Exploring the ever-changing experience that makes hotels incredible! Based around the room with a point of view, HIX welcomed over 3,700 guests and 200 exhibitors for a showcase of the latest and greatest in hotel design and experience. Spacestor exhibited at this event for the first time, sharing our insights into a blended environment of workplace and hospitality, as the traditional boundaries of these two industries increasingly merge.

A panel discussion on the future of work in hotels featured insights from Michelle Gust, Vice President of Hospitality for Crestron, Paul Dare, Head of Design at Morgan Lovell, who emphasized the importance of accessibility and service in hotels and workplaces and Minna Hurme, Head of Design at VALO Hotel and Work, who explained their innovative hybrid concept that combines hotel and workspace functionalities into single locations.

Combining hotel and office spaces can maximize efficiency and generate additional revenue through dual use concepts. This concept supports sustainability by optimizing space utilization and reducing carbon footprint per service, as well as giving the space a life around the clock 24 hours of the day. Technology also plays a significant role in these hybrid workspaces by providing desk scanning systems for reservation, easy connectivity to displays and consistent Wi-Fi in all areas for guests.

They also discussed the concept of co-working spaces within hotels and the challenges faced in educating people about using hotel rooms as workspaces, there was speculation about future innovations such as motorized furniture that can transform hotel guest rooms into aesthetically sleek offices, and flexible working spaces that highlight and enable a higher level of choice and user experience.

We exhibited Aeonica, our five-part kit for the designer, as a beautifully stunning addition to open spaces and lobbies to remove the need to build walls and acoustically define spaces. We also introduced Portals as a protected focused space, highlighting a solution which is increasingly being outlined by hotel-based workers who struggle with background noise and aesthetics when trying to take calls from traditional hospitality spaces.

Overall, the prevalent trend of bleisure is emphasized again as valuable and essential directional thrust which adds value and choice to the worker as well as enhancing the opportunity for hotels and other hospitality spaces, as well as workplaces around the globe.