For furniture companies, it’s about fusing style, comfort and convenience into design, while also staying on top of current trends. With tech features on the rise and outdoor spaces like rooftop decks as selling points for many hotels, having furniture that accommodates all of guests’ needs while withstanding not only general use, but also the environment, is crucial.
“The furniture at the pools and outdoor public spaces and dining areas can take a beating, so it’s important that the client is confident their investment will last,” said Nick Ades, VP of hospitality at Woodard Furniture.
“We continue to see a big shift from more conventional outdoor dining spaces to a casual lounge setting that incorporates deep seating and sectional furniture. We see more communal spaces and a focus on maximizing functionality within the space without sacrificing the design,” he said.
According to Ades, this design is shifting toward more contemporary, clean-lined furniture. He said that there will always be a place for more traditional pieces, but that the industry is growing.
Paradigm Trends’ Sling Fling Tall features a mango wood material in a gray wash finish with two camel-colored faux leather shelves.
George Maniscalco, hospitality sales manager of Office Star Products, has noticed this shift as well. “At the mid-range properties, lobby areas are more open, promoting communication, collaboration and even work. Technology is much more prevalent,” he said. “At the upper-end, properties are taking a key from marketers, defining their customer in more detail and designing properties to appeal to a more specific customer base.”
It’s also about comfort and giving guests modern amenities they have come to expect in a guestroom.
“I think guests look for and appreciate furniture that they might want to see in their own home, but it’s crucial that it’s not only aesthetically pleasing but also comfortable,” Ades said. “The way hotel and restaurant design has evolved, there are certainly moments of ‘that furniture is awesome and I have to have it for my home.’”
Maniscalco also noted the importance technology has on creating this at-home experience.
“The first thing anyone does when entering a hotel room is look for the plug-ins. ‘Where can I charge my phone, tablet or computer?’” Maniscalco said.
Maniscalco also recognized the industry push for more and more built-in power and USB stations in nightstands, bathrooms and even in reception and lounge seating.
“The office and hospitality landscapes have and will continue to change,” said Nick Gillissie, founder of Nick Gillissie Industrial Design. “The factors driving people away from their desks—powerful mobile computing technology, increasingly diverse tasks that are ideally performed in collaborative settings and, above all, choice—are the same factors that drive the business traveler to search for those amenities while away from the office: a comfortable place to sit, somewhere to securely stow their belongings, a surface to work on and an outlet to charge their devices.”
For Woodard, finding the balance between functionality and design is something it strives for: creating a piece that is both interesting to the eye while also meeting the guests’ needs.
“Convenience comes into play as we develop more modular seating that offers flexibility within the space and the ability to move furniture around or rearrange it as needed,” Ades said.
Office Star is also keeping up with modern features and design trends, offering accent seating and lounge furniture with mid-century styles and commercial versions for both in-room and lobby areas.
By Norm Architects, Allsteel’s Park Collection purposefully responds to the need for collaboration, privacy, wellness and space division, according to the company.
“Modern materials, contemporary accents and neutral fixtures with pops of color and texture [are trending]. We’re experiencing expanded interest in contemporary reception and lounge furnishings,” Maniscalco said.
Ades explained that historically, Woodard has been more traditional in terms of design, but in the last 10 years, the company has shifted toward these contemporary trends.
“We now really run the gamut from traditional to ultra-contemporary and have seen great success with some of these newer contemporary and retro-contemporary collections,” Ades said.
Gillissie sees this shift as something that’s here to stay, especially with the rise in business travel and the increase in more relaxed common spaces.
“Perhaps it’s time for the dreary second floor business center to make way for the work lounge, Gillissie said. “Besides, slogging your way through the pile of emails that accumulated during your flight is way more enjoyable with a drink in hand.”
