An investigation into the elements of a successful methodology for influencing contemporary interior design environment of tourist class globally-branded hotels based in China

Abstract

The main purpose of the study is to investigate the possibility of achieving global hotel design diversification through the utilization of traditional cultural characteristics. The focus of this study is global hotel design in local countries of China. The research investigates using glocalisation design (which means the localization plus the globalization) in hotels, to challenge the global hotels’ design style that the same in many different countries and cities. This research addresses the relationship between local cultural element styles and the design of global branding hotel style efficacy within hotel in local countries of China. Relevant literature on the nature of global hotel design style was reviewed. Three stages of primary research (a critical review, observations and interviews) were also conducted in this study. The critical review examined the use of traditional local cultural elements in contemporary hotels. The observation studies identified the relationship between visitor behaviors and local cultural information within a range of global hotels. However, due to the fact that international tourists have different backgrounds and cultural knowledge, the international guests are not necessarily able to understand traditional local cultural information. In response to primary research findings, a novel design guideline will be created, this guideline is based on traditional design method and links between locations' culture and global hotel design style. Initial user testing indicated that the guideline was appropriate and did significantly improve global hotel design style. Hence, developing a common cultural symbol is becoming main research direction in this study which links with proportion, visual and local symbolism. The interviews further elicited interior design staff views and were used to test the hotel design guideline. A theoretical design reference model was developed. Initially based on the Le Corbusier design model, the model consists of three phases: analysis, design and assessment. A hotel design guideline was built and tested through user experience testing and expert interviews. Evaluation of this showed that the design guideline blending with global cultural points and local elements. The global cultural points can easy be accept and understand by foreign guest, meanwhile add some local cultural characteristic that can help guest understand local cultural information. The hotel design guideline that has been developed encourages the related global hotel design style, further shows the local cultural elements and ultimately improving global hotel design style.