SPA SPOTLIGHT: Opinion – Make a statement with your luxury hotel bathrooms

1024 683 Katy Phillips
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As part of Hotel Design’s spotlight this month on spa products and services, Michael Gray, GROHE UK Product Manager, investigates the design possibilities offered to hotels by the latest shower, lighting, music and faucet technologies for bathrooms…

Luxury hotel bathrooms are designed to make a statement, using products that encourage wellbeing and promote a space of relaxation.

As a result, there is a huge array of wellness products now available for the hotel and hospitality industry, including showers with mood lighting, steam functions and music controlled by Bluetooth.

Oversized statement showerheads are also available, alongside products that offer a range of spray patterns designed to suit the user’s needs, with side shower sprays offering the opportunity for a massaging showering experience.

Solutions for all budgets

For smaller budgets, showering products are available that offer multiple spray patterns from an intense jet to a relaxing massage spray. This adds a simple but indulgent addition to your showering experience, offering you the choice to tailor the water flow to suit your mood.

Hotel bathrooms should offer the ultimate sanctuary in which to unwind at the end of the day.  Features like showers with multiple spray patterns and massaging function to statement taps designed to catch the eye will always impress clients.

Smart technology can also be considered for hotel bathrooms, particularly as more guests look to have a staycation to unwind and relax. Many smart products are now available in the bathroom from high tech toilets, to spa-inspired showers that help to create a relaxing bathroom sanctuary at the end of a busy day sightseeing or shopping.

Already a well-known feature in commercial washrooms, touchless taps are now gaining popularity in hotel bathrooms due to their unique combination of comfort and hygiene and convenient hands-free activation. Through the touchless sensor activated control, the taps minimise the spread of bacteria to contribute to a healthy bathroom. This also helps to keep the tap sparkling clean for longer, reducing maintenance and maximising product life. They also often come with a timer which automatically stops the water flow after a desired length of time to reduce wastage.

Stylish and hygienic

Shower toilets are the norm in Asia and now there is an increasing demand for these hygienic toilet systems in Europe, in both hotels and homes. Shower toilets feature an integrated bidet system and are designed to harness the gentle and effective cleansing benefits of water to help deliver optimum hygiene levels in the bathroom, and often come with a host of advanced features. Thanks to the gentle and natural cleansing process, the need for toilet paper is eliminated, thus the systems offer excellent eco-credentials.

Certain shower toilets offer smart technology, including extensive options that allow users to create a personalised cleansing routine, including adjusting the water pressure and position of the spray arm, to the preferred temperature, spray pattern and cleansing cycle.

The individual settings can be controlled intuitively using either the remote control or via an app which allows users to store all their favourite settings on a digital device. Some brands have also taken into consideration common annoyances for users, such as having to go to the toilet at night, and have combatted this by designing toilets with LED lighting.

GROHE are one of our recommended suppliers. To keep up to date with their news click here. And, if you are interested in becoming one of our recommended suppliers, click here.

To work with Hotel Designs on our SPA SPOTLIGHT feature across April please contact Jennie Lane / 01992 374098.

Katy Phillips / 23.04.2018

Katy has been with Hotel Designs since the beginning, way back in 2015 when Forum Events & Media Group acquired the brand. During this time, she has fostered many meaningful relationships with clients from across the hospitality spectrum, as well as playing a pivotal role in the launch of The Brit List Awards, Hotel Designs MEET UPs, client-led roundtables and panel talks, brand and website redesigns, HD Wellness Sets, DESIGN POD podcast, Hotel Designs LIVE panel talk series, and more. Katy is always on the lookout for the next opportunity to help grow the Hotel Designs brand even further.

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Alongside her role at SPACE, Jess has built a creative career spanning the arts, culture, design and travel sectors. Prior to joining the magazine, she spent more than a decade in the commercial art industry, in artist liaison, gallery management, and curating collections for the hospitality sector across hotels and cruise ships. During this time, she also worked on freelance projects as a writer, photographer, and creative content producer.
 
Jess studied photojournalism at London College of Communication and the Danish School of Media and Journalism and holds a first-class BA (Hons) in Culture, Criticism and Curation from Central Saint Martins.

Fun fact: Katy has spent years perfecting all kinds of accents and loves a good impersonation!

Work highlights: Katy has been with Hotel Designs since the beginning, way back in 2015 when Forum Events & Media Group acquired the brand.

During this time, she has fostered many meaningful relationships with clients from across the hospitality spectrum, as well as playing a pivotal role in the launch of The Brit List Awards, Hotel Designs MEET UPs, client-led roundtables and panel talks, brand and website redesigns, HD Wellness Sets, DESIGN POD podcast, Hotel Designs LIVE panel talk series, Accessible Design Talks and more. Katy is always on the lookout for the next opportunity to help grow the Hotel Designs brand even further.
 
Most recently Katy has stepped in to the role of Publisher at SPACE magazine, the printed bi-monthly publication focused on hotel design, architecture, and development.

Together these platforms offer a comprehensive 360-degree service encompassing digital media, print publishing, and live events – providing unparalleled value to advertisers, partners, and readers alike.