Think Like a Designer-Hotel Building (How they think, Decide)

 

GUIDE: HOTEL BUILDING

                                                                                                                                         -Harihar Poudel

Experience-With Experts

Today I am writing my experience as an Engineer. I got a chance to have a meeting with Hotel Design and Architecture Experts on how to make the hotel efficient. Though, I am not an architect, as an engineer I am naturally Curious how they think and create milestone change.

Lets Dwell into the Experience of Building:

1.      Move from Target or Output i.e. Client to Input before Design.

2.      Build for whom? 

3.      Who are those people?

4.       What do they do?

5.       Why do they use your product? or varies with culture?

6.      How do they use it? 

7.      How much they can afford?

8.      How regular are they?

9.      What kind of disabilities can people have?

10.  Human Rights, Environmentally Friendly and so on.

Available Information based on Meeting before the meeting.

1. Site: Bandipur Cable Car
2. Location: Tourist Station, Tanahun
3. Height: 1000 m Above the sea Level.
4. Expected Clients: Tourist visiting as a transit.
5. Area of Station: Floor area Small but tall building
6. Economic Capacity: High
7. Plan: To develop it as an International Brand.

 

·        Summary: 

·         More crowd at the bottom and less at the top.

·        Easy access (foods and normal activities) at bottom and willingness (less demand/luxury with views) at the top(beverages).

·        Disable friendly, environment friendly

·        Media viral area making, know people want to separate themselves from lower class people though they don't say it. 

·        Know the area. we should know that the destination is for transit tourist. So, it should be designed on the basis. Not regular people comes here. 

 

Now, that with the above information, the experts discussing on how to make the hotel more efficient.

Consultant: We are creating the back up house. As per the rule, the hotel and hospitals should allocate 25% of the area as a back up house which plays the important role in managing the stocks and for emergency service. 

Experts: But where is the area? The area available is small.

Consultant: The area above the lower basement and below the ground floor can be used as the back up house. The hotel's food items can be prepared there and sent to the waiting hall where the clients expect food using the dumb waiter. The dumb waiter can be used smoothly for only up-to two floors. As it uses the hydraulic system, above 2 floor, it shakes and may spoil the food. 

Experts: Wouldn't the service be slow? the clean and fresh food in the same dumb waiter? wouldn't it create the health issue? We suggest you to make available the next service lift for returning the used utensils and foods. Also, manpower needed would be more in the sender and receiver sides. 

Consultants: No, the system should be created. The system should be such that the food before sending through the dumb waiter should be differentiated like meat, vegetables, plastics and wrapped them accordingly. 

    Like your suggestion, it would be best if we could allocate the next service lift for returning the used up goods but where is the area? is the area sufficient? So, may be it is not final, but we are expecting the same dumb waiter to serve as the receiver and sender. 

Experts: We are not seeing the suit room, queen bed, king bed , twin bed. So, is there any plan or what? Because the VIPs are also coming there and they may demand. 

Consultants: This is the reason why I am calling you all experts for making decision. Here we have options to convert the 4 rooms (out of 12 room in each floor) which seem luxurious with marvelous views of the Himalayas which can be converted into Suit room. But How many do we need as per our situation? Can people afford? 

Experts: As per our experience, Bengali people wants to see their all family in front of their eyes no matter how adult their members are. So, almost 15% of the rooms should be connected to each other. Also, regarding the single bed in every room, Japanese tourist couple doesn't sleep together as per their tradition. They do what they want to do and finally goes to their own bed to sleep. But people from Europe doesn't want option. It overwhelms them. So, it is best to have only only bed for them. Also, they don't want Extras. So, we can reduce cost for using materials in there. only one pillows instead of 3.

Experts: Almost 1% of the room should be disable friendly. It is very mandatory. There should not be steps in bathroom or service area which should be accessible to disables. It should be as the lower level floor which will make it easier. Think on the basis of it. 

Experts: VIP people doesn't like to mingle with the normal people. They want privacy. They want to have a secret time with their family in occasion or whatever. So, they should have area which let them isolate themselves to have their own time. 

Consultants: We need more area for such planning. But take it under consideration.

Experts: The service for common people should be on the lower floor. More crowd comes and leaves from there. And less traffic of people need to be at the top. More People want easy access for normal service like lunch and dinner and it is must that it should be at the lower level. otherwise, if it is at the top, unnecessary noise will be there in whole building. And, Beverages and drinks at the top. Less people with special interest chose this place. They don't care for easy Access. 

Experts: Little area should be allocated for smoking and gathering. They cannot smoke inside room because its smell last longer and people will not tolerate. 

Consultants: Some designs should teach people. We cannot guide once we let them smoke. They can smoke marijuna, take cocaine. We will lose control on it. If you teach them, they will say " I am paying this much amount and you are not letting me to take it". It is loophole which can be misused. So, I design for NO SMOKING. For example, I work for German INGO making toilets in rural areas. I Designed toilets and put Commode in place of pan. German boss came and scolded me." why do you put commode? Do children know to use it?" I told him," They don't know. So, I design the same to teach them. They will learn and they should. They will go to some other place. It is today's trend. How will they learn if they don't use it now in their own place?"  So, some designs should be to teach people. Here we teach people that we don't let smoking. Its for civilization.

Experts: Husbands want to see their partner bathing. So, there is window glass in bathroom with curtain option. Light mirror to see clearly. Lock system inserting the card, waiting for the lift. 

Experts: People from Europe don't care about the other like reading. They love reading. So, it is like must for Hotels. We should think of that. provide the isolated sunbathing place with beds and books and the views of Himalayas. 

Experts: Provide membership for the VIPs so they can come and enjoy when they want. It is like easy money.

Consultants: It is mainly designed for the Transit tourist. So, Unlike in residential areas, we don't need Membership. 

Consultants: The car which drops the tourist in the hotel will have to move around the hotel to return so he sees the views of the hotel. The moving around in the basement is also to maintain the temperature of the building. The top of the building will glow emphasizing itself in the area and viewed from planes. 

Some other topics:

pot wash, backup house,  chair in front of lift.

 

What I learnt?

Lift makes noise, so it is isolated from the rooms by either placing it beside the staircase and between staircase and service or electrical room. Try to not place directly in front of the lift. It is noisy with people gathering.