(That Cannot Be Fixed Later)
By Charles Tan
From real-world experience across many hotels and resorts,
these design mistakes appear again and again — regardless of location or budget.
The most dangerous part is this:
once the hotel is built, these mistakes are almost impossible to correct.
- Designing Guestrooms Without Considering Real Use
Many guestrooms are designed to look impressive in photos,
but fail in daily operation.
Common mistakes include:
- Bathrooms that are far larger than necessary
- Beautiful rooms that are difficult and time-consuming to clean
- Lighting, air-conditioning, and power outlets placed without understanding guest behavior
The result:
- More housekeeping staff required
- Higher maintenance costs
- Guest complaints — with no practical solution
A room that looks good but works poorly becomes a long-term operational problem.
- Ignoring the Back of House (BOH)
Many hotels invest heavily in the lobby and guest-facing areas,
but forget the spaces that actually keep the hotel running.
Typical problems include:
- Housekeeping rooms that are too small
- Narrow service corridors
- No proper storage areas
The result:
- The hotel looks good to guests
- But staff struggle every day just to do their jobs
When back-of-house areas are poorly designed,
service quality suffers — no matter how good the front looks.
- Designing Without Considering Long-Term Costs
Some design decisions feel right at the beginning,
but become a financial burden over time.
Examples include:
- Materials that look beautiful but are difficult to maintain
- Systems that are overly complex and unnecessary
Uncontrolled operating costs do not disappear.
They follow the hotel for 10 to 20 years.
What seems like a design choice today becomes a permanent expense tomorrow.
The Reality of Hotel Design
Good hotel design is not about appearance alone.
It is about function, efficiency, and long-term sustainability.
Mistakes made during design do not show immediately.
They reveal themselves slowly — through higher costs, staff frustration, and declining guest satisfaction.
And by then, it is usually too late to fix them.
