Interior Design Studio Aylott + Van Tromp shares its 2022 predictions for the future of hospitality

Following two years that have seen the hospitality industry severely impacted by the effects of the global pandemic, contemporary Interior Design and Branding Studio Aylott + Van Tromp has identified 4 key trends that are expected to emerge throughout 2022.

The studio’s founders Nathan Aylott and James Van Tromp, who are also co-creators of the Hytte modular hotel and retreat concept, share their hospitality trend predictions for the coming twelve months.

Modular hotel design

“Design-led, sustainable cabins created specifically for the hotel and leisure industry will become highly sought-after, delivering both off-the-shelf designs and bespoke co-branded cabins for hoteliers and leisure operators alike. The Hytte modular concept allows landowners, developers, and operators a commercially flexible and personally tailored offering, whether a start-up or multi-national brand. The innovative ‘hotel-in-a-box’ concept is advantageous because it allows developers to control the quality, budget and consistency of the product from a single manufacturing location while reducing the construction timescale substantially (by almost 50%). Developers can begin small with a handful of units, then decide to scale up to create a small, village-like community.”

Secluded stays

“On one hand, there is a natural and personal reaction to mass-market holidays, overbearing commercialism, and a growing sense of environmentalism. Then throw into the mix Covid-19 and you have the perfect storm. Whether it will be shorter localised getaways reachable by car, bike, or foot, or opting for an increasingly isolated accommodation, much of our newly acquired social distancing habits are here for the long haul. Travelers are looking for off-grid destinations with an abundance of private space to allow them to remain in their own social bubbles, while still enjoying all of the amenities they would expect from a traditional hotel complex. A Hytte resort is a hotel without indoor corridors; cabins are instead connected by interweaving outdoor decking which creates a far safer social environment in these pandemic-ridden times.”

A renewed connection to nature

“Travellers will continue to seek escapism and comfort that retains a raw feeling, capturing the emotive sense of camping in the wild and being close to nature. To reinforce a sense of escapism, a minimalist Nordic aesthetic is captured in every Hytte construction, with each one blending seamlessly into its natural surroundings and offering an immediate connection to nature through the use of oversized picture windows and skylights to create carefully placed vistas.”

Alternative destinations on the rise

“For years the main Cities have been the focal point of hospitality and rightly so; people would head to London, Paris or Edinburgh as a treat, visiting the sights or seeing a show. Times however have changed, and the trend is heading towards low-key, softer tourism. Alongside off-the-grid locations, cultural centres with an abundance of history, such as St.Albans where our latest hotel venture The Samuel Ryder for Tapestry Collections opens in January, are becoming fashionable because it matches peoples ideals. They want to experience something different and unique, far from the madding crowd.”

About Aylott + Van Tromp

The experience of Aylott + Van Tromp's founders is unique, with both Nathan Aylott and James Van Tromp's backgrounds originating in the commercial sector, focusing on brand activation, retail, fashion, product launches, customer engagement, and even automotive design. In 2013 the Interior Design & Branding Studio was formed to harness this diverse skill-set and create a multi-disciplinary offering for the rapidly evolving and changing world of leisure and hospitality design. Bringing something new to what was a traditional and fairly small marketplace, they have always seen buildings and hotels in particular, as perfectly packaged brand spaces. An extension of our lives - you stay in them, you eat in them, you exercise in them, you relax in them. They need to tend to your every whim, whilst always striving to exceed expectations or provide an appropriate emotion. Being firm believers in the need for the hospitality industry to connect with an audience and "be relevant', the Nokken brand has been a natural extension of their ideals and opened up the opportunity to create something innovative, a step away from the mainstream brands they predominantly work for. aylottandvantromp.com