The idea of luxury has significantly changed in the constantly changing travel industry of today. The hospitality sector is reinventing itself to fulfill these demands as discerning tourists search for meaningful vacations that incorporate local culture and sustainability. It is no longer just about richness and excess.
José Cláudio Silva, Design Principal at 10 Design, talks with Brand TD about how luxury has changed over time, the design trends influencing its future, and the fine line between extravagance and sustainability. He also provided insight into how to work within financial limits without sacrificing the caliber of the guest experience as well as the art of incorporating regional culture and heritage into designs while preserving a feeling of authenticity.
Brand TD: When it comes to constructing hotels and resorts, what, in your opinion, captures the true sense of luxury?
José Cláudio Silva: Authenticity, experience, and attention to detail are essential in today’s travel environment. Conscious tourists look for memorable travel encounters that respect the environment and give them a taste of the local culture. Hotels are reinventing what it means to be a friendly and sustainable location in order to satisfy this demand. Hotels are adopting environmentally friendly methods that help the neighborhood, starting with the architecture of the structure itself.
TD Brand: What trends do you anticipate influencing the future of the luxury concept in hotel and resort design? How has it changed over time?
Silva: The modern traveler looks for adventures that excite all of their senses and put them in a blissful condition. Designers are infusing natural features into hotel designs to encourage mindfulness and well-being in order to satisfy these higher demands. Our research has demonstrated that immersing visitors in nature through well planned settings can produce transcendent experiences that promote joy and emotional connection.
In the modern world, there is a growing demand for social connection and a sense of community as people become increasingly separated. In order to address this need, the conventional members’ club concept is being updated. This will give people a place to congregate, connect, and forge lasting relationships. Hotels are now including amenities like restaurants, workspaces, fitness centers, and creative spaces in addition to offering guests a comfortable place to stay in order to appeal to a larger spectrum of visitors and entice them to stay longer in the hotel.
TD Brand: For many people, luxury can imply different things. How do you go about making designs that suit a variety of opulent tastes and cultural backgrounds?
Silva: To provide enough space and opportunity for people’s preferences, a design that is founded in the local context and that offers spaces for both connection and disconnection is vital. In order to give visitors a feeling of place and make them feel linked to the location, the physical and cultural environment of a place should be mirrored in the design. In other words, authenticity and an accurate portrayal of the setting are crucial.
TD Brand: In the design sector, sustainability is becoming more and more significant. How do you strike a balance between the desire for luxury and concepts of sustainable and green design in your projects?
Silva: Sustainability is no longer sufficient; it has become the norm and the absolute minimum. Instead, we need to think about regeneration and create hotels that enhance their surroundings rather than just mitigate their bad effects. By including the local climate, ecology, and community into the design process, we may incite a shift in mindset and produce hotels that are considerate of their surroundings and helpful to the environment.
Brand TD: Dedication to detail is frequently associated with luxury. Can you name a few particular design features or components that, in your opinion, significantly contribute to a hotel or resort’s opulent ambience?
Silva: The guest experience should be viewed as a whole rather than as a collection of discrete locations. Architects may create an environment that feels natural and intuitive by carefully studying how people move through a hotel. It’s also essential to focus on the small print of a hotel’s design, from the choice of materials to how those materials interact. Every decision should be deliberate and take the surrounding context and culture into account.
TD Brand: Today’s travelers are looking for distinctive and immersive experiences. How can you preserve a sense of luxury while giving visitors a sense of place and authenticity through the incorporation of local culture and heritage into your designs?
The most discerning travelers seek out locations that are genuinely related to their surroundings, spaces that draw inspiration from the historical and cultural context of the location, rather than merely a cosmetic imitation of the past. A sense of connection and long-lasting impression are fostered by this regional approach to design, which enables visitors to interact with the destination on a deeper level. We may design environments that are more meaningful and ageless if we have an understanding of how people have lived in the location.
TD Brand: The degree of luxury in hotel and resort design can occasionally be constrained by financial restraints. How can you overcome these obstacles without compromising the level of design or the visitor experience?
Silva: It’s important for us, the client, and the cost consultant to collaborate and prepare early on to grasp the vision and restrictions. If this happens, it’s possible to design places that seem luxurious without going over budget. We may create an experience that feels opulent without overspending if we carefully focus on specific “wow” moments.
Source- Travel daily