Courtyard by Marriott has over the past 5 years been progressively rolling out upgrades to their hotels worldwide with the changes & upgrade aimed squarely at the business traveller, whilst also encouraging budget conscious families to stay at over 900 locations worldwide.
Courtyard by Marriott is a mid tier hotel chain owned and operated by the Marriott International, and is known as the pioneer in the business hotel category that today comprises one of the largest share of the American hotel and accommodation market.
The company which was ultimately responsible for developing, designing and implementing the new look Courtyard was global design consultancy firm IDEO. During their research and discussions they developed a list of 5 brand principles that would be applied to the overall redesign project:
- Focus on working smarter and anticipating needs
- Instill pro-activity to let personality shine
- Enable guests to feel comfortable in public spaces using subtle gestures
- Provide options and a sense of control
- Aim to help guests feel refreshed, refueled, and recharged
The hotel lobby area quickly became the focus of the redesign teams efforts, as most business travellers would realise apart from time spent in a guest room, the lobby is more often than not where most business travellers spend the bulk of their time, whether it be for meetings, meals, drinks or simply relaxing, it is a melting pot of opportunities if designed well.
In addition to the lobby redesign the team also spent time redesigning the guest rooms and other public areas of the hotel to ensure a uniformed approach to the new look and feel was achieved. This was important so that when frequent business travellers, or road warriors, book with Courtyard they would be confident they knew the level or service and amenities in different locations across the world.
The Lobby Transformation
- The changes, which have been made to the lobby are both functional and aesthetically pleasing for both business and leisure travellers, include
- Flexible and functional open spaces to relax, eat, dine and meet
- The Bistro; for breakfast, drinks and dinner daily offering a seasonal menu tailored for the business traveller
- Free WiFi and business centres
- GoBoard® touch screen for up to the minute local information on weather, attractions, the local area, restaurants and much more
- Boarding Pass station; where travellers can check-in and print their airline boarding passes all before getting to the airport
- The Market; perfect if you are looking for something light to snack on or last minute toiletries you have run out of
- Check-in; gone are the days of long boring reception desks these have been replaced by check-in modules which allow a more personal experience for each traveller
Guest Rooms
In addition to redesigning the guest rooms, IDEO also spent time to redefine the guest room experience to ensure that all travellers are comfortable and get the most out of their stay:
- Fresh, plush bedding; for a great nights sleep
- Modern and flexible spaces; the ability to hold informal meetings in your room or be productive at the well thought through workstation
- High speed internet connectivity; a must for all business travellers
- Spacious bathrooms; plenty of space to freshen up before your next meeting or before heading out for the evening
The designers also spent time on further enhancing the offering of each Courtyard hotel by extending their touch to the Fitness & Pool areas, with new weight and cardio https://www.biutifuloficial.com/, fresh towels and temperature controlled pools. The team spent time developing useful outdoor space (in most) North America properties to provide even more functional space for business and leisure travellers, all with free WiFi, comfortable seating and in some locations a fire pit.