Changing Dynamics in the Resort Sector

Muriel Muirden

WATG

November 2013

GEN-Y IMPACT

• High Performers / High Maintenance.

• Global citizens, socially and environmentally conscious, superb multi-

taskers.

• From their hotel experience they want flexibility / multiple options /

total connectivity.

• They want ‘wow’ factor design, community connection, casual service

and animated environments.

• And just when it couldn’t get any tougher – they have no sense of

brand fidelity.

FAMILY VALUES

• Multi-generational travel increasing globally and driving demand for

forms of lodging that can accommodate large family groups.

• Gen X parents placing strong emphasis on outdoor education and

children’s programming.

• Boomer grandparents want shared experiences.

• Need for resorts to offer broad-based amenity and sports strategies to

appeal to all age cohorts.

• Need for ‘golf-lite’ solutions that connect younger generations to the

game.

CYCLING – THE NEW GOLF

• Family active break market up 30% in Europe.

• Cycling is cool and hip – designer stores for bikes and cycling gear

are booming – cycling and walking holidays experiencing 20% year-

on-year growth rate.

• Endemic of several key trends including ‘family values’, ‘the pursuit of

happiness’, ‘craving simplicity’, ‘back to nature’.

• ‘Eco Pods’: resort expansion strategies based on ‘glamping concepts’

– generating premium rates for the back to nature experience.

• Time to rethink on-site resort amenity away from golf towards

maximising opportunities to enjoy and experience the natural

environment.

Atlantic Surf Pods, Cornwall, UK

MICE IS BACK…AND IT’S FUN!

• Bounce back in the conference and meetings market.

• Seeking fun environments, casual approach and healthy eating

options.

• Breakout space with pool tables, ‘comfy sofas’ and environments that

encourage social interaction.

• Outdoor breakout spaces being designed in a resort context.

The OUT Hotel, NYC

Lord’s South Beach, Miami

Business Playground Meeting Room,

Pullman St. Pancras, UK

REDEFINING LUXURY

• Need a radical rethink of luxury resort hotel product to get finance

traction.

• Do we need large reception spaces? Hyatt Andaz has replaced check

in desks with ‘hosts’ equipped with tablet computers.

• Can a seasonal resort sustain six to eight food and beverage outlets?

Using technology, we can create chameleon facilities that can change

in ambience and reinvent themselves.

• With a desire for de-cluttering can we relook at room bay sizes?

• Back of house areas can be more efficient – we need to invest time

and energy into rethinking how hotels operate.

• Spas and clubhouses have grown in size to a level where intimacy is

questionable and development costs simply cannot be carried.

Hyatt Andaz

Four Seasons Anahita

DESIGN TRENDS OF NOTE

• Animated Lobbies: more of a social space than an administrative space.

Chameleon-like activities from day to night (internet café to animated

cocktail bar). Music, lighting, technology and art play a key role.

• ‘Pop Culture’: ‘pop-up’ restaurants – seasonal themes or celebrity brand

driven – revitalises the image and atmosphere of a hotel property.

• ‘Gadgets Galore’: bedside tablets that can change all facilities and

information throughout the room – and the ambience.

• Outdoor Public Spaces: greater emphasis on design of outdoor spaces

as an extension of hotel lobbies and aspirational refuges for guests.

• Bright Colours Back in Fashion: aimed at lifting spirits in challenging

times.

• ‘Fitness Focus’: trend for healthier travel, driving food and beverage

concepts, in-room fitness innovations and ‘best in class’ hotel gyms.

• ‘Green is the New Black’: vertical gardens as an interior design

statement and a statement of eco-integrity. Rooftop and resort gardens

pushing the ‘farm to table’ concept.

Hôtel Plaza Athénée, Paris, France