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	Guide/Hotel Performance Buildings

		Guide / Hotel
		Functions General To build an efficient and successful hotel requires a solid understanding of how a hotel functions. From a small roadside morel with a staff of five to the largest urban hotel with a staff of five hundred, the basic organization and personnel responsibilities remain constant. There must be at least a person or persons to do the following: · Greet the guests and get them into their rooms · Handle monies received and pay bills · Clean and set up the rooms · Maintain and upgrade the building systems · Manage all of the aforementioned activities
		There is a danger of investing time and money in designing and building a property that is pleasing to the guests’ eyes but is difficult to operate and maintain. This difficulty, over time, will affect the level of service the hotel can offer and may also require additional renovation and corrective work. In addition, the owner and designer must understand the actual tools and amenities that are used by the hotel staff so that the particular areas, details, and finishes are designed and specified to stand up to the daily wear and tear of an active hotel. An overall sense of how a hotel operates is a critical tool that the owner and designer should have at their disposal when reviewing and finalizing program, design, and details. When properly used, this tool will lead to lower operating costs over the life of the project and therefore accelerate the Return-On-Investment. Hotel contains two distinct areas: Front-Of-House for guest and Back-Of-House for hotel workers. Some hotel workers may go from one area to the other throughout the day and some hotel workers remain only in their own areas, unseen by the guests. Note: Casino hotel is not popular in China PRC and so is not covered in this guide. Front-Of-House Front-Of-House areas traditionally get the greatest amount of attention as to function and design because these are the areas the guests see and where they interact with the hotel staff. The proposed design should be fully reviewed with the appropriate personnel of each hotel division to ensure that there is a sensible balance between function and form. This will have an added benefit, as staff members’ involvement in the design process will bestow on them a sense of ownership of the design that will help in maintaining and using it to its fullest potential. Back-Of-House The design and construction of Back-Of-House areas have a direct impact on the efficiency and morale of the hotel staff, which in turn shapes the quality and level of service presented to the guests. A supposed five-star facility whose back of house design gets in the way of providing five-star service and attention may lose repeat guests or force lower room rates to re-attract those guests. Both scenarios can undercut the revenue projections on which the project was based. The level of hotel operator service corresponds to the ratio of employees to guests; in the finest luxury hotels the ratio maybe greater than one-to-one ratio, whereas an inexpensive hotel may have a ratio of more than one-to-ten. In major cities, where square footage comes at a premium cost, there is constant pressure to move square footage from back of house to front of house areas. For a luxury hotel to be successful, its guests must feel that they are indulged luxuriously. To accomplish this, the hotel personnel must feel that they work in an appropriately designed back of house that allows them to provide luxury services to the guests. This can require a great deal of back of house space, which must be balanced against project costs. It also demands a critical level of rapid guest service response, which in turn affects the design, construction, and costs for the back of house. For example, there may be a need for several dedicated service elevators instead of one, as well as a need for several kitchens to handle the food outlet and room-service demands. Owner and Operator Standards Many owners and operators, including Hilton, Hyatt, and Peninsula Hotels, have developed their own sets of design standards and details over numerous projects, as these have been found to be cost-effective, successful, and satisfactory to meet the requirements of their brands. Potentially competing design standards between the owner and the operator often need to be balanced. The owner may not want to invest in costly details that the operator believes will be valued by guests. Operators may not want to be saddled with design details that are attractive but difficult to maintain, thereby draining the maintenance budget. How the lead designer balances the design standards of the various consultants on the team can be a time-consuming challenge. Members of the team have their own experiences and opinions about design. These should be voiced and analyzed to determine whether they apply to the project at hand. The lead designer can thereby ascertain whether the team members are truly right for the project or whether there is a risk of conflicting design direction. The design team must find ways to use these standards creatively, rather than trying to persuade the owner to invest in new details. Spending time and fees on new details will lead to redesign work that the owner will not accept as an additional service and that the design team will have to absorb. Luxury hotel General A luxury hotel is committed to a sense of graciousness, space, service, and history. In today’s market, that usually translates into high costs, which must be well managed to maximize the return on each dollar invested. This hotel category has potential for a great range of design expression. This hotel category should include some or all of these concepts: · Grand lobbies and public spaces with a degree of formality · High level of detailing, premium materials, and find finishes · Large, well-appointed, and quiet guest rooms with generous storage · Multi-fixture bathrooms with strong water flow · Larger back of house areas to provide a high level of guest service Guest rooms Luxury hotel guest rooms are generally larger than those found in any other category of hotel. The rooms are often designed to accommodate a sitting area, bed area, and meeting area, or they are laid out in a suite configuration. They typically feature additional amenities, such as high-quality four- or five-fixture bathrooms, luxurious accessories and decorative touches, and the finest bedding. Other common features include walk-in closets with ample storage space, vanities, desks, and furnishings associated with relaxation and comfort. Luxury hotels also have a higher overall ratio of suites to standard rooms. Suites can account for between 12 and 35 percent of the guest rooms, with some smaller boutique hotels offering what are normally considered all-suite accommodations. Front-Of-House Public spaces in luxury hotels convey a sense of intimacy and privacy reminiscent of spaces in a residential estate or private club. The food and beverage services normally include a fine dining establishment directed by a signature chef. Patrons of the restaurant include both hotel guests and an elite local crowd, who together share an appetite for haute cuisine. The banquet facility is usually suited to small formal meals and social gatherings, as opposed to large meetings or conventions. The grandeur of the interior setting of a luxury hotel should elicit a feeling of pleasure upon entering. Ceilings are usually high, and the corridors, rather than being stark hallways, are often broken into a series of individual spaces. The scale can be noticeably larger than that of a standard hotel, and the attention to detail is exacting. Guest arrival and registration · Tone and style are set immediately upon entry into the establishment. Every effort should be made to make the guest comfortable and to offer a measure of privacy on arrival and during registration. In luxury hotels, private desks and one-on-one attention often replace the airport-style registration counters of chain hotels. Circulation · Paths to different areas of the hotel should be clearly marked, but the impression of the physical environment can be enhanced by visual diversions while guests are in transit. This is true of both interior and exterior paths. The interior path might be a corridor in a bi-level resort hotel. The exterior path might connect bungalow-style accommodation with other hotel amenities housed in bungalow-style structures, such as a fitness center, spa, or restaurant. Lobby lounge · A lobby lounge can be a formal setting, offering such amenities as afternoon tea or evening cocktails. It can also function as either a large space for informal gatherings or a smaller, more intimate setting for private meetings and conversation. Food and beverage services · Food service caters to the guests and to the local clientele, and as noted above is usually structured around a renowned chef's signature restaurant. These spaces can be 30 to 40 percent larger than those of standard hotel facilities. Tables and chairs are often oversized and generously separated, offering guests a formal as well as private experience. Function/meeting areas · Luxury hotels do not generally accommodate large conferences or meetings. The function/meeting areas, however, can be adapted to meet the needs of those few guests who may require the latest in high-tech business equipment. Most of these areas are used for social event, but they should be also equipped with projection and electronic devices. Their physical design and finish work should remain consistent with the rest of the hotel. Guest room corridors · As with the public corridors, guest room corridors should be designed to flow easily between larger spaces with visual diversions provided by distinctive focal objects. Even elevator cabs should be incorporated into the overall design elements of the hallway. Features such as stone floors, high crafted paneled walls and ceilings, and chandeliers or other specialized lighting help give the guest room corridor a unique feel. Back-Of-House Back-Of-House areas in luxury hotels are often proportionally much larger than those in standard hotel properties. The on-site integration of such services as valet, laundry, flower shop, butcher shop, bakery, and banking of course requires extra back of house space. Incorporating these services into the structure of the hotel ensures that the operator can guarantee availability and consistent quality of these services. The additional functions and personal service also require a greater number of staff. The staff may be especially large in regions where labor costs are low. The added staff and their operating supplies also create the need for a more extensive back of house space. Consequently, the back of house area often approaches or even exceeds a one-to-one ratio with the public areas of the hotel. Guest room floors require a high percentage of Back-Of-House space because there are more maids, each responsible for just a few rooms. The maids perform duties beyond room cleaning, such as turndown service, room service, and butler service. The Back-Of-House area on these floors functions as storage for supplies necessary for catering to the guests. Service operations for the guest rooms require areas for maid and laundry services, and sometimes also special areas for butler service. Luxury hotels generally lack guest-accessible conveniences such as ice or vending machines. Instead, a butler, who is directed by a valet or room services, might perform such services. Plumbing · Given guests' expectations in a luxury hotel, the plumbing systems must be able to cope with numerous simultaneous demands quickly and efficiently. To this end, plumbing systems should be designed to be quick-fill, with high-pressure fixtures that deliver hot and cold water instantly. Each guest room should be furnished with an individual domestic hot-water tank that has isolated valves for hot and cold water, and a recirculation system to maintain temperatures even when not in use. Electrical services · The power distribution system for a luxury hotel should provide the redundancy and reliability necessary to allow for the failure of a single component without compromising the guest's experience. Substations designed with two main power transformers and secondary switchboard interconnection provide full redundancy and should be supplied by two different high-voltage services. Distribution panels and control centers should be easily accessible from high-load areas such as kitchens, laundry, function rooms, and the mechanical plant. All of the electrical work should use quality equipment, including copper conductors, from proven manufacturers. · The increased use of technological devices has created a need for more elaborate wiring in luxury hotels. In addition to regular telephone services, guest rooms should provide high-speed Internet access and fax/modern lines. Ballrooms and meeting rooms should be equipped with fiber-optic services, ISDN lines, and fully integrated PC networks for overhead or rear projection units. "Wave LAN' cards and access points can provide users with the ability to create wireless networks for laptop PCs in meeting facilities. Emergency and security systems · When the staff at a luxury hotel is faced with an emergency, they must still be able to maintain a level of quality service and control. An air-cooled, diesel-driven generator is essential for providing emergency power during utility outages. In areas where outages are frequent or may be longer than four hours, 100 percent capacity, full-emergency power should be considered. In areas where outages are not common, that capacity can be greatly reduced. As a minimum safety precaution, emergency lighting, life safety equipment, computer equipment, kitchen refrigeration, plumping pumps, and single elevator service should be available at all times. Acoustics · Luxury hotels are usually designed to curb noise. Special plumbing materials and devices can be used to insulate unwanted noise from adjacent guest rooms. Every measure should be taken to maintain a quiet environment in each individual suite. All main service plants should be acoustically treated and carefully reviewed by a consultant to ensure that the service needs can be met without acoustical intrusion into the public or guest room spaces. Electrical substations and emergency power locations should be situated and designed to be unobtrusive. · Other acoustical systems include background music and communications. The back of house areas should include an intercom to access the loading docks, kitchens, staff rooms, and meeting areas so that service can flow effortlessly behind the scenes. The main background music should be provided via music rack with multiple CD players for circulation into the lobby, public corridors, public washrooms, fitness centers, pool, and staff dining areas. Each area serviced by the main sound rack should have individual volume control. Local sound systems provide a more personalized touch for the restaurants, bars, meeting rooms, and ballrooms. Public address and line-level amplification (for the audio component of, for example, a presentation stored on a laptop) should be available in meeting rooms and ballrooms. Heating, Ventilating, and Air-Conditioning · Like every other system in a luxury hotel, the heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning systems should be the ultimate in efficiency, flexibility, and comfort. Ballroom and meeting room air circulation systems should be sensitive to the occupancy of the room as well as the ambient temperature. Guest rooms can be fitted with air-conditioning systems that provide individual temperature control year-round, 24 hours per day. Dehumidification systems should maintain a comfortable level of moisture throughout the hotel, regardless of the conditions outside. The temperature of each guest room can be completely controlled by the guest, with optional on and off modes and adjustable fan speeds. A helpful feature of the air-conditioning system is the quick cool-down mode that can be operated if the room is not at the desired temperature when the guest arrives. Resort hotel General A resort hotel is itself often a destination and by its nature must fit into and reflect its surroundings. A successful resort conveys a strong and prominent sense of place and celebrates the culture of its location. These features encourage a greater freedom in design expression through respecting and playing off the local environment. The design of hotels in this category, whether for a large family-oriented vacation resort or for an exclusive bungalow resort in an exotic locale, should include some or all of these concepts: · Lobbies and public spaces that encourage visiting outdoor areas · Strong integration of authentic local construction materials and finishes · Reasonably sized and appointed guest rooms with extra storage for long stays · Moderately appointed bath fixtures with strong water flow · Varied back of house areas leading to outdoor venues · Heavy mechanical systems to balance indoor and outdoor conditions · Strong emphasis on site planning and environmental concerns Guest rooms Resort hotels that cater to the independent traveler, rather than families or groups, tend to have a higher ratio of king rooms to double or double-queen rooms. Resorts also tend to have a higher ratio of suites to standard rooms. Average urban and theme resort hotels usually have a suite ratio equivalent to 8 percent of the total key count; very high-end destination resorts can have a ratio as high as 18 percent of the total key count. Suites generally range from one and a half room modules per key for alcove king suites to five or six room modules per key for VIP suites. Many operators request four or five room modules for an upgraded lounge to serve special guests free breakfasts or to offer other amenities in a private setting. These suites offer finishes and features upgraded from those of the average guest room and therefore represent a significant cost increase. Guest room circulation corridors (double or single loaded) are generally 1.5–2 meters wide, with increased widths, or drops, at the entry doors. Maid service, linen, and other support areas generally require 0.8-1 sm/ key, in addition to the telephone and electrical room on each floor. In general, the total amount of space for support, service, circulation, elevators, and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing space approximates 20 to 30 % of the net guest room and suite areas, depending on the number of modules per floor and the degree of single loading. The design of guest bathrooms is dependent on the building systems. The economy of back-to-back plumbing sets up the basic guest room orientation within a guest room wing, but the desired feel of the resort still drives the organization of the bath fixtures. The average stay at a resort is longer than at any other type of hotel. Extra storage and closer space must be added to accommodate an increased amount of baggage and clothing. Front-Of-House Front-Of-House public space can vary greatly, depending on the type of resort, the available services outside the resort, and the personal philosophy of the operator. In some cases operators have avoided food and beverage areas entirely by leasing the kitchen and restaurant spaces to an outside proprietor. More typically, a resort has an all-day dining room sized to accommodate most of the resort population at two seatings. Seating areas vary significantly according to resort type. For some resorts the guests spend almost all the time in the resort and so space should be more generous. Area allocation for seating varies from 1.6-2 sm/ seat in an efficient facility to 3.2-4 sm/ seat in a luxurious facility. Function areas also vary widely, ranging from a very limited amount of meeting space to approximately 4.6-6.5 sm/ key in resorts that rely heavily on group business. In general, half of the total meeting space is allocated to one large banquet room or ballroom, with the rest divided among smaller breakout rooms. Pre-function circulation space, which should be approximately 35-40 % of the net meeting areas, is provided for function zones. For larger spaces, such as a ballroom, at least 25-35 % of the area should be provided adjacent to the entry for pre-function assembly. Guest arrival and registration · The arrival and registration area sets the tone and atmosphere of the resort and should give the guest a feeling of having arrived at a destination. There are several approaches to the design of this area. A dramatic view is often used to produce an immediate emotional impact on the guest. The front desk is always off the main arrival foyer. Depending on the size of the resort, the front desk can vary from a personal, intimate office where the guest may be seated to a more conventional counter with several registration stations. The concierge's desk often flanks the opposite side of the entrance. Circulation to guest rooms · The route to the guest rooms, which is the most heavily traveled circulation path in a resort, must be distinct and clear to enhance the flow of traffic, whether using elevators or an exterior path system that leads to individual rooms or bungalows. This circulation system should spark guests' interest and provide some visual distractions. Lobby lounge · The lobby lounge is the living room of the resort. As the central gathering point for all activities, it should have the most impressive view. Depending on the operation and the philosophy of the operator, a bar is either central or downplayed. Areas are available for entertainment and dancing. This space has a limited dining function, such as for the serving of snacks and drinks. Food and beverage services · Food and beverage services depend heavily on the size of the resort and the climate of the site. A large resort may have two or three individual restaurants, whereas a small resort may only have one. If there are a variety of styles of restaurant within a single resort, guests have an opportunity to vary their eating experiences and are therefore more likely to remain on the premises for their dining needs. Restaurants at destination resorts or urban resorts with particularly dramatic views are often linear in design, offering no more than two rows of tables along the glass or exterior wall. In favorable climates, outdoor seating is usually the most popular arrangement and must therefore account for the largest amount of available space. Function and meeting areas · By offering functional areas for group incentive events, resorts have attracted major corporations, which contribute to the overall success of the development. Resort hotels can have an advantage over traditional convention hotels by offering unique features such as outdoor facilities and special amenities to be enjoyed before and after meetings. Ballroom areas are oriented toward outdoor patios and breakout lawns so that pre- and post-meeting gatherings take advantage of the setting of the resort. Meeting areas are set up for maximum flow, from meetings to luncheons and back again. Most resorts can accommodate two groups at a time, allowing the groups to remain separate from each other while still providing a variety of venues for activities. Landscape design As in the selection of building materials, the selection of the landscape materials is essential to the successful resort. To reinforce the sense of permanence and maturity of the place, larger specimen trees and plants are vital to the landscape palette. Because the resort is intended to connect with and complement its natural setting or amenity, the landscape design should mediate between the interior spaces and the larger natural setting. Outdoor balconies and terraces set the tone of a resort, especially when they are oversized to fit a lounge chair with a small dining table and chairs. These balconies allow for a private breakfast or dinner experience and offer the guests intimacy and privacy while they enjoy the view. Lighting design Lighting is an often under-estimated contributor to the resort experience. Poor lighting design can easily negate the most meticulous interior and exterior design efforts. Lighting for all types of resort hotel should promote and highlight both the natural and manufactured features of the property. The use of incandescent lighting is preferred over fluorescent because of the added warmth of color that emulates natural daylight or light emitted from gas lamps or candles. Relatively low levels of light promotes a sense of relaxation and offers a stark contrast to the typical office environment of the average traveler. In addition to general or ambient lighting, focused or accent lighting helps to establish a hierarchy of public and private spaces, as well as differentiate design feature elements from their backgrounds. Even if proper hierarchy, color, and contrast are achieved, the overall effect may be lost if the light source is visible. Proper design of the fixture and placement of a lamp can ensure that the guest sees only emitted light and that the glare, or "hot spot," of the lamp itself is shielded from direct view. Views Resorts usually place a great amount of emphasis on views. Guests to these resorts generally spend much of their time on-site, enjoying the resort as the end of their journey. If views are the primary amenity of the destination, then it is plausible to consider using single-loaded guest room configurations. This means that all of the guest rooms are oriented in the view direction and only one side of the corridor is used. This is one of the least efficient configurations, in that expenses in circulation cannot be distributed evenly over both sides. Although it can offer a view for every room in a resort, this orientation requires greater site areas, building footprints, and exterior surface areas than that provided with double corridors. These increases are often prohibitively expensive. Some diagrams showing different configurations: Topography The topography of the site at a destination or theme resort almost always plays a much more integral role in design than at an urban resort because of the urban resort's existence on pre-developed land. Through proper design, the topography at destination and theme resorts can be manipulated to positively affect the guest's experience. The greatest benefit of what may be considered "topographically challenged" sites is that they can be used to create views from higher elevations over the tops of structures at lower elevations. An example would be a sloped site that can also be used to separate, by level, the public and back of house areas. Most commonly, the service access is located on a lower level with direct connections to spaces that do not require a view. The public spaces that do not require a direct service connection may then be located above this back of house area, where views are most required. This relationship allows the building itself to conceal the service floor, although sometimes with a good deal of expensive cut-and-fill work. Even on a relatively flat site this relationship is effective in separating public and service areas by enhancing the sense of drama inherent to a sloping site. Unique features Sites at destination resorts offer natural or historical features unique to the area and integral to guests' expectations of the locale. By using existing features that are unique to the site, rather than ignoring or destroying them, designers can emphasize the site's inherent attributes, which in turn make these locations prime vacation spots. Materials Proper selection and use of materials is essential in interpreting the vernacular architecture of a particular region. Poor material selection is an obvious detriment to the resort experience. As guests in the luxury hotel market become ever more sophisticated and their expectations increase, they are more critical of fine details. Resorts designed to complement their settings, however, should never overpower the natural surroundings. It is important to choose materials that take on a more beautiful color and texture with age, like bronze, clay, copper, teak, cedar, and leather, etc. Back-Of-House Back-Of-House facilities are often difficult to typify because of the extreme differences in operator philosophy and the need for on-site services. Many operators have regional sales and administrative offices or centralized laundries off-site, which results in much smaller areas for these functions on-site. Some operators have extensive storage facilities, especially in areas where deliveries can be unpredictable, whereas other operators rely on an almost daily supply of consumables. Some operators choose to have their own butcher shops, flower shops, and other amenities to ensure quality and consistency, whereas others believe that locally supplied items are sufficient and thus avoid the extra building and operating costs associated with those specific services. The degree of service each operator provides often corresponds to the ratio of employees to guests, which in turn influences the size of many spaces in a typical Back-Of-House area. The relation of these categories, to each other and to the total, is one rationale for the traditional programming differences between destination, urban, and them resort properties. In general, destination resorts offer a generous number of amenities, both indoor and outdoor, because of the greater length of a typical guest's stay. The programs of urban resorts are closer to those of a traditional hotel and generally offer fewer amenities, because space is often at a premium. Theme hotels provide many amenities, but usually rely on proximity to a larger attraction in the nearby area. Consequently, these facilities must complement the location, rather than copy existing local attractions. All these building types share a fundamental need for the most efficient and appropriate program for their financial and operational goals. An appropriate balance of guest rooms to Front-Of-House areas to Back-Of-House areas is important from beginning. Heating, Ventilating, and Air-Conditioning · The methods of heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning the buildings of a resort hotel vary widely, depending on the location and building layout of the project. Large, consolidated buildings tend to favor a centralized mechanical system, whereas projects with smaller, widely distributed buildings favor a system of individual, unitary equipment. Utility Systems · Because of the large number of people serviced by resort hotels, there is a heavy demand for water, electricity, natural gas, sanitary sewers, and storm drainage. The presence or lack of these systems is a critical consideration in initial feasibility studies. If a project is located in a developed area, with access to municipal or regional utility systems, it is crucial to contact administrators of these systems as early as possible to determine their capacities and limitations. If a project is located in a remote or undeveloped area, utility systems must often be built as part of the development. Sometimes nearby systems can be extended to cover the project site, but if that is not possible it may be necessary to construct plants dedicated to electrical power generation, sewage treatment, and desalinization or drilled well facilities. This enormous infrastructure, which requires a significant investment and specialized engineering expertise, also influences the overall site planning and design. · Regardless of how the utilities are provided, the hotel will have an internal utility distribution system that flows throughout its various components. This is especially relevant for projects constructed with small, distributed buildings. In these projects, each building must be individually connected to the utilities. Like the mechanical systems, these utility systems should be as invisible to the guests as possible. The architect and the landscape architect must work closely with the project's civil and utility engineers to ensure that the utilities are screened, concealed, and integrated into the overall project design. Manholes, clean-outs, shutoff valves, meters, and panel boards must be carefully located so they do not intrude in unfortunate locations, such as the center of the pool deck, a specially paved pathway, or directly access from a guest room door. Emergency Systems · A resort hotel must be equipped to provide guests with a comfortable, safe environment even if local utility systems fail or in the event of an emergency. Accordingly, the design and engineering of a resort hotel must recognize the local potential for emergencies such as flooding, earthquakes, or hurricanes and include backup systems that will allow at least a portion of the hotel to operate on an independent system. · In the initial stages of site planning, it is important to research flood maps to gain an understanding of expected flood heights so that critical portions of the project are not placed below those elevations. Similarly, soil testing should identify any site areas that would be more susceptible to damage from an earthquake. Later in the project development, it is important to provide a backup electrical power generator tried to crucial areas of the projects. Typically, these areas include a portion of the guest rooms, one restaurant and kitchen, the central food and beverage refrigerators and freezers, and the necessary life support systems such as fire sprinklers, fire alarms, and emergency lighting. · Emergency provisions are especially important in remote or undeveloped areas, where it is more likely that guests will have to remain on-site during an emergency rather than simply leave the resort. These developments must rely on their backup systems more often than urban developments because the utility systems are frequently unreliable and subject to frequent outages. To compound this problem, these hotels must typically store relatively large inventories of food, beverages, and other supplies so that there is no interruption in service even when deliveries can be sporadic and undependable. These inventories often represent a significant maintenance cost and must be kept in storage refrigerators and freezers despite frequent power interruptions. Convention hotel General Successful hotels in this category encourage “a sense of well-being and productivity” based on the under-standing that today’s business travelers are more sophisticated and will not tolerate an unpleasant business trip. Convention hotel design should include some or all of these concepts: · Lobbies and public spaces that accommodate high volume · Areas for large meetings and business centers · Solid construction materials and durable finishes with a degree of richness · Adequately sized and efficient guest rooms with the latest technologies · Adequately appointed bathroom fixtures with reliable water flow · Efficient back of house areas that support a high volume and turnover Guest rooms Typically, convention or conference center guest rooms range from 3.6-4.2 meters in width and from 8-9 meters in length. In direct contrast to resorts, these facilities tend to have a much higher ratio of double-double or double-queen rooms to king rooms, based on the typical double occupancy that large groups usually demand. In addition, the suite ratio is lower than in a resort, and the larger suites often are provided on a complimentary basis to the meeting planner or company executives. There is often no separate upgraded lounge in a convention or conference hotel, so as not to differentiate the level of service for large blocks of group members. Guest room circulation corridors in these projects are generally double-loaded and are typically 1.5-1.7 meter wide, with increased widths, or drops, at the entry doors. Maid service, linen, and other support areas generally require 0.8-1.0 sm/ key, and each floor has the additional need of a telephone and electrical room. In general, the total amount of support space; service, circulation, and elevator space; and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing space approximates 20-27 % of the net guestroom areas, depending on the number of modules per floor and the extent of single-loading. Front-Of-House Convention hotels have a very specific composition in terms of the Front-Of-House space needed to be successful. Food and beverage areas are designed to accommodate large groups of people eating or breaking at one time. There is usually one centralized kitchen for the whole facility, serving both the food and beverage and catering needs. Convention or conference center hotels often have one large dining room, segmented into smaller spaces to reduce the apparent size. This single room can accommodate most of a large group population and allows all group members to dine simultaneously instead of in shifts. These facilities usually do not offer choices of dining venues as a resort would. Consequently, an informal venue, such as the pool or bar and grill, plays a much smaller role. Seating areas for these hotels can vary in type, but are usually much more efficient than those of typical hotel or resort properties. Square footage allocation per seat is usually in the range of 5.4-6.7meter/ seat, configured in a traditional, straight- forward layout. The meeting areas receive the greatest emphasis in the program and can vary from approximately 5.6 sm/ key to 7.4 sm/ key. The meeting space is broken into a number of smaller meeting rooms with divisible breakout rooms. Pre-function and circulation space must be provided for all of these comfortable meeting areas, but larger spaces, like the ballroom, do not have as great a need for adjacent pre-function assemblies. Arrival and Departure · Guests at convention hotels often arrive and depart together via bus or chartered coach. They may have traveled great distances to participate in the event, been greeted by function coordinators at an airport or train station, and transported en masse to the hotel site. The goal of the site planner then is to shorten the guest's journey a little by providing a seamless transition from transportation to arrival and back again at the end of the event. A carport with ample space for several buses to queue is an essential part of the development. Ideally, this queuing area is adjacent to, but separate from, the actual boarding area, so as to provide for the guest's safety and to limit confusion. The boarding area should be located in close proximity to group registration, but buffered from registration to limit disruptions. Because disembarking, registering, checking out, and boarding can all be less than pleasant experiences, it is a good idea to provide guests with a view, activity, or amenity while they wait. Lobby lounge · The lobby lounge is often the central gathering place after or between meetings. The space should be large enough to accommodate a sizeable crowd, yet not feel empty when meetings are in session. The bar plays a much more prominent role in a convention or conference hotel than it does in a resort; in addition, there must be adequate space for entertainment and dancing during post meeting parties. The lobby lounge may serve simple continental breakfasts each morning, giving guests the opportunity to mingle with other conference attendees before the start of the day. Food and beverage services · Although the number of restaurant venues in a convention or conference hotel will vary with the size and type of the establishment, they should all, if possible, be serviced directly from the main kitchen. Buffets can be used to simplify and speed the service of guests on their way to meetings. Many meetings start with breakfast, include a luncheon at a different venue, and end with an outdoor barbeque or similar theme dinner. By varying the location, many different types of meals can be served without altering the service from the main kitchen areas. Guest room areas · The guest rooms, although important, are secondary to the meeting spaces in terms of elaborate design. The rooms are focused on efficiency, set along double-loaded corridors, and limited in square footage. Rooms are oriented toward the elevators and circulation to activities and event. Office amenities · As in any business hotel, rooms must be equipped to handle the professional needs of businesspeople. Large-sized desks, double-line phone jacks for moderns and fax machines, and easily accessible power outlets should be conveniently available in every room. Landscape Design Landscape design can be an integral part of the convention or conference hotel as it relates to outdoor meeting spaces and guest circulation throughout the property. Group and small conference hotels tend to focus on these types of spaces much more than urban convention hotels. The use of landscaping as an effective visual screen to separate exterior meeting spaces from one another and from guest amenities is preferable to the use of additional structures. It is important to recognize, however, that despite the size, mass, and density of an effective visual screen made of mature landscape materials, it has virtually no acoustic dampening properties at all. The landscape design must reflect the fact that large groups of guests will be circulating around the property together at common intervals, such as morning and afternoon breaks, and at lunch. This circulation pattern differs from that of the other hotel guests and must be addressed through ensuring adequate path size and breakout areas. With the advent of strict smoking regulations, it has become important to provide well-landscaped areas placed away from the buildings yet highly accessible during breaks. Interior Design and Technology Amenities in a convention or conference hotel are not limited to high-quality furnishings, fixtures, and finishes. Guest room design caters more specifically to the business guest and includes additional amenities such as a high-speed category five-phone and data line, ergonomic desk chairs, and high-quality task lighting near a well-appointed desk. In-room fax machines are common, and guests can expect to have a closet-sized safe to accommodate a laptop computer. The television is often connected to an internal cable network that allows the guest to view lectures or functions from the privacy of their own room. A wireless, or cordless, phone in each guest room is also becoming more common in convention or conference hotels. Kiosks located throughout the property are designed to help guests locate meetings and understand the hotel layout. As meetings conferences become more sophisticated, the hotel's business center has evolved from a single computer terminal and copy machine to a bustling, interactive audiovisual hub. With services ranging from graphic art assistance to LCD projectors, these centers must be designed to accommodate many guests at once, all using different media and machines. Back-Of-House As in other hotel types, Back-Of-House areas in convention or conference hotels can vary greatly by operator. Overall, however, the degree of guest service is not as extensive in these projects as it is in a resort hotel. Employee counts can be lowered and fewer amenities are provided, thus reducing the size of the Back-Of-House areas. The Back-Of-House area is divided into the same four zones as any other hotel, except for the meeting and function spaces. The banquet facilities determine the location, orientation, and servicing of the main hotel kitchen. Meeting rooms should all be at a close proximity to the kitchen, allowing service to be fast and invisible to the guests. In some urban locations, however, where site constraints do not allow for the main kitchen to be adjacent to the ballroom, other arrangements must be made to maintain efficiency. Limited Service hotel General Because this category of hotel usually has a low profit margin, the guest-rooms area makes up about 80 % of the total building area and should be the profit center. The focus is on limiting design expression and controlling costs. The design will include some or all of these concepts: · Minimal lobbies and public spaces with minimal formality · Simple details, common materials, and durable finishes · Small and quiet guest rooms with adequate storage · Minimal bathroom fixtures with ample water flow · Limited back of house areas and a minimal level of guest service In planning most hotel types, it is important to arrange building components to best accommodate the guests' arrival experience by clustering those things a guest needs most as conveniently as possible around the point of arrival: · The registration desk · The vertical circulation to guest rooms · Public toilets and telephones · The restaurant/bar · The meeting/conference space Simultaneously, consider the Back-Of-House elements required to support the front of house elements, and avoid cross traffic between these two areas. The guest rooms usually account for about 80 % of the total building area and will be the primary profit center for a limited-service property. Organization and optimization of the guest room space should therefore be the dominant factor in establishing the building shape. The guest room portion of the building must be planned for maximum efficiency, because any in-efficiencies will be compounded by the repetitiveness of the guest rooms. Guest rooms The single design feature that most directly affects a hotel's gross square foot per unit and the guest's perception of the hotel is the guest room layout. In limited-service hotels, the room consists of two components: the sleeping area and the bath/ dressing area. The sleeping area size is an objective issue. It includes the exact room length, width, and height. These dimensions are often prescribed by the franchise organization. Guest room sizes significantly affect total building efficiency and construction cost. Probably as important as the actual room dimensions is the arrangement of furniture within the room and the efficiency of internal circulation. Material selection (color, texture) and use of natural light also directly affect the guests' perception of the "guest room presentation." Hundreds of bath arrangements have been designed and built over the years, but a few plans are seen more often than others. Many franchise organizations have settled on preferred bath layouts, which are promoted as standard components of their design guidelines. The merit of any bath layout is a function of both the bath arrangement and the actual plumbing and mechanical fixtures. Large bath spaces enhance perceived value, which may justify a higher room rate. Be sure to compare the selected bath layout with smaller, more economical layouts to judge whether the premium associated with the selected layout is worth the extra cost. Back-Of-House Stairs · Building codes dictate the number and location of stairs. The square-footage efficiency of a building is affected by efficiency of the stair layout. Some stair designs become architectural elements, while others prioritize more convenient access to the building. In lower buildings (of two or three stories) stairs are often used as the primary means of vertical circulation. In longer buildings, more than two stairs may be required. Where building codes allow, the use of fire divisions called "horizontal exits" can be used, obviating the need for third and fourth stairs. Elevator · Ideally, elevators are centrally located near the hotel's main entry. On the upper levels, two elevators and the storage and/or vending area will usually fit into a typical guest room module. Often, the need for a more comfortable elevator lobby (8ft or wider) dictates more space than may be available from a standard guest room module. This can be resolved through the use of wider room modules or more than one room module at the elevator bay. · Whether the elevator entrance opens onto the guest room corridor or onto an isolated elevator is another issue driving building efficiency. Often, separated elevator lobbies are required by fire or building codes. In smaller properties, a passenger elevator may be shared for service duty, but in hotels that exceed the 150-room range, a dedicated service elevator may be desirable. Utility Mechanical systems are piped or ducted systems within a building that deliver liquid or gas from one place to another. They include: · Hot and cold domestic water systems · Sanitary and storm-water systems · Space heating and cooling · Systems that evacuate interior air · Systems that bring in outside air · Fire sprinklers and standpipe systems · Systems for distribution of gas to gas-fired equipment

		Example: Lighting Design Consultancy Services for Beijing Hotel (by Shanghai Bright Lighting Technology Co. Ltd)
		From Taiwan Motel to Mainland Boutique Hotel http://www.fancy-design.com/dcb/dcbreport0903.htm