Interior design is so important because it is key to forming first impressions – particularly so in meeting situations where delegates can be sat waiting for things to start, so their surroundings can make a big impact on how they feel.
At the House of Daniel Thwaites a lot of time and thought has been put into the design and our spaces have evolved in their look and feel. There’s no corporate style, instead they are flexible and contemporary.
Head of Interior Design, Rachel Wootton, says the design influence behind the meeting and event spaces capture the ethos of our business: “The aim with all the designs is to create spaces that inspire, energise and ultimately increase the delegate’s productivity. At the House of Daniel Thwaites, the bespoke nature of the spaces – the colours, location-specific features and flexibility of the rooms are great features that we’ve developed and continue to do so.”
The developments and transformations make the experience of having a meeting or event at a Daniel Thwaites hotel memorable and unique for delegates.
Lighting Up
This is important to get right with light influencing our circadian rhythm, our daily natural cycle. Our design is all about increasing positive moods for delegates by using as much natural light as possible.
You’ll find all our meeting spaces within the House of Daniel have LED lighting. Spotlights work exceptionally well as they’re subtle and modern and there is a dimming system to give delegates control.
Exposing lightning to specific areas can create central focal points but also create a layered look to make the TV or wall feature more engaging; while blackout blinds have also been incorporated for delivering that theatre-style presentation or for something more informal such as a cinema night - perfect after a long meeting day.
Collaborative Multifunctional Designs
Through the large and small spaces across all our hotels and inns, we've got a diverse mix of rooms providing excitement.
We’ve brought in an approach that is fresh, modern and encourages creativity and productivity. What connects our uniquely designed rooms is a cohesiveness, as the design flows through the whole property.
Speaking about the recent refurbishment of the Dorchester Suite at Solent Hotel & Spa, Clare Davies, Head of Sales said: “The mood lighting, LCD screens and soundproof partitioning make it an adaptable space for all types of meetings and events and delegates are benefiting and loving it.”
Rachel’s stronghold on the design language of the rooms is clear: “The locality and a strong sense of place are integral to make delegates feel at home and able to relax.”
Colours are also important with bright colours being chosen in our spaces to increase impulses and promote energy through the use of positivity.
Yellow, green, blue and orange are known to improve mood and alleviate stress making the perfect space to have a meeting and strengthen the inner enthusiasm in your team.
Andrea Nelson, Head of Sales at Aztec Hotel & Spa, explains the impact of our well thought through design: “Delegates love the non-corporate approach to our meeting space and how light and modern they are with the nod to the local area such as the mural of hot air balloons synonymous to Bristol.”
Communal space in the conference café is also a popular addition to the hotel meeting environment. At North Lakes Hotel & Spa the mezzanine area is popular as it provides a break away space that is still part of the meeting environment.
Furniture Benefits
Furniture is developing for meetings. Expectations are moving away from standard chairs and tables to modular tables that assist the productivity, whatever the occasion – including informal seating such as beanbags and lounge chairs.
All these options take into account the importance of comfort and also providing the right posture seating positions for delegates.
Rachel explained: “The room furniture and fabrics have to hit all the criteria of practicality, longevity and comfort. We design dynamic space that’s purpose is constantly changing, so the furniture has to deliver and cope with the demand.
Sturdy, low wearing finishes are essential. We’ve added flamboyant backs for interest and to inject some colour to the pieces. Boss Design is a supplier that we regularly use for task seating and office style furniture.”
The flexibility of the seating options can bring excitement to any meeting as it’s something different, while the adaptability can even lead to furniture such as beanbags transitioning to an outside meeting perfect for summer.
Technology is incorporated into some of our meeting rooms. These include tables with techno design features. “The advantage of having plug sockets in them, is that there is no more crawling under tables for extension leads,” says Andrea Nelson.
This is great as delegates can stay where the action is, plugged in, and never miss a moment of the meeting information or experiences that might be happening.
Looking to the Future
At the House of Daniel Thwaites we’re all about creating a positive difference to the meeting space and being creative is something our delegates can expect and experience.
Rachel’s take from designing for the many different and varying spaces of the Thwaites hotels: “It’s a great challenge to capture the sense of fun elements as well as the practicality. It’s no longer one dimensional. The industry is constantly adapting and moving forward; it’s a highly fun area to design and create for the hotels. It’s a great area for creativity and pushing forward with innovative designs!”