With Courtyard, Campanile and Park Inn all offering full food service, bars and meeting rooms there is inevitably going to be price competition as well as competition through design,service and facilities such as free WiFi. In all hotels the number of staff employed will inevitably affect this competitive picture. The more efficiently the interior architecture works the less staff will be needed to offer a good service to the Guest. In Liége, the Courtyard in Colombes(Paris)and in Campanile thought has been given in protoypes to crosstraining staff to multi-task and maximising service levels with minimal staffing levels. Much of this prototyping work will be wasted if the Design mangement techniques employed allow the designs to drift away from the optimum.

It is not enough for there to be a standards handbook. Designers and architects need to be fully briefed on the operational philosophy so that it can be correctly incorporated in the design of the building.Perhaps management themselves do not fully understand how efficient design can contribute to the bottom line over the lifetime of the building?

However even brands need a touch of design flair to work. It's there in Liége. Unfortunately it's missing in Leigh.






Written by Patrick Goff
After visits in March 2009