Elevate Your Experience: Design Consultancy for Hospitality

In the world of hospitality, form and functionality come first and foremost. For the customer first impressions matter. Guests often decide how they feel about a place within moments of entering. For the back of house spaces functionality and operational efficiency must take president over the aesthetics. Intelligent design should blend the two seamlessly. Having the right team onboard to help develop the design can transform a simple space into an unforgettable experience.

A well executed design not only delivers efficiency but also increases the probability of attracting the right staff, increasing the likelihood of staff retention. It ensures operators are offering a great environment for staff to work, where operational challenges are eliminated wherever possible which in turn delivers a better experience for the customer.

Design consultancy for hospitality focuses on creating environments that not only look good but also feel good. It’s about understanding the needs of both staff and guests and translating those needs into a cohesive design. This post will explore how design consultancy can elevate the hospitality experience, offering practical insights and examples along the way.

Understanding the Role of Design Consultancy

Design consultancy in hospitality is more than just aesthetics. It involves a deep understanding of the brand, the target audience, how the site will operate and the overall guest experience.

• Brand Alignment: Every hotel or restaurant has a unique brand identity. A design consultant ensures that the physical space reflects this identity. For instance, a luxury hotel may opt for elegant furnishings and a sophisticated colour palette, while a boutique hotel might choose quirky décor that tells a story.

  
  

• Guest Experience: The ultimate goal is to enhance the guest experience. This means considering how guests will interact with the space. For example, a well-placed seating area can encourage social interaction, while a quiet nook can provide a retreat for those seeking solitude.

  
  

• Functionality: A beautiful design is only effective if it serves its purpose. Design consultants must consider the flow of the space, ensuring that it is functional and accessible. This includes everything from the layout of furniture to the placement of lighting.

  
  

The Importance of Research and Analysis

Before any design work begins, thorough research is essential. This phase involves understanding the market, the competition, and the specific needs of the target audience.

• Market Trends: Staying updated on current design trends can provide valuable insights. For example, many guests today seek sustainable options and immersive experience. A design consultant might suggest eco-friendly materials or energy-efficient lighting and the ambiance created through lighting, textures and materials can bring authenticity to a space cohesive with the F&B offering.

  
  

• Competitor Analysis: Understanding what competitors are doing can help identify gaps in the market. If a nearby hotel offers a trendy rooftop bar, a design consultant might recommend creating a unique outdoor space that sets the property apart.

  
  

• Guest Feedback: Listening to past guests can provide invaluable information. Surveys and reviews can highlight what guests loved and what they felt was lacking. This feedback can guide design decisions, ensuring that the new space meets expectations.

  
  

Creating a Cohesive Design Concept

Once research is complete, the next step is to develop a cohesive design concept. This concept should encapsulate the brand identity while addressing the needs of the operation and guests.

• Workflows: Understanding the operation from goods in, to food & drink arriving to the customer, to the return of dirties in, to waste out, is essential to deliver a design which has function at the heart of every process. Every unnecessary footstep removed, every SQM optimised to ensure the workflows are not interrupted, no cross over and pinch points and above all else compliance and safety standards are met.

  
  

• Materials and Textures: The materials used in a space can significantly impact its feel and function. An unseen kitchen vs. an open plan kitchen will very likely have very different aesthetics. When everything is on show the beauty of the materials, fixtures and fittings become ever more important. Even things such as sound deadening to worktops may play a crucial part in retaining the ambience of the space.

  
  

• Equipment Selection: The right equipment can make the life of a chef so much easier. Take the humble combi oven as an example. You will struggle to find a kitchen now days without one. They offer great flexibility enabling the operator to be versatile in their food offer. With floorspace becoming increasingly more premium choosing equipment that can perform multiple tasks can be a great way to save space within the kitchen, drive efficiency and reduce operational costs and skillset.

  
  

Incorporating Technology

In today’s digital age, technology plays a crucial role in hospitality design. Integrating technology can enhance the guest experience and streamline operations.

• Connected Appliances: More and more manufacturers are offering WiFi enabled connectivity with various functions. For example a multisite operator could develop a new menu item with specific cooktimes and temperatures. The ability to upload for all sites to carry out an update is hugely advantageous and ensure brand consistency.

  
  

• Load Monitoring Equipment: Increasingly operators are facing electrical capacity challenges, equipment such as load shedders or more complex systems can greatly reduce the total connected load

  
  

• Efficient Operations: Technology can also improve operational efficiency. For example, using kitchen management systems will itemise tickets to certain areas within the kitchen ensuring that each chef knows their item on each ticket.

  
  

Case Studies: Successful Design Consultancy in Hospitality

To illustrate the impact of design consultancy, let’s look at a few successful case studies.

Case Study 1: Motorway Service Station.

A market leading motorway service provider wanting to refurbish their existing site whilst elevating their food and beverage offering. The design needed to incorporate speed of service as one of its primary considerations.

• Equipment Selection: The correct equipment selection to meet the customers brief and budget was a main driver of the project. One of the concepts "Hot Sandwiches" needed to be about speed of service and consistent quality. The selection of the equipment was crucial to deliver the number of covers in the allotted time.

  
  

• Operational Efficiency: With four stations each with very different offerings two of which being a quite isolated from the main kitchen space the design required careful consideration for both cold storage, cooking, preparation space and storage of crockery & packaging for takeaway as well as simple and operationally efficient ways of storing and transporting crockery from the wash up back to the counter.

  
  

• Brand Ethos: The clients brand exemplifies a luxurious calming destination, somehow, despite being right next to the motorway each of their sites offer an experience which makes you feel like you are in a calm and tranquil nature reserve. The brand embraces the farming heritage through and through, the material selection, colour palette and use of textures, shapes and scale delivers consistent with their brand on every level.

  
  

The result was a significant increase in sales an increase in efficiency and customer feedback.

Case Study 2: Thai English Fusion Restaurant

A well respected London operator gave a brief of wanting to deliver high end fusion Thai food using English ingredients. The site offered various challenges to overcome, the most challenging was the lack of space, both floorspace and ceiling height.

• Spatial planning: Working closely with the chef to understand how they had envisioned the various spaces being utilised outlined the basic's to further develop the detail of equipment selection & workflows whilst providing nothing more than the minimum space required for each chef, everything had to be meticulously planned right down to where garnish rails, tab grabbers and printers will be placed. There simply wouldn't be the space to have chef's crossing over so dedicated refrigeration for each section of the kitchen had to be sufficient to support a busy service.

  
  

• Material Selection: The kitchen was an open plan kitchen with a lot of stainless steel on display. The customer was adamant on wanting an alternative colour which offered the durability and resistance to heat of stainless. This resulted in quite a bit of research to find a specialist finish to stainless steel which was harder wearing that powder coating or enamelling. A specialist was engaged who put a standard sheet through a particular process which gave the dark blackened finish the client was looking for.

  
  

• Equipment Selection: Thai food is traditionally cooked at very high heat and so a specialist turbo wok cooker was required for many of the core dishes. The refrigeration also needed to offer as much flexibility, capacity with as minimal footprint as possible. A variable temperature drawer unit was opted for which ticked every box and fitted the brief perfectly.

  
  

Guests reviews have been fantastic, the staff all seemed to be very happy working there and the chef has gone on to gain his first Michelin star. A true testament to all those involved on delivering on a very challenging site in London.

The Future of Hospitality Design

As the hospitality industry continues to evolve, so too will the role of design consultancy.

• Sustainability: The demand for sustainable practices will only grow. Design consultants will need to stay ahead of trends, incorporating eco-friendly equipment and practices into their designs.

  
  

• Personalization: Guests increasingly expect personalized experiences. Design consultants will need to consider how to create spaces that can be easily adapted to meet individual preferences and provide an immersive and interactive experience.

  
  

• Technology: In an ever evolving world with constant technological advances the adoption of AI and even robotics promises to pose both positive outcomes and challenges for each and everyone of us and will be interesting to see how these tools shape the future for us all, not just in hospitality.

  
  

Bringing It All Together

Design consultancy for hospitality is a powerful tool for elevating the guest experience. By understanding the brand, conducting thorough research, and creating cohesive design concepts, consultants can transform spaces into memorable environments.

Whether it’s a Motorway services looking for consistency and speed of service or an aspiring chef looking to gain their Michelin star, the right design and equipment selection can make all the difference.

As the industry continues to evolve, staying ahead of trends and embracing innovation will be key. The future of hospitality design is bright, and those who invest in thoughtful design consultancy will reap the rewards.

A Michelin star restaurant in London.