As we look to 2023, we expect a heavy emphasis on experiential design to
continue to push the industry to evolve and innovate
As we consider the prospects for the hospitality sector, it seems that despite the fight to rebound following COVID-19 restrictions and global recession fears, cautious optimism remains that the sector will continue to be buoyed by the pent-up demand for travel.
With this cautious optimism, there is also a more conscientious and intentional traveler who carefully considers what the final experience is and how it satisfies personal goals and desires.
New approaches to the luxury stay are emerging, from travelers eager to disconnect and delve into nature through off-the-grid experiences, to an increase in travelers searching for places that help them connect to new cultures, and those interested in hotel environments that will help them improve their mind, body, and spirit, physically and emotionally.
This year, we expect a heavy emphasis on experiential design to continue to push the industry to evolve and innovate.
No longer niche
glamping reaches new heights
The increased demand for access to the outdoors brought about by the onset of COVID-19 has remained strong, with more travelers seeking outdoor experiences while enjoying the luxuries and conveniences of a resort. While some have their sights set on bucket list destinations in far-flung locales, many travelers conscious of their carbon footprint are content to venture to the nearest national park, or local outdoor destination, through camping and caravanning. According to Research and Markets, the global market for these activities is expected to grow by 6.6. percent by 2025. National campground companies are tapping into the increased interest in camping and traveling by RVs by adding resort-like accommodations and integrating theme-park attractions into their locations.
According to a 2022 Terramor North American Glamping Report, approximately 17 million households took at least one glamping trip in 2021, a 155% increase from 2019. Glamping business brands are seizing the opportunity to tap into consumers’ increased awareness and interest in glamping, and short-term rental options that make glamping-type accommodations available online are booming, as the restorative effect of being in nature continues to be a salve for uncertain times.
As designers approaching the modern world of glamping and luxury outdoor hospitality, we are tasked with creating solutions that will deliver the comforts of home in settings geared towards outdoor adventure, in addition to identifying amenities that will resonate with today’s traveler, from on-site bars and restaurants to family-centric offerings. The latter is especially important to 33% of leisure travelers among those interested in future glamping, who according to the 2022 North American Glamping Report by Terramor, indicate they would like to glamp with a large group including both friends and family.
At an Ashville, North Carolina project located on a 150-acre site with beautiful trees, creeks, open valleys, and a waterfall, we are helping to design a hybrid resort bisected as an RV resort and glamping resort, with standalone guestroom units, a range of cabin types, and amenities centered around entertainment, food and beverage experiences, and social gathering. Park model units are prefabricated guestroom cabins designed within certain square footage parameters and supporting short-term guest rentals.
Other cabin types include prefabricated treehouses and larger modular guestrooms. Regarding amenities, the clubhouse catering to RV guests features an arcade, grab & go eatery, permanent food truck, pool with kids’ outdoor wet area, and indoor lounge. Serving guests of the glamping units, the social house includes a bar & grill, dining and lounge spaces with indoor & outdoor seating, a game room, a library, and a grab & go/sundries retail component. Guests will also enjoy a large pool with chaise seating for 100 and 10 large cabanas, perfect for small gatherings amongst families and friends.
People are no longer looking at outdoor experiences as a pastime or hobby; for many, they are a crucial part of connecting with others without day-to-day distractions and part of a journey to wellness. As luxury travelers deepen commitments to work/life balance and personal growth and happiness, we will continue to see the growth and evolution of glamping.
The next era for wellness environments: transformative, highly curated, and communal
In addition to glamping experiences, the wellness economy is booming and will continue to influence luxury hotel design. The COVID-19 pandemic has made people more health conscious, accelerating existing trends such as monitoring exercise, heart rate, and oxygen levels with wearable tech, and at the same time driving somewhat contradictory impulses toward “digital detoxes” as a cure to information overload. In this complex environment, we are considering wellness in all its forms, from mental and spiritual wellness to the implications of social wellness, the latter being especially important after being sequestered so long in our homes. Because of these changes, we are witnessing a move away from traditional spa offerings and a more diversified and holistic approach to wellness in luxury hotels.
According to the Wellness Tourism Association, wellness travel is defined as “travel that allows the traveler to maintain, enhance or kick-start a healthy lifestyle, and support or increase one’s sense of well-being.” In seeking to enhance their mental and physical health, recovery, and performance, travelers want more than a traditional hotel spa visit for self-indulgence and pampering. For many, the spa has become a vehicle for living a high-performing life. More luxury resort properties are catering to a “work hard, play hard” mentality with offerings geared toward recovery from extreme sports and active pursuits. Contrast bathing is one example, with contrast hydrotherapy lessening muscle fatigue, decreasing pain, swelling, and lactic acid building after intense exercise, in addition to technology-based offerings such as LED light therapy and hyperbaric oxygen.
At the new Halehouse Spa at Stanly Ranch, Auberge Resorts Collection, which was conceived by TLEE Spas + Wellness, and further developed and operated by Auberge Resorts Collection, highly customized wellness programs are designed to improve performance and recovery. The spa features a Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber after which guests can pair with a restorative sauna session, followed by prescriptive bodywork or customized skincare. At Fieldhouse, the property’s leading-edge fitness hub, guests can choose from a variety of daily movement classes, undergo a fitness assessment, and receive functional training and performance coaching from world-class practitioners.
A partner in many of our hospitality projects, TLEE Spas + Wellness, is seeing demand for spas that function as an integrated wellness destination, combining mindfulness, opportunities for social gathering and exercise, and tailored treatments that help guests achieve personal goals. At Willowbrook Spa, which was designed in partnership with TLEE Spas + Wellness at the design-forward wellness retreat The Lake House on Canandaigua, guests can choose a custom massage oil based on the goal of their treatment, and at the end of the treatment, select a coordinated, custom-blended herbal tincture.
The spa is a springboard to wellness in many forms. In the Sunroom, a lounge environment features an abundance of natural light, fresh airflow, and inspiring views toward the Spa Garden, where private barrel saunas overlook the lake. Designed as a complete contrast bathing circuit, each pod comes with its own outdoor shower and resting area to form a self-contained al fresco contrast bathing circuit for individuals, couples, or small groups.
More people are adopting a mindset in which wellness is not necessarily a solitary pursuit. For example, at the new Halehouse Spa at Stanly Ranch, Auberge Resorts Collection, the wellness experience is embedded throughout the resort, which is designed to cultivate a community spirit across a sprawling historic working ranch in Napa Valley. The Springhouse Circuit at the heart of the spa is inherently social in its sensibility, blending attendant services and do-it-yourself components to create an innovative bathhouse experience with a Northern California twist.
The resort’s social venues are nestled among cottages, guest rooms, villas, and vineyard homes, including outdoor fires, multiple pools, and hot spas, three restaurants, and the Halehouse Spa, which includes Springhouse, the pre-treatment or post-workout recovery center and the peak performance fitness club, Fieldhouse. The communal element stems from the very design layout of the wellness complex, comprised of a collection of seven buildings that span over an acre. The modern wellness consumer will appreciate wellness amenities woven into the entire property, which works subconsciously to make guests feel an effortless connection to the natural setting while piquing interest in wandering to explore the property and the grounds.
In addition to resort environments, we are also seeing holistic fitness and wellness programs being integrated into luxury multi-family residential buildings. The forthcoming Ritz-Carlton Residences, Sarasota is a 20-story branded residences project boasting state-of-the-art amenities, including a Spa and Wellness Club that will augment the fitness program. A departure from residential gyms that feel closed off and isolated, the fitness center at Ritz-Carlton Residences, Sarasota transitions into a fitness terrace along the boardwalk for an indoor/outdoor experience. A breakout room will be available to residents interested in performance-oriented wellness through personal training.
The Wellness Club reflects a new mindset as well and comes equipped with steam and sauna rooms, and hot and cold plunge pools for contrast bathing. While before, wellness was an amenity to check off a list, now developers and owners recognize the benefits of dedicating more space to fitness and wellness, and they can gain a competitive edge by considering performance-minded audiences and the importance of post-workout relaxation and recovery.
More specialized experiences and the rise of private members clubs
Stanley Ranch, an Auberge Resorts Collection is designed as a diverse ecosystem of wellness, food and beverage experiences including wine tastings, and outdoor pursuits that immerse guests in the surrounding terrain, from tracking mountain lions with a conservationist to vineyard cycling. As such, it points toward another significant trend for 2023, in which luxury hotels are creating unique niches for golfers, oenophiles, foodies, creatives, and fitness and wellness enthusiasts that in turn create communities around shared interests.
Omni PGA Frisco Resort, a mixed-use development slated for completion in Frisco, Texas in Spring 2023, embodies this experiential hospitality ethos with a program focused on bringing together golf, retail, and entertainment. Set to be the home of the new PGA Headquarters, the new 510-key resort is designed to cater to golf enthusiasts and those looking for an amenities-driven retreat.
In addition to featuring luxurious guest rooms and private golf villas with private putting facilities and views of two 18-hole championship golf courses, Omni PGA Frisco Resort will include a dozen F&B options; indoor and outdoor meeting and event spaces; a spa; and three pools, including a family pool with a splash pad and adults-only infinity pool on the rooftop with an outdoor bar overlooking the golf course.
Adjacent to the Omni PGA Resort, our team is also working on The Link, a 240-acre mixed-use district. Inspired by the pedestrian promenade that connects the two developments through an expansive green space network, the resort-style development will include a mix of Class A office, destination retail, luxury residential, dynamic entertainment, boutique hospitality, and sports-focused wellness uses. The design for the destination golf course, resort, and premier golf and retail experience will usher in a new era for the sport, repositioning and modernizing golf in America. As a multi-faceted culinary, recreation, relaxation, meeting, and entertainment destination, the project fulfills people’s desire for more interactions and diversified experiences.
These desires are also manifesting in the rise of members’ clubs within hotels. Social in nature and diverse in programming, the clubs go beyond ultra-exclusive swanky bars and lounges and embrace an intersection of wellness, hospitality, and even education. Dynamic spaces for members are oriented toward dining, relaxing, socializing, co-working, and conducting business, in addition to catering to body and mind with state-of-the-art fitness and wellness facilities.
Located 30-minutes from London, Birch is positioned as “part hotel, part foodie haven, part members’ club, part working space, part wellness getaway, part creative hub.” To access the perks on-site, you can be a member, an overnight guest, or a local who books a meal at the on-site restaurant or plans to host an event, work meeting, or party on-site. A stay or visit opens access to a full events program, including workout and pottery classes, film screenings, and gardening lessons. Those seeking respite from the hustle and bustle of city life can opt for a leisurely afternoon exploring the 55 acres of nature. Meanwhile, with a wellness space equipped with a gym and The Hub for co-working, members can mix work, fitness, wellness, and leisure, while enjoying discounts on hotel rooms and food and drink.
Incorporating such club membership components at hotels fulfills people’s desires for more social and meaningful interactions while giving locals access to one-of-a-kind facilities that speak to more diverse interests than standalone fitness clubs. The emergence of members’ clubs in hotels during COVID-19 partly reflected wariness around when and how travel would rebound after government issued restrictions, as they open additional revenue streams.
These coveted spaces are ripe for further growth in 2023 and will result in more robust business models for hotels and heightened excitement amongst travelers and locals for curated environments where they can connect with others, work, rest, party, and maybe even master a new skill.
Scott Lee
With over 30 years of design experience, Scott Lee leads the firm’s international design practice with expertise in hospitality, mixed-use, residential and master planning developments. Mr. Lee is an internationally recognized thought leader with more than three decades of experience in the buildings market, large-firm operations, and talent management. His efforts solidified SB Architects’ presence throughout Southeast Asia, Caribbean, and Latin America and established a number of long-standing relationships with clients and partners across those regions. Adept at defining a design vision that blends the key elements of a brand’s identity with an authentic expression of the site, Mr. Lee has been instrumental in the development of destination properties in established and emerging markets around the world.
