Internationally renowned hospitality interiors studio JOI-Design announces the launch of the Hotel-Kompetenz-Zentrum (HKZ), or centre for hotel design
excellence, in Oberschleißheim near Munich.
The imaginative team was commissioned by HKZ to transform over 1000m² of floor space into a gallery of ideas for hotel design, a curated showroom from
which professionals such as hotel developers, operators and managers can “shop” amongst diverse concepts and test a range of products.
HKZ is a permanent exhibition of options for guestroom, corridor, bar, café and reception lobby décor.
In addition to spaceplanning the overall flow and coordination of the centre, JOI-Design developed each space’s design from concept through to installation. The gallery floor reveals eleven diverse guestroom scenarios ranging from a comfortable three-star setting to an opulent five-star suite, as well as a large reception area plus a working bar and café.
The bedroom prototypes have been individually styled to correspond with distinct guest profiles. Peter Joehnk, co-managing director of JOI-Design, explains: “You can stand in a luxurious suite designed for an urban business hotel, for instance, and then five steps away be transported to a family-oriented Bavarian resort.
"The ability to compare so many different set-ups side-by-side helps hoteliers discover what is possible and most appropriate for their own properties. This ‘hotel without guests’ features a representative cross-section of the world of hotel facilities. Fully operational equipment has been
installed in realistic scenarios so that visitors can experience first-hand how products work, for examplethe water pressure from a tap or showerhead or the illumination cast by a pendant light.”
Although the HKZ is primarily aimed at hoteliers, other professions will find it beneficial as well; the bar and café set-ups offer insight for restaurateurs, and the bedroom configurations suggest up-to-date options for senior residences and extended-stay wellness centres.
The concept of a hotel design gallery has proven quite popular with FF&E providers. Products and services from more than 195 well-known companies have been installed thus far.
The showroom will continue to expand with new design scenarios installed within the 5500m² HKZ business park, which also has conference facilities. In addition, its extensive library of materials enables an array of patterns, palettes and innovations in carpeting, wallpaper and tiles to not only be seen and touched, but to be instantly trialled in situ whilst exploring a wealth of combinations. This mix of diversity and ease guarantees an optimal decision-making method for investors, operators and hoteliers.
The testing of operational software; POS systems; dispensing and cooling equipment; and vending machines in simulated yet real-time settings also will be available. "We not only want to explain what is visually and conceptually possible, but to really show the interplay of ideas, technology and service, too," says Christian Peter, the manager of HKZ who first originated its concept six years ago.
