Design
architect who also helped develop his butcher shops. In White’s case, his team liaised closely with the Village’s operator, even figuring out what atmospheric background music would be played for guests long before the project was built.
Apart from being more efficient and saving money, these collaborations are surely important in another way too. No matter how captivating a night at the Knight’s Village might be, after all, White is similarly conscious that guests still need to be comfortable. As he jokingly puts it, few guests really want the genuine medieval experience of straw floors and glassless windows. In the same vein, the Bratwursthotel might be sausage crazy, but guests can ultimately still enjoy clean beds and warm showers.
Too niche to survive?
The Bratwursthotel’s meeting room.
Originally built by William the Conqueror, the fortress has been a faithful witness to English history in all its entanglements. In 1312, a royal courtier was imprisoned here for allegedly stealing the king’s treasure. Three hundred years later, its walls were battered and bruised in a Civil War siege. In more recent times, however, the castle receives less ominous visitors – thanks to the Knight’s Village at Warwick Castle. Staying at one of the property’s 28 guest lodges, guests can see falcon masters at work, try their hand at archery, and even watch a joust or two. The aim, says White, creative consultant behind the project, is to ensure that every corner of the village fits seamlessly into the historic setting beyond.
Listen to White explain the design specifics of the project, and it is clear that themed hotels cannot simply be willed into existence. On the contrary, they require punctilious care and forethought. That is true everywhere from the woven tapestries that decorate bedrooms to the wooden tables in the banqueting hall. The goal, emphasises White, is complete immersion. “Beyond just the four walls that the customer is going to be sleeping in, we create a whole experience.”
It goes without saying that Böbel sees his hotel in similar terms. To explain what he means, the German hotelier gives the example of many so-called wine hotels. “If the only thing you see is a picture of the weinkeller [wine cellar] over the bed,” he says, “it’s not a wine hotel.” Between the sausage bonbons and the sausage soap, it is clear Bratwursthotel does everything possible to avoid this trap. Not that themed hotels can survive on enthusiasm alone. Both White and Böbel highlight that partnering with outsiders was crucial to their respective projects. Böbel, for example, worked with an
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This last point is worth reflecting on. Until recently, mainstream hoteliers have generally avoided themed hotels, in part because they are concerned about sacrificing style and comfort. But as the Knight’s Village and Bratwursthotel elegantly prove, themed hospitality can be both relaxing and fun. No wonder, then, that even established brands are dispensing with the beige tones they have typically relied on. In Mexico City, for instance, Hilton has transformed one of its suites into a tribute to Barbie dolls. In New York, Marriott has decked out a room near Broadway in honour of the cult musical Beetlejuice. Between that and the continued growth of independent theme hotels, the field seems destined for continued success.
Or does it? If social media speaks to a world where fans can carve out a niche for their theme hotel fantasies, there are millions more people who remain unmoved. Inevitably, this drastically limits a property’s pool of potential guests. But for Böbel, that is not necessarily a problem. Vegetarianism may be rising fast across Europe – even in Germany, where nearly eight million people now forgo meat – yet, as Böbel stresses, his small B&B only needs to fill a few rooms each night, and, short of a total revolution in global eating habits, his carnivorous outpost should be fine. The real difficulty, suggests White, is for more arcane pursuits. “Whether it fades away in the next five years, or whether there are 25 series of Squid Game, people who love it now will love it forever,” he says. “Whether there’s enough demand for a whole hotel for it – I’m not so sure.” Even here, White offers a solution. Just as traditional hotel designers revamp rooms and public spaces every few decades, there is no reason themed hospitality could not follow suit. A fair point – even if you do not get the impression that Claus Böbel and his Bratwursthotel will ever change for anyone. ●
Hotel Management International /
www.hmi-online.com
Bratwursthotel
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