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Miscellany on my many balls in the air:Travel, design, and marketing.By Barb Shadomy

Before life as an innkeeper began, I was a consultant and, by extension, road warrior. I stayed at properties as various as the Four Seasons, the Waldorf Astoria, and countless Hiltons, Sheratons, Radissons, etc. Lucky for me the hotels I stayed at were often quite luxe, although sometimes a city we’d visit just didn’t have that type of lodging.

After four years on the road, I saw pretty much what was out there mid-range and above. During this time we traveled nicely for leisure, too, using all those miles accrued being on the road – going to far flung places and staying at lush properties like the Ritz-Carlton in Singapore, the famous Ngorongoro Crater Lodge in Tanzania, the Mandarin

Oriental in Hong Kong ... you get the picture!

When it came to my re-design of guest rooms at Stonehurst Place, I had the luxury of knowing from experience what I needed as a business traveler and what I wanted as a vacation traveler.

Just as important, I knew what I did not want in a room.

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“All guest rooms are designed. Few are well designed.”

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I remember staying at the famous Hotel Adlon in Berlin. The in-room ‘command central’ for electronics and lighting wowed me – beside the bed was a custom console with switches for all lights, a slot for the TV remote, do-not-disturb switches to alert housekeeping… it was extensive. It’s all here, just where I need it, I thought! I love good design. Uh oh; next I sat at the desk, went to plug in my laptop power cord and discovered an important and overlooked item in all this fancy gadgetry and myriad of switches. So carried away were the designers in impressing with the overdone ‘command central’ that they forgot to give me a plug for my computer. The only two outlet options at the desk were used (telephone and lamp) so I had to choose which I needed most – my computer to work, the desk lamp to see when I worked, or the telephone. I unplugged the desk lamp. They blew it.

The key to a comfortable guest room is based on architect Louis Sullivan’s phrase “Form ever follows function. This is the law.” (What a nice coincidence;

Sullivan wrote that the very same year Stonehurst was built!) Have you spent the night in a room at your own inn to experience how it feels, how easy is it to sit comfortably and watch TV or work at your computer, or even navigate to the bathroom in the dark? I remember the first time I did that at Stonehurst Place, and the many details I noticed. It was satisfying to then make quick improvements, even though most were tiny adjustments. Even small changes are critical if you want to provide the perfect experience for your guests!

The minimum for a well-designed guestroom, one that will make your guests want to return for more, is documented below. Remember, your guests are clients! Give them what they need:

Bed, good-sized and well located. Sketch a floor plan of your room and draw where the bed is located, then draw the rest of the furniture in the room. Is this the best spot for the bed? Are both sides of the bed easily accessible? Take a different color pen and use it to draw ‘traffic flow’ arrows around the bed and other furniture … think about when your guest enters the bedroom – where will they go and what will they do? They’ll enter the room with their suitcase – where does it go? They’ll walk to the desk and set down a briefcase and/or handbag. Is this a convenient course? How about getting up from the bed and walking into the bathroom – is this an easy path with nothing to navigate? Remember, when they stay in this room they aren’t familiar with it like you are, so be thoughtful about furniture placement.

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FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTIONWhen your guest enters the room, where will they go and what will they do?

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Use this pen and paper exercise to make sure your rooms are best laid out for guests and if not, change them!

Bedside tables on each side of the bed, generously sized and that have enough room to place a book, mobile phone, that late night cup of tea, etc. I’ve often stayed in hotel rooms that disappointed because there was no table on ‘my’ side of the bed. It’s bad enough management has to pick one side for the alarm clock (obviously they do) that I may have to crawl over to, but don’t skimp on two tables and please put a good lamp on each one. More on that later.

Electrical outlets in convenient places: extras under the desk (think laptop, iPhone or iPad charger, maybe double those the way we travel these days, and an extra for something you or I can’t even predict). Where will they want to set up their ironing board and iron? They’ll need a plug for the iron. Where will they want to dry their hair, maybe using extras like a curling iron? I was recently in the Czech Republic for a wedding and stayed in a newly built

business hotel just outside Prague. What did the designers forget? Where I would style my hair. I ended up sitting on the floor by the door, with my flat iron and air curlers, so that I had a place to put them and the brush I needed as well. There was literally nowhere else to use!

Good lighting. At Stonehurst Place we offer the following in guest rooms:

✴ Dimmable overhead lights, strategically positioned (I worked to position the recessed/can lights so they don’t shine down in guest eyes when they’re lying in bed, even using non-reflective baffles).

✴ Table lamps on each bedside table. Don’t use ‘bedside table’ lamps. They’re too small/short and don’t generate enough light. On the flip side, don’t use a candlestick (buffet) light either. They’re too tall and when your guest is laying in bed the bulb will be exposed to their eyes, and that hurts. I’ve had both of these unfortunate scenarios in B&Bs, where I keep running into quirky ‘leftover’ lamps bedside. Please don’t make this mistake or, if you did, fix it!

Comfortable, generously-sized reading or tv-watching chair, and a second chair or settee if you’re working with a large room or a suite. Can I watch TV from the location of the chair/settee, or read comfortably as it’s positioned? Ensure there are overhead lights or a nearby lamp that can be directed for this purpose. Select comfortable furniture you can keep clean. You’d be surprised where people put their (shoe clad) feet.

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“Upon arriving at the B&B I was swept away instantly. This sensational home has been completely transformed into a beautiful cross between old beauty and modern/sleek. You will find stunning wood work, original floors & fire places along with sexy fixtures, chandeliers and Andy Warhol works of art!”

Heather Z., Houston

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Work desk with task lighting and a comfortable chair. If you are doing a renovation and have the chance to include wiring work, make sure to put plenty of outlets here as well and don’t forget hard-wired internet outlets in case your wireless goes out – and put a internet-to-laptop connection cable in the desk drawer.

Generous closet and drawer space. If you can afford to do so, outfitting your closets with California Closet type systems makes them so nice for guests.

These closet systems can be nice for you, too, from a housekeeping perspective, providing the perfect space for extra pillow and blanket storage.

Next time we’ll talk about amenities that make a guest room great, not just good!

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GIVE THEM WHAT THEY NEED:generous closet space.