Take for example the lobby of a hotel, it is the first visual experience your customer will have of your hotel, once they walk through the doors. The design of the lobby has the power to define the customer’s first impression of your hotel and influence their guest experience from the outset. Design can make or break the business, and it’s just as important as the services provided.
The design of an establishment indicates a lot about the goings-on and serves as a type of signalling for the kind of customer the place aims to attract. The design has to match the vibe or niche. For example, Classic, traditional-style architecture paired with classy, unobtrusive furniture sends a clear message about the type of restaurant or hotel: they take pride in tradition and classical luxury.
What is essential to remember here is that the design contributes immensely to creating a cohesive image and experience for the patron, so it all has to match and go together seamlessly. It’s almost like creating a microcosm.
A lot of the time, the way a place looks is the first thing – and perhaps the only thing – you know about it, and based on that first impression, a potential patron may create an opinion. This can work for you or against you. It’s why it is so important that architecture and interior design are both attractive: you want a potential customer to be intrigued and they must like what they see. If a customer enters a hotel and is put off by it’s appearance, it doesn’t matter how good the service is – they will turn on their heels and leave. Interior design and appearance is what grabs the attention of the customer and persuades them to stay, in order to actually experience the accommodation or the food the establishment offers.
