Starting the Design

Once the operator is onboard and the Hotel Management Agreement (HMA) is executed, the project finally reaches the stage where design can formally begin. Until now, the development has largely existed in spreadsheets, feasibility studies, operator negotiations, and financial models. This is the point where ideas begin their transition into physical space.

But contrary to popular perception, hotel design does not begin with an architect sketching a dramatic lobby on tracing paper.

Before the first concept is developed, the developer must assemble the right technical team, define the reporting structure, establish the design responsibilities, and prepare the framework within which the consultants will operate. In hospitality projects, design is never the work of a single individual. It is collaborative authorship involving architects, engineers, operators, cost consultants, interior designers, specialist consultants, and project managers—all moving toward the same outcome from very different professional perspectives.

This coordination structure is typically led by what the industry refers to as the Lead Design Consultant (LDC).

Pre-qualification and the RFP Process

The appointment of the LDC is usually preceded by a structured prequalification exercise. A shortlist of suitable consultancies is prepared based on capability, scale, regional presence, and most importantly, hospitality experience.

This last point matters more than many first-time developers initially realise.

Designing a hotel is fundamentally different from designing a residential or office building. Hospitality projects involve complex operational planning, intricate guest flows, demanding technical standards, and constant coordination with operator requirements. An architect may be exceptionally talented in another sector and still struggle within hospitality if they lack experience with hotel operations.

Once the shortlist is prepared, the selected firms are invited to participate through a Request for Proposal (RFP).

At this stage, it is often beneficial to seek the operator’s feedback on the shortlisted consultants. Operators usually carry institutional memory—both positive and negative—from previous projects. A firm with an impressive portfolio may still have a difficult working history with a specific operator, and identifying such issues early can prevent years of friction later.

The RFP itself becomes one of the project’s first major coordination documents. Typically, consultants are requested to submit multiple concept directions rather than a single solution. This allows the developer to evaluate different responses to the same brief while testing how effectively the consultants understand the brand positioning, target audience, operational priorities, and commercial objectives.

Before issuing the RFP, all participating parties should execute a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), particularly when operator standards, financial data, or strategic studies are being shared.

Information Required at Design Initiation

For the design process to begin meaningfully, the LDC must be provided with sufficient project information at the outset. While the exact requirements vary from project to project, the following typically form the minimum baseline:

• Plot information and land-use parameters
• Efficiency targets such as GFA to BUA ratios and Sellable Area benchmarks
• Hard cost targets supported by elemental cost plans from the cost consultant
• The operator’s design brief
• Brand standards and technical service manuals
• Development timelines and milestone commitments

At this stage, one of the most delicate responsibilities of the developer is determining how much direction to provide.

Too little information creates confusion. Too much information suffocates creativity.

The design team must clearly understand the commercial and operational objectives of the project, but they also need enough freedom to explore possibilities. Striking that balance is critical. Some of the best hotel concepts emerge when designers are given a clear problem to solve without being over-directed on the solution.

This tension between control and creativity is one of the defining characteristics of hospitality design.

Understanding Operator Standards

There are varying opinions on when concept design should formally begin. Some teams prefer to start sketching immediately and study the operator standards in parallel. Others prefer to first familiarise with the operator requirements before beginning any serious design work.

From a developer’s perspective, the pressure usually revolves around timelines. Commitment dates for pre-concept, concept design, schematic design, and authority submissions are often fixed early and linked to financing, approvals, and operator milestones.

For the design consultant, however, efficiency matters equally. Senior designers and design principals are expensive resources, and it is far more effective when the technical teams first study and internalise the operator standards before the creative process accelerates.

This allows the architects and engineers to approach the site conditions and the design brief already aware of key compliance requirements, operational constraints, and potential conflicts.

Operator standards and technical manuals can be overwhelming for teams encountering them for the first time. These documents are often developed globally and attempt to address a wide variety of climates, cultures, operational models, and building conditions. Naturally, not every standard applies equally to every project.

This is where one of the most useful industry tools comes into play: the Non-Conformance Register.

The Non-Conformance Register

A practical approach during the early stages is to require the LDC and consultants to prepare a structured register identifying standards that may not be applicable to the project.

These non-conformances are usually driven by:

• plot constraints,
• climatic conditions,
• local regulations,
• hotel typology,
• budget limitations,
• or operational realities specific to the site.

For example, an operator standard developed around a North American city hotel may not fully suit a resort project in the Middle East. Similarly, local fire regulations or municipality requirements may directly conflict with certain international brand standards.

Identifying these issues early dramatically reduces ambiguity and prevents costly redesign later.

While many such agreements initially happen through email correspondence, experienced project teams eventually formalise them into waiver documents reviewed and approved by the operator’s technical services team. Timing is important here. The design should be sufficiently mature to justify the waiver, but not so advanced that changes become commercially painful.

FOH and BOH – The Two Worlds of Hotel Design

At a broad level, hotel planning can be divided into two major zones: Front of House (FOH) and Back of House (BOH).

Most guests only experience the FOH spaces. These include the arrival sequence, lobby, restaurants, meeting areas, corridors, guestrooms, and all the public-facing environments that shape the emotional experience of the stay.

This is where architecture, interiors, lighting, acoustics, landscaping, and service choreography come together to create the perception of hospitality.
The principle of “form follows function” becomes especially important here. Beautiful spaces alone do not create successful hotels. The layout must support operations seamlessly. A spectacular lobby loses its impact very quickly if the arrival flow is chaotic or the check-in process feels uncomfortable.

BOH spaces, on the other hand, are the hidden operational engine of the hotel.

These include kitchens, laundry facilities, staff circulation, storage rooms, engineering areas, waste management zones, receiving docks, housekeeping support spaces, and service corridors. Guests rarely see them, yet these spaces often determine whether the hotel can operate efficiently at all.

Unlike FOH areas, BOH planning is driven far more by workflow logic than visual experimentation. Adjacencies, operational movement, service routes, hygiene separation, loading patterns, and staff efficiency become the primary design drivers.

There is comparatively little room for arbitrary creativity here.

Some operators provide extraordinarily detailed guidance in this area. From my own experience, standards developed by Four Seasons are particularly rigorous when it comes to BOH planning. Their documentation carefully defines operational adjacencies, service flows, and departmental relationships based on decades of operational refinement.

One of the best ways to understand this aspect of hospitality planning is to undertake a guided tour through the BOH spaces of a functioning hotel. It quickly becomes apparent which spaces were intentionally designed and which became the result of compromise.

Opening the Door to Concept Creation

A well-managed design initiation process establishes the foundation for everything that follows. At this stage, the project is no longer simply an investment opportunity or an operational model. It is gradually becoming a coordinated physical vision.

The consultants are onboard.

The operator standards are being interpreted.

The technical constraints are becoming visible.

The operational logic is taking shape.

Now comes the next challenge.

How do you transform all these requirements, numbers, standards, flows, and operational realities into a place that people emotionally connect with?

That is where the idea of concept and narrative begins.

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© 2026 Suman Deb Ray. All Rights Reserved. The insights and perspectives shared here are my personal views based on my professional experience in the built environment. As the hospitality industry and development standards are constantly evolving, these observations should be considered reflective of the time of writing. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted without prior written permission.