Hospitality Design Trends in 2024

Design plays a fundamental role in shaping the guest experience within the hospitality industry. It transcends mere aesthetics, becoming a strategic tool that can profoundly impact how guests perceive and engage with a space.

A well-thought-out design goes beyond visual appeal. It’s a powerful mechanism that can enhance comfort, evoke emotions, and foster lasting memories for guests.

Every design element, from the layout to the color scheme, influences the guest’s sensory experience. Comfortable furnishings, thoughtful lighting, and intuitive spatial arrangements create a welcoming atmosphere that invites guests to relax and unwind.

By emphasizing design, hospitality professionals can create spaces that meet guests’ functional needs and exceed their expectations, setting the stage for memorable, immersive experiences that leave lasting impacts.

Let’s examine some of the hospitality design trends shaping 2024.

Becoming More Social with Customers

Restaurants and other hospitality businesses actively use their digital presence to connect and engage with customers, making them feel more connected to the business.

Social media has emerged as a dominant force in the digital landscape, offering a valuable channel for hospitality businesses to communicate with consumers. With approximately 3.48 billion social media users worldwide and the average American having 7.1 social media accounts, the reach and impact of social media within the hospitality industry are undeniable.

Hospitality establishments are leveraging social media to share important information with customers. This includes explaining safety protocols, announcing menu updates, changes in operational hours, or closures. Platforms like Instagram and Facebook also offer advertising options, allowing businesses to target and reach their desired audience effectively.

Using Social Media Design to Influence Customers

Another significant benefit of social media for the hospitality industry is its ability to preview the experience visually. Users can explore pictures of the establishment’s design aesthetic, view mouthwatering food photos shared by the business or customers, and gain insights into the overall ambiance.

By embracing social media and leveraging its capabilities, hospitality businesses can effectively engage with customers, showcase their unique offerings, and create anticipation and desire among potential guests.

For example, research indicates that 86% of millennials are likelier to try a new restaurant after seeing online food-related content.

Adding Local Influences to Hospitality Spaces

A growing trend in hospitality design is incorporating a local flavor. Restaurants located in historic or destination areas often seek to reflect a regional identity.

Interior designs, like hotel lobbies, may incorporate items from local artisans. Artwork that reflects local history, symbols, or popular themes can resonate with locals and visitors.

Creating Distinctive Experiences

Incorporating furniture and decor that aligns with the area’s style and heritage can also contribute to the local ambiance. This can involve sourcing antique furnishings crafted within the community or using materials native to the area.

For example, opting for wood paneling or flooring salvaged from a local factory can add a touch of elegance while connecting the space to its surroundings.

By infusing spaces with local elements and highlighting the community’s identity, hospitality companies can create a distinct and captivating experience that resonates with guests. This added design touch can also help distinguish them from chain-driven businesses that often lack a personal touch.

Embracing Texture as a Design Element

The use of texture is poised to take center stage. Textures are crucial in creating depth, visual interest, and sensory experiences within a space. By incorporating a variety of textures, from plush fabrics to rugged surfaces, designers can evoke a sense of warmth, luxury, and character that resonates with guests.

The trend also encompasses tactile experiences. Guests are drawn to spaces that look inviting and feel inviting. Soft, tactile surfaces invite touch and interaction, creating a multisensory experience that enhances comfort and engagement.

Designers are exploring unconventional textures, such as tactile wallpapers, 3D wall panels, and sculptural elements, to add dimension and intrigue to hospitality spaces.

Texture can also serve practical purposes in hospitality design. Textured surfaces can help to absorb sound, create visual focal points, and define spatial zones within a larger area.

Adding Texture to Hospitality Spaces with Flooring

Flooring can add texture to a space in several ways, creating visual interest and enhancing the overall aesthetic appeal.

Here are a few ways in which flooring can add texture:

  1. Material Selection:

    Choosing flooring materials with textured surfaces, such as textured tiles, natural stone, or hand-scraped hardwood, can instantly add a tactile element to a space. These textured materials provide depth and variation, creating visual and physical interest underfoot.

  2. Patterned Designs:

    Opting for flooring with intricate patterns can add texture to a space. Patterned tiles, geometric designs, or intricate mosaics can create a visually dynamic and textured surface that adds depth and character to the overall design.

  3. Textured Finishes:

    Some flooring options include textured finishes, such as brushed or distressed finishes. These finishes add subtle imperfections and surface variations, resulting in a tactile quality that adds visual interest and depth to the flooring.

  4. Rugs and Carpets:

    Incorporating area rugs or carpeting in a space can introduce texture through different pile heights, patterns, and textures. Plush or shaggy rugs add a soft and luxurious texture, while patterned carpets with varying loops or cut-pile designs can create visual texture.

  5. Mixed Materials and Layering:

    Combining different flooring materials in a space, such as pairing engineered hardwood with a textured rug or incorporating tiles with textured flooring accents, can add layers of texture. This mix of materials creates a dynamic visual and tactile experience.

Using Color as an Influence

Color is a powerful tool that significantly influences the ambiance and overall guest experience. From hotels to restaurants, bars, and resorts, carefully selecting and implementing color can create an atmosphere that captivates guests, evokes emotions, and leaves a lasting impression.

The importance of color lies in its ability to communicate and evoke certain feelings. Warm colors like red, orange, and yellow can create a sense of energy and excitement, making them ideal for areas such as lobbies, lounges, and restaurants.

Meanwhile, cool colors like blue and green can promote relaxation and tranquility, perfect for hotel rooms and spa areas where guests seek respite and rejuvenation.

Color also has the power to influence appetite, with certain hues stimulating hunger or enhancing the dining experience.

Warmer Tones Create a Homie Ambiance

Warmer palettes take center stage in hospitality design, creating inviting and comforting guest environments.

Color palettes have shifted from cool bases to rich, warm tones like deep reds, golden yellows, or burnt orange. These warmer colors evoke a sense of hominess and comfort while stimulating appetite.

For instance, research has shown that warm tones can increase people’s heart rate and excitement, making them more likely to order more food.

Brown and Beige Replace Gray

This trend toward brown and warm hues transitions from the gray bases that have been prominent in recent years. For example, creating a warm palette in dining areas can give patrons a more intimate and enjoyable experience. Moreover, warmer tones and decor elements offer Instagram-worthy photo backdrops, encouraging customers to share their experiences online.

Warmer shades lend themselves to the movement toward biophilic design. Inspired by nature, biophilic color palettes have gained popularity in the hospitality industry.

Earthy tones, such as shades of green, warm browns, and muted blues, are often used to create a sense of harmony and connection with the natural world. These colors evoke a feeling of tranquility and serenity, promoting relaxation and well-being in guests.

Biophilic Design: Connecting with Nature

Biophilic design is gaining momentum in the hospitality industry. This approach is driven by a deep understanding of the human connection to nature. It involves incorporating elements of nature into the built environment to create a sense of harmony, well-being, and tranquility for guests.

The essence of biophilic design lies in its ability to blur the boundaries between the indoors and outdoors. It seeks to create a seamless integration with the natural world. Bringing natural light, greenery, water features, and organic materials into the design palette transforms spaces into sanctuaries that rejuvenate the mind, body, and spirit.

One key benefit of biophilic design is its positive impact on guest well-being. Research has shown that exposure to natural elements in interior spaces can reduce stress, boost productivity, and enhance overall happiness and satisfaction. In hospitality, guests feel more relaxed, rejuvenated, and connected to their surroundings.

Using Flooring to Support Biophilic Design

Incorporating biophilic design elements in hospitality spaces can take various forms, from green walls and living plant installations to natural textures and patterns inspired by the outdoors.

Even flooring can promote biophilic design principles by incorporating natural materials like wood or stone to mimic outdoor environments, using patterns inspired by nature, and creating a tactile connection to the earth.

Hardwoods, for instance, add a natural aesthetic while providing enhanced durability and water resistance, which are essential for hospitality spaces.

Additionally, flooring choices that prioritize sustainability, such as eco-friendly materials and low-VOC finishes, contribute to a healthier indoor environment aligned with biophilic design principles.

Sustainability: A Core Element in 2024

Sustainability is no longer a buzzword but a core element in hospitality design trends for 2024. It’s about creating beautiful, responsible, and mindful spaces for our planet.

A Virtuoso study indicates that 75% of consumers will spend more for environmentally focused companies. Another survey by Booking.com showed that 75% of travelers want to make sustainable choices when traveling.

Incorporating sustainable practices into design and operation is becoming a norm. This includes using local and sustainable materials, energy-efficient appliances, and adaptive reuse practices.

Critical sustainable practices include:

  • Use of local and sustainable materials

  • Energy-efficient design and appliances

  • Adaptive reuse practices

PVC-Free Flooring

The trend extends to PVC-free flooring. Architect and design firms actively seek non-vinyl flooring options for their resource catalogs. 

While non-PVC carpet options have existed for years, manufacturers are exploring alternative materials and technologies to create pathways for non-vinyl hard-surface flooring options.

Hospitality sectors rely on LVT and hard-surface flooring from a performance perspective and are highly interested in harnessing sustainable options when creating interior spaces.

Personalization Continues to Increase in Hospitality

According to McKinsey’s research, 71% of customers want businesses to provide personalized experiences. Moreover, 76% of customers feel frustrated when their personalization expectations are unmet.

These findings emphasize the increasing importance of catering to individual preferences and delivering tailored experiences in the hospitality industry.

An IHG study supports this notion, revealing that 48% of travelers consider a friendly, approachable, and personalized experience more critical than ever. Furthermore, 78% of travelers prioritize service quality as a top concern.

This implies that convenience, ease, and efficiency will play crucial roles in satisfying customer expectations in the future. It’s essential to recognize that customers no longer seek cookie-cutter stays. They crave curated experiences that align with their unique interests.

As a result, niche offerings, such as activities specific to a hotel and its location, are gaining popularity. By providing personalized experiences and catering to guests’ diverse needs, hospitality businesses can enhance customer satisfaction and differentiate themselves in a competitive market.

Find Inspiration for Your Hospitality Design

AHF Contract® offers a broad selection of styles and colors to bring commercial spaces to life. To find a rep near you, use our locator or call 1.866.243.2726.