Is it just us, or is ‘consuming’ not quite what it used to be? Our collective appetite for personalisation and customised experience has grown and with it our expectation that services and spaces operate in an agile, intuitive manner. Disruptive hotel and travel platforms like Airbnb, TripAdvisor and Expedia, as well as the more culinary side of hospitality 2.0 (think foodora and Deliveroo), are challenging the old systems and building in new structures of expectation among consumers. It’s a paradigm shift that’s precipitated a complete rethink in how we design space, service and experience. And it’s given us plenty of food for thought.

What are the impacts of Millennials and frequent travellers on contemporary hotel design? With boutique hotels on the rise and game-changers like Airbnb redefining hotel-stays, what does the modern, five-star experience look like? And do star ratings even matter? How are hospitality modalities re-shaping agile working environments? And who are the forces and faces actively disrupting the traditional design models, and how are they doing this?

In these pages, you’ll discover designers who use food as a medium for mass production, and chefs who use interior design and architecture as tools for cooking. You’ll find the blueprints to new and exciting movements in hospitality culture and design including, ‘anti-hotels’, ‘tasteology’ and ‘café commercial’.

Ultimately, these disruptive and opposing forces are good for our industry, and are pushing us to problem-solve in new and different ways; to really listen to the customer and the user (channel our empathy), and rethink our design approach.

Think about your own consumption patterns, say, as a traveller. Last time you booked a hotel, chances are you checked TripAdvisor to weigh up the ratings and user reviews, before jumping on Webjet to compare flight routes and costs. You grabbed an Uber to the airport, checked in using the self-check-in app and pre-selected your meal preference and seat. Are we right?

Indesign co-editors, Sophia Watson & Alice Blackwood. 

Read more in issue #67 of Indesign.
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