HOTEL ROOM VIEWS

Over the weekend, I had to go to Abuja for my niece’s introduction ceremony. The Yorubas always look for reason to celebrate, wine and dine. At the airport, I asked the bored and boring airline staff for window seat so I can have a view. At the next counter, another gentleman was requesting for an aisle seat. On board, I was admiring the landscape until the altitude took over and made me switched my gaze to the skyscape. I did not have to wonder why anyone would take an aisle seat and end up staring at the head rest in front as the gentleman on the aisle seat visited the loo more than ten times in the less than an hour flight. What I consider boring is an enough reason for another man’s choice.

In the hotel industry, views are integral part of the total make-up of an average room. While building and making up a room, efforts are always limited to the inner configuration of the room alone. A room is not limited to the four walls that borders it alone but also include environmental landscape and sights that border the room from outside. By definition and hotel parlance, views are regarded as the sights and sounds that are outside the room that have therapeutic comforts. The most common view that comes to mind is the swimming pool. Rooms with pool view are regularly sought for because of the above reason.  Gazing at the pool from the room can be very relaxing and provides an escape from the sometimes converging walls of the room.

The security condition of the country perhaps is one of the mitigating factors against pleasant views in the industry. Windows are not only permanently locked but it comes with mosquito net and burglary proof iron that obscure any view that the outside may want to offer. Not that the outside has much to offer anyway as most hotel buildings will rather give priority to security over aesthetics and landscape issues in the hotel. Again, the excuse is that swimming pool is very expensive to build and maintain. But I must be quick to correct that impression. Swimming pool is not that expensive to build or maintain; and it does not exist in the hotel as just aesthetic but has a significant monetary value. If it is properly handled, your swimming pool may just be the cash cow your hotel needs to augment your revenue from rooms. If you cannot build pool then consider a water fountain.

Architects are always preoccupied with car park space when building hotels; my point on site however has always been that the hotel cannot obviously has enough car park. So, consideration must be given to landscape and greenery.  Sitting the gymnasium outside the hotel building but within the perimeter fence will give the guests something to view and also advertise some of the facilities that would otherwise be hidden in the hotel structure.

The era of throwing cheap flower pots around the hotel has passed; guests are more sophisticated and exposed. An hotel room without a view is simply an Australian prison. Have you been there?!