Guy Wilson
Managing Director Trade & Projects MEAWhy is the hotel bath so important?
Hotel bathroom trends are constantly evolving as hoteliers seek to carve out a unique identity for their brand, particularly in the luxury sector. The quality and amenities of the bathroom have long been considered an important indicator of a hotel’s rating and, with the current consumer preoccupation with wellness, a hotel room that comes with a luxurious spa-like bathroom is more important than ever to boost customer satisfaction scores.
Current Trends
A luxurious hotel bathroom designed to promote wellbeing is increasingly an essential for sophisticated travellers. Must-haves include freestanding or oversized bathtubs, invigorating showers and lighting that can be easily adjusted to suit the mood. Biophilic design principles add to the upscale ambience, bringing the outdoors in with carefully curated organic materials, natural textures and a relaxing colour palette inspired by the local environment. A new design twist is to blur the boundaries between living, sleeping and washroom spaces to promote an enhanced sense of flow; clever use of sliding panels, doors and glass allows guests to close off the bathroom as and when they require privacy.
Deciding on Materials
Acrylic: Acrylic bathtubs are warm to the touch and offer good insulation to ensure that hot water doesn’t cool quickly, it is also the lightest option with the average acrylic tub weighting in at around 50kg. Freestanding is preferred for a hotel luxe feel, yet inset options with bath-over-shower cater to all visitor preferences when space is tight in rural or historic buildings.
Enamelled steel: Formed steel bathtubs with a porcelain-enamel coating have long been a favourite of the hospitality industry, being cost-effective and having plenty of scope for production in different sizes and shapes. Enamelled steel is also highly durable and resistant to acid, corrosion and abrasion, making it easy to clean with low maintenance required.
Composites: A bathtub made out of composites has all the benefits of cast iron, it is durable, has inherent anti-slip properties and can be crafted in almost any shape and size. In the rare event that a bathtub becomes chipped, the damage can simply be buffed out. Composites add a biophilic tactility to a room being warm to the touch and also retain heat well for a luxurious bath experience.
Bagnoquartz composite stone is manufactured from a specialised compound of natural minerals. Offering all the benefits of natural stone, Bagnoquartz has a velvety smooth feel, is easily maintained and incredibly durable, and looks simply stunning.
Bagnotec stone is comprised of a blend of stone, marble and polymer resin. Each bathtub is hand finished to a fine lustre, making it as beautiful as it is durable, easily maintained and resilient.
Freestanding Acrylic: Vintry & Mercer, London
Grab bars are not always the most attractive of bathroom accessories, but they are often a requirement. The big question is how can you balance form and functionality? Thankfully, contemporary designers understand the need for aesthetically pleasing options, the result being a range of modern designs that will work harmoniously with the overall bathroom aesthetic. For larger projects, grab bars can be custom plated to match the overall bathroom finish, which is particularly applicable for more unique finishes such as Zanzibar and Matt Black.
Another benefit of choosing a bathtub in modern composite stone means that a grab rail can be integrated into the bathtub design – by cutting a grab rail into the composite itself – to allow safety standards to be met without distracting from the aesthetic appeal of the end result.
Composite: Kudadoo, Maldives
The exclusive Kudadoo private island resort has an intimate boutique feel with its 15 stunning one and two-bedroom self-contained over-water villas. Blending authentic organic materials and textures with luxurious finishes, each bathroom is a peaceful sanctuary designed to invoke the ultimate in wellbeing.
The focal point of each spacious en-suite, the sleek lines of the freestanding bathtub work in perfect harmony with the overall biophilic design aesthetic that comes through in the raw wood finishes of the walls and floor, and the artfully decorative handicrafts. Specified baths were crafted from Bagnotec and Bagnoquartz. Both are created with specialised compounds of natural minerals and pure blended stone, resulting in a velvet-textured finish. Each Matt-White bathtub is custom-made to fit the exact design specifications for the space.
Enamelled Steel: Jumeirah Al Naseem, Dubai
Organic simplicity meets sleek styling in the 430 ensuite bathrooms of this leading Dubai 5-star hotel. Natural organic textures blend together beautifully with wood finishes, marble surfaces and subtly shimmering mosaic tiles layered throughout the space. Taking centre stage in the bathroom, a custom-made freestanding oval bathtub in enamelled steel with the Duo Comfort invites guests in for a relaxing soak; the space also functions as a wetroom and features a separate walk-in shower. Flexibility is key with edge-to-edge louvred doors enabling guests to have the room as either one open-plan space or in the more traditional configuration, as and when they wish.
Functionality – The Foundation of Good Design
Whatever the design aesthetic and however striking the visual impact, ensuring optimal functionality is the critical element that ultimately determines the success of a project. Functionality is one of the cornerstones that interior design is built upon and, if not adhered to, may well have a negative impact on budgets, delivery timeframes and, ultimately, occupancy rates and revenues. Meeting hotel design regulations and health & safety measures offers peace of mind to travellers, with minimum standards needed to be met to achieve set star statuses.
Regulations Around the World
Many regulatory authorities around the world require 5-star hotel rooms to be fitted with a separate bath in addition to a walk-in shower. Some authorities require the same for 4-star hotels, but this can vary from country to country, with some mandating a bathtub with an integrated shower or, where space is tight, a walk-in shower only. What is key for a trouble-free build is to ensure that your plans are in line with the relevant authority for where your project is located.
Below are some examples of the varying regulatory requirements for each hotel rating across different regions:
Flow Rates & the ‘Bucket Test’
A bath that takes ages to run will definitely decrease the satisfaction of a hotel guest, however luxurious and beautifully designed the bathroom. An average hotel bathtub should fill in around 15 minutes, although this will of course depend on the size of the tub and the water pressure available. Measuring the water flow rate is a crucial starting point.
The easiest way to get a measure of the water flow rate is to time yourself filling up a bucket; use a stopwatch so you can get as precise a reading as possible. While this may not seem very scientific, it is a fairly reliable and simple way to calculate flow.
Take the amount of water in the bucket in litres (i.e. 10 litres) and multiply it by the time it takes to fill the bucket to the top. This answer is the flow rate in litres per minute. For example, if you fill up your 10 litre bucket to the brim in 1 minute (10 x 1 = 10) then your flow rate is 10 litres per minute.
A flow rate of above 15 litres per minute is good, and between 10 to 15 litres per minute is acceptable.
Health & Safety Considerations
Grab bars are not always the most attractive of bathroom accessories, but they are often a requirement. The big question is how can you balance form and functionality? Thankfully, contemporary designers understand the need for aesthetically pleasing options, the result being a range of modern designs that will work harmoniously with the overall bathroom aesthetic. For larger projects, grab bars can be custom plated to match the overall bathroom finish, which is particularly applicable for more unique finishes such as Zanzibar and Matt Black.
Another benefit of choosing a bathtub in modern composite stone means that a grab rail can be integrated into the bathtub design – by cutting a grab rail into the composite itself – to allow safety standards to be met without distracting from the aesthetic appeal of the end result.
