Survival of the fittest or the smartest?

Hospitality venues are taking a serious financial hit with the current pandemic of Covid 19 reaching almost every part of the planet. With the advent of global social distancing being the new normal, what does this mean for typical hospitality businesses such as hotels, restaurants and bars? How will this affect their operations today and what will we expect for hospitality design for the future? What will be our new social behaviour and will dining out together be a thing of the past?

For some of us, the essence of great hospitality design is based on the creation of spaces that inspire it's patrons to interact, socialise and draw from their experiences both from their past and inspiring their future. We relate to great spaces that respond to our comforting needs with a certain level of avant-garde superfluousness and a smattering of nostalgia.

As designers and architects, will we be designing spaces that reflect our current times or do we focus on the future of what it means to bring people together in a safe way? Is now the time for hospitality venues and hotels to reassess their offer and what the people will really want?

What we can be sure of is that the human race is forever evolving to adapt to the new normal, be it forced upon us through a pandemic or a brief fad of whimsical fashion related whimsey. Perhaps the “less is more” attitude will be the new ‘newness’ of great design. 

What we must never forget is the true meaning of hospitality… the customer service! The ‘welcome to’ from the concierge or door man to the bar staff and the entire team. It's not about the fittest or the smartest, its about rising to the challenge of adaptation. There has never been a more important time to ensure the team is strong and your design is solid to take on the challenges of reestablishing in a new and more precarious market.