Style Guide 2013/14Emerging and current trends from the world of stylish hotels

We’ll also be drawing inspiration from the finalists of the Hilden Style Awards, the celebration of stylish hotels, guesthouses, B&B’s and cottages that we launched for the first time this year. It was a great success, and has given us plenty of insight into which interior design trends we can expect to see more of in the future.

So grab a notebook, a Word document, even a Pinterest board to note down your favourite key elements, and start working out how to use them to transform your guestrooms, breakfast rooms, bathrooms and more!

Welcome to the Hilden Style Guide 2013/2014

In this year’s publication we’ll be highlighting which key interior design trends are coming to the fore in hospitality establishments across the country, and how you can employ them at your own premises!

Who are Hilden?

We’re a passionate team who supply bedding, bed linen, table linen and bath linen to a wide range of small hotels, B&B’s, holiday cottages and guesthouses - drawing on our rich heritage to supply products and services steeped in tradition and quality.

It all started in 1874 when the descendants of James Hargreaves (the inventor of the Spinning Jenny) embraced this history and created the Hilden brand. Coupling serious expertise with dedicated customer service, this reputation for quality and innovation is what helped form the Hilden you see today, delivering textiles to laundries and accommodation establishments throughout the UK – a member of the Vision Support Services Group Ltd, a global sourcing provider of beautifully crafted, high quality textile products to the accommodation world.

Throughout the Hilden Style Guide 2013/2014 you’ll see photographs from some of our Style Award entries, these can be identified by the silver and gold ‘H’ badges to the right. The gold badge is reserved for our overall winner whilst the silver badge is applied to the rooms which finished in the Top 20.

Hilden Style Awards

This year saw the inaugural Hilden Style Awards, our search for the most stylish small hotel, B&B, holiday cottage or guesthouse in the UK. We received an eclectic range of entries from bijou to bounteous. An expert judging panel selected the top 20 entries, with Glencoe House becoming the first Hilden Style Awards winner.

Rich & Opulent

Hospitality décor looks set to morph from something understated and neutral to something altogether more luxurious! Rooms – guestrooms especially – are becoming richer and more opulent, utilising deep plums, sophisticated reds and other full-bodied colours to create a lasting impact.

To really embrace the trend, think about incorporating softly textured fabrics such as silk, satin and velvet, a feature wall of flocked wallpaper, warm and subdued lighting and four poster beds. In many of our Style Awards entries, the rich and opulent guestrooms boasted a chandelier, and even placed their bath at centre stage in their guestrooms!

Strattons Hotel

Strattons Hotel

The Chesterfield Hotel

The Traddock

Hilden bed linen

Elm Grove Country House

Apsley House

Where in the past much of the focus was placed on the guestroom, bathrooms are now being given just as much attention.

Spa-Like Bathroom Experience

High end toiletries

Guests now expect their bathroom experience at a small hotel, guesthouse, cottage or B&B to be almost spa-like, rather than a simple re-enactment of what they have installed at home.

To give these guests what they desire and make their experience as relaxing, welcoming and luxurious as possible, establishments are responding with not just a shower cubicle, but a spacious bath complete with shower head, impressive bathroom surfaces of polished marble and toiletries from high end brands.

Then there’s the bath linen – crispy, generic items have been replaced with wonderfully soft and durable bath towels, bathrobes, bath mats and slippers.

Ellenborough Park

The Inn at Whitewell

Hilden bath towels

Hilden bathrobe

A trend for brighter and bolder décor seems to be emerging among a range of small hotels, bed and breakfasts, cottages and guesthouses. But rather than making guests feel as if they’ve stepped inside a Warhol painting, shades of red, blue, pink, green and more pop against a neutral background.

Strategically placed rather than overpowering the whole room, these brighter colours can often be found in patterned bed linen, bed runners, cushions, pictures and wall art and a range of other guestroom accessories.

Bright & Bold

Llangoed Hall

Brooks Guesthouse

The Grange Hotel

Hotel Indigo

Soho Hotel

The 2013/2014 trend-year is already seeing natural and modern lighting solutions grow in popularity. The days of garish, gimmicky, almost bachelor-pad lighting appear to be disappearing in favour of a much softer, more comforting glow.

Natural and Modern Lighting

Glencoe House Drakes of Brighton

Mill Stream Cottage

Maximising the natural light streaming through windows and incorporating LED lights are perfect for creating ample illumination without giving your guests a headache, while a mixture of wall lights and table lamps (each with their own switch) allows guests to control how heavily they light their guestroom. You could even include dimmer switches to help them create the perfect welcoming, relaxing and even romantic ambience!

Hope Street Hotel

The Connaught Hotel

Mill Stream Cottage

Drawing inspiration from quaint country cottages is an enduring trend that proves popular year on year, and it’s no surprise. Quirky, characterful and really cosy, hospitality establishments that incorporate country chic décor have making guests feel at home down to an art.

Exposed beams and other wooden elements take centre stage, standing out against a generally neutral colour palette. Then there are the vintage-inspired accessories and other decorative elements – floral and toile prints compliment beautiful antique furniture, while mock Oxford pillowcases lend beds a regal air that wouldn’t be out of place in any manor house.

Country Chic

Martinstown House

Summerhow House

Exposed beams and other wooden elements take centre stage, standing out against a generally neutral colour palette. Then there are the vintage-inspired accessories and other decorative elements – floral and toile prints compliment beautiful antique furniture, while mock Oxford pillowcases lend beds a regal air that wouldn’t be out of place in any manor house.

Rose Farm Cottage

Summerhow House

Hamilton’s Boutique Hotel

The Cawdor Hotel

In an increasing number of hotels, B&Bs, cottages and guesthouses - and in many of our Style Awards entries -we’ve started to notice an increasingly popular trend for venturing beyond simple floral prints. Not that these florals have disappeared altogether though, they’re now bigger, bolder and brighter, making a sophisticated decorative statement.

Adventurous Patterns

Hotel du Vin

This newer wave of patterns and prints involves spots, stripes, tartan, checks, iconic city motifs, animals and more, helping hotels to design outside the norm and create some really unique looking rooms.

Hotel Russell

Babington House

The Cartford Inn

The Soho HotelHotel du Vin

Winner Feature Glencoe House

Our Style Awards winner, Glencoe House is an outstanding example of not just what it means to be a stylish hotel, but of how to make the most of the biggest 2013/2014 interior design trends.

The guestroom they submitted as their final entry shows a real touch of class and sophistication – just what modern hotel guests are looking for in an establishment. Dark woods, a fresh, subtley patterned bed setting and elegant furnishings and accessories all marry beautifully with the hotel’s picturesque location in the Scottish highlands, while bringing to life the mansion house’s history.

As well as the glimpse of the lounge space to the left of Glencoe House’s entry, their implementation of the trend for natural and modern lighting was a particular highlight for our judges. As well as spacious windows free from furniture blockades, lighting is kept soft with help from bedside lamps and a reflective neutral colour palette.

As they move from the bedroom into the lounge space itself, guests are met with a healthy but not overpowering dose of the rich and opulent trend. Rich antique furniture, gleaming silverware and silky fabrics are just some of the things that lend the room an air of pure manor house luxury.

And as for the bathroom? It doesn’t disappoint and does indeed look like it will give guests a spa-like experience.

Marbled tiles cover both the walls and the floor, and wouldn’t look out of place in a luxury overseas spa. A vintage-inspired free standing bath is bordered by candles emitting a dim, romantic glow, while a bottle of champagne is close at hand to provide the ultimate relaxing soak!

If you’re more of a shower person, there’s even a stylish glass shower cubicle at the head of the bathroom fully stocked with Aveda toiletries and a selection of fluffy bath linen. View more at http://www.glencoe-house.com

BedroomsThis year we’ve seen something of a shift in the design of the bedrooms in hotels, B&Bs, guesthouses and cottages. The fact that they were the place where guests just went to sleep was once taken literally, meaning bedrooms took a backseat to the rest of an establishment’s décor.

Now however, guests expect even more comfort and style than their own room at home. They want to be wowed by their bedroom – after all, as well as the place where they go to sleep it’s the area of your establishment where they will spend the most of their time. So how can you achieve this comfort in style?

Beds www.revivalbeds.co.uk

The bed

An uncomfortable bed is one of the main sources of unfavourable hotel reviews. Help your guests drift off into a deep and uninterrupted sleep with lofty bedding (hollowfibre is great), soft, quality bed linen and a mattress topper.

As for the style element, dressing beds with decorative cushions and bed runners, and buying impressive four poster frames is a trend we’ve seen continually over the duration of the Hilden Style Awards.

Gilmore House

Beds www.revivalbeds.co.uk

Throws www.thewoolcompany.co.uk/about-the-wool-company

Home comforts

Guests don’t want to head out for a relaxing break only to find that their room at home is actually more relaxing than the one in their hotel, B&B, cottage or guesthouse. Placing a television, tea and coffee making facilities, more upmarket snacks and even a mini-bar in rooms is sure to make guests feel right at home.

You could even follow the lead of an increasing number of establishments and include a comfy chair or two in your guestrooms, space permitting of course.

The Nags Head Inn

Snacks www.borderbiscuits.co.uk/trade/

Tea twinings.co.uk/foodservice/supporting-your-business/unlocking-your-tea-sales/core-range/hotels-core-range

Lighting

As you saw in our previous pages, the lighting in hotels, B&Bs, guesthouses and cottages has been moving into much more modern and natural territory.

It’s also giving guests control, incorporating not just a single overhead light but LED lights and multiple wall lights and lamps, all with their own switches and dimmers that allow guests to create their perfect atmosphere and level of ambience.

Strattons Hotel

Table lamp www.imperiallighting.co.uk/product.php?id=3817& cat_id=507

Lampshade www.imperiallighting.co.uk/product.php?id=4724&cat_id=487

Floor lamp www.chantellelighting.co.uk/product/tripod-floor-lamp,-with-orange-shade-900989

BathroomsA bathroom is the centre of relaxation for many guests. After a hectic day there’s nothing many people love more than a long soak in the bath or a long shower, accompanied by high end toiletries and other pampering products. It’s no surprise then that one of the trends we highlighted was the movement of more spa-like bathrooms appearing in hotels, B&Bs, cottages and guesthouses across the country, as illustrated among our Style Awards entries!

Providing this experience isn’t just about installing an all singing, all dancing Jacuzzi bath though, you should take into account the experience as a whole and really look at your current bathrooms to figure out what can be added, improved upon or taken away.

Bath Linen

Guests now expect more than just a soft towel to snuggle into, they expect to find bathrobes and even slippers waiting for them in their chosen hotel’s bathroom.

It’s all about continuity – wouldn’t you want to get straight out of the bath, into a towel then into a toasty bathrobe and slippers?

The Angel Inn

Towels

Bathrobe

Towels www.hilden.co.uk/classic-100-cotton-towel.html

Bathrobe www.hilden.co.uk/ultimate-

vermont-bathrobe.html

Toiletries

Have you ever been to a spa stocked with products from any old supermarket? One of the simplest ways to make the bathrooms in your hospitality establishment look and feel more spa-like is to stock them with higher end toiletries in relaxing scents. Brands like Molton Brown, L’Occitane, Aveda and Kiehl’s have all become statement features in hotels, B&Bs, cottages and guesthouses, in addition to the bathrooms of the general consumer market.

Kiehl’s www.guestsupply.co.uk/subcategory.aspx?cat=hotel-amenities&subcat=kiehls-since-1851

Molton Brown www.moltonbrown.co.uk/store/hotel/ hotelproducts.jsp?pageId=3800020

Montagu Place Hotel

A theme

Just like with the guestrooms entered into our Style Awards, the bathrooms in many small hotels, guesthouses, B&B’s and cottages are beginning to follow a particular theme.

Rather than simply decorating using plain white tiles, fixtures and fittings, why not get more adventurous with an opulent baroque theme, a neutral beachy theme or even something that takes inspiration from countryside farmhouses?

The Pig Hotel

Wire shelf rack www.notonthehighstreet.com/ nkuku/product/locker-room-shelf

Bathroom cabinet and sink www.bathroomorigins.co.uk/index.php/ home/show/808

Personalised hooks for bathrobes and towels: www.notonthehighstreet.com/daughtersoftherevolution/product/personalised-oak-old-school-coat-hooks

Reception AreasWe think it’s safe to say that rather than just turning a guestroom into the main focal point, hospitality interior design is now being considered as a whole. This also includes the reception area.

If you really think about it, this is the area of a hotel or guesthouse that sees the most footfall. Your guests don’t just pass through this area to check into their room, they pass through on their way in and out of your premises for the duration of their stay. It makes sense then that it should make an impact!

This doesn’t mean you should go too crazy with colour though – make sure you’re carrying on the common theme or colour scheme from the rest of your hotel, that your reception area is warm, welcoming and comfortable, that it’s spacious, and that it gives guests a taste of what they’ll find throughout the rest of the building. In a way, it’s similar to showing them a portfolio.

Mullion Cove Hotel

Warm and welcoming

A warm and welcoming reception area is the ideal way to make guests feel instantly relaxed and at ease. While a welcoming reception is instrumental in this, there are decorative elements you can employ to create this atmosphere as soon as they set foot over the front step.

Utilising warmer colours and shades with positive connotations (such as red, yellow and orange in moderation, or even light browns), soft lighting, wooden elements, rich fabrics and even a working fireplace can all have a comforting effect on guests.

Wall light www.tomraffield.com/products/wall-lights/cage-wall-light.php

Fireplace: The Rathbone Hotel

Spacious

If there’s one thing a reception area should be, it’s spacious. As well as making guests feel infinitely more comfortable (especially when you have multiple guests waiting to check in or out at once), it leaves plenty of room for them to store their bags if they’re early for their check-in or aren’t heading home for a little while after they check out.

While the space you have available does obviously depend on the room itself, strategically placing furniture and decorating in neutral colours can really open it up.

New Continental Hotel

New Continental Hotel

Farrow & Ball – Shaded White www.farrow-ball.com/shaded-white/colours/fcp-product/100201

Farrow & Ball – Cornforth White www.farrow-ball.com/cornforth-white/colours/fcp-product/100228

Farrow & Ball – Dove Tale www.farrow-ball.com/dove-tale/colours/fcp-product/100267

Chantilly sofa www.deskcentre.co.uk/shop/ chantilly-faux-leather-sofa.html

Garston 3 seater sofa http://www.made.com/sofas/ garston-3-seater-sofa-deep-pink

Paint

Furniture

Impactful

Imagine walking into the reception area of a hotel and instantly thinking, “Wow.” This kind of first impression is instrumental in not only shaping a guest’s view of your establishment itself, but of what their stay there will be like.

A beautiful reception area indicates that the rest of your hotel will follow the same theme, and that a stay there will be one full of enjoyment, relaxation and luxury. To create an impactful reception area, consider adding patterned wallpaper instead of plain paint, splashes of colour, prints and pictures or a unique front desk.

Quebecs Hotel

Cole and Son – Pavilion Stripe www.cole-and-son.com/en/collection-festival-stripes/wallpaper-96/7041/

Cole and Son – Pompeian www.cole-and-son.com/en/collection-contemporary-restyled/wallpaper-95/11059/

Little Greene – Great Ormond Street – Verditure www.littlegreene.com/verditure

Gustav Klimt - Tannenwald 1 www.johnlewis.com/gustav-klimt- tannenwald-1/p386585?colour=Dark%20Frame

Gillian Bates - Beach huts www.johnlewis.com/ gillian-bates-beach-huts-bright/ p386199?colour=Stretched%20canvas

Wallpaper

Prints and pictures

Dining RoomsWe’ve noticed a lot of talk in the media and on industry websites about upcoming trends for the food served at hospitality establishments. Children’s menus are set to become healthier and more adventurous than simple sausages and chips, while meals as a whole are already being tailored to be healthier, heartier and to incorporate inspiration from foreign lands.

It isn’t just the food in dining rooms that’s experiencing a transformation though. When morning turns to evening, the sleepy breakfast atmosphere turns into a much more intimate and romantic one, a notion that hospitality establishments are working to enhance in their dining rooms in a variety of ways.

The Traddock

Soft lighting

As you’ve seen in our Style Awards entries, lighting is becoming much softer and more sophisticated. Essential in creating a relaxed atmosphere among diners, glaring overhead lights are making way for LED alternatives, dimmer switches, candles on dining room tables and opulent curtains.

Drum pendant www.andythornton.com/en-UK/products/lighting/pendant-lighting/atlgdgp2/delta-gold-drum-pendant

Spotlight www.andythornton.com/en-UK/products/lighting/ceiling-lighting/atlgdl40/low-voltage-round-adjustable-recessed-spotlight

Candle www.diptyqueparis.co.uk/ home-fragrances/candles/ ambre-candle.html

Classic and elegant table linen

As well as protecting tables from unsightly stains and marks and giving guests a way to keep themselves looking presentable, tablecloths and napkins are a simple yet effective way of making the tables in your dining room look more impactful.

Patterned table linen can even help create the intimate evening atmosphere we’ve been talking about.

Glencoe House

Tablecloth www.hilden.co.uk/ultimate-ivy- leaf-tablecloth-10.html

Napkin www.hilden.co.uk/ classic-plain-white-napkin.html

Neutral Decor

When optimising your dining rooms décor, it can be tempting to paint and wallpaper in deep colours that are traditionally thought to evoke feelings of luxury and romance. However, coupled with dimmer, softer lighting this can have the opposite effect and make your dining room feel more like a cave! To counter it, decorate with a predominately neutral colour palette and darker accent colours.

The Royal York Hotel

Napkins www.hilden.co.uk/classic-coloured-plain-napkin-variety-of-colours.html

Craig & Rose – Alabaster www.craigandrose.com/ alabaster

Craig & Rose – Seraph (Superior)www.craigandrose.com/ moorish-yellow

Craig & Rose – White Truffle (Superior) www.craigandrose.com/ white-truffle

Paints

Dining chair www.deskcentre.co.uk/shop/galway-dining-chair.html

Breakfast RoomsNo matter what they did the day before or what time they woke up, chances are that your guests will be feeling a little bleary-eyed when they walk into your breakfast room. This is why we’ve decided to feature both dining rooms and breakfast rooms in our Style Guide – walking sleepily into a dining room made up to feel dimmer will most likely make guests feel like crawling back into bed!

Rather than leaving it to their food to give guests a pick-me-up, many hoteliers are optimising their breakfast rooms in a way that helps to boost guests’ moods and make them feel more awake.

Tan y Foel Country Guesthouse

Light and airy

A light and airy room is cleansing for the soul, which makes it the perfect theme for a breakfast room.

Maximise natural light entering the room by keeping the furniture in front of windows to a minimum and opening curtains and blinds, incorporate LED lights that give off a less harsh glare and decorate in paler, more reflective colours.

Lights www.chantellelighting.co.uk/product/3-spot-lights-on-a-polished-chrome-round-frame--904117

Chair www.deskcentre.co.uk/shop/york-dining-chair.html

Splashes of colour

While a neutral colour palette is a great way to maximise the light in your breakfast room, it doesn’t mean you can’t inject a bit of colour. Colours like orange, yellow, fuschia and purple in particular have actually been said to improve the mood when used in moderation, which means colourful chairs, flowers, salt and pepper shakers and even crockery can all work wonders on tired guests.

Dukes Hotel, St. James

Salt and pepper grinder store.alessi.com/gbr/en-gb/catalog/detail/anna-pepper-pepper-mill/am04

Bowls store.alessi.com/gbr/en-gb/catalog/detail/love-dessert-bowl/mmi03

Simple yet stylish table linen

Table linen in the breakfast rooms of many hotels, B&Bs, cottages and guesthouses is losing its chintzy image and becoming simpler, more stylish and more sophisticated.

Classic white tablecloths and white napkins are being favoured in place of floral and pastel coloured varieties, echoing high end establishments like Claridges who utilise these linens as the blank canvas for their table settings.

Claridge’s

Napkin www.hilden.co.uk/ everyday-satin-band-napkin.html

Tablecloth www.hilden.co.uk/everyday-white-satin-band-tablecloth-4.html

Bars and In-Room BarsOver the past few months we’ve noticed a change in the trends surrounding hotel bars. While the traditional concept of a bar with a guest on one side, a barkeep on the other is never going to go away, many hotels, B&Bs, cottages and guesthouses are embracing variations on the theme.

With indulging in a tipple becoming a much larger part of the hotel experience, guests now want to take their drinks to other areas of an establishment. From a drink in the comfort of their room to one in front of a roaring fire, the availability and flexibility of bars is now instrumental in a guest’s enjoyment of their stay and in the level of luxury they feel it provides. So how can you respond?

Brooks Hotel

Amnesty bars

Amnesty bars (also known as honesty bars) are increasing in popularity because of how unintrusive they are. Rather than having to wait for their drinks to be made up, served and paid for, guests can serve themselves at their convenience and pay whenever is suitable.

They’re also commonly located in cosy lounge areas and are cheaper than a traditional bar due to the absence of serving staff, another thing that makes them so popular with modern hotel guests.

Whisky glass www.johnlewis.com/rcr-cristalleria-da-vinchi-prato-whisky-glass-0-29l-clear/p231894031

Glass drink stirrers www.barmans.co.uk/products/product.asp?ID=5479&title=Glass+Stirring+Rods

Wet bars

Amidst a series of articles claiming that the mini-bar as we know it is on its way out, a new trend has arisen for wet bars. These are in-room bars that come complete with a sink for washing out glasses before a change of beverage, and plenty of space to mix a drink of your chosen size rather than pour out of miniature bottles.

They’re much more convenient and much easier to keep an eye on, which is why they’re becoming a favourite of both guests and hoteliers.

Glencoe House

Wine glass www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-metro-red-wine-glasses-0-45l-set-of-4/p231218759

Cocktail glass www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-soiree-cocktail-glass-0-15l-clear/p471284

Top 20 entries

Glencoe House The Traddock

Hamilton’s

The Old School Rose Farm Cottage

The Cartford InnSettle Holiday Cottage

The Grange The Giltar

Eildonside

The Cawdor The Nags Head Inn

Elm Grove Hotel Penzance

Brig of Tig

Grimscote Manor Apsley House

Martinstown House The Aberlour Hotel

Tower House

Other featured hotels

Strattons Hotel The Chesterfield Hotel Ellenborough Park The Inn at Whitewell Llangoed Hall Brooks Guesthouse Drakes of Brighton The Connaught Hotel Hope Street Hotel Summerhow House Hotel du Vin Hotel Russell Babington House Soho Hotel Gilmore House The Angel Inn Montagu Place Hotel The Pig Hotel Mullion Cove Hotel The Rathbone Hotel New Continental Hotel Quebecs Hotel The Royal York Hotel Tan y Foel Guesthouse Dukes Hotel, St. James Claridge’s

CreditsThank you to all the excellent hotels, B&Bs, holiday cottages and guesthouses that entered the Hilden Style Awards this year. We look forward to judging even more great entries next year.

Below you’ll find the other hotels, brands & products featured in this guide as well as our expert judging panel.

Featured brands/products

Hilden Linens L’Occitane Revival Beds The Wool Company Border Biscuits Twinings Imperial Lighting Chantelle Lighting Molton Brown Kiehl’s Guest Supply Not on the High Street Bathroom Origins Tom Raffield Farrow & Ball Desk Centre Cole & Son Little Greene John Lewis Andy Thornton Diptyque Paris Craig & Rose Alessi Barmans Ltd Made.com

Style Awards Judges 2013

Laurie Thomas Managing Director

Alastair Sawday Founder & Chairman

Rochelle Read Senior e-Commerce Manager

Hilden

Darwen House

Walker Industrial Park

Blackburn

Lancashire

BB1 2QE

0845 437 9854www.hilden.co.uk