EXCLUSIVE: RPW Design chief Ariane Steinbeck calls for more personality in hotel and spa design
The new managing director of hospitality interior design practice RPW Design has encouraged designers and hospitality operators to infuse their projects with more distinct personalities.
Ariane Steinbeck, who joined the London firm in December, told CLAD that despite the abundance of new hotel and spa offerings being developed, true diversity is hard to find.
“Consumers face a difficult choice between all the different brands that aim to serve a specific market segment, and may struggle to firmly distinguish one from another,” she said. “The hotel may have some variation in brief, but it’s increasingly hard for new locations to stand out from the crowd.”
Steinbeck – who has previously worked on the refurbishment of Peninsula Hotel’s flagship venue in Hong Kong and the Arabelle Restaurant at the Plaza Athenee in New York – added that “guests tend to relate more to their experience in a hotel than they do to brands specifically.”
She said: “If you look at Tripadvisor reviews, the brand image is what may have initially steered the purchase decision, but it’s the service that keeps guests coming back, or leaving glowing reviews. That is why the service element may be more important than a witty or familiar design.
“Many hotels at the top end of the market are known not necessarily for their specific brand, but for their personality – which is a unique combination of the atmosphere, design and service. Ultimately, they’re in the business of delivering special experiences.”
Steinbeck also stated that hotel brands could do more to take advantage of the growing trend for multigenerational travel.
She said: “These days, parents will travel with their children, their friends or their own parents, so you have different guest profiles you have to satisfy. It’s fine for a brand that is confidently tagging one profile – such as the aspirational traveller or the millennial traveller – but many other brands could do more to make their buildings more inclusive for different generations travelling together.”
RPW are currently working on interior design projects for the UK’s first Hilton-branded Curio hotel in London; the Fairmont hotel in St Andrews, Scotland; the London Marriott Hotel County Hall in London; and a health club for the Marriott London Park Lane – a hotel it previously refurbished.
Steinbeck said the studio is infusing each building with local personality.
“That sense of individuality should be the designer's goal,” she said. “My personal belief is that a good hotel is a good hotel, so your first priority should come from a design, service and technology standpoint to create the best guest experience, independent of anything else.”
Ariane Steinbeck design interior design hotels spa architecture RPW Design personalityAndrew Gibson: Integrating ‘imperceptible wellness’ through design is more important than ever
FEATURE: Top team – Peninsula Hotels
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
Ben Channon has written Happy by Design, a new book about how architecture affects our mental health. He explains how we can all be happier at home