HôTELL
TEAM: Bianca Soccetti, Federica Fogazzi, Elena Balzarini – TU Delft
Assembly instructions for informal sleeping
What is the new frontier of hospitality?
In order to answer this question, we tried considering the conditions of contemporary short-stay. The comfort and luxury of a private hotel room have ceased to be the primary qualities that are sought in temporary accommodation.
This tendency is clearly recognizable among the youngest, which would rather devote their time and energy to the exploration of new places. Their demands would be quite simply fulfilled by an inexpensive spot to crash at, late in the evening after an exhausting day out.
Our entry draws upon this dynamic idea of travel, endorsing an alternative model that breach the core of hospitality as institutionalized sector.
Moreover, we believe that it is not necessary to create a typology anew in order to provide for these demands. Instead of increasing the number of mono-functional buildings such as hotels, we have looked for new possibilities to couple existing structure with the new needs of the travellers, with the aim of optimizing the daily fruition of the single building.
What happens within department stores at night, after the doors are shut? Why not exploiting the potentialities embedded within commercial heterotopias such as IKEA?
Our proposal entails the establishment of a new service within the range of those currently proposed by IKEA, HÖTELL. Instead of shutting down its doors at 10 p.m., IKEA will stay open during the night and accommodate different type of temporary shelter for those seeking a low-cost, informal bed.
The idea is that the different model rooms of the showroom will actually become livable and lived space, to be used overnight. Two main services will be offered: the communal room, where
during the day a multiplicity of beds is displayed, and the apartments, examples of IKEA ready-made flats.
The first turns into a dormitory overnight; just like any hostel, it is possible to book one bed or more, according to the guest’s needs. The latter can be rented as a private accommodation, which includes kitchen, living room, bathroom as well as sleeping places, that varies from apartment to apartment. Booking is easy and intuitive, thanks to the IKEA HÖTELL app. Travelers can check the vacancies live and decide which spot they want to book.
Prices vary depending on the bedding choices. In fact, guests are invited to select sheets and covers they want to use for the night and to prepare the bed by themselves. So the the price to pay for sleeping is that of the used sheets, that eventually can be taken home by the customers.
HÖTELL aims to be a simply, efficient and cost-effective sleeping alternative. What are you waiting for? Choose the bed, book it through the app, pick the linen and sleep tight!