The following is a guest post from Alejandro Sardi, senior executive at BoConcept Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica and Peru. Opinions are the author’s own.
The way people use hotels has changed in recent years. As someone who works with hotels in multiple countries, I've watched as rooms that were once just places to sleep have become something entirely different: part office, part living room and part retreat.
Gone are the days when a basic room with a bed, two nightstands and a small desk would cut it. Hotels are now thinking harder about how to make every piece of furniture serve multiple purposes. Take nightstands, for example. They're being redesigned at the right height for laptop use and coming equipped with built-in charging spots so guests don't have to hunt for outlets or carry a bunch of cables.
The rise of Airbnb has also pushed hotels to change their approach. I recently saw this firsthand during a professional golf tournament. Many players, who could easily afford luxury hotels, chose to stay in Airbnbs instead. Why? They wanted places that felt more like homes and made it easier to hang out with fellow players. Hotels are catching on, creating more apartment-style rooms with kitchen areas and flexible sleeping arrangements using sofa beds and extra bedding.
This move toward a homier feel extends to how guests first enter the hotel. The old-school setup with a big front desk is disappearing in favor of more welcoming spaces. Many hotels now let guests skip the lobby entirely and go straight to their rooms, using their phones as keys — something that's especially popular with guests who value their privacy.
Business vs. leisure
What's really interesting is how hotels are splitting into two distinct design camps based on what their purpose is. Business-focused hotels are leaning hard into the work-from-hotel trend, making sure rooms work just as well for Zoom calls as they do for sleeping. On the other hand, hotels focused on relaxation are going the opposite way, creating tech-free zones with lots of natural materials, earth tones and plants to help guests unplug from their daily grind.
At the same time, technology integration has become another key factor in hotel design. Beyond just adding USB ports and wireless charging, hotels are rethinking their entire electrical infrastructure. With guests bringing multiple devices that need different types of power connections, rooms now need to accommodate various voltage requirements and plug types from around the world.
Smart lighting systems also let guests customize their environment for different activities, from bright task lighting for work to softer ambient lighting for relaxation. These technological upgrades need to be seamlessly integrated into the room's design while remaining intuitive to use.
Hotels are also moving away from the cookie-cutter approach where every room looks the same. More properties are offering different design themes and setups, even within the same category of room. While this makes things more complicated on the supply side, it lets hotels better match what different guests want and create more memorable stays.
COVID-19 sped up many of these changes, but they reflect bigger shifts in how people live and work. These days, it's common to see someone extend their business trip to work remotely from their hotel room for a few extra days. Families now casually join video calls while on vacation, and business travelers frequently balance virtual meetings with in-person ones.
Meeting guest needs
Successfully implementing these changes comes down to a smart design that's flexible enough to handle whatever guests throw at it. The hotels that are getting it right are the ones that can give guests the efficiency they expect from a hotel while making them feel as comfortable as they would at home.
Looking ahead, successful hotels won't force guests to choose between a space that's good for work or good for relaxation — they'll create rooms that can be both. It's a tricky balance to strike, but it's what today's travelers are looking for. The standard hotel room is changing to match how people actually live and work today.
