Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Expert partnership promises a fresh design look for hotels
GUY STEHLIK, chief executive and founder of BON Hotels, and Grant Gillis of hospitality and retail design firm Delta International Design Studio, have joined forces to offer the local leisure industry their hotel design, architecture, refurbishment and asset management services.
After his recent move into West Africa, Stehlik recognised an opportunity in providing these countries with hotel management skills, as well as advisory and consulting services on structure, design and layout of hotels.
Gillis has made a name for himself in designing retail and hotel spaces in SA, including various major projects, most notably Vodacom, The Jupiter Drawing Room, Blackberry, Planet Hollywood and t he r e c e n t r o l l - o u t o f Ai r t e l throughout Africa.
The new company will be called Bondelta and will offer services to the industry for new builds, refurbishments and redesign.
Gillis and Stehlik say that Africa is crying out for a fresh look at design as many hotels occupy prime space but have been designed and built without the expertise of a hotelier. The African market is largely centred on seasoned business travellers – they stay in hotels across the world and expect a certain level of service and comfort. Gillis says that to adequately service this market, hotels need to meet international standards.
“There are many l i t t l e nuances you can use to create appropriate spaces for your given market,” he says, “and you can’t please everyone so it is important to know who is using your facility so that you can design accordingly.
“For example, for corporatefocused hotels the rooms may be slightly smaller, have an efficient layout and offer highspeed, free wi-fi. The design of the public areas has changed significantly as guests seek out cool, connected areas to catch up on emails, conduct meetings or connect with other guests.”
Green is king as hotel owners realise the importance of sustainable, responsible building and procurement practices. Stehlik says that many hotels are built without thought or technical assistance in the design and layout.
“Unfortunately non- hoteliers don’t build hotels with the same outlook as hoteliers, and many aspects need careful consideration, such as placement of the reception area, restaurant areas, optimal operational flow, furniture, fixtures and e quipment, even down t o selecting the beds and linen,” says Stehlik.
The two expect to do more retro-fitting in SA than in the rest of Africa, where new builds are on the up.
Stehlik says it is no longer acceptable to be mediocre – and decisions should be based on the most important person in the equation – the guest.