Four Seasons unveils in-house Research and Discovery Studio
– J Allen Smith, Four Seasons CEO
Hospitality giant Four Seasons has opened its own design studio, where decisions will be made on everything from table settings used in the group’s hotels to the layout of guest rooms and the outfits worn by hotel staff.
The Four Seasons Research and Discovery Studio (R&D Studio) has been launched at the company’s headquarters in Toronto. Designed as “a workshop designed for experimentation” in which ideas can be explored in greater context, the studio features graffitied walls and communal meeting spots, workspaces and testing areas.
With a growing portfolio of luxury hotels, resorts and private residences in more than 40 countries around the world, Four Seasons maintains its focus on creating unique properties that are custom-designed for each market. Working closely with internationally-acclaimed architects and interior designers, “from the thread count of the sheets that drape its legendary beds to the scent of bath amenities that bring a property’s unique personality to life.”
The studio will have a fully-functional bar for testing coffee and cocktail equipment, an atelier to sample and model employee wardrobes and a table-top staging area to experiment with different combinations of glassware, tableware and cutlery.
The centrepiece is a modular 3D replica of a guest room made out of cardboard. Designed to scale, configurable and customised with beds, closets, end tables, doorways and chairs all made of durable cardboard, the room creates the opportunity to manipulate space and test unusual layouts and challenging room designs in cost-effective cardboard before moving into production of a full model room.
“No two Four Seasons properties are the same,” said J. Allen Smith, president and CEO of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. “So while we draw on our experience from previous projects, all of the decisions we make for each property require careful consideration of what the needs of that particular project are, what the vision of that owner is, and the decisions that we think will best enhance the guest experience in that property.
“Lots of great ideas will come through theR&D Studio; the space allows us to work through a myriad of options in greater context to identify the best solutions for each specific project.”
Company vice president Dana Kalczak added: “The R&D Studio is a critical tool for us because it allows us to make detailed decisions in a holistic environment. When we bring everything together in this space, we better understand how the different elements energise and inform one another.
“We use the R&D Studio to explore rooms that can serve multiple purposes – rooms that give our guests greater freedom and control to use the space as they choose.
"A guest room used to have fixed features – you sleep here, you pour coffee there, you work in one corner and relax in the other. But mobile devices have changed this dynamic. You no longer need to sit at a rectangular wooden desk to ‘work’ – you can just as easily email and take calls from a sofa or from the bed.”
Four Seasons Research and Discovery Studio hotels hospitality resorts designtwEnso spa debuts at Four Seasons Kyoto
Four Seasons debuts in Anguilla with 8,100sq ft beachfront spa
Dr Burgener opens second Haute Couture spa
Four Seasons coming to Montreal
UAE’s first Dior Spa debuts in Dubai at Dorchester Collection’s newest hotel, The Lana
Europe's premier Evian Spa unveiled at Hôtel Royal in France
Clinique La Prairie unveils health resort in China after two-year project
GoCo Health Innovation City in Sweden plans to lead the world in delivering wellness and new science
Four Seasons announces luxury wellness resort and residences at Amaala
Aman sister brand Janu debuts in Tokyo with four-floor urban wellness retreat
€38m geothermal spa and leisure centre to revitalise Croatian city of Bjelovar
Two Santani eco-friendly wellness resorts coming to Oman, partnered with Omran Group
Kerzner shows confidence in its Siro wellness hotel concept, revealing plans to open 100
Ritz-Carlton, Portland unveils skyline spa inspired by unfolding petals of a rose
Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners are just one of the names behind The Emory hotel London and Surrenne private members club
Peninsula Hot Springs unveils AUS$11.7m sister site in Australian outback
IWBI creates WELL for residential programme to inspire healthy living environments
Conrad Orlando unveils water-inspired spa oasis amid billion-dollar Evermore Resort complex
Studio A+ realises striking urban hot springs retreat in China's Shanxi Province
Populous reveals plans for major e-sports arena in Saudi Arabia
Wake The Tiger launches new 1,000sq m expansion
Othership CEO envisions its urban bathhouses in every city in North America
Merlin teams up with Hasbro and Lego to create Peppa Pig experiences
SHA Wellness unveils highly-anticipated Mexico outpost
One&Only One Za’abeel opens in Dubai featuring striking design by Nikken Sekkei
Luxury spa hotel, Calcot Manor, creates new Grain Store health club
'World's largest' indoor ski centre by 10 Design slated to open in 2025
Murrayshall Country Estate awarded planning permission for multi-million-pound spa and leisure centre
Aman's Janu hotel by Pelli Clarke & Partners will have 4,000sq m of wellness space
Therme Group confirms Incheon Golden Harbor location for South Korean wellbeing resort
Universal Studios eyes the UK for first European resort
King of Bhutan unveils masterplan for Mindfulness City, designed by BIG, Arup and Cistri
Rural locations are the next frontier for expansion for the health club sector
Tonik Associates designs new suburban model for high-end Third Space health and wellness club
Why shouldn’t sports facilities be beautiful? Across Asia, architects are creating landmark buildings for the public, discovers Christopher de Wolf