Furniture that would look equally at home in the domestic environment has traditionally been specified for the hospitality sector. However, as hotels and other hospitality venues increasingly seek to fulfil the needs of their corporate clients, the arrival of work lounges, phone booths and touchdown spaces are just some of the trends that have been influencing hospitality design over recent years.

Let’s take the conference sector, for example. This sector has exploded in recent years, and as it continues to boom, more and more hotels are looking to grab a slice of the action. Today, a zealous conference-goer could travel to a new city every week and never exhaust the movable feast of issues and ideas – and of course, hotels have been quick to capitalise on the opportunity presented.

Lobbies are now high-tech, multi-use spaces

Improving corporate guest loyalty is high on the hotel agenda and nowhere is this more evident than in the lobby. This space has always been an important gathering spot and a destination in itself – indeed at many hotels, it’s the most exciting, most glamorous area in the entire building. However, today’s lobby has to be multi-functional. Whilst it’s still an area for checking in and out, it’s also a social hub, an information source, a refreshment area, a restaurant, a cafe, and even a gift shop. For corporate guests, it’s also a remote office, communal work space and meeting hub.

Hence, as hotels become a more popular third space for work, the trend to improve lobbies and lounges as touchdown workspaces will prevail. The investment in furniture that balances design aesthetic with advanced ergonomics will triumph in this sector.

It’s also important that the lobby is a place to stay connected through technology – where guests can use their smart phones, tablets, and laptops, and where meetings can be conducted in a relaxed environment. Clusters of furniture that offer more private personal areas for meetings or for individual work such as comfortable modular seating, plush armchairs and sofas – and even bar tables or islands with stool-height seating – are now widely specified throughout hotel lobbies. Such furniture offers a way for people to be immediately adjacent to the action without being part of it.

Staying connected

Of course, seating and furniture have also had to adapt to the demands of technology. With the reliance upon mobile electronic devices now a key consideration, and the need for keeping mobiles, laptops and tablet devices charged, integral charging points are now commonplace in upholstered seating and furniture. Such integration is clean, seamless and aesthetically coordinates with each piece.

Modular soft seating is also a popular specification for the hospitality sector. With straight and curved configurations, double and triple units, benches and corner pieces available, and with a variety of colours, styles and arrangements to choose from, the permutations are endless. This furniture can be used to not only create a stunning centrepiece in its own right, but it can also provide the perfect auxiliary piece to many other seating products.

The need to stand out from the crowd will prevail

There is a need to stand out from the crowd and provide that luxury wow factor that was once exclusive to leading four-star, five-star, and boutique hotels around the globe. Today, however, there is a surge in demand for bespoke designs from all types of venues as they seek upholstery to create jaw-dropping decadence, combined with comfort, flexibility and practicality. Handcrafted seating with timber aesthetics is becoming a firm favourite across both small and large-scale projects.

Guest rooms are changing too, with smaller rooms becoming the norm as guests spend more time in social places. Desks are becoming less necessary in the room, as people prefer to sit on chairs or on beds to work when using their laptop or tablet.

To provide added luxury, many hotels are going the extra mile to add bespoke touches such as wall panels, bedroom headboards and ottomans, together with chaise longues and benches. Individual style and detail may be created through the addition of vertical and horizontal fluting, button detailing, and specialist stitch and panelling facets.

From major chains to smaller boutique enterprises, hospitality venues are redesigning their properties to cater for the new lifestyle of their guests. The more successful venues have created spaces that are comfortable and simple without sacrificing luxury; allowing guests to feel quite at home, yet fully connected at the same time. Choosing seating and furniture that can double as work and play, as well as providing a refined aesthetic, is now a key consideration.