Are Pop-Up Hotels Permanently Transforming Hospitality?

At Dunn-Edwards we know the importance of staying ahead of color trends and design trends. As the highest quality paint trusted by both design experts and painting professionals, it is our job to stay ahead of the curve. Therefore, we recently noted the hottest hospitality design trends unveiled at HD Expo in Las Vegas. There is, however, one hot hotel trend we’ve yet to discuss: pop-up hotels.

Image courtesy Aida Atelier. Photography © Toto

The Latest Trend In Hotel Design

Hotel industry veteran Marriott embraced this hotel trend and debuted their first-ever pop-up hotel at the 2017 Coachella festival. Set up on festival grounds, eight tents were uniquely modeled after different hotels under the brand's umbrella, like Aloft and the Autograph Collection. All luxury tents were equipped with electricity, fine linens, and other perks that hotel-guests would expect in traditional brick and mortar hotels. Further, the United States isn’t alone in adopting this hospitality trend, particularly when it comes to the music festival circuit. In June 2017, the Pop Up Hotel is coming to the UK’s Glastonbury festival. Like the pop-up hotel at Coachella, it too will offer luxury glamping accommodations. While music festivals make an ideal spot for pop-up hotels, they are not the only place to find this hotel trend.

Coachella festival grounds. Image credit: Leslie Kirchhoff

What Pop-Up Hotels Offer

In general, pop-up architecture is not necessarily a new trend, but the emergence of pop-up hotels, specifically, is the pop-up design's latest outgrowth. Further, Airbnb has proven that hotels no longer require the permanent or traditional hotel trappings to attract and engage hotel guests. In the unconventional form of tents, shipping containers, or even pods, travelers now have the option to enjoy a five-star experience. Utilizing the right paint colors which compliment, and in fact enhance, both the hotel’s unique setting and a guest’s pop-up hotel experience, are crucial to a pop-up hotel’s success.

Travelers can now quite literally vacation anywhere in the world — the sand dunes of Dubai, the salt flats of Bolivia, or even a remote location in the arctic. The opportunities for new travel experience are boundless - so too are the opportunities for hospitality design.

Image Credit:Sharon Christina Rørvik via Unsplash

Why Pop-Up Hotels Are Popular

A 2014 study by Harris Group and Eventbrite found that 72% of Millennials prefer to spend money on experiences rather than on material objects. Millennials are more likely to embrace a global perspective and prioritize travel. Furthermore, a study from American Express shows that 70% of Millennials are looking for a personalized travel experience on their vacations. Pop-up hotels, and their design, are a substantial part of this experience.

Dunn-Edwards stays ahead of the trends to better support the design experts and painting professionals who trust our top-quality paint. To learn even more about the latest trends in hospitality you can read our recap of the HD Expo or see our 2017 Hotel Architecture Trends in Action report.