What is Narrative-Based Interior Design for Hotels (and how do you do it)?
Narrative-based design in hospitality is the art of storytelling through design to cultivate an enveloping experience for hotel guests. This type of interior design allows users of a space to become immersed in it and to imagine themselves as part of the design story.
Guests have evolved to expect a particular experience during their hotel stay, no matter the property level, be it a select service or a lifestyle/boutique-branded hotel. Even the term “luxury” has been redefined to connect directly to the guest’s experience, which should be memorable in a positive way. In other words, a night’s stay in a hotel has become more than just a place to sleep and shower.
When you work with professional hospitality designers such as those at ID Studio to develop a successful storyline for your property, your guests will remember their evoked feelings and experiences. As a result, they will be more likely to return and recommend your hotel.
Read on to learn how to create a narrative-based interior design for your hotel.
Creating a Narrative-Based Interior Design for Your Hotel
To establish a narrative-based interior design, you must build a concept and story, highlight the story’s key pillars in your hotel planning, and direct guests through the storytelling adventure through your design, decorations, and artwork.
The process to do this begins with doing some digging to understand context and ends with bringing your story to life:
- Research
- Collaborate
- Determine Your Target Audience
- Create a Narrative
- Edit & Refine
- Implement (Put it all together!)
Research: You and your designer must first research the area and market trends in the hotel’s neighborhood or submarket. The local and surrounding areas are great for drawing inspiration and can give you a sense of what would set your property apart from the competition. Is there a destination guests travel to that area for? Is there a rich history found in local culture? What are the natural materials indigenous to the region?
Collaborate: Full-service, lifestyle, and boutique properties may require the hotelier and designers to collaborate with a branding firm.
Determine your Target Audience: Create a tangible representation of your intended audience. What are their expectations, habits, and hobbies? Where do they like to eat, and how do they spend their discretionary income? Are they single, married with children, or married with no children? What is their age range? In other words, determine what type of guest would stay at your property and why.
Create a Narrative: Determine the motifs or patterns, textures, and colors that support the story. Make selections for lighting, furniture, architectural elements, fabrics, artwork, and accessories that enhance the guests’ experience. Periodically check in with design decisions to ensure they align with the initial concept.
Edit & Refine: Revisions throughout this process can deepen your storyline, so expect to make many tweaks along the way. If a branding team is involved, work with them to establish motifs, patterns, and symbols that echo the story. These elements can be repeated throughout the design in artwork, metalwork, and woodwork.
Implement the Design: This is where all your planning comes to life! Work with vendors, manufacturers, and contractors to ensure your result conveys the story and its essential details.
At ID Studio, our experienced professional hospitality designers are skilled at guiding hoteliers through the process of developing their narrative-based design with a story to tell. We execute all of the phases from concept to completion, and our designers and procurement staff work hand-in-hand with consultants to ensure a smooth process at every step.
Connect with us to learn more about how Innvision can help bring your hotel’s story to life.
