Image: Design concept for The Inclusive Hotel Room

When the Independent Hotel Show returns to Olympia London on 4-5 October, a key feature of the event will be The Inclusive Hotel Room, an immersive showcase of concepts and materials designed to welcome each and every guest equally.  

Peter Turner, Managing Director of Teeside-based design studio Cocoon & Bauer, gives us a sneak preview of the room’s design ahead of the show.

The mission statement of The Inclusive Hotel Room at the Independent Hotel Show, conceived and designed by Cocoon & Bauer, is to showcase how thoughtful, intelligent design can prevent sensory overwhelm and create truly welcoming, inclusive and sustainable spaces for guests.   

Some hoteliers might think that the word inclusivity is at odds with the concept of quality, high-end design - a compromise for the sake of practicality - but Peter Turner argues that designing for neurodiversity in guests employs many of the same subconscious cues used in every aspect of hospitality design.  

“Small, barely noticeable touches can make a huge difference to how someone with a condition such as ADHD, Dyspraxia or Autism experiences a space,” he explains. “Changing the colour of the floor from the bed to the rest of the room, for example, can help with spatial awareness, while clear partitions between areas of the room can clearly signpost their function, for example a hair-drying station. You can put these ideas in place and drip feed them in and they won’t affect the overall look and feel.”  

The Inclusive Hotel Room will demonstrate a number of these deceptively simple concepts, including the use of solid colours to reduce the visual overwhelm of a space and incorporating biophilic design for a natural, calming ambience.  

The focus on inclusivity ties into the larger trend of wellbeing in the hotel sector, which has been an increasingly important part of hotel design and customer experience following the pandemic. Everything from lighting to materials to sound-scaping to food & drink play a unique role in the guest’s experience of a hotel, and the room is by far the epicentre of the trend.  

Like many contemporary design projects, sustainability was a key consideration for the Cocoon & Bauer team as they planned The Inclusive Hotel Room. All of the materials used are either recycled or will be recycled or reused post event and the supplier partners, from F&B to toiletries to bedding to furniture, are businesses that put sustainability concerns front and centre.  

Suppliers: 

• Camira – Cushions to bed, headboard, bed throw and bench fabric.  

• Tarkett – Carpet tiles  

• Grestec – Wall and floor tiles  

• Benuta – Rug  

• Unilin - Finish to bedsides and wardrobes  

• Mixture of Silicastone, Innerspace Cheshire and Unilin – Wall hung feature above headboard 

• Harrison Spinks - Bed and mattress  

• The Fine Cotton Company – Bedding/pillowcases/towels/dressing gowns/slippers  

• Duvet Hog – Duvet and pillow inners  

• Moderna Surfaces – Venetian plastering  

• Blooming Artificial – Faux plant and planters  

• Nomique - Occasional chairs, dressing table chair, coffee table & stool  

• Bathroom Mountain - Backlit mirrors  

• Innerspace Cheshire - Bark wall feature  

• VitrA - Sanitaryware (toilets, taps, shower, towel rail)  

• Silicastone – Vanity unit  

• Lakes Showering Spaces – Shower screen  

• Hamilton Lite Stat – Sockets and switches  

• Ada International – Body wash/shampoo/conditioner  

• Newby Teas – Tea  

• London Nootropics – Coffee  

• Two Farmers – Crisps  

• Park House Barns – Chocolates  

• Luum – Wall lights and table lamp  

• Surfacephillia – Wall art  

• Coach House – Sideboard unit  

• LG – Technology (Styler & T.V.) 

Trusted contractors:  

• Nuvoke – All bespoke joinery. This includes headboard, wall hung frame above headboard, wardrobe, bedside tables, vanity unit 

• MLK Electrical ltd – All electrical work and LED lighting that will be integrated within the design  

• Howard Hindson & Sons – Upholstering bench to bottom of bed