e’ve watched the transformation every step of the way, but what does it mean for business? A smattering of mobile phones, the occasional laptop, the novelty of internet access ... fast forward, and the revolution is complete.

The last kickers and screamers have become strapped to cell phones and laptops, and we’re all working out various fail-safes for web access should we ever find ourselves stranded in Bangladesh. Meanwhile, Terry Bickhardt, president/COO of Waterford Hotel Group, has watched wireless culture changing guest behavior, and his team has developed a designdriven approach toward capitalizing on this sea of change.

“The lobby is back in vogue as a place to see and be seen,” says Bickhardt. “People want to come down, work at their computers, and be with the people they’re traveling with. So we looked at redesigning our lobbies and food and beverage departments with that experience in mind.”

Walk into the lobby of the Mystic Marriott Hotel & Spa in Groton, Connecticut, and discover an assortment of guests and locals with an eclectic mix of dining options in hand. “Sitting in the lobby at any point, you might find one guest with a glass of wine from the wine bar, one sipping Starbucks, one working on a fine steak dinner, and another eating Häagen-Dazs out of a carton purchased from the lobby store,” Bickhardt says.

As the next step in customized casual, it’s a hit. “It’s a spot to come and hang out. People drive up to the hotel to have a cup of coffee, just to share the experience.” What happened to the hands-off-my-furniture, four-diamond lobby of yore? “It goes back to that feeling of the grand old hotel, but it’s not stuffy today. It’s about a convenience and experience available to all the guests,” Bickhardt says.

DESIGNED FOR SUCCESS
Design is the pivot point of Waterford’s renovation strategy. The lobby acts as a central hub where guests can gather and select from a wheel of options around bar, coffee, retail, and fine dining. With these design overhauls increasing revenue 40 percent over previous concepts in some cases, it’s a design for profit. And, like a strong serving program, it’s the seemingly small touches that create lasting impact.

Sound Design. “Sound is critical. The feel of the space the second you walk in needs to be felt and heard at the same instant. We like the sound to be consistent through the entire space to give continuity between locations, so the reasons for gathering may be different, but the sound is the same.”

The modern Hilton Hartford in Hartford, Connecticut, has a techno pulse that can be felt upon entering. The Hartford Marriott Downtown is more traditional with a lighter jazz feel to fit the brighter colors, higher ceilings, and grander space. The Mystic Marriott goes for song standards in a more distinguished locale.

“What’s important is for the décor, seating, light, and sound to all fit together, so the instant guests come through the door, they feel the vibe and it makes sense. There’s nothing worse than having that clash where immediately it’s clear it isn’t pulling together.”

Bright Ideas. “We like the primary entrance to the lobby to be as bright as possible, so guests have an immediate sense of anticipation. We like to use direct sunlight if possible. And, just as in a stand-alone fine dining establishment, we do stage changes to the lighting around the clock. There are areas where, to create a different mood, lighting gets adjusted as the evening goes on.”

Sitting Single. Rarely has the single traveler been so lavished with attention. Flexible seating allows singles or groups to pull together different configurations. A comfy spot for the single traveler with ubiquitous laptop is designed into almost every component.

At the Hilton Hartford, the single traveler can remain locked to a laptop while servers provide the same fine dining experience in the lobby they could have at a table inside M&M’s Coffee Shop, the hotel’s fine dining restaurant in disguise. With its homey name and casual description as “urban dining hangout,” M&M’s downplays its upscale offerings to a crowd of casuals.

“urban dining hangout,” M&M’s downplays its upscale offerings to a crowd of casuals. Alternatively, servers provide refreshment from Element 315, the hotel bar. Element 315 is designed with bar seating for singles, of course, but M&M’s also has a full-service fountain counter with television for single travelers to make themselves at home. It really is a case of having your cake and eating it wherever you want.

BUILDING SUCCESS STORIES
Planning makes perfect, and Waterford Hotel Group puts a lot of thought into renovations. Of the 26 hotels they manage, 8 have received the full concept overhaul. “It starts with the sales team letting us know the positioning of the hotel in the market, the business mix—leisure, group, corporate, families, singles. From there, we match those segments to the type of facility,” Bickhardt says.

“Often we bring in focus groups of users of the hotel to get their input in the design process.” These focus groups yield valuable insight in almost every case. “When we overhauled the Connecticut Convention Center, our focus group told us the women’s restrooms were inferior to the number of women using the center, and that this was a major complaint for women at convention centers in general. We designed larger-than-protocol female restrooms and made them more upscale to the point where we get comments now like ‘these are the nicest facilities we’ve ever been in.’”

Another focus group provided a valuable wake-up call about the corporate group traveler. “Now we try to design private dining rooms for corporate meetings into all of our restaurants. Private groups of up to sixty people can have their meal and experience in the restaurant, off the restaurant menu. That came out of a focus group, and it’s been a big success.”

The company strategy of treating the hotel restaurant as an independent has blossomed into a corporate stand-alone: a separate division within the management company called Waterford Restaurant Group. And that focus stays squarely on the customer experience.

“The days where all that’s available at 11PM is beer and a plate of nachos shouldn’t exist any more. People want foods that are convenient, foods they’d eat at home, and foods to splurge on. If someone wants a bowl of ice cream with their Starbucks, then that’s what they want.” And as long as that guest is buying both in your lobby, it’s a design that’s sure to please all.