Tmel and leisure is the worlds latgest and &est

growing industry. This book anticipates the

increasing demand for diverse hotels, tesorts,and
leisure-time amenities now appearing worldwide.
Hotel Design, Planning and Development
presents the range of significant hotel types being
developed today and illustrates them in their full
global m y of settings.?he book discusses the latest
trends from guestrooms perched atop ultra-tall
mixed-use towers to lavish desert villas shaded by
high-rise struchues to exotically themed resorts
rising out of pristine tropical island mters.The book
outlines essential planning and design considemions
based on the latest data, supported by technical
informationand illustrations,including originalplans.
Analysis and theory supports each of the major
trends that is presented, highlighting how the
designer's work fits into the development of the
industry as a whole,and giving a clear understanding
of how successful new concepts develop.
The experienced author team and their contributors
represent both the professorial and academic sides of
the subject. In major sections covering Hotel @ps,
Design, and Deuelopment, they provide the
developer, architect, designer, and hotel executive
with a comptehensive and practical international
overview of hotel design.

C O " T 3 : Forewords by Gyo Obata, Michael Mer,

and Bjom Hans0n:Part 1-HOTEL TYPES:-1, 2,
Downtown Hotels; 3, SuburbQn Hotels; 4, Resorts; 5,
Convention Hotels; 6, conference Centers; 7, Residential
and Condominium Hotels, 8,Allfllite and Extendeckray
Hotels;9,Super-luxuryHotels; 10,Updating Existmg Hotels;
11, Mega-hotels; 12, Mixed-use Developments; 13, Casino
Hotels. Part 2 - DESIGN GUIDE: 14, Site and hiaster
Platuung; 15, The Guestroom Floor, 16, Guestroom and
Suite Design; 17, public Space Design; 18,Administraton
and Back-of-ho~ Design; 19,Technical coordination; 20,
Special Systems; 21, Construction. Part 3 -
DEVELOPMENT GUIDE:22, Development planning; 23,
Hotel Management; 24, Future Development.
APPENDICES: EnvironmentalPlantllng chetklist; Wldget
Coordination Checklist; Hotel Classifications;Ten-year
Forecast of Net opaating Income;WetTrend checklist;
International Hotel andTnvel Organintiom;BibliograpW,
Illustration List and Idea F i d q I& of P~~pemes and
Credits; Index. Includes sidebars by LM. pei, John C.
Portman, Jr, Robert A.M. Stern, Ian Shager, Robert E.
Kasbna,ValentineA. Leh,and Howard J.WoH.
T
echnology is evolving at such a fast pace entertainment) and the refreshment center. Guests
that within the past decade advances in the would approve their bill and check-out through the
various systems have dramatically changed television, making it possible not to have contact with
both hotel operations and the services that guests any staff during the entire stay. These automated
expect. The end of the twentieth century saw operations are routine at many hotels around the
the almost universal adoption of computerized world.
check-in and automatic wake-up calls, electronic
guestroom locks, satellite television, sophisticated Information Processing
security protection systems, and teleconferencing.
Few buildings have a greater variety of computer- Computerized reservations systems were first cen-
ized or other specialized systems than do today’s trally organized by Sheraton in 1956 and further
lodging properties. These fall into six broad cate- developed by Holiday Inns in the early 1960s. Now
gories: every major hotel chain has its own computerized
w information processing international reservation system, integrating Internet-
w telecommunications based inquiries with the more typical telephone
w energy control contracts.
w life safety systems Central to computerized hotel operations today is
security systems the property management system (PMS). These
w audio and video systems. integrated systems link the several operational areas
of the hotel and feature components to access
The rapid advances and changes are not limited the hotel reservations network and accept credit
to one or two categories; they cross all lines, reflect- card authorization. The PMS integrates a wide
ing the pervasive influence of computers and range of potential guest charges such as restaurant
related electronic controls. While some of these tech- charges, guestroom movie purchases, and long-
nologies were available in the 1980s, albeit in a distance phone calls with in-house recording
very different form, the ensuing period has made tasks and general office systems. Among the
them much more sophisticated as well as cost most important features involve front office require-
effective. ments that clearly identify room inventory and can
The technology is readily available, for instance, track guest history information including room pre-
to create an automated front desk pod, much ferences and membership in airline frequent flyer
like a bank-teller machine, which would handle guest programs.
registration-although many operators are unsure The last decade has seen the number of
how the public would respond to such an impersonal proprietary systems that perform a host of man-
transaction. Yet the system could easily accept the agement tasks at the property level grow expo-
input of a name, check this against a reservation, nentially, each one offering a new twist or gimmick.
record credit card information or accept cash, assign The future should see more innovation such as
a room, and issue a magnetic card-key that would wider use of touch-screens and wireless terminals.
be good only until a designated check-out day and Central to every system is the ability to interface
time. Not only would the card-key provide access to with the most critical applications such as tele-
the room, it would activate the telephone, turn on the phone call-accounting and point-of-sale systems.
heating and air-conditioning, and permit use of in- The most common functions of today’s PMSs
room electronic services (computer,f a , movies, and include:
I344 Part 2: Design Guide

w guest reservations connected to scores of less-costly workstations.

w guest registration and folio accounting (the Sheraton, where it has hotels very close together in
record of guest charges for room, food and New York City, connects all of the properties to a
beverage, and telephone) single main server with dedicated lines between
w accounting, including night audit, city ledger, the hotels. They cite the advantage of sharing
accounts payable, and general ledger rooms inventory, a single night-audit, and a central
w travel agency accounting (record of commissions systems support group among the several
to be paid) hotels.
w guest history and other marketing reports The final choice on a PMS vendor depends on
w daily and monthly operating reports the type of hotel and what functions are most impor-
w payroll and related reports tant. Part 1 of this book describes the incredible
w inventory. variety of lodging properties; consider how these
place very different demands on the choice of
Following the lead of airlines, larger hotels and technology:
resorts have adopted yield management tech- w Smaller hotels such as roadside and suburban
niques. Sometimes called ‘revenue management,’ properties need straightforward reservations and
these systems, which must be integrated with the accounting systems.
PMS, match past history with existing reservations w Convention hotels need a flexible system to han-
to forecast demand for future dates. The goal is to dle special functions and such features as group
adjust the room rate in order to maximize total room billing.
revenue. Too often in the past management would rn Resorts need to track a variety of guest-related
begin to discount room rates in order to increase activities such as golf club or spa use.
bookings. But the yield management program w Boutique and super-luxury hotels need to main-
looks at historical patterns and, for example, projects tain detailed guest history files.
that full-rate guests will book rooms only days out;
it thereby eliminates certain discount rates for likely
higher revenues. Or the system may not accept Telecommunications
a one-night reservation even at a high rate when
it anticipates that later longer-stay guests will The second technological area that has had a
materialize. major influence in the hotel industry recently is tele-
Among the most visible systems may be the point- communications. Among the most important sys-
of-sale units that have become ubiquitous in most tems as far as guest satisfaction is the phone
retail operations including hotel restaurants and system, based on the PBX or ‘private branch
lounges. The system allows the server to place an exchange.’ Today’s electronic systems offer hotels
order at a terminal located in the dining room; the sys- the same advantages that guests are used to at
tem then prints out the order in the kitchen where the home or work: quicker dialing, data transmission
production staff begins to prepare the food. In addi- (increasingly important as more guests carry laptop
tion to saving steps and time, the restaurant systems computers on business), and such expanded fea-
reduce errors in calculating and totaling the final tures as voice mail and caller ID. A number of
check, immediately post the charge to the guest’s companies already have developed sophisticated
room account, and provide a variety of analyses telephone systems that:
including daily accounting and food inventory w include dual line phones to accommodate call-
reports. waiting and computers
The many vendors now competing to satisfy the w include message systems with the ability for
individual requirements of a particular hotel or resort guests to record their own personal messages
can be expected not only to supply the computer w control room amenities including television remote
equipment and the software but to modify them to control features, room temperature, and open or
accommodate the specific needs of the property. close drapes
The typical systems, whether Windows-based or w provide fire safety information by serving as a
other older but highly reliable platforms, run on con- loudspeaker for emergency messages
ventional PCs networked together. A few larger w notify the hotel automatically when guests place
hotels, such as each of the four Mirage properties an emergency call from a guestroom
in Las Vegas, including the 3,025-roomBelagio (see w transmit alarms to front desk from smoke or
Chapter 13) work off one large central processor motion detector or from other security sensors
 Special Systems 345 1
function as a room status system to track clean- Automatic lighting controls: provide programmed
ing of occupied rooms and preparation of unoc- control of lights by cycling or dimming particular
cupied rooms. areas and time clocks to turn lighting on and off
according to a pre-established schedule.
Telephone call-accounting systems are profitable Load cyclerslprogrammable controllers: provide
because they permit the hotel to automatically iden- programmed control of motors and other equip-
tify long-distance calls, charging the guest with an ment according to schedule.
accurate and specific record of all calls placed. Peak demand controllers: limit the total energy
Among other savings, the newer systems auto- consumed at any one time by turning off
matically route the calls through private interconnect equipment.
companies to obtain the least expensive rate. Tele- w Heat recovery systems: reuse waste heat from the
communications requirements will continue to kitchen, laundry, and mechanical areas.
grow steadily in the future and the hotel operator Occupancy sensors: automatically turn off lights
must consider how to best expand the com- in meeting rooms, offices, and other areas when
munications infrastructure. For example, the steady unoccupied.
increase in the use of laptop computers by guests Guestroom occupancy sensors: infrared occu-
will require the installation of additional trunk lines pancy sensor, in addition to controlling lights,
to accommodate more and longer connection automatically turns down guestroom heat and air-
times. conditioning and provides real-time information on
Some hotels are specifying full-featured cordless occupied rooms.
phones in the guestrooms. Many of these units,
Other energy-related technologies such as total
depending on the manufacturer, provide two lines
building automation, co-generation, or solar or wind-
(for voice and computer), a speaker-phone base
based systems may become more practical and
instrument, illuminated dials, message waiting indi-
cost efficient in the future. Overall, energy control
cator, and the usual guest-service keys (house-
technologies vary from the extremely simple to the
keeping, room service, etc.). The cordless phone
complex. Plastic or metal disc water flow restrictors,
allows the guest to comfortably roam the room while
which reduce the diameter of the opening in a
talking, and even can eliminate the need for a sec-
faucet, cost only pennies and can be installed in
ond or third phone in the room.
minutes. At the other end of the scale are central
building systems that combine the sophisticated
controllers from the above list and that include
Energy Control the ability to integrate security, fire alarm, telephone,
and data processing components. They include
Energy management features have become increas-
computers that continuously monitor building func-
ingly important since the first drastic rise in energy
tions, turning on equipment only when it is needed.
prices created by the Middle East oil embargo in
Energy management technology is rapidly
1973. Technological advances that formerly were
increasing to meet the rising expectations of the
cost prohibitive have become common as a result
industry. Unfortunately, hotel operators often do not
of rising energy prices, increased efficiencies of
comprehend the value of energy conservation
the systems, and reductions in capital equipment
techniques as easily as they see the virtues of
costs. The greatest savings are in the design
new accounting or security systems. One general
and operation of the heating, ventilation, and air-
manager expressed this disconcerting opinion: ‘My
conditioning (HVAC) systems, lighting, and water
engineer and I have never heard of some of the
heating and in their controls. Of course, the relative
types of energy control technology [you describe].
benefit depends on the type and size of hotel
I’m busy greeting guests and paying the electric
and its climate, orientation, and construction
company. My engineer can’t keep up with the light
materials.
bulb changes and clogged sinks. How the hell can
A survey by the American Hotel & Motel Associ-
we tell what technology we should have?’
ation (AH&MA) identified the most common energy
control technologies, many of which have become
standard in nearly every hotel or resort. These Life-saf ety Systems
include:
Water flow restrictors: limit water flow in guestroom Fire protection systems in hotels were greatly
showers reducing the use of hot water. enhanced in the 1980s and 1990s because of a
I346 Part 2: Design Guide

number of devastating hotel fires that raised public rooms looking into an atrium-so that hotel stan-
awareness to life-safety issues. Among those with dards must be designed to meet the most stringent
the most fatalities were fires at the MGM Grand Hotel requirements of all codes. (Building codes are dis-
in Las Vegas, Nevada, the DuPont Plaza in San cussed in more detail in Chapter 19.)
Juan, Puerto Rico, and the Stouffer's Hotel in West- Because of the high priority given to fire safety by
chester, New York. Testing and research on the caus- the hotel industry, large national and international
es of these and other hotel fires have improved hotel companies have established their own fire
design methods and standards and new technolo- safety standards that exceed most local codes,
gy has advanced the quality of detection, alarm, and thereby reducing the problem of satisfying varying
fire extinguishing systems. As a result, most hotels regulations in different localities. Up-to-date, con-
in western countries incorporate state-of-the-art fire sistent company standards that go beyond codes
protection systems; those without these systems also are becoming the key to 'legal safety' as
should not be considered safe. well. Today, owners who fail to apply the latest
One issue that affects the provision of life-safety safety or security measures throughout a hotel or
systems is the mandate of building codes. For chain may risk liability. For example, after a hotel
example, an electrical fire at a Boston hotel caused in Washington, DC, installed electronic locks in its
the city to modify its standards for the protection of new addition, it was held liable for a theft in the
emergency generators. Other hotels under con- older building because those locks were less
struction at that time upgraded their plans even secure. Attempts have been made to apply this
though they had complied with previous codes. A legal principle also to life safety issues; therefore,
serious fire at a Fort Worth, Texas, hotel was the operators and designers must carefully consider
impetus for requiring sprinklers even in low-rise safety standards and consistently implement
guestroom wings. Concern after a fire in an atrium them in all hotels under the same ownership or
hotel near Chicago resulted in code changes management.
that required increased exhaust systems to draw Smoke or heat detectors are now required by
smoke away from atrium guestroom corridors. most codes in all hotel guestrooms as well as
As a result of these and several other fires, the public areas. These usually are placed above the
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the bed and at regular intervals along the guest
AH&MA have urged developers to incorporate new corridors. Additional heat detectors in such service
technology even where codes do not require it. The areas as kitchens, laundries, and mechanical
ultimate goal, of course, is to install fail-safe protec- areas are set to recognize the usual high tempera-
tion in all hotels worldwide. Life safety technology tures in these spaces. Critical is how any alarm is
includes the following: recorded: In addition to sounding a local alarm,
w automatic fire detection and alarm systems an integrated system automatically notifies the
w fully sprinklered building local fire department; sends a signal to a fire con-
w central annunciator panels trol panel near the hotel entrance-which is easily
w guest evacuation sound systems accessible to firefighters; and alerts hotel staff in the
w firefighters' voice communication system telephone PBX room-the main point from which
w smoke-proof and pressurized exit stairs directions can be quickly communicated to hotel
emergency generator (alarm systems, lighting, guests.
smoke exhaust). A major issue in hotel fires is the approach taken
to notify guests of the emergency. Some hotels have
Also, building codes specify numerous con- attempted to put out a local fire without evacuating
struction details to further protect the building the building. Often, in emergencies, guests have
occupants as well as the property. The US has sev- been uninformed about whether they should try to
eral building codes in addition to the NFPA life safe- leave their room or remain there until the emergency
ty code on which most individual city or state codes is over. Various approaches to establishing sound
are based. The UK, France, Germany, and many systems connected to hotel guestrooms have been
other nations also have precise building regulations. implemented, including speakers in the corridors
Although similar, the detailed requirements vary loud enough to be heard in the guestrooms. Some
somewhat from code to code-the number of regulations insist that a guest evacuation sound sys-
sprinklers required in a hotel guestroom, for exam- tem be carried over the telephone system, master
ple, varies from two to five depending on the code television antenna (MTV), or independent low-volt-
in force, even more in such special situations as age systems.
 Special Systems 347 I

Recognition that much of the danger from fires air pressure keeps the stair clear of toxic smoke or
comes from smoke rather than the fire itself has to provide for smoke evacuation in stair vestibules.
created an increased awareness of the importance Elevator shafts require similar specialized systems.
of controlling the spread of smoke. This goal is In Germany codes require pressurization of eleva-
accomplished horizontally by closers on guestroom tor shafts, while in France all elevator openings
and other doors and by the installation of fire doors are further protected by automatic fire shutters. In
at elevator lobbies that are held open magnetically the US many jurisdictions require automatic smoke
but which close automatically when detectors doors between the elevator lobby and the guestroom
sense a fire. The problem is more severe vertically corridor.
because of elevators, stairs, mechanical ducts
and shafts, and numerous small penetrations
through the floor slabs. Any vertical openings must
be protected with fire-rated automatic dampers Security Systems
to isolate smoke and fire between floors. These
dampers, adding substantially to the capital costs While improved life safety systems protect the pub-
of a project, can be designed to also help control lic against fire or such other emergencies as earth-
energy use. quakes, new security systems protect guests,
Vertical stair towers present a similar smoke prob- employees, and the physical property from crime.
lem. Two common solutions are to pressurize the The systems and the procedures set up by man-
stairs so that when any door is opened the higher agement may be developed, at least in part, to
I348 Part 2: Design Guide

meet the requirements established by the hotel's operator's insurance premiums. As with other
legal and insurance advisors and to help ward specialized systems, the security components
off lawsuits. To protect people and property generally are available as part of an overall, inte-
against theft, physical assault, vandalism, arson, grated package including life safety and energy
and terrorism, the hotel security system has three management.
principal components: locking systems, television
surveillance cameras, and various types of
alarms.
The keying system is the largest element in hotel Audio and Video Systems
security and has undergone the most change over
the past few years. Mechanicallocks have practically With the increased emphasis on group business
disappeared from guest areas where electronic hotels are investigating new audio and video
card-key systems now are standard. Before the technologies that can give them a competitive
card-keys became common hotels were under advantage. But operators also are finding that some
intense pressure to physically change each lock systems offer a variety of guestroom entertainment
after a key had been lost or stolen. However, due and general business options that offer additional
to the time involved and expense this was not benefits beyond those common to the meeting
done sufficiently often. The same card-key systems areas. As with most technologies, each year the
are becoming more common in back-of-house systems offer new features, added reliability
areas because of the ability to generate a record and, sometimes, even lower cost. Typical systems
of what cards, that is which employees, attempt include:
entry. Ihand-held technologies
A second major part of the hotel's security Iemployee paging
systems is closed circuit television (CCnl). The tele- Imeeting room sound reinforcement
vision surveillance system is controlled and moni- Iclosed circuit television
tored in larger hotels at a security office and in Ivideo conferencing
smaller properties at the receiving office or telephone Ilarge screen television entertainment
PBX. Cameras can be used to scan outdoor areas Iguestroom information/entertainment systems
and specific indoor locations where theft or unau- Imaster antenna systems including entertainment
thorized access is a problem. They may be pro- information, and integrated fire safety, security,
grammed to run only when an alarm is sounded or and energy management.
when a particular door is opened. In other cases,
especially in casinos, the CCTV systems monitor For the most part, these systems have been avail-
areas continuously. The hotel areas most often pro- able in some form for many years but, as with other
tected by closed circuit television include the sev- technology, they are quickly becoming more sophis-
eral hotel entrances, storage rooms, and areas ticated with the addition of new innovations and
where large amounts of cash are handled. features. The hand-held technologies should con-
The third element in a security plan is the tinue to explode as computer and communications
installation of intrusion alarms at critical points. These systems become increasingly integrated. Engi-
incorporate various types of electrical circuits, light neering or housekeeping staff, for example, will be
beams, and motion detectors. Obviously, these able to stay in close contact with their supervisors
depend on standby or emergency power systems and make notations at remote locations directly into
to protect the hotel completely. Intrusion detectors the hotel maintenance database. Another area-the
can be used for all areas of the hotel: grounds, use of guestroom computer terminals for enter-
doors and windows, unoccupied rooms including tainment, business, and information purposes-is
guestrooms and storage areas, and selected seeing exploding growth. Videotel, a supplier of in-
locations such as the safe and safety deposit room electronic services, recently surveyed hotel
boxes. Connecting these alarms to a security guests in Boston and found that more than 20 per-
console permits the operator to notify authorities cent were willing to pay additional charges for
of the exact location of the alarm, before taking special services. These included cable TV, video
action. games, online airline schedules, local information
All these security systems, in addition to effective (about restaurants,films, shopping, and so on), wire
staff training, increase the safety of the guests service news, and daily stock prices and other
and employees and help reduce the hotel financial news.
 Special Systems 349 1
Both frequent industry surveys, which indicate wall units that can project multiple screen images will
increased investment in systems, and new product replace the standard television. As more compo-
introductions at annual technology conferences give nents are added to the basic low-voltagenetwork the
evidence of exciting innovations that should begin cost of each system will be reduced significantly to
to appear in upscale hotels and resorts. Some the point where it becomes both cost effective and
experts anticipate,for example, that large screen flat competitively essential.
The 2-day cycle Four Seasons Hotel, New York. Fast-track construction schedules are called for in many urban locations where the high cost of land accelerates
the need for return on investment. On high-rise buildings with poured-in-place concrete super-structures, the construction sequencing may employ a 2-day cycle
where forms are stripped and set up on day one and concrete is poured on day two-then repeated on the following two days, yielding two-and-a-half or three floors
a week (see pp. C-2 and 171).
Walter A. Rutes,FAIA, is chairman of 9Tek Ltd.
Development consultants and wasvice-President
and Direaor of Architecture of such major hotel
companies as InterOntinental,Sheraton,Ramada
and Holiday Corp.as well as Associate partner of
SOM. He is responsible for many sigNficant
projects includmg the design of initial all-suite
prototypes such as Embassy Suites. He was
honored by the industry with its Platinum Circle
design a d

Richard H. Periner is professor at the Cornell

University School of Hotel Administratl‘on where
he teaches courses in hotel development,
planning, and interior design. He is the author of
C o n f m Center Planning and Design and,
with Walter Rutes, of a previous edition of Hotel
Planning and Desip.He also is a recipient of the
Platinum Circle awad.

Lawrence Adams, AIA, is President and CO

founder of Adams S o h Wood Architecture &
Interiors. He has speaahed in hotel design and
large scale developments at major architectural
and planning firms including HOK, William B.
Tabler, S. Stuart Farnet, and Frank Wjlliams and
Associates where, as seniorAssociate, he directed
such hospitality pmjects as the Four Seasons and
RMGA Royal hotels in New York. He currently
teaches hotel design and development at New
York University.

Front cover: The St David‘s Hotel and Spa, CardiE, Wales.

Hospitalit). personified. (Architect: F’atri& Davies; Photograph by
Fritz vor der SchulenbUrP,

Back C O V Evoluhionary
~ Pree diagram The diagram the
mts of the diverse hotel types which have an@ in the past
x v e d decades. (Dr;ming by carlos Fernanckz and Roqw Rey,
hdams soffeswood)