With so many different rooms and areas to consider when it comes to hotel interior design, it can be easy to overlook and corridors and walkways that connect the individual spaces.
Well, in this blog post, we’re not only looking at how to integrate these corridors and hallways as a key part of your hotel design, but why it matters so much – considering the role of these dead spaces in supporting the guest experience and providing practical benefits as well as aesthetic value.
First then, to the benefits of a well-designed hotel hallway and why it matters so much to continue the design focus beyond the door of each bedroom and communal space.
Why it’s important to focus on hotel corridors as part of the design phase
Corridors connect the different spaces within a building, be it a hotel, office block, or other commercial premises. And this connection is not just physical – it also has the power to continue to shape the guest experience, with corridors in hotels well placed to support the build up of excitement as guests move from lobby towards their hotel room, and then on to other onsite facilities and communal areas.
To recognise the overall importance of hotel hallways and corridors, you need only really consider the order in which you discover and explore a hotel. Even if the lobby opens out onto the street and creates a great first impression, the very first thing that guests see beyond the lobby is your corridor down towards the other spaces – making it an integral part of their early impression.
Ways to make corridors feel wider and more spacious
While it’s virtually impossible to change the width and size of hotel corridors without some serious structural work, there are things you can do to shift perspective and make the space feel bigger.
Keeping the colour palette of your hotel hallways and corridors light and bright will make the areas feel roomier, with overhead lighting ensuring that the ceiling feels high and that the space doesn’t feel too contained or close.
Another thing you can do to make a corridor feel wider is to add a textured runner down the centre, which serves to widen the space and add an element of design décor to connect with the bedrooms and other hotel spaces beyond.
How to enhance the functional benefits of a corridor with furnishings and accessories
If you’re lucky enough to have a hallway with plenty of space to play with, then you can further enhance the design flair and functionality of your hotel’s dead space by adding bookcases, statement armchairs, and even artwork and other accessories which support the aesthetic and theme of your hotel.
Beyond their room, the hallways are one area of your hotel that guests are guaranteed to use and see on a regular basis – making them a great space in which to integrate useful information and valuable design details.
For those with larger hallways and corridors, you also benefit from far more flexibility and freedom with regards to the use of colour, lighting, and statement designs. An oversized hallway can be made more intimate and romantic with uplighting, while different textured wallpapers can inject that design flair and aesthetic interest in a way which is completely effortless.
Finally, don’t forget to consider signage and how this enhances the functionality of your hotel corridors and hallways as well as the overall aesthetic effect. Signage needs to be accessible and easy to read, while also playing into the design theme you’ve created throughout your hotel.
Are your hotel corridors enhancing the guest experience?
All in all, the corridors and hallways in your hotel present a space which guests will use whether they like it or not. So why not have a little fun with them!
Adding subtle variations in colour and texture, continuing your overarching design theme but in a way that suits and compliments the space available, will ensure that the corridors which separate the different rooms and spaces within your hotel enhance – rather than interrupt – the guest experience.
An easy way to enhance the guest experience is with lighting and art; with ideas growing evermore complex as you consider the impact of textured walls, hallway runners, furnishings, and signage.
For more advice on how to maximise the impact and spatial awareness of your hotel hallways, get in touch with Carroll Design today.