Design Trends Becoming More Millennial-Minded in 2017

Interior design makeovers will change some of the biggest brands in the hospitality space come 2017, especially as they aim to please a younger set of independent travelers. Jessica Lotner, interior designer at The McBride Company, recently sat down with LODGING to discuss how hotel designers will cater to some of the most prominent guests in the new year.

Social Media-Friendly Spaces

 Millennials—one of the industry’s most influential targets—enjoy experiences they can share, and want their social media platforms to reflect and project that. More hotels will be adding power outlets and USB ports to existing furniture to appeal to this travel segment in 2017. Lotner says, “Instead of being cooped up in their rooms and being isolated, millennials like to be in central settings so that they are in a place where they can plug in, but there’s still activity going on around them.”

Pops of Color

 Rather than portray a neutral, residential feel, many hotels will use color in 2017 to create an instant sense of escape. Properties can make a space more appealing to a younger crowd by adding accent colors that really pop. “Color immediately is a contrast to clients’ homes and where they come from—which is typically a neutral décor—so color sets the stage that they are on vacation as soon as they walk in the door.”

Meaningful Aesthetics

 In addition to color, design elements that capture a sense of place will play a major role in 2017. For instance, Lotner uses turquoise, citrus yellows, and ocean greens to accent wood themes and create a lively, fun atmosphere at the Margaritaville-brand hotels she’s working on. Setting the scene includes bringing the outdoors in with vegetation and using textured fabrics that lend a casual elegance to the space. Lotner says, “We’re bringing a lot of plants in, from palm trees to all sorts of garden types of accessories like lanterns that we put candles in and it just sets the stage.”

Roughing It Up

 The explosion of rough luxe will build on the current steampunk trend, which incorporates unique furnishings and design elements in a more rustic way. Lotner describes the trend as a departure from perfection. “This is the idea of things being more worn and rusted and having industrial undertones, so that people are looking to these spaces as finds.” Warmer industrial metals with rustic golds and bronze undertones will be prominent in 2017, and embossed text on décor, floors, and walls will bring more sophistication to the hotel space.

The top design trends for 2017 will be integrated organically, according to Lotner, but will also enable guests to feel a sense of discovery through unique materials and shareable spaces.