In a dynamic and decidedly B2B event, from 6 to 10 November, ‘premium’ brands and professionals from the complex world of hospitality were once again able to meet and greet inside the stands of over 1,200 exhibitors, and in group initiatives of French, Italian and Spanish companies, along with an intense program of encounters organized on a daily basis. Visitors also saw spaces set aside for special installations, ‘experiential contexts’ that welcomed guests, events and proposals of interior design, matched with a focus on food & beverage culture.
These spaces included was the Lounge des Chefs created by AW2, the Terrasse bar and restaurants coordinated by Pierre-Alexandre Risser, La Table Astronomique, designed by Nicolas Thermed, Le Carré Privé, produced by Sicis, the VIP bar with a ‘mise-en-scene’ by Thierry Virvaire.
The ranks of French interior designers working in the field of hotellerie included Oscar Lucien Ono, who presented ‘Votre Chambre’ as “une vision fragmentée du ‘boudoir de vie,’” and Laurent Maugoust, who in the same installation, an archetypal villa by the sea, imagined ‘Votre Chambre’ as a “co-construction et scénographie de l’hôtel de demain.” Philippe Coudray for Capsule Signature created a ‘hotel room-capsule’ on an imaginary planet, full of technology and lush fabrics.
Many international makers of wallcoverings and fabrics gathered in a special section, including Argile, Arte France, Atelers Pinton, Biobject, Bisson Bruneel, C&C Milano, Charles Burger, Dedar France, Elitis, Lelièvre, Little Cabari, Misia Casamance, Nobilis, Omexco, Rubelli, Silent Gliss, Toulemond Bochart. The Senses Room, on the other hand, curated by Francis Van De Walle, was entirely set aside for solutions for the disabled in hospitality contexts.
The main theme of this edition, hospitality engagée, can also be summed up by numbers nd contents, with 100,000 square meters for 30 sectors of activity, ‘engaged’ in 4 Universes (Foodservice, Design, Bien-être, Technologies & Services), 5 inspirational concepts (durée et durabilité, recrutement et fidelisation, digital à visage humain, décoration et dècor a l’ére du care, le soin de soi), 13 theme itineraries in pavilions 4 and 7, and a complete overview of FF&E (Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment) and OS&E (Operating Supplies and Equipment).
The resulting picture is complex and multifaceted, rich in creative and financial resources to invest in the ‘care’ of clients and their ‘experience’ of hospitality, as well as wellbeing in the workplace. The commitment, or perhaps the challenge, is far from simple.
Namely to be simultaneously emotional and pragmatic, keeping pace with or actually introducing an innovative approach, while matching the expectations of guests, making lasting choices in terms of a sustainable and circular economy.
Within this concrete perspective, the Circular Hotel Interior trademark is of particular interest, part of the Ecy-Twin/Interreg France-Wallonie-Vlanderen project, a European Union certification that identifies interior design, furnishings and textile products for the hospitality sector that combine the principles of the circular economy, ecodesign, ecoproduction, life cycle and reduction of waste.
