Successful Accommodation Design

Holiday and travel accommodation design is all about attracting guests to buy an experience.  At the beginning of every accommodation design project we delve deep into the nature of our client’s accommodation business.  We discover what the unique selling proposition is. How and why the location is important to the design story and to the target audience.  The cost per night and how we might be able to increase our client’s income through interior design.  For example, a more functional space or additional features such as a hot tub.  We also ask about the competition and other business-related topics that have an impact on the interior design.

For our recent accommodation design project, an Airbnb in Brunswick, we also spoke to our client about the guest feedback she received.  Knowing the feedback meant that we could directly address guest’s reactions and improve the accommodation as well as reviews.  By doing this we show previous guests that they have been heard. The proactive approach increases the chances of repeat business and secondly it improves the overall guest experience for new guests.

Location

Located in a typical residential street in the heart of Brunswick within close proximity to all the best that Brunswick has to offer such as cafes, markets, parks, laneways and transport, location was a key driving factor to our interior design solutions. 

Brunswick is known for its diverse multicultural community, industrial vibe, great food, and graffiti.  All these factors were introduced into the concept for this project.  We wanted the property to say ‘Brunswick’ through a mixture of colours, patterns, textures, and styling that are representative of this iconic suburb.

Design Story

Handpicking the best of Brunswick was the foundation to our design strategy.  For the Airbnb to standout we wanted an industrial style, that celebrated local flora and fauna, local street art, local food, and cultural diversity.

As a one-bedroom unit we created as much space as possible by replacing the iron bed frame, which narrowed the flow of movement around the bed. With a bed and base option to create a more open feel in the bedroom. 

We chose an industrial faux tan leather bed head as the focal point.  On either side of the bed we installed two white industrial white metal bedside tables and above the bed head we selected quirky and bright bird prints of birds found locally.  The bonus with these bird prints was the personal nature of the selection due to the client’s love of birds.  This subtle person touch brought a nice warm feel to the air bnb.

Another key aspect to the design of this accommodation project was the multifunctional nature of the dining table which also needed to function as a desk.  Therefore, the table height and seat height had to be considered to ensure an ergonomic working zone as well as a generous dining zone with two seating options either a dining chair or dining bench for interest.

We selected a faux black leather couch which fit snugly in the living area but the key piece to the living room was the industrial style shelving with a pipe frame.  East Brunswick specifically was home to a pipe manufacturer so similarly to the bird prints this piece communicates a nice local connection which could be of interest to guests.

These shelves were then styled with interesting pieces of décor from a local favourite secondhand homewares store Hope St Space, with books ranging in topics from travel to art to local food places of interest, prints, and lighting.

Guest are greeted by a stunning piece of graffiti above the sofa, which adds a colourful feminine touch to this mostly masculine industrial space.

Overall, the design strategy for this project ensured we delivered a unique experience that guests would not ordinarily have in their own home environment.

Ideal Customer

Knowing your ideal customer or guest is critical to accommodation design.  For this project, our client identified their ideal customer as young professionals aged between their 20-30s, who come to stay for work, an event or to visit friends.

Occasionally our client would also have retirees staying.  This group visit because they want to see friends or an attend a special event such as theatre show or wedding.  The younger audience want a space that looks ‘cool’ and on trend and the older audience want a comfortable, warm, functional space.

This information helped to establish our design strategy and make the selections we did to suit this broad range of clientele.

Customer Experience

One of the key reasons people book accommodation is to stay in a place that is completely different from their home environment.  An escape. A space that has a look, feel, and amenities that they are not used to.  These differences are what make or break a customer’s experience.  For this project that meant interesting art and books and a cohesive design.

We wanted guests to have a seamless indoor-outdoor experience.  In that what the saw out and about in Brunswick was then replicated in the unit to improve their connection to the location and their overall stay.

But we wanted to take it one step further by considering all of a guest’s senses and advised our client to add small pots of rosemary and lavender as styling aids prior to a guest’s stay so that the aroma could enhance their stay and trigger happy memories in the future.

Photography

Great interior design is one aspect of a successful accommodation interior design project, beautiful photography is another.  For this project we collaborated with our client and Grosmann Photography to take beautiful, artistic shots, that would stand out on booking platforms such as Airbnb. 

The images reflected the ‘Brunswick’ story we were trying to tell through interior design and excite and inspire guests to want to stay.

Success Factors

Other factors that contribute to a great customer experience is cleanliness, ensuring the accommodation is fully equipped and functional so your guests don’t have to leave if they don’t want to and a personal touches such as welcome pack upon arrival.

Conquering the high volume of accommodation options across the internet from Airbnb to Bookings.com requires some thought and enlisting the help of experts such as an interior designer to elevate your space, making it highly desirable to stay in but also highly visible online.

Our Expertise

We specialise in holiday accommodation design and truly excel at delivering spaces that guests love to stay. A guest’s positive experience improves our client’s income, WOM referrals and online reviews. 

Now with COVID19, the desirability of local travel is taking priority over international travel. This new interest in local travel means now is a great time to update your accommodation space. 

Whether it’s an Airbnb, a traditional B&B, a boutique hotel, or motel, we can help.  Let’s start the conversation with a free no obligation meeting today.

Trish Khoury
Founding Director
Grace Interior Designs