Design that touches the heart

BW HOTELIER has partnered with Hansgrohe to organise ‘Design – Innovation to Conservation’ weBBlast series from October 27, 2020 to November 10, 2020. The Keynote address of the third day  of the virtual show was given by Gaurav Malhotra, MD India and Regional Key Accounts Asia, Hansgrohe. The session was moderated by Reza Kabul, President, ARK Reza Kabul Architects. Other panellists included: Vineet Verma, Executive Director & CEO, Brigade Hospitality; Shiv Kashyap, Vice President  - Technical Services, India & South Asia, Accor;  Prem Nath, Principal Architect & Owner, Prem Nath & Associates;     Mevan Gunatilleke, Executive Director, Sanken Overseas, Sri Lanka;   Thomas Stopper, Vice President Asia, Hansgrohe;   Asim Afsar, Business Head - Hospitality & Neighbouring Countries, Hansgrohe India and Bhuvanesh Khanna, CEO, BW Communities, BW Businessworld.

The discussion delved upon topics like ‘challenges with design’, ‘meeting the needs of the new-age customer’, ‘design and style as USP’ and ‘emerging global trends in faucets and showers’.

Starting the discussion, Reza Kabul said that innovation is the key to success, almost every aspect of our day-to-day lives is related to using smart technology. We must keep conservation and preservation of natural resources foremost while adopting better ideas for the future.

Balance style and sustainability

He then queried Verma on as to what are the major considerations that they keep in mind while bringing in innovation into any major hospitality infrastructure. Vineet Verma, said, “I think we look at the balance of style and sustainability. In Bangalore, we survive on tanker water. There is a water shortage. I look for what is practical along with being aspirational in terms of design.” 

He also talked about several challenges in making the design of the bathroom in hotels more comfortable for the guests.  

Products that allow touch-free operations

Meanwhile talking about the emerging global trends in faucets and showers, Thomas Stopper said that more trends among the consumers are towards individualism and Hansgrohe tries to provide that. As the quality of water is different in varied regions, he said, “Need of the hour is shower technologies that help you cope with water pressure.”

Talking about their product line he added, “If you look, for example, at our product categories, faucets are gaining importance because it allows for touch-free operations especially important in public places. Then for private spaces, there is much more need for washing your hands now than in the past. For manufactures like us, it is important to offer our designers and customers, hospitality partners, opportunities to deliver customised solutions to meet their present needs.”

Mevan Gunatilleke expressed that a bathroom experience impacts more than a room experience for the guests. He said, “A guest differentiates the resort or hotel from its bathroom as the bedroom is more or less the same. The real experience, where you can let the guest experience the nature outside or get a good sense of the view, lies in the washroom.”

He further elaborated that back in the day, the area split of bathroom spaces would be 20 to 30 per cent of the area but now the bathroom space is more than bedroom space. Giving the example of resorts in Seychelles and Maldives,  he said, “The luxury segment now has more bathroom space than bedroom space in the resort properties and that is when the guests really gets to experience the environment where he/she is and feels that.”

Design as USP

Stating that Accor has some of the best designed hotels in India, Reza asked Kashyap about the group’s expansion plans, pipeline and design trends. Shiv Kashyap, opinionated, “Design is evolving, and we are also continuing our growth to be more dynamic, flexible and acceptable. It is not only related to food and beverage, but we also focus on guest health and safety as well which has become of prime importance now and moving forward. Bathrooms are becoming more important and an integral part of the hotels from all angles, be it public area bathrooms or private guest rooms. We are working towards our growth with all these factors in mind in all our segments across hotels.”

On the query whether the design and style of a hotel can become its USP, Kashyap elaborated that the relation between guest room and bathroom design should form one story and Accor always has a story. “What starts from concept of the public area, it flows into the circulation space and then rooms but there is still an element of surprise with the use of local elements that tells a story so that the guest is more eager to explore and then it becomes a USP,” he added.

He also mentioned that moving away from former hotel look to more bespoke hotel design is also a new thing which is becoming a USP. “We would like our hotels to be more boutique and exclusive,” he concluded.

Being passionate induces innovation

Reza then queried Prem Nath, he said that the best design trends see ‘Innovation meet Emotion’. He asked Nath to elaborate on the same with examples.

Prem Nath, believes that it is not innovation that meets emotion but rather every innovation starts with emotion. He feels emotions are the starting point of design and innovation. Prem Nath, elaborated, “I have seen a lot of change happening. Kitchens became open kitchens, bathrooms are becoming open bathrooms, bathrooms are becoming a part of your rooms. Now bathrooms are not confined to artificial ventilation.’ 

He went onto add that in many resort properties, bathrooms are coming to the exterior of the guest rooms and the emphasis is on the view. In terms of how innovation and emotion are related, Nath is of the opinion that the emotion gives the start of innovation. He shared the view of “emotional innovation”, he said, “If I am not passionate, I may not be able to come up with a good design. Emotion has to be there.”  

While sharing his take on the sustainable aspect of Hansgrohe, Asim Afsar,  said, “At Hansgrohe, we keenly focus on water saving products without compromising on the shower experience, our patent Airpower and Ecosmart technologies help to save more than 60 per cent water compared to other conventional products.” 

Sharing the key take-aways from the panel discussion, Khanna summarised and said, “Bathrooms have come a long way long way from initial days.  Today we are proud of inviting people to our houses and showing our bathrooms now with exciting products integrated. Emotions are the starting point of design and innovation. 

When we look at the hotel besides style, we also look at sustainability, but moreover, we must be practical, the emphasis is also on customer rituals.  Guests when they visit a hotel, they want to look at luxurious and aspirational products. 

Because of COVID-19, homes are important to people now, so it is important to offer customized solutions. Hansgrohe invests a lot in research and development so that we can enjoy and experience a good shower. Bathrooms are also a key focus area for guest health and safety. When we are talking about bathroom spaces a lot of emphasis is on the bathrooms especially in the resorts. Finally, design is becoming futuristic, but it's important to not to forget the human element of emotions in design.”