suites? There’s no simple, straightforward answer to this, as there are so many types of hotel around the world.


Target market


The sector is dominated by large corporations that operate a number of brands at different market levels. Conglomerates such as IHG, Hilton Group, Marriott Group and Accor control the best-known hotel brands and are experts at pitching their internal specifications at exact target markets and room price levels. Most of these companies have preferred supplier documents that include manufacturers from whom they have negotiated the best international rates. As many of the hotels are operated by independent franchisees and operating companies, it’s not unknown for brand standards to be manipulated to suit local needs. However, the top bathroom manufacturers are good at monitoring new hotels or refurbs to ensure they are getting the volume required to justify the rates.


brands and it


Many conglomerates develop and introduce new is here that cutting-edge design is


Product quality and longevity is important. A bedroom out of action because of a broken tray, faulty shower or cracked bath can cause lost revenue to the operator and a headache for maintenance teams


30 kbbreview kbb Birmingham Special Edition March 2018


more likely to be prevalent. The most exciting area of hospitality development in recent years has been the boutique hotel, followed more recently by ‘budget boutique’. Indeed, many new brands developed by the multinational groups have been aimed at achieving a ‘boutique’ feel, despite being part of a huge chain. In terms of products, the most important factor undoubtedly has to be product quality and longevity. A bedroom out of action because of a broken tray, faulty shower or cracked bath can cause lost revenue to the operator and a headache for maintenance teams. It is no accident that most hotel baths and trays are fabricated in porcelain super-steel enamel from brands such as Kaldewei and Bette. Big chains also prefer to specify quality German shower and tap manufacturers, such as Grohe and Hansgrohe, who


have been clever in creating ranges that will work, in terms of budget, for three-, four-, and five-star hotels.


Global appeal


Hotels in big cities, which attract visitors from across the globe, also require products that are easy to operate regardless of language barriers. In terms of design, this is the era of special finishes, with colour being introduced on brassware, trays and, indeed, basins. Anthracite brassware and matt black trays turn a hotel en suite into a design-led urban space, while gold finishes add an air of old-world opulence. Indeed, opulent interior hotel designs are making something of a comeback in an era where most new hotels have been designed in bright, primary colours. So we are seeing a rise in large-format marble tiles with rose gold and bright gold fittings.


Flush-to-floor shower trays are more popular for hotels than wet floors – a situation helped by the development of such trays in coloured finishes and the huge size formats. We are also seeing matt white sanitaryware emerging as a favoured option. As with the retail market, we are detecting a move towards fine-line basins and believe that this will be reflected for a few years to come.


Hotel guests always need worktop space for their toiletries, so vanity units are often specified. These are usually fabricated to the designer’s requirements by the shop-fitting contractor and allow the designer to create something unique.


The final requirement is good lighting. Well-lit, demister


mirrors are a very important part of this and we are seeing evidence of all-in-one solutions being specified rather than plain mirrors with separate wall lights. Designers are always looking for ways to differentiate their concepts and so it is incumbent on manufacturers to stay ahead of the curve in terms of design as well as quality. Thankfully, our industry giants are very innovative and dynamic, with the best ones always ready to meet the needs of specification professionals.


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