Trendy Fixes to Keep Your Resort Décor Current

When you’re operating a resort that caters to all sorts of folks, Interior Design is a major challenge. So, when you are a company like Global Connections, Inc. (GCI) what do you do? You send your design team into the field to keep abreast of the latest and greatest trends.

We spoke with GCI’s designer, Soraya Shah-Mirany, who went on the hunt for inspiration at the 2016 International Furniture Show in High Point, North Carolina for six days. Her fitness tracker told her she averaged 15,000 steps every day as she tirelessly scoped out new lines for Global Discovery Vacations’ members and Global Connections’ resorts.

What were the trends she discovered? Elements of nature, animals, and animal print fabrics are extremely popular these days. When she refurbished the lobby/great room at GCI’s new property, Lodge by The Blue, in Breckenridge, Colorado, Soraya had already taken this into consideration. Incorporating the natural stone from the the Blue River as the setting for the massive fireplace and telling the story of cozy elegance with earth tones, live wood edges and lush fabric, the resort echoes the mountain environment in every corner.

Also popular this coming year is a marriage of rustic woods and stainless steel, another feature incorporated into the inviting, yet practical look of Lodge by The Blue.

GCI is consistently updating its properties. Soraya also came upon some contemporary touches she plans on using at one property or another. When she saw the color blue just about everywhere and noticed that purple is making it back to the design scene, she took note and wove that into her thinking for the award-winning Sea Shells Beach Club which already incorporates some of the pale blue-greens and elegant beach looks evident at the Furniture Show.

Orchid is another hue that will be a trendy color this year, according to Soraya. She says, “Fabrics that incorporate orchid, small accessories like pillows or other sprinkles of orchid decor items around the room, will be making a statement this year. It’s a great way to update and freshen a resort interior without devoting major resources for a total refurbishment.”

We continually say millennials are driving resort design in this day and age. However, baby boomers are not to be forgotten. They also seek out meaningful, authentic experiences, use new technology, and have to a great degree embraced a sharing economy. These are fast becoming universal trends.

Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and the internet all have contributed to a deeper awareness of design and your owners and guests are not oblivious to these images. The move toward contemporary resort design allows designers like Soraya to create projects that are borne out of the location. Cookie cutter properties may work for economies of scale, however, the guest experience is warmer and more meaningful with special touches.

Some of these touches Soraya has discovered are graphics and fabrics incorporating famous and inspirational quotes. These, too, are a feature resorts can incorporate without much expense to bring a contemporary feel into the property.

Look for lobbies to become more important again. While sleeping rooms and spacious villas and units still have appeal, the millennials are hungry for the communal lifestyle. This allows the lobby to evolve into a shared living room with space for lounging, socializing and relaxing. With multi-generational travel being one of the most popular current trends, the lobby becomes a welcome extension for communal socializing.

No matter what age groups frequent your resort, these new trends can modernize the property, satisfying folks across varying ages, ethnic and gender orientations.