The hospitality industry is undergoing a seismic shift. Today’s travellers are no longer satisfied with cookie-cutter accommodation. They crave unique, immersive experiences that enrich their journeys. This evolving landscape presents both challenges and opportunities for architects tasked with designing the hospitality spaces of today and tomorrow.

So how can architects create environments that not only meet, but anticipate the desires of future guests? We’ve been designing and building hospitality projects for decades. Our teams working on multiple hotel projects in South Africa, Mauritius, Seychelles and elsewhere across Africa are constantly finding architectural answers to this question. To unpack some of this thinking, we spoke to project\design architect and Associate Daniel Hookins, who is leading two major hospitality projects in Cape Town and Abidjan.
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dhk content coordinator Simangele Mzizi (SM): Tell us a bit about your background?

‍Daniel Hookins (Daniel): After graduating with Masters in Architecture from Nelson Mandela University in 2011, I worked for various architecture firms in Cape Town before joining dhk in 2017 and was promoted to Associate in early 2022.

I currently work in the architectural team led by dhk Partner and Executive Director Leigh Bishop. This team is skilled in conceptualising the designs of large mixed-use developments, large residential schemes and hotel developments in various locations throughout Africa.

I’m also a proud dad. I enjoy spending time with friends and family as well as outdoor activities such as hiking, road and trail running.

SM: What’s on your desk at the moment?‍

Daniel: Our team is working on a hotel in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, and a mixed-use building in Cape Town’s CBD, comprising a hotel, retail, offices and a branded apartment component.

SM: What do you enjoy about working on hospitality projects?

‍Daniel: The design of a hotel consists of layers of systems and spaces that need to be arranged to meet the hotel’s brand standards. A hotel is a mixture of back-of-house spaces, which is the engine which houses the operations and management of the hotel, and front-of-house spaces, which are the spaces that hotel guests see and interact with. The relationship between these two needs careful design consideration to create an environment that’s vibrant but also tranquil for the guests, hiding
the hotel’s operational busyness.

A hotel must be designed efficiently to be viable, meaning that the hotel user has an efficiency ratio of space to generate revenue versus space to run the hotel. As architects, we must find that balance while designing the building to suit the site limitations and building regulations.

SM: How do architects design for hospitality with the future in mind?

‍Daniel: There are some key factors to consider when designing hotels for the future, such as sustainability, technology integration and flexible and adaptable spaces.

These days, large hotel groups and developers have very clear brand standards to ensure that their buildings meet a required standard of sustainability, both in terms of the construction of the building and ensuring that the building operates efficiently in terms of energy use, water conservation and materials use. So, in terms of sustainability, there’s a strong emphasis on designing buildings that are energy-and water-efficient and use sustainable materials. There’s also a growing focus on refurbishing existing hotels rather than building from the ground up. The emphasis here is on adapting the building to current needs in a much more sustainable way, which is what we’re doing at City Park.

Technology integration is transforming hotels into smart buildings. Guest rooms are being equipped with devices that use AI and technology to adapt experiences and services to individual users.

In terms of functional adaptability, meeting, conference and exhibition spaces have now become multi-use spaces that can be adapted for different types of functions. Remote workspaces are now a big part of hotel design, with an increasingly mobile business traveller and the ability to run meetings from a screen rather that face-to-face. This requirement is now a big part of hotel design, where, for example, large conference rooms need to accommodate smaller, more private meeting and working areas.

Finally, in a post-pandemic world, there’s a focus on health and wellness. Air quality is critical in a building where many people from all over the world live in close proximity. There’s also a focus on healthier eating and fitness centres. We’re also seeing this in the residential sector with one of our clients, Balwin Properties, which has lifestyle centres with a wide range of amenities including gyms and Padel courts.

SM: The hospitality industry is changing rapidly as people seek unique and enriching experiences. For example, we’re seeing trends such as people blending work and leisure, a trend known as “bleisure”. We’re also seeing an increase in solo travel. What does this mean for hospitality design?

‍Daniel: As I mentioned earlier, this trend is popular today because people can work from virtually anywhere, making it easier to combine business and leisure. Hotels need to incorporate both elements, by offering remote working and meeting spaces as well as recreational spaces. The combination of the two presents an exciting space planning challenge for the architect and interior designer.

SM: dhk’s interior design team at dhk Interior Design delivers interior designs for hospitality projects. In your view, how do interior trends influence architectural trends?

‍Daniel: In hospitality design, there’s a dynamic relationship between the interior designer and the architect. A hotel has very public and open spaces as well as very private and enclosed spaces. Trends in hotel interiors are leaning towards open-plan living and less cluttered, minimalist spaces. It’s then up to the architect to ensure that the envelopes of these spaces accommodate this trend.