Novotel has announced it has teamed up with four international design firms to launch a new brand vision.
Following a worldwide design pitch, the winning concepts will be brought to life at Novotel locations around the globe, shifting the brand’s standardised offer to one that provides flexibility to its owning and franchisee partners, allowing each to choose and customise a style that best suits the character of the destination.
“We are excited to work with four outstanding design teams, who will help us creatively transform our hotels through a set of distinct visions of modern, premium hospitality,” comments Nadège Keryhuel, Vice President of Novotel. “Our goal is to achieve a signature hotel experience, without standardisation, from check-in to check-out – a major evolution for the brand and a leading approach in the midscale segment.”
The brand’s new design partners have studied the evolution of societal behaviour and recent consumer trends across Europe, Latin America, Middle East, and Asia. During the strategy’s call to action, teams were invited to submit concepts that included a lively social hub that would appeal to locals as well as guests; and a modern, intuitive and ageless design that incorporates high-quality, sustainable materials. The four winners will not only work on the rooms, but also within common areas such as the social hub, fitness spaces and spas – ensuring every element of the hotels is designed with purpose and for maximum guest enjoyment.
The design teams and their winning submissions include:
RF Studio – adaptable, sustainable, easy to renovate, this concept delivers a homey feeling; guests are encouraged to discover a new way of hotel living and feel like they are at the heart of a village.
Metro – modelled around Novotel’s ‘Time is on your side’ motto, this concept features natural tones and raw materials, inviting guests to enjoy a multifunctional and flexible space that evolves throughout the day.
Sundukovy Sisters – this concept blends business with pleasure and mixes wellbeing among unique ‘co-living’ spaces that embrace lively, social surroundings, current trends and timeless comforts.
Hypothesis – with a focus on reducing not only physical waste but also reducing wasted space and time, this design concept allows the traveller of today to achieve the ideal balance they seek during their stay.
Damien Perrot, Global Senior Vice President of Design at Accor, comments: “Novotel is endowed with strong brand characteristics and a history of innovation and excellence within the global hospitality industry. We were inspired to build upon these strengths, with the goal of continuing to offer the best guest experience amid the evolving expectations of locals and international travellers alike. We pushed the boundaries to conceive modern, intuitive design ideas, where the way we organise the space, the decor and every single object or element serves a specific purpose. All the chosen designs responded to this request brilliantly, allowing us to re-interpret the way we design Novotel hotels around the world. We look forward to writing the next chapter in the brand’s acclaimed success story and taking Novotel to new heights in years to come.”
Over the next few years, guests can expect to see these new designs appearing at a number of Novotel locations worldwide. Highlights include: Novotel Moscow Comcity (Sundukovy Sisters); Novotel Lviv Centre (Hypothesis); Novotel BH Savassi (Metro); Novotel Canela (RF Studio); Novotel Victoria Island Lagos (Sundukovy Sisters); Novotel Kinshasa (Metro); Novotel Vladivostok (Metro); Novotel Mexico City Insurgentes WTC (Sundukovy Sisters); Novotel Criciúma (Metro); and Novotel St Petersburg Airport (Sundukovy Sisters).
Across Accor’s Northern Europe region, more than 20 ‘new look’ Novotel hotels are under development including Novotel Vladivostok, which opened in June as one of the first properties globally to feature the new Metro design. The pipeline also includes six others in Russia; two Sundukovy Sisters design concepts in the UK; two in the Ukraine and others planned across Northern Europe from Belgium to Kazakhstan.
