Overview

This chapter considers the operational planning relationships which influence the design of the hotel s public areas and discusses how they are different among the various types and classes of hotel.

The chapter is structured under the following headings:

• Definitions

• Characteristics

• Applications

• Best practice

• Future trends

• Conclusion.

The operational issues related to guestrooms and suites will be discussed in the next chapter and those influencing the back-of- house service areas in the succeeding one.

Hotels and related lodging properties must carefully balance a number of design and functional relationships to be successful. This balance varies depending on the type of hotel, resort, or inn: whether developed for the leisure or business or group market; whether urban, suburban, or more remote; whether traditional, contemporary, or strikingly avant-garde; whether chain operated or independent; and so forth. But whatever this mix of characteristics, the overall hotel, as well as each of its functional areas (lobby, food and beverage outlets, meeting areas, guestrooms and suites, and service areas, for example), must both exhibit a well conceived aesthetic design and be efficient and functional. A luxury resort or small urban boutique hotel, of course, will push this balance heavily toward the design and visual end, incorporating luscious and extravagant materials or utilizing very hip, cutting edge features and details. On the other hand, the roadside motel or economy-priced city hotel will...