NextGen designs for Staybridge

Staybridge Suites engaged a design class to come up with new designs, Spice (top) and Vista.

MCLEAN, VA—Want to create a new generation design for your hotel chain?  Why not engage the next generation of designers to do it?

Staybridge Suites engaged a graduate-level design class at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), one of the top five design programs in the U.S., to create the brand’s next generation of standardized room décor packages. Then  they implemented those test designs at the Staybridge Suites in McLean, Virginia.

The entire course was dedicated to the Staybridge Suites project, and this was the first time SCAD students provided full design services to a corporate entity as part of their coursework.

The students stayed at various Staybridge Suites properties and spoke to guests and employees, in order to gain a deep understanding of the Staybridge Suites brand identity and the features and amenities that are most important to extended-stay guests.

Once the final concepts were chosen, two of the students assisted IHG in transforming them into fully-developed schemes that are ahead of the competition, yet practical and cost-efficient for Staybridge Suites owners.
The new design packages will be available for implementation in early 2010.

“Spice” vs. “Vista”
The “Spice” scheme is inspired by classic elegance and clean geometry, with a contemporary twist that brings rich texture, warm colors and bold patterns to guest suites. 

The “Vista” scheme focuses on fresh color, organic patterns and subtle textures, with abstract references to landscape, blending blue, green and terra-cotta shades.

Sustainability is a key element in both designs. 

Examples include modular carpet tiles that cut down on waste, quartz countertops, low VOC paint and fabrics that are dyed without water, meaning leftover chemicals will not be flushed out into the environment.

Flexibility and storage are two important factors that extended-stay travellers need while in a hotel room. 

These new designs take flexibility and storage into account, with ottoman cubes that provide extra storage and seating, a new desk hutch, a built-in customizable closet unit and extended night stands with benches stored underneath.

Canada currently has seven Staybridge Suites hotels open and another five in the pipeline.