"From check-in to sleeping to bathing to eating - modern hospitality concepts need to excite, seduce and sell, and do so by balancing aesthetics with the financial," says Cairey Slater of Thebe Exhibitions & Projects Group and general manager of the project.
"These are challenging, yet exciting times for the hospitality design industry, as hotels are undergoing a transformation which will see their range of offerings go far beyond the basic services of accommodation and food."
Design has become a pivotal element to creating authentic, individual guest experiences. "With the hotel industry showing signs of recovering from the fallout of the economic downturn, future focused developers have their eye on the modern traveller, catering for them with a new generation of hospitality offerings, which provide more than just excellent service. The lines between business and leisure travel have also blurred as people want to combine work and play, creating new opportunities for designers to offer guests a unique escape."
Sustainability will be integrated throughout all aspects of the event, joined by ethonomics, one of the most impactful trends emerging on the hotel design scene. Technology and connectivity will also feature strongly.
The two-day DiH Conference, themed 'Designing the ultimate away experience', forms the core of the event, providing delegates with essential advice and updates from this sector. An exemplary line-up of international industry design experts and local leading lights will share their insights on trends in their field and discuss their vision in the context of the hospitality world.
Conference sessions on day one will focus on hotel development and interior design; while day two will concentrate on designing facilities and services, as well as food design.
The exhibition will focus on the hotel design purchasing community such as hoteliers, hotel operations, interior designers and architects as a source of high-end design led products. Delegates will have the opportunity to view and discuss design interiors, exteriors, facilities, catering, green building and technology.
Globally the hospitality industry - from hotels to restaurants and spa's - attract some of the world's most ingenious designers. At the event, a series of theme-based designer-spaces will be on show, conceptualised by local architects and interior design companies giving their creative interpretation of the experience-driven mantra.
Slater points out that choosing The Forum at the Turbine Hall as the venue for the confex is in sync with the conference's experience-rich ethos. "This landmark building, which started its life as a power station in the 1920's, has been transformed into a magnificent space with excellent facilities in the heart the arts and culture precinct, Newtown."
