Hilton
Spa & wellness Spa & wellness
o put it rather bluntly,” the satirist Fran Lebowitz once claimed, “I am not the type who wants to go back to the land – I am the type who wants to go back to the hotel.” For centuries, hotels have been happy to oblige her. These, after all, have traditionally been places of escape, sanctuaries from the grime and mud of the wider world. This is clear in myriad ways, from the bellhops and the room service to the ubiquitous ‘do not disturb’ signs guests find hanging from their doors. Yet with the planet looking increasingly fragile – and years of lockdowns sharpening our collective appreciation for nature – these old ideas are breaking down. Far from being refuges from the great outdoors, properties are increasingly ushering nature in, integrating plants and light and even the whispering wind to corridors and bars. Broadly known as biophilia, this trend partly reflects the human tendency to huddle close to nature, whether that’s taking pleasure in a tulip or marvelling
Hotel Management International /
www.hmi-online.com
Power plants “T
at a languid summer dawn. Certainly, guests themselves are making their preferences increasingly clear, with a 2022 poll finding that 78% of respondents hoping to stay in at least one eco-friendly location over the coming year. Listen to insiders, meanwhile, and it’s clear that biophilia is about more than just decoration. “Biophilic design enhances the guest experience,” says Larry Traxler, Hilton’s senior VP of global design, arguing it can bolster productivity, dampen stress – and even lower blood pressure.
Factor in the environmental and financial benefits of biophilia, meanwhile, and no wonder it’s sweeping properties from Costa Rica to Japan, with the ‘Human Spaces 2.0’ report finding 36% of hotel guests enjoyed spending more time in biophilic lobbies compared with sterile alternatives. Not, of course, that any of this is easy. Requiring a deep understanding of the local environment, biophilic champions must equally ensure their designs abide by global standards, especially now that their ideas thrive at the biggest brands around.
36%
Hotel biophilia is now a multi-billion-dollar business – and it’s not hard to see why. Integrating the beauty of nature into lobbies and suites to increase wellness, it’s a tactic that guests themselves are craving. But speak to the experts and genuine biophilia involves more than simple beautifi cation, with designers instead building entire properties with the local environment in mind. Andrea Valentino explores, talking to Larry Traxler of Hilton and Damien Perrot of Accor.
The percentage of hotel guests that enjoy spending time in biophilic lobbies. Terrapin
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