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Design
Designs on South India
With hotel construction taking centerstage in the southern
triad of Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad, HospitalityWorld 2007 in Hyderabad
alluded to the significance of modern design and architecture in the region.
Neeti Mehra looks in
 It
isn't mere accommodation that is the essence of a hotel - what lends character
is the ambience within the structure. And they are the small elements, an object
d'art or a painting, which add substance to the form. At HospitalityWorld 2007,
a cross-section of design solutions from across India brought home the fact
that the southern market is relevant in the bigger scheme of things. This edition
had a wide range of suppliers covering the above and more, with a strong focus
on the southern market including Maspar, Maxell-Palst India, and Alutec Systems
India and Innovogue Hospitality.
From LED lighting, synthetic woven outdoor furniture, window and door accessories
to interior solutions and accessories such as candles and art, the underlying
theme was customising solutions to fit in the theme of the hotel or the restaurant,
with a concern for the environment.
Customising solutions
This trend is evident for art too. Says Chetan Ghatalia, deputy general manager
of Décor India, which has provided artworks to The Leela, Bangalore and
JW Marriott in Mumbai, "Hotels choose artwork based on the positioning
of the hotel. For instance, a modern hotel opts for abstract artwork, while
ethnic builds select figurative works reminiscent of Indian culture." Notable
trends include a cluster of mid-sized paintings replacing single large-sized
paintings in guest bedrooms. Areas endorsed include above the bed and the luggage
rack, restrooms, primarily abstracts and florals. Bright colours encased in
clean and simple frames are de rigueur. Even staff areas pivot around motivational
posters.
Cut to hotel supply utilities. Today, with new hotels entering the fray and
others refurbishing rooms, room supplies have to sparkle alongside. Consequently,
the market is booming, especially for customised toiletries. A Haja Marzukdeen,
managing director of Alsha Hotel Supplies, points out that a few years ago hotels
started demanding imported packaging for toiletries to differentiate their offerings
from competitors, and are willing to spend a premium for that quality. "Today
freshness, quality and aroma are the buzzwords. Even though content is indigenous,
the containers are imported to impart a richness in look and feel," he
asserts.
Conservation
Apart from art, lighting too plays an important role in décor. With energy
costs sky-rocketing through the roof, hotels are scouring for solutions. The
answer? LED lights. P Pramodh Yadav from Silverline Lighting & Exim (India),
which specialises in underwater, landscape, architectural and exterior lighting,
sees the future in LED lights. Depending on the budget, the requirement and
the mood to be created, hotels are moving to LEDs, which despite the heavy initial
investment, pays off in the long run. "While amber lights are preferred
for interiors, blue is favoured for pubs and bars. White light too is popular,
but is expensive," says Yadav. The thrust is on energy conservation and
environmental-friendly products with LEDs consuming approximately a tenth of
power requirement while giving equivalent illumination.
Cognisance of the environment isn't restricted only to hotels; QSRs are also
looking at the segment. Interestingly, it revolves around furniture, not only
within, but outside a hotel's premises. According to Rahul Jindal of Loom Crafts,
supplier of weather-proof outdoor furniture, which is bio-degradable and toxin-free,
there lies great potential even in the QSR segment, which offer al fresco dining
options, switching over to low maintenance but attractive furniture.
Designing the future
With new projects announced with greater frequency, the touch points of a hotel
will assume greater relevance than before. It isn't merely about the look and
feel, but the overall appeal of each individual element. While companies such
as Innovogue Hospitality (a one-stop shop for remodelling solutions right from
the design stage to the purchase and installations stage), will be the cynosure
for scalable models, suppliers of boutique solutions such as Tara Design Studio
that operates on a smaller scale.
Emphasis will continue to be on driving down operational costs while upping
the quality of products used, both keeping in mind environmental concerns and
ease of use. Longevity, safety and stability, and attractiveness won't be negotiable.
Hotels or restaurants will no longer be inanimate objects but pulsating creatures
with a mood, a theme and with standards of their own.
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