Shenzhen, 30 December 2017 ————– Founder and Managing Director of Sepia Design Consultants Limited, Thomas Schmidt, AIA, LEED AP, delivered a presentation entitled “Hotel Planning Challenges” at CHAT Shenzhen held at the Ritz-Carlton Shenzhen. Organized by Horwath HTL, Schmidt’s informative case studies outlined recurring hotel design and planning challenges for an audience consisting of some of southern China’s most prominent hotel owners and developers.
Recurring design challenges were segmented into three key areas: Architectural, access and planning issues.
Site and vehicular access, guest and service access points, building envelope / design, unrealistic design proposals and guestroom design issues topped the list of architectural issues. Access issues revolved around provisions for emergency egress and vertical transportation, while planning issues included public area and back of house space planning, as well as overall facility programming issues.
Some of the key takeaways from Sepia Design’s presentation included the importance of executing market research and feasibility studies in the pre-design phase, engaging architects and consultants with hospitality experience, and involving the hotel management company and their technical services teams as early in the process as possible.
Editor’s Note: Thomas Schmidt, AIA, LEED AP is the founder of Sepia Design Consultants Limited, an award-winning design consultancy specializing in creative and sustainable design solutions for the hospitality industry. Schmidt is also author and illustrator of the award-winning Bumbling Traveller Adventure Series which seeks to promote environmental and cultural awareness through entertaining mysteries and adventures, which was recognized by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) through a 2010 Chapter Citation.