Over the decade construction costs have doubled and in our accountancy driven age everything is done to reduce these and, as we shall see, this has involved the design equivalent of pr spin to convince the guest that lesser facilities or functionality has actually given them a better guest experience. As the experience with political spin shows this is dangerous to the spinner, you can fool all of the guests some of the time, some of the guests all of the time but not all of the guests all of the time. Lose the trust of you guest, be seen to spin the information you give them and eventually they will take their business elsewhere. Whilst politicians face limited competition this is not the case for hoteliers.
The rise of the boutique was driven to a large part by guest dissatisfaction with the quality of the hotels from the brands. If their design standards become driven by cost rather than what their customer wants then a new wave of innovators will arrive in the industry to set new standards once more.
In the ten years the comparative project is the new
One & Only in Cape Town. Here the basic room is 63m²and includes
2 En suite bathrooms with soaking tub in one and walk in shower in the other. Both have hand basins and w.c.. Finishes were marble, including the vanity unit. Large mirrors with demister pads. Illuminated shaving mirror and heated towel rails, and separate w.c. cubicles, one bathroom (hers?) including a bidet.
Bedrooms fitted with multiple power sockets above the top of a generously sized desk. The sockets were standard UK, European and US fittings and internet via either cable or Wifi
Large beds and a flat screen television. There are again no ceiling lights. The TV system includes video on demand and internet.CD player and sound system. Electronic locking controls all systems and c9ommunicates room status to the front desk
Restaurants are now franchised to named chefs, a small shopping mall has been introduced and the number and size of suites has considerably increased.
Links below will take you to our 2001 Review of the Celtic manor and to the 2009 Miniview of the One & Only.
One other change - I now do all the Reviews myself,and take all my own photography, empowered by digital camera. All the additional images I take are added to the DesignClub Gallery
