New Zealand Commercial Design Trends Series NZ Commercial Design Trends Vol. 34/02C | Page 92

MARKET SECTOR REPORT
HOTEL DESIGN
REDESIGNING THE BOX
How do you design a hotel to successfully meet all the requirements of investor,
operator and guests? Aedas Interiors executive director Greg Farrell – project
designer on Auckland’s M Social – gives a designer and frequent guest perspective
For an owner, a hotel is an investment – it’s
a very commercial property. As much as it’s about
theatre and drama and all those wonderful things, at
the end of the day you should always come back to
the financial viability of the model you’re looking at.
There are two types of owners in my experience.
There’s the owner who’s an investment owner, who
is looking at the building as just an investment and
perhaps a quicker ROI. And then there’s more of an
owner-operator where ROI may not be quite as fast
because they’re a true hotelier.
search | save | share at
Obviously setting your budget very early helps
determine financial viability – looking at the market
you’re going into, understanding what you want to
achieve in your returns.
In terms of the vision for a particular hotel, posi-
tioning is a very, very important consideration.
Is it in a prime location and therefore looking to
be a more luxury type property and a higher end
brand, which then starts to reinforce the design?
Or is it not such a great location, so you’re
aiming for something that’s more lifestyle and