Hospitality: the key to connection

They pop-up everywhere, professional interiors designed by a hospitality concept. Entrances looking like a true hotel lobby, meeting places with an in-house coffee bar, a luxury gym or relaxation space or a complete restaurant experience with freshly prepared products. Hospitality brings us together and plays a key role in the creation of connection. A basic need we are all looking for, especially during this time.

Fusion of HOSPITALITY with RETAIL

At the office market hospitality nowadays is becoming commonplace, but also in different business environments we see the concept being applied increasingly. For example in the retail sector, where hospitality melts together more and more with the function of the store. And by that we don’t mean the standard cup of coffee with pastry, the well-known plate with Swedish meatballs or the luxury sandwich you can eat in department stores of course. The true difference is in the next level experiences where it doesn’t just involve around the product or service anymore, but in offering social experiences and a unique shopping experience. An example is the British department store Selfridges, which has incorporated an entire cinema at their location at Oxford Street in London. Or how about the Cheval Blanc Paris hotel in the French department store La Samaritaine, which on top of that also contains a day-care, twelve restaurants, a beauty salon and a spa? An example closer to home is the recently openedsustainable department store Green UP at Utrecht. Besides amongst other sustainable fashion, green interior items and ecological beauty products, in the pop-up department store there can also be found a botanic inner garden with restaurant and a beauty salon.

HOSPITALITY as connecting FACTOR

The core of hospitality lies in conviviality. Companies and institutions should look at their employees/customers/patients/students/visitors (the user) more as guests. What can I offer my employees, clients, patients, students or guests to work, shop, recover, learn or relax optimally? By thinking from the point of view of the user and look into its true needs, connection arises. Organizations that can make this feeling of connection tangible, are capable of involving their users with their goals and mission. Whether you are employer, retailer, care taker, educational institution or hotelier, the principle of hospitality can be applied universally.

Images, amongst others:

Bogaerts Label | Project The Rise

Swink Design | Project Welten

HOPMAN Ruimtemakers | Project Enrise