Case Study
IHG
Transforming the hotel sleep experience
Image courtesy of IHG
The Challenge
To encode a culturally relevant understanding of sleep into IHG hotel room design and experience.
Approach
Decoding the evolving meaning of sleep in culture, with a focus on Millennial values towards rest.
Revealing four distinct cultural narratives around sleep that could be translated into design principes, validated through ethnographic observation in hotel rooms.
The Cultural Unlock
Sleep’s evolution from rest to complex wellness ritual. Understanding how sleep now requires fluid, flexible spaces that can adapt to individual needs, and transition between different states of being.
Impact
01
Led to a groundbreaking new hotel room concept that was so innovative it was patented, encoding fluidity into every aspect of the room experience.
02
Translated insights into design: spatial arrangements reflecting sleep rituals, lighting supporting natural rhythms, materials embodying wellness values.
03
Established IHG as an innovator in hospitality design by creating spaces that deliver genuine value while resonating with generational approaches to rest.
04
Demonstrated how cultural strategy can combine deep understanding with tangible design through collaboration with designers from outside hospitality.
Bacardi Limited / Cazadores:
Designing for cultural resonance
