SOCIAL MEDIA HOSPITALITY
5th Year | BFA Interior Design Program
NEWH Sustainable Hospitality
In collaboration with Amin Ghassemi (see his portfolio here) and Johann Hoeflich-Nickels
PROGRAM
To create a new strategy that solves hotel industry problems and creates new opportunities for guests and investors.
Project Objective
Explore the many aspects of the hospitality experience including business and service strategy, organization of spaces, construction efficiency, materials and furnishings concept.
Facilities must include
Guest rooms, lobby and public areas, food and beverage facilities, and additional amenities per concept.
Research
Our research of problems affecting the hospitality industry revealed that consumers desire a quality experience when they travel. Additional research showed that more consumers are taking to the internet for planning their vacations. This includes getting inspiration and validation for travel from social media as well as booking online.
Solution
Our solution for the hospitality industry to stay competitive with travel websites was to increase direct booking through the hotel. With a growing demographic of tech savvy consumers, this requires the use of social media and mobile booking to the hotel’s advantage. Combining the two concepts, we created a model for an application that would be used in conjunction with websites such as Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, etc. These social media websites would present consumers with an experience that they desire. That in turn would lead any potential clients directly to the hotel’s mobile app that offers easy access to obtaining that experience. The application would then seamlessly transition them from their starting point to their destination and throughout their stay. Design elements of the hotel tie back to the initial inspiration to aid in that seamless transition. Their hotel experience ultimately helps create an overall more satisfying vacation.
Experience beats extravagance
This shifting definition of luxury, away from extravagance and toward experience, is captured by Geoffrey Kent, founder, chairman, and CEO of Abercrombie & Kent.In describing what his costumers are looking for, Kent suggests,
“Our guests are searching for authentic experiences that are true to a place and its traditions, incorporating elements of the past and reflecting the local culture. They don’t want to simply arrive at a destination and look at things; they want to learn from local experts with an intimate, lifelong knowledge of the area and leave with a new understanding of how life is lived in another part of the world. This is travel for people who define luxury not so much by the degree of elegance but by the quality of experience.”