Better than Home – the value of homeyness in the design of guestrooms for female business travelers

Author: Grace Lau K. Faculty of Health, Arts and Design School of Design Swinburne University of Technology

PhD by Thesis - 2020 -

Declaration

I hereby declare, to the best of my knowledge, this thesis contains no material that has been accepted for the award to the candidate of any other degree or diploma, or any material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the text of this thesis. Where the work is based on joint research or publications, I have disclosed the relative contributions of the respective creators or authors.

Grace Lau K.

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Acknowledgement

My heartfelt thanks to all the supervisors and mentors who have had guided me all these years. Dr. Angelina Russo and Prof. Ken Friedman at the very early stage of my application, Prof. Dori Tunstall who has taught me so much about anthropology design and ethnographic approach at the beginning, Dr. Dolly Daou for her valuable advices on how to start writing and to invite me to the SITUATION Conference to present my ideas in 2016. Salute to Dr. Daniel Huppatz and Dr. Mozammel Mridha for fighting with me and helping me to make it and beat the deadline for submission. Most of all, love to Stephanie Borland for editing the very ‘breathtaking’ first draft, and last but not least, Prof. Scott Whiteside, for being a wonderful friend who has always been so supportive and come to my rescue when I need help at times we work together and during my years as a PhD candidate at Swinburne. These eight years would not have been that easy without any of you being there at the right moment to help me live through all the problems I encountered. Last but not least, I would also like to say thank you to the two external examiners for their time and for providing me with all those valuable advices and comments.

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Abstract

The phenomenon has transformed the hotel industry in the last decade (Lau 2014). With increased competition among and a new focus on emotional and UX (User-experience) design, many of the latest boutique hotels are designed to appeal to guests who look for ‘the perfect hotel away from home’. This research, targeting female business travelers, aims to answer the question: How do female business travelers conceive a lodging experience in boutique hotels in Asia that is comparable to their experience at home? The question can be translated into a fundamental exploration of how design researchers might predict the ways in which people will respond to their environment by better understanding how people construct meanings for objects and spaces. Specifically, if boutique hotels are marketed as better than home, how do female business travelers construct notions of home that make the lodging experience more homey? Focusing on guestroom experience, the value of homeyness is analysed by assimilating objects, emotions, and user interactions. By employing a multi-disciplinary approach, the findings translated into a three-dimensional matrix encompassing emotions, objects, activities and incorporating ideas of anthropology, sociology, psychology, architectural design, gendered space, product ecology, and spatial design is useful as a prescriptive model for designers and hoteliers to determine design direction that facilitates guests’ experience. This research adds to knowledge in several areas, particularly to the topic of hotel design for female business travelers around the ‘sense of home’ and by focusing on a specific group of travels has revealed new and valuable insight into the ever- changing hotel businesss. The improved understanding of the decision processes and human-object interactivity is also be able to resolve the meaning of 'design' in a spatial- behavioral perspective, and defines new ways of structuring spatial experience.

The originality of this research lies both in its focus and approach. Recent research on hotel experience is primarily either in the realm of visually-oriented ‘coffee table’ books or marketing studies and, although some researchers have taken an ethnographic approach, none have defined a strong focus on women as business travelers in Asia or engaged a multi-disciplinary approach such as this one (Lau 2014).

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TABLE OF CONTENTS __

INTRODUCTION 7

CHAPTER ONE | CONTEXTUAL STUDIES 20 1.1 Object of study – Hotel 20 1.1.1 Typology of City-based Hotels 1.1.2 Defining Boutique Hotel 1.1.3 The Boutique Hotel Phenomenon 1.1.4 Emotional Design in the Hotel Industry 1.2 Subject of Study – Female Business Travelers 37 1.2.1 Women in Business 1.2.2 Female Impact on Hospitality Services 1.2.3 Women-Only Context 1.3 Value of Study – Homeyness 44 1.3.1 What Constitutes a Home 1.3.2 The Meaning of Being Home 1.3.3 Objects at Home 1.3.4 The Home of a Female Business Traveler

CHAPTER TWO | LITERATURE REVIEW 55 2.1 Territoriality 56 2.1.1 Creating a Territory 2.1.2 Privacy Setting 2.2 Existential Space 58 2.2.1 Perception vs Calculations 2.2.2 The Construction of Experience 2.3 Gendered Spaces 61 2.3.1 Women and the Making of Space 2.3.2 Women-only Space 2.4 Environmental-Behavioral Dynamics 64 2.4.1 Proxemics 2.4.2 Kinesthetic Experience

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2.5 Symbolic Interactionism 67 2.5.1 Emotional Design of Objects and Space 2.5.2 User-centered Studies 2.5.3 Ecology of Objects 2.6 The Connecting Proportions and Missing Dimensions 71 2.6.1 The Secrets of the Bedroom 2.6.2 The Secrets of the Guestrooms 2.6.3 The Former and the Latter 2.6.4 The Hoteliers and the Designers

CHAPTER THREE | TIMELINE & METHODOLOGY 84 3.1 Ground Zero – Research Foundation Development | Mar – Apr 2014 91 3.1.1 Defining Theoretical Framework: Q.A.M.E 3.1.2 Selecting Participants and Shortlisting Targets 3.2 Stage ONE –Data Collection | May 2014 - Jan 2015 102 3.2.1 Survey 3.2.2 Interviewing 3.2.3 Photo Elicitation 3.2.4 Participant Observation 3.2.5 Evaluation and Proximity Matrices 3.2.6 Mapping 3.3 Stage TWO – Data Analysis | Jan - Aug 2015 111 3.3.1 Document Review 3.3.2 Desktop Research 3.3.3 Participatory content creation and Web based feedback mechanisms 3.3.4 Card Sorting 3.4 Stage THREE – Concept Testing | Aug 2015 – May 2016 117 3.4.1 Role Play 3.4.2 Focus Groups 3.4.3 Conceptual Modeling

CHAPTER FOUR | RESEARCH FINDINGS 121 4.1 The Subject . The Object . The Value 122 4.1.1 The Representation of Female Business Travelers 4.1.2 Considerations for Choosing Where to Stay 4.1.3 The Good and Bad Times in Guestrooms

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4.1.4 Navigation Pattern and In-room Activities 4.1.5 Emotions and the Definition of Homeyness 4.1.6 Taxonomy of Hotels and Recent Changes in the Hotel Industry 4.1.7 The Perfect Guestroom in the Eyes of a Designer 4.2 The Assumptions and The Facts 144 4.2.1 Things to know about Guestroom Design 4.2.2 Key Things about Guest Experience 4.2.3 Critical Factors to Successful Hotel Marketing

CHAPTER FIVE | DISCUSSION 157 5.1 Where are the Connections 158 5.1.1 Hotel and Home 5.1.2 Objects and Interactions 5.1.3 Emotional Design and Experience 5.2 Where are the Disconnections 169 5.2.1 Objects and Values (in Defining Space) 5.2.2 Inhabited Space and Geometrical Space 5.3 Which are Concepts Redefined 174 5.3.1 The Time Factor Matrix 5.3.2 The Design of a Guestroom

CONCLUSION 188

LIST OF REFERENCES 198 LIST OF CHARTS and DIAGRAMS 207 APPENDIX 210

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INTRODUCTION __ In general, a hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging -- a temporary place to sleep. However, the simple need for lodging has evolved over time, and what hotels offer has extended beyond basic accommodation. Since the beginning of the decade, some modern hoteliers have added features like a free minibar, free in-room wifi, or a welcome cocktail at the lounge/bar as adding value and creating the ideal guest experience and a positive emotional response (Cornell Hotel & Restaurant Administration Quarterly, August 1 2002). Lately, the growth of boutique hotels have created more awareness to the need to attend to service details, research conducted by different hotel groups indicated that cosumers are looking at hotel to provide an “experience in itself” (Agatt 2007) as a research in Singapore revealed that the rise of boutique hotels are a result of redefined expectations and hoteliers are adding new features and culture-related services and facilities to create unique experience related to the name or the location of the hotel itself (Henderson 2011). Architects, designers, hoteliers and hotel managers are more conscious than ever that individual preferences can differ in accordance with guests’ culture, background, past experiences or gender. New hospitality brands, such as , Moxy by Marriott, Tryp by Wyndham, and by Intercontinental, were launched starting 2014 to meet the changing preferences of guests who demanded innovative alternatives to traditional lodging experiences. The development of these new brands has been thriving in North America, but is most prominent around Asia, particularly in China, Thailand and Taipei (Global Hospitality Insights 2015). Some hotels even invite guests to participate in the creation of their own lodging experience; as International Hotel Consultant Levy-Bonvin described it, they are hotels that “combine ‘savoir faire’ and the good use of technology to offer their guests an ‘a la carte’ environment’ (2003). For instance, Resorts Worldwide provides guests with a checklist of options for different items in the room, such as pillow and blanket choice, before arrival to ensure that they feel their preferences are being catered to. Many hotels also emphasize providing a good ‘home experience’ for guests. Taglines like “home away from home” (Home Hotel by Joo) and “makes you feel like at home” (East Hotel, HK) are commonly used in advertisements, and some hotels even call themselves ‘home’ such as Home Hotel Taipei or Jia Hotel, Hong Kong (Jia in Cantonese means ‘home’). Those wordings on the promotional materials and websites have successfully created a first impression for the guests and preempted their expectations for the kind of experience they will be getting before their arrival.

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Studies conducted by hotels or frequent travel bloggers have recognized that staying at a hotel offers people a wide range of benefits and comfort such as i) cleaniness and sustenance, ii) security and comfort, and iii) information and services (SamGoesPlaces 2013). Accordingly, guests increasingly appreciate the advantages of hotel living (Edge 2013) -- the convenience of round-the-clock service, a central location and a prestigious address, plus chocolates placed on pillows, international newspaper delivery to the door, toilet paper rolls tucked into a perfect fold, as well as branded bathroom amenities and daily turn-down and laundry service (Anon 2008); all of which create a sense of comfort and well-being when in a foreign city. Such perks not only raise people’s expectations as to the kinds of services they can enjoy in hotels, they also change people’s aspirations regarding what a home could or should provide. Apart from those aforementioned benefits of a hotel stay, it has been proven that hotel accommodation can be much less expensive than renting an apartment for those who need to be on the road for long periods; savings could be as high as US$925 per month in major cities like Hong Kong, New York, Shanghai and Sydney (Hank 2010).

The changing landscape of the hotel industry together with the evolving tastes and needs of travelers have contributed to the development of a new market segment. Taste and needs can be extremely idiosyncratic; and, instead of just adding new features to the existing establishment, new hotel types were created and started to appear in the early 21st century. In pursuit of this new business opportunity, the more successful hotel groups have adopted an approach that combines interior design with close attention to individual needs and started to create hotels that offer a different kind of experience to guests. Calling themselves ‘lifestyle hotels’, these aim to provide inspirational lifestyles -- some are attached to the names of famous designers such as Andree Putman, Philippe Starck, Martin Margiela, and Rene Lezard. Consequently, hoteliers (with the help of their interior designers) claim that they can create hotels like homes or even better than homes, and travelers are beginning to relate to lifestyle hotels as a ‘home away from home’. As this trend thrives, the lodging projects that have broken ground since 2010 globally include over 50% condominium hotels (Hotels & Motels in Asia-Pacific - Market Research Report 2011). The increasing popularity of condo-hotel developments has also put a lifestyle previously reserved for the rich and famous within easier reach, especially for people in major Asian cities such as Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai and Taipei. A report issued by Hospitality and Leisure in Asia, JSM in 2010 showed that hotel brands like The Peninsula Group, Swire Properties and the Intercontinental Hotels Group have started

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development projects in China and Vietnam focused on creating a ‘lifestyle experience’ for guests who are ‘cost-conscious and experience-focused’.

Additionally, the trend of hotel-style home design has been widely promoted by different media and publications during the last decade. Many websites like housebeautiful.com and apartmenttherapy.com, and interior design magazines such as Elle Decor and HomeJournal, have started to offer tips to how ‘everyone’ can decorate homes like hotels. Design elements used in hotels are now widely adopted in homes, like the use of glass, the idea of a wet room, the use of wool carpet, and natural/rustic oak flooring (Santora 2010). Hong Kong interior designer and ex-Chairman of Hong Kong Interior Design Association (HKIDA) Antony Chan, in an interview during Business of Design Week (BODW) 2015, remarked that “frequent business travelers tend to renovate their homes with reference to designs of the hotels they visited most. They just love to turn their homes into their favorite hotels”. Hotel-style home living as a new phenomenon is especially popular amongst certain hotel guests in Asian cities like Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Taipei, Singapore and Bangkok (Santora 2010). These guests crave interesting design and intimate service, and expect unique offerings that are exciting alternatives to what typical hotel chains offer. Hong Kong architect Gary Chang considered hotel living an increasing cosmopolitan lifestyle; as he travels regularly, a hotel to him is more than a home. As a consequence, he has admitted that a strange metamorphosis has taken place in his home: it has increasingly resembled a hotel room (Chang 2006, 2011, 2017). He has also commented in his book Hotel as Home (Chang 2008) that “the boundaries between the categories of home, service apartments, and hotels have become fuzzier these days”, and more hoteliers are working with designers to create hotels more like homes.

“Home is where the heart is” is a proverb that means home is wherever you long to be; the place that you love most. Home is a place where people can have a good time eating, resting, entertaining, and envisioning. A hotel is a temporary home for travelers. In fact, the need to feel at home is important to many business travelers, even when staying in a hotel for one night. Since they will almost certainly need a good night’s sleep to prepare them for the next day’s work, being able to feel at home will let them rest well in their room, not only in a city that they first visit but also in a city they frequently visit for work; not only to sleep well, but to feel safe and secure, and sure of not being disturbed. If home is a place where someone (normally or naturally) lives, ‘homeyness’ is that feeling contained in a place where people (normally or naturally) live. The feeling of homeyness is especially

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relevant and important to business travelers as it contributes to the sense of belonging and level of comfort they can obtain during the time they are away from their real home; given that the lived reality of home could be stressful sometimes, to be in a hotel can be a good getaway from such reality yet considered a homey place when a person is away from home. A report published by The New York Times in 2015 on business travels related the importance of new hotels targeted to business travelers to be able to take on a more “residential in their approach”, as a lot of business travelers would prefer hotel atmosphere that “feels more like a home” (Zipkin 2015). To the hoteliers, the feeling is an indicator of their quality of service as well as the chance of attaining return business or business referral.

In the past, hoteliers may have reckoned that the majority of business travelers are male, but according to some recent studies, there are more women traveling around the world for both work and leisure (Anon 1995). A study by Travel & Leisure as far back as 2005 estimated that females comprised 50% of frequent fliers and 43% of business travelers, and later research shows that much of the recent growth in business travel among women comes from small businesses (Chang 2012). Reports from a hospitality industry survey in 2012 indicated that the behaviour and preferences of women in business have contributed to a new landscape for the air travel and hotel industries, that differentiate them from other kinds of travelers (Chang 2012). A travel survey conducted by Deloitte, indicated that the hotel industry rebounded in 2012 with the growth of female and young (under the age of 44) business travelers, who have very different attitudes and expectations about the hotels they frequent when compared to older travelers (Chang 2012). As a result, many hotels around the world have taken major initiatives in designing programmes and guestroom configurations to capture this growing group of customers. The importance of addressing the female guests is further supported by recent industry study, especially in Asia, that indicated female business travelers comprises a very important market segment (Mayer 2010); also, more than half of corporate travel buyers reported to have a higher percentage of females in their traveling populations (Forbes 2018).

This research on the emotional values of ‘homeyness’ in hotel experiences is centred on the environmental-behavioural exploration of female business travelers’ experience at boutique hotels in Asia, and aims to answer the question -- How do female business travelers conceive a lodging experience that can compare to their experience at home through interacting with objects and engaging in activities, in guestrooms of lifestyle boutique hotels around Asia? The question can be translated into a fundamental

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exploration of how design researchers might prescribe the ways in which people will respond to the environment by better understanding how people construct meanings for objects and visual cues so as to create an experience for themselves. Specifically, if boutique hotels are marketed as better than home, how do female travelers construct notions of home and engage in activities that make the lodging experience more homey? By answering the research question, the study will also uncover the relations between, i) the size and configurations of guestrooms that are catered to frequent business travelers traveling in Asia (especially females); and ii) the individual’s culturally-mediated personal values that create meanings for objects which indirectly shape the lodging experience and activities within the room. Ultimately, the research will generate knowledge for creating more relevant lodging experience when at home, in hotels or in other spaces targeting females of high mobility and be able to frame a more prescriptive approach for creating ‘well-designed spaces’. It will also be able to resolve the meaning of 'design' in a spatial- behavioral perspective, by employing a multi-disciplinary approach that incorporates emotional and cultural considerations with the physical activities of the guests. The construct of the research is illustrated by the diagram in Figure.1 below:

Figure. 1 Diagram of the Construct of Research showing Fundamental Question, Focus and Perspectives

To expand on the conventional approach to environmental-behavioral study, the research has taken an ethnographic approach in the early stage and a phenomenological approach in the later stage. This diverse approach allowed the researcher to experience the life of the users by immersing herself into their lives to develop experiential knowledge at the early stage, and then incorporate concepts from previous literature in order to explore the differing (interior and architecture, product, and design) phenomena during the analytic

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stage. The approach also allowed the study to assimilate a wider parameter, besides observation and data collection, by integrating physical variations and lifestyle to cover cultural variations and social characteristics, as well as behavioural patterns and emotional responses. Through this integration, related and unrelated knowledge can be cross- referenced and coalesced to reflect how the design (which includes visual elements and also design artifacts/objects, from toiletries, lamps, furniture and coffee machines to stationary and key/key cards) in our homes and hotels, interact with the users to initiate activities (and change patterns) that assert influence on their perceptions, values and emotions. As Bernard argues in Social Research Methods (2000), these combined approaches can strategically incorporate physical variations and lifestyle with observation and data collection, and can also cover cultural variations and social characteristics, as well as behavior patterns and emotional responses.

This research is original in not just in its approach but also in terms of its context and contents. Although research on emotional design of hotel experience dates back as early as 2010 (KP Lo), most focus only on a single aspect and do not include other perspectives. Moreover, recent study on hotel experience is primarily either in the realm of visual- oriented ‘coffee table’ books or marketing studies. Examples include Hotel Spaces by Montse Borras (2008), and The ™ Book by Design Hotels™ (2012). Although some publications, like Hotel Design, Planning, and Development by Richard H. Penner, Lawrence Adams and Stephani K A Robson (2012), and Hip Hotels Orient by Herbert J.M. Ypma (2005), may have taken a more contextual approach, they tend to be industry- or discipline-focused and lack inter-disciplinary analysis. Furthermore, most current researchers do not target specifically women as business travelers, particularly in an Asian context, nor the relationship between users, objects and the environment in boutique hotels. Therefore, there is a need to revisit the different key concepts and approaches, so that new ones can be developed to explain how experiences can be better framed and explicated with perceptible dimensions. Ultimately, the redefined concepts will be (more) prescriptive so that female travelers’ experiences can be better understood, framed and designed.

The initial findings presented in this thesis attempt to manifest the relationship between ethnographic and phenomenological techniques in the investigation of guestroom design of lifestyle boutique hotels, while also being able to traverse the relationship between geometric space and inhabited space through a better understanding between design practices and theories. Although the practicioners and professionals of the different

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disciplines have worked together or frequently commented and discussed each other’s work, there were very few studies that transposed the relationship and diagnosed the connection systematically. That is to say, interior designers may have made references to past examples and changing theories in design to continuously design spaces (in this case, hotels and hotel guest rooms) and theorists or researchers may be constantly analyzing design work and presenting studies conducted about changing styles and trends in design; yet very rarely is their work or theories adopted or expanded by each other as they lack a common language. In addition to addressing the research question, this research challenges the possibility of establishing the connection between the practical and theoretical sides of design by extracting the commonalities between them. The researcher believes that connections exist to help us relate matters and concepts, to draw analogies and create examples of how things are built onto one another. It is through associating disconnected ideas and things that possible connections can be conceived, and missing links will be discovered. The chronological development of the hotel industry, creation of new business models, and the increasing number of business travelers, especially female business travelers, are connected issues that alerted hoteliers to re-examine the landscape of the industry especially starting the last decade. The presentation of the findings in the form of a three-dimensional matrix, staggered quantitative and qualitative data configured by a set of parameters extracted from the different practices, theories and principles. To provide better visualization of the idea, schemas will be shown in Chapter Five to illustrate how it can be translated.

Chapter One contains information compiled from an in-depth review of industry studies and theories related to the parameters, compiled through secondary research and expert interviews. The object, the subject, and value of the study related to the research question will be explained in order to establish a fundamental background for the thesis. A brief overview of the development of the hotel industry will help explain the rise of the boutique hotel phenomenon. While the increase in female business travelers somehow correlates to the increase in the creation of lifestyle boutique hotel as it has been evidently proven that the special requirements of this group of business travelers contributed to the awareness of hoteliers for more personal services; as well as how female business travelers’ needs and boutique hotel are interrelated. The exploration of the definition of home and what makes home comfortable, in terms of design, layout and the display of objects, will be presented in detail to create a visualization of the idea for better understanding of how the things are connected.

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Chapter Two presents a literature review of all related theories and principles that were used in the study. As an attempt was made to connect the the different disciplines related to the research topic and to identify missing dimensions, the contents in the different sections under Chapter Two will explain the connections and disconnections of key concepts amongst stakeholders in the industry. The concepts from the ‘former’ groups like Edward T. Hall and also those from the ‘latter’ groups like Maurice Merleau-Ponty are revisited and explored. The relationship between being at home in the bedroom and being ‘at home’ in the hotel guestroom was carefully mapped in order to identify how each can be cross-referenced. Interestingly, in comparing home and hotel, it was discovered that the physicality and size of the space is of less importance than other things, such as the psychological and human aspects, which are related to time and the building up of emotions within a time frame. In doing so, the information formed a concrete foundation to the research, both in practical and theoretical terms, and how they were interpreted and applied to the study of female business travelers in hotel guestrooms against the assumptions made at the start of the research. The mapping is important as it supports the justification for the research as well as the tiered approach used that helps to transcend theoretical understandings and professional practices. Territoriality and Existential Space contributed to the sense of belonging, while the creation of Gendered Space relates to the specific subject group of this research in terms of their perferences and behaviour. The study on Environmental-Behavioural Dynamics and Symbolic Interactionism promoted the understanding of how guests create meanings out of objects to establish memories for places and to create territories with the appropriate emotions for feeling home in a guest room.

Chapter Three lays out the timeline, the methodologies and contains elaborate description of the work included during the foundation stage in 2013, as well as the actual field work from 2014 to 2016. In order to prepare for the field work, the researcher spent a year examining information about hotels around Asia and planning for the visits. The year 2013 was also spent on collecting secondary research and the development of possible framework for the work required at the latter stages; the Q.A.M.E. (Question, Assumption, Methods and Evidence) framework was created and 10 questions were formulated and used as the main frame for the research. During the three years in the field, the researcher was in touch with over 300 business travelers of different sectors via face-to-face meetings and online discussions. Valuable and insightful information, perspectives and comments that may not have been presented anywhere so vividly, were collected and used for the study and to verify results. Through connections and referrals, the researcher also met

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with over 10 interior/spatial designers and visited over 30 hotels in around Asia that are frequent by business travelers, namely Hong Kong, China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand, to meet with key personnel as well as their hotel guests.

The research work on the field can be roughly divided into three stages, each 8 – 11 months long, during which the researcher followed a systematic programme to approach each of the target groups to ensure that data collected were relevant and representative. The raw data collected from female business travelers, hoteliers and designers during Stage One were compiled and analyzed carefully based on the theorectical framework -- Q.A.M.E. based on a two-tiered approach -- ethnographical and phenomenological. The analytical framework constructed from the theories created a framework for the research work, and the methodologies used at the different stages will be explained. Methods such as survey, interview, focus groups and mapping were used to identify evidence and verify the assumptions so as to construct answers to the research questions. The analysis helped to identify a pool of targets whom the researcher will further engage in the Stage Two research, during which each of the participants were asked to provide more detailed information and evaluate the findings and models created. Some of those participants were then asked to participate in a role-play session to stimulate responses for creating concepts for the establishment of new schemas and plans for guestroom designs. During this period, the researcher was also able to immerse herself in the research and participate as a first person -- the most valuable thing of engaging an ethnographical approach in this research; which also makes it different from any other research. In formulating the research strategies and the use of relevant methodologies, a huge volume of valuable photos and statements were collected which formed a pool of data that was used in the conceptualization stage and visual support for better understanding of the findings. The final stage -- the modeling stage, during 2015 to 2016 -- was the time when focus groups were conducted to allow the researcher to test the concepts with users by asking them to participate in role-playing activities and to comment on the schemas. Representatives from different lifestyle hotels were also invited to a focus group to collect their comments on the new models. This stage also involved continuous revisiting of concepts and revision of ideas that allowed the researcher to modify and finalize the matrix and schemas that can visually illustrate the findings.

Chapter Four summarizes the comprehensive research conducted with over 70 business travelers, seven hotel managers, five interior designers, and more than 30 hotels around Asia, over a period of 26 months, highlighting key findings about the object, subject and

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value with figures in the first seven subchapters and diagrams in the appedices. Each section in this chapter contains answers to the research question, clearly presented in bullet points, followed by supporting evidence and data. Statistics formed a concrete support for the argument, yet the extract from the targets’ comments and suggestions completed the support with a more comprehensible visualization of the results that framed the final conclusion. While the research was first set on a list of ten questions based on each of their assumptions, the findings did not necessarily support the initial assumptions. In the case that the assumptions may have proven invalid, the notion led to study of materials and subjects that added to the creation of the final model. The importance of size of the room, for example, although proven not relevant, can contribute to the understanding of dimensions and the relations between objects in the space for place- making. Each of the ten questions and the assumptions have been re-evaluated and discussed in detailed with evidence extracted from the research. During a process of data- mining in 2016 and 2017, the researcher thoroughly analysed every single item (including data, photo, and statement) collected to dig out important evidence to either validate or counter the assumptions. Numerous models were created for further studies before conclusions were drawn up. Apart from that evidence identified, the exercise has also contributed to new findings such as the issue of ‘time’ in the experience of place-making. The value of time was a distincitive factor related to activities, which has been ignored by both the designers and theorists. Interestingly, the time factor contributed to the structuring of the final matrix and gave it a three-dimensional configuration. Moreover, the research has reflected that hotels can never be home, but can project the feeling of ‘being home’ for guests by engaging multisensory cues to inject the right emotions for the creating a similar experience; ‘security’ being the most important. All in all, it was proven from the findings that advantages of hotel living were obvious, and “there is a close relationship between the changing living habits of females living and/or traveling in Asia and their personal values also shape the lodging experience and the meaning of objects” (Lau 2014). The major implications of this research will be discussed in the final chapter, and the thesis concludes by presenting a reconstructed model that incorporates environmental study, emotional design, user experience and time.

Chapter Five chapter is particularly insightful. The discussions each of the sections are reflective in nature, by reinforcing the connections between i) hotel and home, ii) objects and interactions, and iii) emotional design and experience, the researcher presents new concepts about the relationships and identifies the study’s limitations. In understanding the connection between hotel and home, the only disparity of the two is about their ‘physicality’

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-- referring to the physical presence of the home that is located in a ‘hometown’ with an address. In connecting objects and interactions, it was discovered that although the methodological blueprint constructed can connect the multisensory (auditory, visual, olfactory, tactile, and vestibular) visual cues to constitute the creation of 'comfortable' spaces based on high mobility in living, other factors such as social changes or the development of world travel under the influence of technological development are yet to be uncovered. And, in learning of the connection between emotional design and experience, the research was able to identify most of the connections which contributed to answering the research question and objectives. The subchapters present projections for potential directions for future research drawn upon the findings of each connection. Consequently, the connections could be further applied to target users of different cultural background in spaces within different contexts.

In that regard, the research is valuable and useful as it has proven that by engaging an ethnographic and theoretical two-tiered approach, and by cross-referencing different theories and knowledge from experts of related disciplines, a possible common ground can be established that can help the stakeholders to communicate and understand each other better. The most significant finding is the close connection between environmental form and human behaviour, and that experience is the result of (positive) sensation, perception and conception when a person has established connection with the space through the objects within it. The finding with the identified parameters and connections is then be presented in a matrix with the x-axis defined by ‘Level of Attainment’ of three different levels -- ‘comfort’, ‘secure’, and ‘safe’, the y-axis defined by ‘Level of Interaction’ of three different levels -- ‘passing’, ‘interacting’, and ‘engaging’, and the z-axis marked by ‘Touchpoints’; together fabricated three volume blocks marked ‘Landing Scape’, ‘Dream Scape’, and ‘Home Scape’ reflecting that as the user moved along the touchpoints, level of attainment increases as well as the sense of homeyness, thus giving rise to a deeper sense of ‘home’ and better overall spatial experience. The matrix is based on the theories of Territoriality and Existential Space, embracing the idea of Gendered Space and Symbolic Interactionism. The new amalgamated set of concepts is an extension of the current model used for Environmental-behavioral dynamics study. The matrix shows how product design theory correlates interior phenomenon and theories of Emotion Design, and suggests how Inhabited Space (Winton 2013) transcends Geometric Space (Bachelard 1958).

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The conclusion sums up the main arguments of the thesis. As suggested in the beginning, the research question has been translated into a fundamental exploration of how design researchers might predict the ways in which people will respond to the environment. In this study, the researcher has discovered that the way the female business travelers respond to and interact with the environment is like a narrative, and by linking up the emotional touchpoints in a way is comparative to the cognitive process of getting to know the room; the cognitive process corresponds to a map that contains multi-sensory touchpoints. The findings also reflected that theories of Emotional Design in product design, the Phenomenon of Interior Design and Environmental-behavioural Study, and the flow of Communication Design are built on a similar pattern, that involves steps following a linear build up. So by extracting commonalities and appropriating differences, a new theoretical model may be developed.

The research has been conducted in compliance with the guidelines of Swinburne Research, and guidance of the Principal Supervisior(s) and Associate Supervisor(s) over eight years. The researcher has made reference to some of her past papers, and used one of the models created in past research to create the new matrix. The progress was reported annually and approved by a panel of professors. Accordingly, the researcher has attended a Thesis Review meeting according to schedule, and has obtained approval from Swinburne’s Human Research Ethtics Committee (SUHREC) in 2013 for conducting the interviews with the targets using the set questionnaires attached [Appendix A]. The rules of conducting interviews and paying interviewees (for AUS$80 each time) were well observed, and each interviewee was asked to sign the consent paper after the researcher had carefully explained the duties and obligations in person. In case that the interviewees were not allowed to or did not want to be offered the payment, the researcher had written them a ‘thank you note’ instead as a gesture of appreciation for their time and contribution. The researcher has kept all subjects anonymous unless he/she has agreed to the use of real names and identity, and all wordings in the statements extracted from the conversations were original words to ensure that the comments quoted in the thesis denote the authentic expression of the interviewees. The photos taken during the shadowing exercise are saved on a secure server to ensure that the privacy of the interviewees.

For as much as this research attempts to bridge the gap between different disciplines and practices, and to expand on the potential of the use of two-tiered approach in design or design-related research, it is also the researcher’s intention to use this research as an example to show how a PhD in design can be a driver to shift the traditional approach of

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a piece of research from focusing on singular object or perspective, to understand and evaluate design with a more comprehensive approach that engages ‘System Thinking’; a common approach used in design practice recently. While this research project is confined within its scope and context, it has opened up opportunities for further thinking and the findings have sown the seeds for other potential research projects. This research sets the stage for conducting further research of other spaces (or at least different spaces within a hotel) using a multi-disciplinary perspective taking an ethnographic approach in the early stage and a philosophical approach in the latter.

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CHAPTER ONE | CONTEXTUAL STUDIES __ This chapter aims to uncover relevant information and data from primary or secondary sources, including recent publications on boutique hotel marketing, hospitality industries, and research methodologies. The research question, building upon a multidisciplinary context of boutique hotel, female business travelers and emotional design, required a comprehensive study of each of the contexts so as to assimilate them into a pool of information that will form the foundation for cross-referencing and support of new insights. A systematic review approach was used in order to obtain an overview and synthesize the existing and latest evidence on the object, the subject, and the values, that are pertinent to the research question. Systematic Review approach is increasingly popular in social science study since it is proven as an effective means to accumulate a solid evidence base to inform decision makers of relevant information systemtatically (Cooper 2003). With the simple need for lodging evolved over time that fostered a change in the hotel industry, and the introduction of new hotel types with an increasing number of business travelers (and especially with the growth of female business travelers), the contextual studies will paint a clearer picture of the ecology of the hotel industry and business travel patterns over the last decade. The comprehensive contextual studies, that spanned over 12 months, had allowed the researcher to adopt new points of view and unconventional perspectives and to discover and reconfigure relationships of the contexts within the research. This will ultimately contribute to the creation of a new model in later chapters.

1.1 Object of Study - Hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis, and serves the practical function of providing accommodation, meals and simple guest services such as concierge and luggage storage. Today, to be called a hotel, according to the Business Dictionary (2016), an establishment must have a minimum number of letting bedrooms, a percentage of which must have attached private bathroom facilities -- ensuite.

The history of hotels is directly connected to that of civilizations and economic growth, and the industry began to take shape since pre-biblical times. The ancient Greeks were perhaps the first people in the hospitality business who started establishments with thermal baths in villages designed for rest and recuperation (Levy-Bonvin 2003); while the modern hotel industry originated in France in the 15th century, marked by the publication of the first travel guidebook. The construction of hotels began in city-centers around mainland Europe, England and America during the industrial revolution in the 1760s; technology

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advancement and the rise of grand hotels was the highlight of the industry development in that period. The Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York was the first to install lifts, and the structure of the grand hotel Palmer House Hotel in Chicago was fire-resistant; first ever amongst other hotels in the late 18th century. Luxury hotels of the nineteenth century also started to offer bathroom and telephone in every room (Levy-Bonvin 2003). The hotel industry was lucrative (Anon 2015, Turkel 2009) and in its second boom occurred in the early years of the 20th century when new grand hotels started to appear. The Savoy Hotel in the United Kingdom, the Ritz Carlton in London, Paris’ Tremont House and Astor House in the United States were among the grand hotels, also categorized as luxury hotels, that offered high quality amenities, full service accommodation, on-site full-service restaurants, and the highest level of personalized and professional service. Such hotels were classified with at least a Four Diamond or Five Diamond rating by American Automobile Association or a Four or Five Star hotel rating depending on the country and local classification standards. Since the 1950s and 60s, hotels have grown in size and scale and developed new services and facilities in order to cater to the needs of guests. New facilities such as gym, spa and shops were introduced, and new services such as loyalty programmes and membership reward programmes were launched.

The establishment of Mandarin in Hong Kong in 1963 was a good example of how the hotel business surged after decades of generic growth. The hotel, the tallest in Hong Kong’s Central district at that time, was recognized as a historic landmark, and had enviable reputation for service excellence compared to other hotels in the city at that time. The Spa at the Mandarin Oriental was already known as a haven for contemplation and discovery, and offered the unique service of a spa concierge to provide guests with a resource that understood their health issues and how best to address them therapeutically. As the industry prospered, hoteliers have paid more attention on developing the lobby environment and service aspects, yet little attention was paid to the details of the guestrooms -- where the guests spent their personal time in during their stay at the hotel. Efforts to address the needs of hotel guest in guestrooms were focused on upgrading items such as fittings and commodities in-room. Hotels like Conrad, Mandarin Oriental and Peninsula came up with ideas such as offering guests duvet and/or pillow choices, and others like Shangri-la Hotel and Raffles Hotel chose to display artworks in the guestrooms. Even so, guestroom design and services were rather uniform and generic in general; during that period, a good hotel basically referred to one managed by the large hotel groups of the time, such as , Hotel Corporations, and (Anon 2015).

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Figure. 2 Photo of Mandarin Oriental in 1963 Photo Source: Fifty Fantastic Years Copyright Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Hong Kong, 2013

Market expansion and increasing competition in the early 1970s and 80s prompted modern hotels to differentiate themselves by providing guests with value-added offerings and extended guest services, or even to reshape themselves to create superlative hotel experience for guests with different expectations. As a result, there developed an extensive types of lodging including Resort Hotel, Spa Hotel, Apartment Hotel, Condo Hotel, and Casino Hotel, equipped with kitchenette, conference rooms, exercise rooms, relaxation pools, spas, gift shops, galleries; offering a whole range of extended guest services that enrich values (for money). Services and facilities in these hotels went far beyond meeting basic lodging needs and did not just serve a practical function, but also aimed to accommodate emotional ones by tapping into and enhancing the sense of ‘comfort’ and ‘convenience’ in the overall experience (Anon 2015, A Vintage Athenian 2018). The 70s also saw the beginning of the construction of hotels for business people. This movement was a result of several factors: first, the will of the airline companies to expand into the domain of hotels as they saw the growth of business travel (A Vintage Athenian 2018); and second, the trend was for business travelers to stay longer on each trip. These two factors were the main reasons for the development of hotels primarily designed for business people, especially in Middle-Eastern cities and in Asia. Business hotels are usually located near the business district of a city and pride themselves in providing efficient check-in and check-out service with clean and simple room layouts with basic amenities. Business tourism was in fact the driver that pushed hoteliers to look further into what they can offer so to answer specific needs, and to create a more “total hotel experience” (Sharkey 2007). The development also led to the rise of Boutique Hotels,

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which target mainly business travelers who were looking for something more than what conventional business hotels had to offer, and were also increasingly appealing to guests who looked for ‘accommodation with a difference’ -- hotels that distinguish themselves by their unique design and a commitment to excellence (Mackenzie 2012).

The third boom in the hotel industry began in the early 1980s, which was marked by more inventive marketing and the development of hotels adapted to a particular types of clientele. There were also slight changes to the services provided by hotels in response to the growth of urban tourism, eco-tourism, culture tourism, and dark tourism in that period (Gibson & Yiannakis 2003). For example, the selection of new hotels location may be different, rooms might be ‘greener’ -- environmentally friendly, and the choice of toiletries and commodities more culturally relevant. Additionally, the hospitality industry was subdivided by the topical segmentation, the needs of special customer groups such as elderly tourists, business travelers, and disabled tourists with very specific preference patterns and physical requirements has prompted modern hotels to differentiate themselves by providing their targeted guests with value-added offerings and extended guest services, or even reshape themselves to create a superlative experience for guests with different expectations. Inventive marketing approaches were also developed as a result. Hotels increasingly utilized their own websites for marketing communications, some hotels offered a real-time concierge to answer questions from guests. Loyalty programmes were introduced to attract repeated visits. Many hotels offered different day-tour packages to offer the convenience for guests tour around the local attractions, as well as workshops to learn local crafts and cooking. The Conrad Hotel was amongst the first to have its own loyalty programme with its own mini-site. And apart from email and content marketing, social media and digital presence were also some common strategies hoteliers used to create noise and presence in the market.

Boutique hotels began appearing mid 80s in major cities like Paris, London, New York, and San Francisco. The first Boutique Hotel -- Morgans Hotel, owned by Ian Schrager, in , totally changed the hotel scene. Boutique hotels were characterized by their intimate atmosphere and idiosyncratic style. They distinguished themselves from larger chain hotels by offering personalized attention and styled accommodations which play on a motif. Most importantly, in the establishment of boutique hotels, hoteliers paid extra attention to ensure that each guest get personalized attention that are far beyond generic and uniform services offered by other hotels. In Morgans Hotel, for example, guestrooms were designed with themes that reflected the mood and feel of popular culture,

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and every room was different to tap into the preference of individual guests. The hotel also provided the guest bathroom with their initial embroidered on bathrobe and towels. Given that most of the early boutique hotels has fewer than ten rooms, the ratio of staff to guest is rather low so that each of the guests could be well taken care of by the staff, and the staff are usually able to address guests by their first names. The personalized services provided by boutique hotels are exactly what business travelers look for. As explained in the Introduction, business travelers (particularly female business travelers) “need special care not only in a practical manner, but they also expect attention in more personal ways” (Global Hospitality Insights 2015). The kind of personal attention and personalized services offered by the boutique hotels are especially appealing to female guests, and the connection between the services and needs suggested an effective relationship between the object and the target of this research.

1.1.1 Typology of City-based Hotels Hotels around the world can be differentiated according to the market segments they target. Hoteliers rely on segmentation to determine specific services and activities to be organized, as well as facilities to be set up, in order to provide preferred guests with a tailored hotel experience that can also contribute to a hotel’s profit maximization (Xotels 2016). Market segmentation is also the determinant of how the market categorizes the hotel by relating to the percentage breakdown of traveler ‘types’ of the market (Bisema 2009). When services, activities and facilities are the fundamentals of a hotel’s market segmentation, location is another important consideration in contributing to the success of a hotel. A new generation of urban eco-hotel advocating the concept of green-minded tourism and love for city-culture is becoming very popular with both leisure and business travelers. These urban eco-hotels are usually located in city centers, which means those who need to do business around the CBD can spend less time for traveling to meetings, and those who love to explore the culture of the city they are visiting can easily explore the area on foot. Richard Hammond, founder of greentraveller.co.uk, an online guide to green holidays, explained in a report the company published online that "urban hotels can be even greener, because they are at the centre of transport hubs” (Independent 2008).

In fact, the development of new hotel types is strongly related to urban changes and the level of urbanization. The hotel industry is highly sensitive to economic environment and it is also affected by the level of urbanization of cities. City-based hotels, sometimes also known as ‘transit hotels’, are mostly located in urban areas, usually for people who intend to stay a short while, and their guests are usually business travelers. So-called city-based

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hotel may include apartment hotels, bed & breakfasts, boutique hotels, capsule hotels, condo hotels, guesthouses, hostels and serviced apartments, and the number of rooms available in such hotels is around 28 – 100 (Tarmoezi 2000). Since city-based hotels are mostly small to medium-sized establishments, and offer limited on-site amenities and limited leisure amenities, they do not tend to attract large groups or people who spend much time in the hotel during the day. Examples of some more popular city-based hotels include Crown Plaza, , , , . Being categorized as city-based hotels, these brands emphasize their convenient locations and that they are able to provide business travelers with easy access to the city, and immersion in the city culture. Different city setting encompasses sensory elements, such as visual, audio and olfactory, that are specific to its geography and culture. Therefore, the city in which the hotel is located provides an environment with supporting factors to foster recurring visits, and to elicit the (right) emotions by creating a short-term sense of belonging for guests on entering the hotel and during the stay. Amongst the different types of city-based hotels, the boutique hotel is the most prominent. “The demand in growth for boutique rooms is predicted to exceed the growth for traditional hotel rooms and the growth in demand for boutique hotel rooms will continue to exceed the growth in supply through 2015 with RevPAR premiums continuing through 2017” (Hotel Analyst 2015). Study also indicated that boutique hotels have been attracting more business travelers since the beginning of 2000 (Hotel Analyst 2014); this kind of luxurious establishment can not only provide guests with the traditional 5-star experience, but is often housed in historical buildings or sometimes in apartment blocks next to residential areas (designed-to-style) usually denote the culture and charm of the city-setting. This combination of service and location, which a lot of travelers are now looking for, work collaboratively to evoke positive emotions in guests and contribute to the overall experience of the visit; be it personal or work.

Carrie Kwong, Project Manager at The Hong Kong Federation of Design Associations (FHKDA), mentioned during an interview that “it is important for me to have a chance to learn more of the city and people apart from just having meetings and going to the office when I travel to other cities for work” (2016). Janice Cannon, ’s VP of Global Brand Management, once stated the importance of being able to connect with the city in an interview, saying that “I relish the opportunity my job affords me to immerse in local culture and connect with people from the area. I like fitting into the neighborhood vs. standing out” (2010). Hoteliers are aware that guests of boutique hotels do not select them on the basis of the facilities, but mainly because they are fashionable and ‘sexy’ -- therefore

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marketing for boutique hotels mostly highlights the experience and the hotel’s personality. It is important for boutique hotels to send their target customers the right messages (Lucienne, 2001); while many emphasize the design, some like to relate the message to the history and design of the building or its location, while others build on the story behind the creation of the brand.

Of all places in the world, Asia has always been recognized as one of the emerging global economic power zones and an important business hub (Female Business Travelers 2004- 05). The Asia-Pacific hotels and motels industry had a total revenue of $139.9 billion in 2010, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.4% between 2006 and 2010. The Asia-Pacific hotels and motels industry had total revenues of $189.4bn in 2015, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.5% between 2011 and 2015. Industry consumption volume increased with a CAGR of 3.2% between 2011 – 2015, to reach a total of 55,757 establishments in 2015. At the beginning of 2018, the group conducted another study and estimated that the value of the industry will reach $778.9bn by the end of the year.

China has been the key driver of growth in the Asia-Pacific hotels and motels industry due to the growth of the middle class in China. And of all cities in Asia, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Singapore, Bangkok, and Taipei, Ho Chi Minh, are the most popular for leisure as well as business (Travel + Leisure 2015). Asia’s magnificent cultures and mouth-watering cuisines make it the home of some of the world’s most sought-after tourist destinations, and 80% of the largest shopping malls is in Asia; the most attractive thing is that the sales tax in Asia is rather low compared to that in North America and Europe. Moreover, many of the multi-national companies like HSBC, BMW, Morgan Stanley, Hewlett-Packard, and Facebook have regional headquarters located in Singapore, Hong Kong, or Shanghai. For these reasons, Asia has become one of the must-visit destination for tourists as well as business travelers, with the most visited tourist countries being Vietnam, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong and India (Travel + Leisure 2015). Consequently, these countries are where most luxury hotels are located. According to TripAdvisor, 18 out of the top 25 hotels in Asia are located in these countries (2013). It is also predicted that in twenty years’ time, business travel in Asia Pacific, led by a dominant China, will outpace the rest of the world (GBTA 2013).

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1.1.2 Defining Boutique Hotel In recent years, there has been tremendous growth in Boutique Hotels, which began appearing in the 1980s in major cities like London, New York and San Francisco, as well as cities around Asia like Shanghai, Tokyo, Bangkok, Taipei and Singapore. At that time, ‘Boutique Hotel’ described an intimate, usually luxurious or quirky, low-rise building or bungalows to suit all budgets. When Morgans Hotel opened in New York in 1984, entrepreneur Steve Rubell and his partner Ian Schrager came up with the term ‘boutique hotel’ for their new establishment, which they likened to a small and exquisite boutique as opposed to a huge department store. Morgans attracted a lot of attention from the industry as well as amongst travelers at that time, since traveling ‘boutique’ was also ‘the’ style for business and leisure travelers in the 80s. As the trend developed, the definition of a Boutique Hotel has varied, and at some point the market even speculated that boutique hotels could only represent a ‘fad’; but on the contrary, the ‘fad’ has flourished and became a huge phenomenon in the hotel industry in less than ten years (Cheryl-pisano 2015). A recent research indicated that Boutique Hotel has been considered instrumental and influential in the way hoteliers create and define hotel experience for guests since its first establishment (Ting 2017).

Many have tried to establish a clearer definition of what boutique hotel represents in terms of scale, service and target guests. In reports published by the hotel industry, boutique hotels simply refer to those that are considerably smaller than mainstream hotels, often ranging from 3 – 100 guestrooms (Harrison 2018) which are furnished in a themed, stylish and/or aspirational manner. In terms of overall marketing approach, boutique hotels catered for hip and chic travelers who want a difference. In the coffee-table book The Book of Boutique Hotels, Alex Buchanan stated that a boutique hotel “recognizes the importance of exceptional experience that the hotel creates for the guest” (2016). Sue McKenney, Director of Mckenney Research, in a 2015 report The Boutique and Lifestyle Hotel Report 2015, argued that “the entertainment in the boutique hotel is also important in creating a lively, chic and trendy atmosphere. Entertainment is not just live music and performances, but the idea of a boutique hotel is entertainment in its own nature; hip restaurant, lounge, and bar; its theme or décor.” (Mckenney 2015) The specific design characteristics of each hotel also give it a distinctive personality; and this individuality differentiates one from another. The strong fashion appeal, emphasizing style and trend, means that visitors who frequent the hotel distinguish the differences between one establishment and another.

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Over the years of development, the definition of boutique hotel has remained eclectic, and up till now, it is difficult to locate a standardized one in the industry; varying definitions from experts in different areas suggest that boutique hotels are those that are smaller in scale, designed with a difference and offering an exceptional experience which is somehow entertaining and more delightful (than mainstream or grand hotels). Although it is generally agreed that boutique hotels are small and pride themselves on their uniqueness, it was also found that most boutique hotels share common characteristics such as convenient location, high product quality and services, a clearly defined marketing approach, an efficient room layout and booking system and effective distribution/reservations coverage (Anharm 2001). As the categorization of ‘hotel’ expands and the market becomes more specific in the beginning of the third millennium, there has been a perception by people that a boutique hotel also means a design or lifestyle hotel. Suggested in the definition given by XOTELS (2018), a design hotel refers to one “that is notable for its design. It is focused on the visual concept, on its architecture, on interior decoration, on aesthetics style and décor. The appearance is the main appeal of a Design Hotel and the aim is to evoke a ‘wow’ feeling in the (potential) guest. A Design Hotel can also refer to one that is designed by a famous architect or owned by a famous fashion designer, with modern, contemporary and cutting-edge design and to a luxurious standard. Lifestyle Hotels are those catering to specific lifestyle‐related market niches, such as the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) market, are now being defined far more broadly. The Boutique and Lifestyle Lodging Association (BLLA) considers a lifestyle hotel as a subcategory of boutique hotel and defines it as “a property that combines living elements and activities into functional design giving guests the opportunity to explore the experience they desire” (2011). These brands, which include Marriott’s Edition and IHG’s Hotel Indigo, use the term ‘lifestyle hotel brand’ (Mintel 2011, Rosen 2009, Stellin 2007) to describe the new types of hotels being developed by major chains to capture elements of the boutique hotel experience.

Putting aside all the varied characterizations, it is evident that boutique hotels means exclusive, exception style and personality lodging with less than 100 rooms. Location, quality, personalized service, and the uniqueness of the hotel are the attributes that define boutique hotels (McIntosh & Siggs 2005, Aggett 2007). ‘Unique’, ‘trendy’, ‘intimate’, ‘design oriented’, high-tech’, ‘inspiring’, and ‘aspirational’ are some of the keywords associated with boutique hotels (HVS 2011). Most importantly, such hotels do not need to conform to minimum room sizes and specific ‘Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment’ (FF&E) standards imposed by hotel groups or major brands, allowing owners a lot of flexibility to design and

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configure the space. Boutique hotels also differentiate themselves from standard hotels in connecting hotel guests’ experience with staff; personalized service is considered a key aspect that defines a good boutique hotel. In recent years, new boutique hotels located in unique locations (usually with a historical past), or in areas convenient to the city centre, or in and around trendy and chic neighborhoods, have become even more attractive to this sector. Business travelers on TripAdvisor have commented that boutique hotels, especially those in Beijing located in a Hutong or old neighborhood, were able to provide them with a true cultural experience that helped them better understand the people there (2016).

A good example is the Mira Hotel in Hong Kong, under the creative direction of Wanders & yoo -- a design and lifestyle company founded by property entrepreneur John Hitchcox and the eponymous designer, Philippe Starck in 1999, the story is based upon a traditional Chinese legend in relation to the location of the hotel itself. The hotel is designed to match the narrative - with rabbits and moon using Chinese motifs. Further suggested by Boutique and Lifestyle Association (2011), boutique hotels represent cultural and historical authenticity; the boutique hotel is not part of a chain and that it provides interesting, unique services, while lifestyle boutiques are those that serve lifestyle groups, and offer more ancillary services and focus on wellness and life‐enrichment. They also clarified that boutique hotels are typically small hotels that offer high levels of service, while lifestyle hotels tend to be small to medium-sized hotels that provide innovative features and service (BLLA 2010). All in all, lifestyle hotels are the latest generation of boutique hotels; boutique hotels curated by hotel groups are able to provide guests with all the advantages the group can offer plus economies of scale, yet topped with the ‘sweeties’ of boutiques. and B Hotels are the two latest entrants in what is best described as ‘lifestyle boutique hotel’; they also represent the kind of ‘boutique hotels’ that will be studied and discussed are ‘lifestyle boutique’ -- those that are ‘small’, with less than 100 rooms, unique in design or location, and representing a lifestyle.

The definition of Boutique Hotel has evolved over time and during different periods of the industry development, so for consistency of discussion, Boutique Hotel for this research refers to those that i) have 100 – 150 rooms, ii) size of rooms around 15 – 35 sq. m., iii) located in the city or urban areas, iv) operated independently or independently owned by may belong to a luxury hotel association, v) have contemporary interior design combining cultural elements with chic elegance or designed by a famous designer, vi) offer some kind

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of highly personalized services, and vii) advocate lifestyle and convenience in their promotional materials.

1.1.3 The Boutique Hotel Phenomenon The Boutique Hotel phenomenon has transformed the hotel industry (Anhar 2001), but the movement itself is also being transformed by the notion that a hotel needs more than funky furniture and eccentric bars to attract the crowd (Hotel Analyst 2015). David Buffery (2007), designer of Luxe Manor of Hong Kong, commented that “the Luxe Manor will fill a niche for both business and leisure travelers that wish to be stimulated by their surroundings. It will offer all of the amenities and services required and desired -- within a space that engages the imagination”. A lot of (more successful) boutiques adopt a new approach: combining design with attention to the needs of individuals. It is well supported by the fact that a lot of the new boutique hotels started calling themselves ‘Lifestyle Hotels’ -- which aimed to provide inspirational lifestyles (Anhar 2001). Some of these lifestyle hotels are also attached to names of famous designers like Andree Putman, Philippe Starck, Martin Margiela, and Rene Lezard. Consequently, people began to relate lifestyle and boutique hotels as ‘home away from home’, and interior designers advocate that they can create hotels like homes, or even better.

Boutique hotels have also transcended the traditional categorization of demographics, and defined a new way of doing business in the hotel industry. Traditional demographic models of behavior that no longer apply (Hotel Analyst 2015) as brand new sectors have appeared. While the concept of boutique hotel constantly changes with the time and with people’s tastes, it also constantly changes people’s tastes. Some larger hotel groups thought at first that simply renovating their hotel lobby and making it more colorful and funky would help them to compete with the boutique hotels. But the fact is that changing design on the surface does not make a hotel ‘boutique’: the creation of individuality is key -- of guest, of staff, of service, of ambience, of the location -- which in total reflect the ‘design’ of the hotel (Lea 2008). Boutique hotels have created an appeal which is not just functional, but also emotionally relevant, and which successfully draws the attention of its target audience, as well as potential ones. Ian Schrager of has commented in ‘The Boutique and Lifestyle Hotel Report’ (2014) that boutique hotels emphasize “entertaining guests by creating a theatrical atmosphere that attracts all the senses: through architecture, design, colour, lighting, art and music”.

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Boutique hotels have also changed the perception of room size. In the past, guestrooms in grand hotels were around 40 – 50 sq. m (hoteldesigns.net). The guestrooms in boutique hotels are only around 20 – 30 sq. m; implying that size does not sell guestrooms anymore. According to the report by Locum Consulting, ‘Boutique’ is everything that suggests uniqueness and fashion, anything that defies norms, sameness, uniformity, and mainstream (2015); guestrooms are not about big and luxurious but different and unique, exactly how the new generation and upcoming entrepreneurs see themselves (or want to be seen). This has also affected frequent travelers’ expectations and definitions of a good hotel. Consequently, hoteliers no longer ‘think big’, rather they learned to understand ‘small is beautiful’ (Teo, Chia, and Khoo 1998). ‘Small’ in relation to the size of the guestroom, as well as all those ‘small surprises’ the hotel can offer guests. By making rooms smaller, hoteliers can pack more rooms into the establishment, and accommodate more guests. In cities like Hong Kong and Singapore, where land is scarce and expensive, buildings have smaller footprints with guestrooms relatively smaller compared to those in United States and different parts of Europe; makes them the perfect cities for development of boutique hotels (Teo, Chia, and Khoo 1998).

The phenomenon led to an increasing flow of frequent guests to boutique hotels. In 1997, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) anticipated an annual growth of 3 – 5% of tourists checking into boutique hotels. Study indicated that boutique hotels enjoyed consistently high occupancy rates averaging 85% in the late 1990s (Hotel Analyst 2015). In the early 2000’s, the data provided by STR Global on boutique hotels in the two key markets of London and Paris showed that in both markets, occupancy remained around 75 – 79% mark for London, and rose slowly between 2009 and 2013 to 78% in Paris (Hotel Analyst 2015), over six years. Also in Mainland China, “boutique hotels tend to be larger as with anything in China”, said Zoe Wu, Director of Horwath HTL. With reference to the information collected from TripAdvisor, of the over 5,000 (so-called) hotels in Shanghai, around 600 of them are categorized as ‘boutique’. All in all, recent data provided by Hotel Analyst (2016) indicated that the growth in demand for boutique rooms is predicted to exceed that for traditional hotel rooms, and the growth in demand for boutique hotel rooms will continue to exceed the growth in supply through 2016 with RevPAR premiums continuing through 2017. The Hurun Report’s Rupert Hoogewerf at ILTM Asia in Shanghai also presented a report in June 2017 and stated that among the biggest trends among China’s luxury travelers, who are willing to spend spend over 5,000 RMB (US$735) per night for their hotel accommodation, is the growing popularity of boutique hotels. The forecasts not only show a growth in demand for boutique hotels, but also an increase in

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spending; implying that guests are assigning a higher value to what boutique hotels offer them.

Boutique hotels can be found everywhere in major cities around the world: there are over 30 boutique hotels in London, over 20 in Singapore, and as many as 200 in Mainland China (HVS 2011, Auburn 2019). There have also been more boutique hotels popping up in Asia’s cosmopolitan cities since the end of the 20th century, with Hong Kong and Singapore leading the trend, and Shanghai and Bangkok following suit in the past few years. Scarlet Hotel in Singapore is a good example of the early boutique hotels in the Asia; the 80-room 5-star hotel is housed in an original 1924 Art Deco shop-house, whose architectural detailing has been expertly retained and restored. Scarlet guestrooms are around 15-20 sq. metres, and have settings and moods that reflect individual themes. The example suggests that more successful boutique hotels have now adopted a new mentality that combine chic interior design and local flavors with close attention to the needs/lifestyle of individuals, renaming themselves ‘lifestyle boutique hotels’. With the growing popularity and awareness of design giants like Andrée Putman, Philippe Starck, and Kit Kemp, “hotel design suddenly became interesting design: a cunning mix of form and function that guests could respectably try at home” as Lindberg (2012) suggested. He further commented that “apparently a whole lot of people want to live in a hotel, or at least pretend they do”. The design-hotel era flipped all that on its head, upending expectations of how lobbies and guest rooms should look, and how far hotels could go in conveying, even pioneering, a certain style. Also as Gary Chang has commented in his book Hotel as Home (2006) that “the boundaries between the categories of home, service apartments, and hotels have become fuzzier these days”, so what matters maybe that if the person is opening the door to a house or to a (guest)room. Some hotels are leveraging the opportunity to a new level to offer their branded bath robes, pillows, coffee mugs, cushions and even custom- designed mattresses for sale in their hotel shops, so that guests will be able to re-create the hotel room at home.

More and more hoteliers are working hard to create hotels more like homes, to attract longer-stay business/leisure travelers. Many of the latest boutique hotels are created to appeal to audiences who look for ‘the perfect hotel away from home’. Hotels do not just focus on functional aspects to differentiate themselves; some also use branding and naming to communicate their positioning in the market. For example, Hotel LKF in Hong Kong promises guests that “all rooms and suites are designed for the comforts of home”. The hotel highlights its proximity to the CBD and major shopping malls, and prides itself

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on creatively designed, ultra-comfortable guestrooms that range in size from 500 – 950 sq. ft. (equivalent to 50 – 95 sq. m.) . Designed by Hong Kong Interior Designer, Antony Chan, of Cream Design, Architectural & Planning Ltd., the hotel won major awards when it was first launched in 2009, and in 2015, Hotel LKF renamed itself as a ‘Luxury Boutique Hotel’ that is a “Home Away from Home”. Hotel Jia (家) is another hotel in Hong Kong that prides itself in providing ‘home feeling’ to guests. Not only did the name clearly express the hotel’s marketing position; the hotel is located in a major shopping precinct and very close to a big residential area. Guests returning to the hotel every day can relate to local residents who live in the area; the location has the advantage of providing guests with a true local experience. Looking around the world, there are other hotels that position themselves as ‘home away from home’ by calling themselves ‘Home’ (hotel) such as Home Hotel in Taipei, Home Hotel in Beijing, Hotel Home in Buenos Aires, and Home Hotel in Idaho.

Figure. 3 Photos taken in Lift Lobby of Different Floors inside Home Hotel in Taipei Photo Credit S.K.Yung . 2011

Boutique hotels tend to have a higher percentage of repeat guests compared to other hotel categories because of the nature of its customers -- that they have a greater sense of brand loyalty. The more crucial demographic bias is boutique hotel’s appeal to women (Lea 2008). It was indicated in the study conducted that the percentage of female guests checked in boutique hotels were higher than male. The study conducted by Mira Hotel in 2013 and Scarlet Hotel in 2012 also indicated that over 60% of the guests annually were female. The percentage of occupany between female over male guests in boutique hotels was another key indicator of the effective relationship between the object and the target of this research.

1.1.4 Emotional Design in the Hotel Industry Emotional Design is both the title of a book by Donald Norman and the concept he describes. The main topic is how emotions play a crucial role in humans’ ability to

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understand the world, and how they learn new things. Norman’s emotional design theory mainly addresses interaction on three levels, and relates design practice to three levels of processing: i) visceral, ii) behavioural, and iii) reflective (2004). Most of the time, emotional design is more applicable to product design. According to the theory, when users interact with a design object, they tend to be first attracted to the object’s visual appearance, which leads them to further explore the object’s function and usability, and finally to establish a feeling for it that generates an emotion through their personal association with it after using it for some time.

While early designers and design theories focused on ‘forms follow function’ (Sullivan 1930), designers of the late 20th century were driven by emotions in design. Marissa Louie, Principal Designer at Yahoo! (2014), has led design efforts in designing the search function in different homepages by engaging emotions in design. Wensveen, Overbeeke and Djajadiningrat (2002) designed an alarm clock that predicted mood and worked according to the user’s emotions input. Patricia Urquiola, a Spanish designer, has won several awards and gained a place in the permanent collection of New York's MoMA by her outstanding work engaging emotional design, which included Panerai's new six-storey boutique in Canton Road, Hong Kong. These examples demonstrate that the application of emotions in design is not limited to products but also to siuations (Lo 2007), and as discussed, the Panerai’s boutique is a spatial project that engages emotional design. Urquiola explained that in the design of the space, there is a motivation "to improve our everyday lives; not only in terms of ergonomics, environmental impact and other practical elements, but mostly on the intangible - virtual values perceptions, mental comfort and inner pleasure" (Glauert 2017). The 5-storey building has a distinctive external façade consisting of panels of undulating aluminium, fitted with a large wall clock reflecting a strong characteristic of Paneri’s dial. The interior is a juxtaposition of modernity and history embedded with technical codes of watchmaker as a way to communicate with the customers and let them learn more of the products. Urquiola’s concept can be substantiated by Scherer’s component model, in which there are five components to processing emotions: cognitive appraisal, bodily symptoms, action tendencies, facial and vocal expression, and subjective awareness of the emotion (Scherer 1982, 2005). It is believed that good emotional designs are able to answer emotional needs at all levels; and are more aesthetically appealing and empathetic to the user(s), leaving a memory of a more relevant design experience.

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Emotions and user experience play a significant role in shaping brands; recent reports have shown that emotion in design is a key driver of business success, and emotional design has become a progressive trend in design research (Price 2017). Brand building is acknowledged to be the key to marketing success, and many businesses are putting increasing emphasis on creating pleasant and memorable experiences for customers (Schmitt 1999, Diller, Sherdoff & Rhea 2006). Emotional design research has also led to the creation of more brands, and sub-brands under major brands, like Nike and Brand Jordan. Brand strategies developed by major corporations are deliverables of emotional design studies; by creating new brands and deploying different brand strategies, corporations are able to reinforce their product/service positions in the market, as well as to tap into new and emerging markets. While there is increasing attention to emotional design across different design disciplines worldwide in the last decades, hospitality researchers have only recently started to pay attention to studying the emotions of hotel guests.

Successful hotel branding is defined by results in occupancy and Average Daily Rate (ADR), and determined by guest satisfaction (Horwell 2015). While traditional research studies of customers’ responses to hotels concentrate primarily on satisfaction -- the dominant paradigm is the ‘disconfirmation model’ which stated that a customer’s level of satisfaction with a hotel’s performance was the result of disconfirmation between his or her expectations and perceived service quality of the hotel (Parasuraman, Zeithaml & Berry 1994); this model provides insights beyond pure ratings of good or bad. In the face of immense competition, it is important for hoteliers to realize that traditional research methodologies may not be sufficient as the research findings suggested that consumption emotions -- subjective feeling states that occur when considering buying or using a product (Cohen & Areni 1991) -- affect constructs of interest to marketing academics and practitioners, and studies have demonstrated that consumption emotions influence both satisfaction and repeat patronage, and this is especially true for hotels. Hospitality researchers, such as American Hotel and Lodging Association, CHD Expert Group and Deloitte, have therefore started seeking alternative approaches in understanding and enhancing customer experience from a new perspective -- loyalty. Loyalty can only be accumulated over time and built on positive memories, and memories are an effect of our emotions. Consequently, emotions have become the focus in the hotel industry. Hoteliers, especially boutique hotel managers, are aware that emotional attributes determine perception, and perception contributes to brand personality; as a brand is just as powerful in the hotel industry as in other design businesses. Certainly, the emotions visitors

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experience in a hotel vary by type and intensity. Some major international hotel chains, including , Le Meridién and The Ritz-Carlton, are capitalizing on the ability of aroma to cue memories and conjure up emotions in guests, and turning that moment into an opportunity to enhance the brand awareness (Forbes 2012).

The emotional response elicited from the boutique and lifestyle hotel experience is of particular importance to understanding the appeal of boutique hotels (Day, Quadri, and Jones 2013). With boutique hotels, where emotional appeal is a strong focus, emotional design has a major effect. Such hotels develop services which not only address functional aspects but are strongly reflective of the hotel’s personality. The emotional aspects of hospitality design reflect the phenomenon described in the earlier section -- how some guests have started to turn hotels into homes as they develop a ‘sense of home’ on recurring visits or lengthier stays (Chang 2006). A lot of hotels have gone further in addressing the emotional needs of solo female business travelers (Nagaraj 2012); many have been adamant about making these changes to accommodate and meet these standards. Taking the need for extra safety into consideration, hotels have begun to make some simple changes to the design features of the building to promote a feeling of security (Knight 2012). Some of these include: special keycard, women-only dining lounge, double lock and bolt for guestroom door. And when it comes to guestrooms, female travelers are often looking for a few essentials, high-quality bed linens, storage, updated décor, branded toiletries in the bathroom, fluffy towels and appropriate lighting, for example. For female business travelers, the list may also include high-speed internet with easy access and a variety of options from room service such as body massage and in-room dining. It was clearly noted that women travelers much prefer chosing hotels that can provide them with a little extra attention and services which suggest the hotel are placing their comfort and safety in higher priority. Such attributes make the major determinants for marking the satisfaction of the female business traveler and the chance of repeated visit (Alamdari & Burrell 2000, Marzuki, Chin & Razak 2018).

The Market Metrix Hotel Emotions Scale (MMHI) is a national indicator of customer emotions, satisfaction, and price sensitivity regarding hotel facilities and services in the United States. The study conducted at the beginning of the century clearly indicated that emotions do influence customer loyalty towards hotels and that certain emotions play a strong role in the decision-making process regarding willingness to pay a given rate and willingness to return (Barsky & Nash 2002). Therefore it is important for hotels to create

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experiences that replicate home, physically or emotionally, to motivate guests to rate them highly or decide to return on their next trip.

1.2 Subject of Study - Female Business Travelers ‘Female business travelers’ are women in business, who either work for other people as employees, or entrepreneurs who have their own company or business (merriam- webster.com). They frequently travel away from home for work purposes, and their expenses are usually covered by their employer (thefreedictionary.com). Maiden Voyage, in conjunction with the Business Travel Magazine, conducted a research to discover that businesswomen were of age 30 - 50, who held senior positions as managers, company directors, business owners, and CEOs (Hall 2016). And according to the study conducted by The Center for Hospitality Research at Cornell University, these women of age 31 - 60, earned around US$100,000 to US$250,000 per year (Cornell 2011). The study conducted by Amadeus (2013), a global technology group, also showed that the profile of female business travelers in the around Asia corresponded to those of the west.

There have been more women traveling around the world for both work and leisure since the beginning of the century (Anon 1995). A study by Travel & Leisure as far back as 2005 estimated that females comprised 50% of frequent fliers and 43% of business travelers, and later research shows that much of the recent growth in business travel among women comes from small businesses (Chang 2012). Back in the beginning of the decade, research conducted by Wyndham hotels in the United States on the woman business traveler already revealed that women business travelers averaged 4.4 trips per year while spending on average US $3763 per annum on domestic business trips and US $4052 on international trips (Anon 2006); more recently, a survey conducted by American Express (2013) indicated that there was a 15% increase in women-only trips between 2012 and 2013, and the spending on average of business travel per annum amounts to over US $1.6Trillion in 2017 (Deloitte Travel and Hospitality Industry Outlook 2018). According to the findings reported by Global Business Travel Industry -- Statistics & Facts, business travel managers from many countries expect business travel to increase by at least 7% in the coming years, and the countries spending the most on business travel include the United States and China (The Statistics Portal, 2017). As more women take up senior positions in major corporations, the number of female business travelers increased. Major airports in the United States reported that over 50% of business travelers are female (CAA 2014) London Heathrow (2015) has recorded over 60% increase in female business travelers since the early 1980’s. Apart from airport statistics, the appearance of airline

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magazine pages to target female business travelers, and number of research exercises conducted on marketing to female hotel guests also signaled the growth in female business travelers activity.

Both the demographics and the recent activities in the hospitality industries suggested the expansion of the female business travelers’ market, and the importance of this group of target audience in the future development of different businesses. As Judi Brownell, Cornell University Professor of the Management & Organizational Behavior Program argues -- “there’s little question of how important women business travelers are to the hospitality industry in general and to hotel companies in particular” (Brownell 2011). Furthermore, the studies also denoted the correlation between female business travelers and boutique hotels.

1.2.1 Women in Business Historically, the industrialization of the world economy and the rise of feminism has encouraged the growth of females in the workforce. In the last 30 years, the increase of females going into business is mainly the result of rising in living costs, pursuit of equal rights, and access to higher education (Globe Traveler 2014). According to the World Bank data (2018), most Asian countries have a 0.1% increase in the number of women joining the labor force since 2000, the percentage may seem insignificant, but the number is actually quite large when calculated on the total population of these countries. Say for example in China, with 6.6 million women in the labour force, a 0.1% increase implies that there will be 6,600 more women joining the force every year (Yang 2017). Countries like Canada and Finland has recorded over 1% increase in the last five years (Ospina & Tztetkova 2017). The percentage increase is more significant in developing countries like Cuba and India. Records showed that the restructuring of women’s psychological expectations and shifting of their motivations and self-identities from family focus to work- centric and that more women staying single and living to an older age were the two major phenomena that have accounted for the significant increase (Mercer 2016). Research has shown in China, women make up 49 percent of China’s total population and 46 percent of its labor force. The female population was advancing at rates nearly as great as the country’s overall economic expansion in recent years. It was noted that half of the world’s self-made female billionaires are in China, and a quarter of the country’s entrepreneurs are female. Similar growth happens in the United States, women’s participation in the labor force, at 68 percent, is catching up to men’s 80 percent participation, the size of the female population in the United States -- nearly 157 million in 2010 (Aguirre, Hoteit, Rupp &

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Sabbagh 2012). The number of women who started their own business has also grown significantly in the last decade. It is obvious that a lot of women have accumulated sufficient wealth and connections to set up their own company, they have also grown to become more independent in life and at work given their education and life experiences. A statistical study conducted in the United States in 2017 already revealed that women own nearly 10.4 million businesses, employing nearly 13 million people (Sharkey 2007), while a recent study in Asia indicated that around 10 per cent of the entrepreneurs in South Asian countries being women (ESCAP 2013); women were founding businesses at 1.5 times the national average in the United States (Chang & Kratz 2012). Since the beginning of the decade, women continued to leave their mark in business in industries around the world (Chang 2012). In a study conducted in 2012, there were a total of 187 million women worldwide who started or ran a business enterprise, and 22% of large public companies worldwide have women on their boards (Chang & Kratz 2012).

Consequently, females (single or married) are earning their own financial status, and have a higher spending power (Quast 2011). According to the paper A study of preferences of business female travelers on the selection of accommodation by Jocelyn Siah Chee Haoa and Chris Ong Siew Har, the Boston Consulting Group has discovered that “women are controlling purchases and driving shifts in the economy, as women will soon earn more than men” (2014). Given that these women in business are predominantly in the managerial level of their own company, they are used to being ‘the’ decision makers under most circumstances. They are usually given the right to make the final decision on their own airline and hotel options provided by the company/client when they have to travel on business; tend not to be influenced by others’ recommendations, and much prefer to personally go through the ‘information search’ and ‘alternative evaluation’ process before confirming their booking (Power, 1997 cited in Siah & Ong 2014). They also tend to be more specific with their needs when traveling; such as requesting window seats on planes, better room allocation in hotels, and in-room services, and prefer to plan their own off- hours activities during the trips. In regards to the identified traits, major airlines have recognized the potential of the female business travelers’ market and have started to offer female specific services. Aligning with the new initiatives developed by airlines, many hotels also strove to capture this growing market sector by starting their own campaign to target this specific group.

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1.2.2 Female Impact on Hospitality Services Industry findings about female users’ impact on air travel resonates with findings about their effect on the hotel business, as suggested by research conducted in 2014, indicating that “the female business traveler has become one of the major markets for the hotel industry” (Siah & Ong 2014). Travel related companies are creating new products that go beyond the expectations of the female traveler, as ‘Female Centric’ becomes the buzz words for this “new business women’s movement” (Muxlow 2007). Hotels around the world have put extra effort into offering special services to meet the needs of this growing market. During a study conducted by in 2010, it was found that women can often provide better insights than men: “women (respondents) see a lot more opportunity in improving guest experience”, said Jenifer Ziegler, during an interview. It is generally agreed that women are more discerning and more conscious of small details, than men. The article Women Keeping Up Pressure for a Better Travel Experience (2007) stated that “women are a big part of the reason that a typical hotel room, whether midlevel or luxury, has better bedding, lighting, room service, closets, work spaces and overall design”. A study by Intercontinental Hotels Groups (2010) indicated that when conducting consumer research on how to 'enhance the guest experience' in order to learn why customers would visit the hotel more often and spend more money, women often provided the best insights. In selecting hotels, location, cleanliness and safety are the three major concerns for female travelers. It was also observed on the Tripadvisor website (during 2013 – 2015) that most contributors were women, and the comments they posted were mostly related to details in the room, such as “the color of the sofa bed next to the window warms the room” (on W Hotel, Taipei), and “the smell of the toiletries give me a good sense of the flowers in the city” (on Intercontinental Hotel, Qingdao). They also prefer expedited check-in, working in public areas of hotels and patronizing hotels that operate in an environmentally-sound manner. Consequently, hotels are not just introducing products and services which cater to female guests; they are also training front-line staff to be more conscious of privacy and security, ensuring that the room number is not read out when female guests check in.

Besides the general expectations common to all business travelers, female business travelers are very particular about safety and security; many would prefer arrangements such as separate check-in desks and designated meeting room space located in a discreet part of the hotel. To this end, some hotels have classified floors as ‘ladies floors’ that are geared towards the needs of female guests and require special card access (Baker et al. 2000). A number of hotels have introduced women-only floors since the early 2010’s; The Hamilton in Washington, D.C. was among the first to set aside a floor for its

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female guests. The Naumi Hotel in Singapore has a women-only floor, accessible with a special keycard, and the rooms are fitted with hair straighteners and sanitary products. The rooms in the women-only floor of Fleming in Hong Kong are filled with women’s magazines and yoga mats. "Women are more influenced by their surroundings, and therefore, the ways in which hotels can accommodate them become important," said Judi Brownell, professor of organizational communication at the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration (2013). Some hotels have taken major initiatives in changing their branding strategies and designing travel marketing to attract female business travelers. As early as in 1995, Wynham Hotels started a marketing program called ‘Women on Their Way’ targeted at female business travelers. The program included mentoring circles, workshops on topics surrounding health, family life, and work/life balance as well as career development classes, seminars and networking events. In 2011, Sheraton launched a $100 million multi-channel marketing campaign with the tagline “Where Actions Speak Louder” aimed to target the discerning female market. Sheraton’s President (2015) also pointed out that the revived brand addresses the needs of the modern traveler as well as females traveling alone. The industry findings together with the increase of female travelers that correlated to the development of new hotel types and particularly the increase in boutique hotel in the past few years, indicated that the growth of female business travelers and boutique hotels in the recent years are somehow interrelated.

Obviously female business travelers are becoming a growing focus of the hospitality industry. Singapore is among the leading regional markets for female business travelers, with women comprising15% of executive boards and 20% of mid-senior management. Other countries that have shown a growing percentage of female business travelers include India, Indonesia, Japan, and Korea (Amadeus, 2013). The Amadeus report also indicated that the Chinese business traveler (especially female) will become a much more significant force in Asia Pacific over the next few years, as Chinese companies, including small-to-medium businesses, increasingly seek to do business regionally. This group of young female business travelers, who travel frequently around Asia on business, will be the core audience of this research.

1.2.3 Women Only Context Despite growing attention to female business travelers, there has been a lack of research into women and travel in general (Swain 1995). The focus on women business travelers has been relegated to a few articles specifying their characteristics and requirements, and how best to market to female guests. Hospitality consultants, hotel groups or airlines have

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conducted annual studies, but they mainly focused on service quality issues and female travelers’ preferences of airline or accommodation selection for their trips; business travelers have not been carefully analysed, especially those traveling alone. The report suggested that hospitality services providers should examine the needs of female business travelers and to evaluate their current service packages in order to tap into this growing market segment. It was not until the beginning of this century that gender research into business travelers indicated that female and male travelers have “significant differences in preference for tourism services and facilities” (Resinger & Movondo 2001).

The design and decor of hotel rooms for business travelers usually have so-called ‘neutral design’, which means they are often aesthetically bland and supplied with simple amenities. Toiletries provided by hotels are mostly own brands; even slippers in rooms are one-size- fits-all. The Security and Environment division of American Airlines even reported that female travelers found flight attendants less responsive to their needs than those of male travelers (2016). The report suggested that hospitality services providers should examine the needs of female business travelers and to evaluate their current service packages in order to tap into this growing market segment. Airlines began to notice the increase and potential of female frequent travelers, and started to introduce services catering to them. Japan Airlines (JAL) has introduced their women’s only restroom -- ‘Ladies Elegance Rooms’ in 1996, as well as All Nippon Airways (ANA) in 2010. Female passengers on Cathay Pacific Business Class are now offered a different color toiletries pouch than the male travelers. Most airlines now have more female washrooms on board; there are also female amenity packs in the washrooms, and male flight attendants are ready to offer assistance to female travelers with their luggage. In 2012, Lufthansa launched a magazine, Women’s World in 2012, and American Airlines also introduced a website, www.AA.com/women, specifically for female travelers.

For many hotels, the creation of women-only floors was a major step to cater for the needs of female business travelers. Not only do ‘women-only floors’ address the emotional needs of female guests, they also meet the requirements for greater privacy and better security. In a focus group conducted by Hotel Bella Sky Comwell in Denmark, female respondents indicated that most of them preferred to stay on women-only floors because of better security and hygiene (Baskas 2011). According to the Marketing Manager of the Hamilton Crowne Plaza Hotel in Washington, D.C., the women-only floor is often sold out, and most of their guests are repeat customers who are also members of their loyalty program. Since safety and security are the two major concerns, female business travelers are less likely

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to go out at night and more likely to order room service and work in their room; therefore the comfort of the guestroom is of major importance. Some hotels have taken the initiative even further. After a study conducted by InterContinental Hotels and Resorts Group in the early 2000’s, the insights gained from its female respondents prompted the launch of a new brand in October 2004 that was more female-focused -- Hotel Indigo. According to Intercontinental Hotels and Resorts Group, Hotel Indigo was the industry’s first branded lifestyle boutique hotel to target female guests. The hotel was designed to create a better experience for the female traveler; the bath area is bigger, towels are plusher, designs and décor are rotated regularly. There was a guest area specifically for women where they could enjoy greater privacy. The fresh fruit, flowers, and complimentary refreshments and snacks (yogurt, ice cream and chocolate), and also the female-only lounge and special women-only floor key card left female guests with memories of a great hotel stay. Irene Li, a female business traveler from Hong Kong who has stayed at Hotel Indigo in Bangkok has posted a comment on TripAdvisor saying that “I love the colors in my room and especially the paintings on the wall, they brightened up day after a dreadful meeting from 9am – 6pm, thanks to the great Bangkok illustrator who did the painting” (2016). Another comment on TripAdvisor by a female business traveler Etina Lam who stayed at Hotel Indigo in Shanghai commented that “I love the pattern on the cushions so much that I decide to decorate my new house with that scheme, thanks to Nina, the hotel reception, who pointed me to the shop where I can get those fabrics” (2017).

With the growing awareness of the female market, and the success of Hotel Indigo, other hotels followed suit, such as the Naumi Hotel in Singapore, Georgian Court Hotel in downtown Vancouver, B.C., and The Fleming in Hong Kong. Female-centric guest rooms tend to have extra-large showerheads, extra clothes hangers for skirts and dresses, padded satin hangers; and additional amenities such as flat iron, curling iron, fashion magazines, and other things women might have forgotten to bring along (Baskas 2011). Although earlier studies have shown that women used to find business travel more stressful than men in general, an exceptional hotel experience could make female business travelers feel respected and empowered, as the trips could free them from routine, widen their perspectives and reassure them of their status in the business world – that from scheduling their trip to picking the hotel and be able to work efficiently in the guestroom during their stay in the selected hotel. Moreover, female business travelers would want to take home something in their minds (memories and emotional satisfaction), as well as their pockets (souvenirs and special offers on return visits). For this reason, some hotels offer free souvenirs to their guests, like the Hotel Conrad’s famous ‘yellow

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rubber ducky’ and the Peninsula’s exquisite red lacquer soap box. Women need special care not only in a practical manner, but they also expect attention in more personal ways. Thus different management groups have been working hard to ensure that services are developed to create the best experience, emotionally and physically, for female travelers in the belief that a hotel that serves their needs is more likely to succeed and attract repeat customers (Lagace 2005).

Figure. 4 Photo of Conrad Hotel Yellow Rubber Ducky Photo Credit Conrad Yan . 2009

Figure. 5 Photo of Peninsula Hotel Red Lacquer Soap Box Photo Credit Kit Ip . 2017

1.3 Value of Study – Homeyness ‘Homeyness’ is defined as having a feeling of home; comfortable; cozy (dictionary.com) and simply homelike (merriam-webster.com). Rybczynski (1986) has defined home as a place of ‘comfort’ in the book Home: A Short History of an Idea and explained that that comfort is both objective and subjective and encompasses the following important features: privacy, intimacy, domesticity, coziness, convenience and ease. He called his definition

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the ‘Onion Theory of Comfort’ -- a meaning that looks deceivingly simple, yet it is composed of many delicate and transparent layers of emotions (Spronk 2008). Interior designers have talked about designing spaces to create a homey feeling. But in creating homes (that embrace homey feelings), it may not be simply taking a sensible approach to matching colors, shapes, fabrics, and zoning. There may be interior design guidelines and regulations that designers can refer to, and also tips online, reference books, and software to help amateurs to design their own homes, but creating ‘homeyness’ in a space requires more than knowing guidelines and regulations, and dealing with floor plans and walls. In the past, spatial designers and architects simply measured and evaluated space against aesthetic standards or physical attributes of ergonomic ratios rather than utilitarian standards or against behaviors of users. Moreover, spatial design is a conceptual discipline that focuses upon people, space and flow. Flow is determined by the environmental relationships of things/objects. In living spaces, commercial spaces and recreational spaces where graphics, products and multimedia designs communicate to and interact with users, the interplay of dimensions and theories of two-dimensional design juxtapose with those of three-dimensional and four-dimensional designs to create a complex dynamic force-field. Simply looking at objects or the interior décor alone disregards the powerful interplay of elements that construct the space and create the experience within. A person using the space brings in his/her experiences, beliefs, cultural background, values; his/her experiences interlink the emotional, functional and physical aspects. The reinforcement of the objects within as well as the ambience, and the user’s own emotional state or aspirations, create an intricate relationship that can impact more than any of the elements alone (Relph 1976). The intricate relationship can be reflected through human activities; a component that contained in the flow, yet not being well recognized by designers in the design process. Activities are what mark behaviors in relation to the space, the trace of human movements and things done within the space. When the person is in contact with objects in the space, they are then connected to form a pattern of interacting points; the pattern of how we navigate around our home therefore contributes to creating the emotions and feelings that make it home. As Juhani Pallasmaa stated in the book The Eyes of the Skin, “the geometry of thought echoes the geometry of the room/home” (2005). The pattern, or ‘flow’ creates emotion and the emotions added together make up a chain of thoughts, called ‘aggregated emotions’. Emotions are therefore curated by visual cues/objects placed in the room that determine the flow. As Barrie Gunter (2000) explained in his book Psychology of the Home, “while all studies emphasize the relationship of the conceptions and physical attributes of place”, they leave aside the third component of place, which is activities.

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The feeling of ‘homeyness’ is about sentiments and emotional cues. Sentiments also relate to history and experiences, while emotional cues are what people can see, touch, smell, or even hear or taste in the environment. Virginia Lung, ex-Chairman of the Hong Kong Female Interior Designers Association, commented that the home represents “a gut feeling of identification and comfort” (2010). ‘Homeyness’ can be created and recreated; the question is whether the feelings can be accurately captured and what elements can help to evoke the emotions of ‘being at home’ in a more systematic and logical way.

1.3.1 What Constitutes a Home “Home is a safe place, a loving place, and a creative place. A place of comfort and privacy” as Ilse Crawford (2005) wrote in the introduction of her book Home is Where the Heart is. Home used to be just a place where people related to simple activities like eating and sleeping, but nowadays it’s also where more intense activities like working, exercising, partying, or even tele-conferencing take place. “Home meant the house (or apartment), also everything that was in it and around it, as well as the people, the sense of satisfaction and contentment” (Rybczynski 1986). A proposed framework by Werne, Altman and Oxley (1986) derived from a transactional perspective determined people/psychological processes, environmental properties and temporal qualities defined home. Their definition of home suggested that people and environment are an integral and inseparable unit; which are mutually defining.

In the paper The Canadian Room that Speaks Chinese the I presented at The 6th Design & Emotion Conference held in Hong Kong (2008), I explained that “one cannot call a house a ‘home’ unless one truly ‘lives’ there, is at ease doing all sorts of everything in it, places personal treasures here and there, and most importantly, has certain feelings towards it (both positive and negative considered) -- excitement, harmony, secure and relaxed are the emotions a home contains” (Lau 2008). Through people living in them, people can turn the house -- as a space to a home -- as a place (Relph 1976), as suggested by Don Norman that “we can transform houses into homes, spaces into places, things into belongings” (2003). Rooms do speak out for the users, using the user’s specific language and vocabulary that links to the user’s own values, experiences and culture (Lau 2010). In principal, home means a lot of things; while part of it may be physical - an address or location - a large part is psychological. A home is where we can move around freely; where we can explore our inner self and be our real self; a private place for resting and

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recuperating. A ‘good’ home is factors in people, feelings, emotions, decor, time, and a lot more; a home is a cradle of ‘thoughts’, ‘dreams’, and memories’ (Bachelard 1958).

Layout There is an ecology to a home; a ‘geography’ of a home. A typical home in Asian cities like Hong Kong and Taipei has a sitting room, a dining room/area, one of two bedrooms (of which one of them has a ensuite), a toilet, and a kitchen. A typical home in North America (which is usually a house) has the landing area, a powder room, a family room, a living room, a kitchen, master and guest suite, a laundry area, a garage, and some have a basement too. Whether it’s an Asian home or a North American home -- which differ in number of rooms and overall size -- a home contains rooms that serve different functions and for conducting different activities. The layout can also be compared to the physical body of a person. Like the common areas (public space) such as the living room and sitting room are like the intestines, the personal areas (private space) such as the bedroom and the ensuite bathroom are like the brain and the heart. No matter what the layout looks like, the geography of a home represents how the person living in it lives. While the layout reflects the life of the dweller, it also affects who they are and how they feel and what they will do, as Gallagher describes in her book House Thinking (2006).

On entering the house/home, once inside the door, the space is an area of transition that transcends public and private. “The house or apartment is not just a piece of real estate but a place that provides important experiences -- that can change your life”, “your home is not just your address but also a state of mind” (Gallagher 2006), implying that experiences inside the house create emotions that frame the memory of the place. Once inside the house/home, a person’s state of mind changes, and also his/her behavior. A house/space which can offer people the sense of hope and future, especially in a new place, will naturally give the person the feeling of a home -- comforts of home (Busch 1999).

Emotions Gallagher has commented in her book that “some places just feel like home” and that what they have in common is the ‘tonic effect’ they have on people’s behaviour (Gallagher 2006). By tonic effect, she refers to thoughts, feelings and behaviour. A home does not only have a physical appearance, it can also be represented by emotions. Usually people will feel relaxed, comfortable, and contented in a home. The emotions are derived from past memories and expectations (or hope). Rybczynski has written that home refers to a private refuge that provides comfort, meaning, and beauty (1986).

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Accordingly, there are emotions associated with every room in the house. ‘Comfort’, ‘privacy’, ‘entertaining’, ‘coziness’ and ‘relaxation’ are the common emotions found in a lot of places in at home, while ‘privacy’, ‘comfort’, ‘romance’ are common emotions attached to the bedroom (Jaffe 2015). In general, feeling comfortable, secure, and relaxed also means ‘feeling at home’. The emotion ‘feeling at home’ can be conceptualized as a part of environmental psychology and the ‘psychology of housing’ (and the related emotion of ‘feeling at home’) can be regarded as a part of environmental psychology.

Aesthetics Homes are painted with the favorite colours of the inhabitants, decorated with things they love and designed to suit their taste. Aesthetics are the key to making a home that feels like home, and are directly related to the design (Crawford 2006). Some generic ornaments and decorations can help someone feel homey, from the doorbell, the peep-hole on the door or the curtains, to pictures of friends and relatives. A home is like a fashion garment -- “you are what you wear”. The aesthetics of the home reflect the person, and people will feel comfortable wearing a well-fitted garment in good fabric, so in terms of colors and schemes, home decors usually recommend to use warm colors and a lot of fabric or soft patterns for family homes. Yet many new designers like to suggest some points of highlight in the room -- like the use of a accent wall in the hallway or sitting room, in fact, the aesthetics may also indicate the present and the dwellers aspiration for the future.

People and Behavior People make up a large part in defining a home. As mentioned earlier, a home is where someone can stay with the people they love most. People also means activities, conversations, and memories. Usually, a home won’t be very different from the spaces indicated on the floor plan of a sales brochure -- but once lived in, the inhabitant(s) can choose to alter the space and change the appearance of each space to cater to their preferences and to their needs (things they need and want to do in life). This is the environmental-behavioral perspective on what a home is.

A home should have different areas that allow a person to display his/her different characters, and there is often one room or one corner where a person can retreat to, so he/she will not be disturbed, or even noticed, by anyone (Cooper 1985). It is interesting to note that a home is more than just physical objects or even emotional attachments; it is also an embodiment of dreams or aspirations. Morris Nunn of Circa Morris Nunn Architects

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commented once suggested that a home should be able to connect the past with the present and project the future (2012). A home is also an expression of human activity and behavior. At home, a person can be free to behavior in his/her personal way. A home provides the ultimate emotional privacy for someone to be oneself, and just act the way he/she feels comfortable with (Crawford 2006).

1.3.2 The Meaning of Being Home People's perception of their environment influences their social interaction within that environment and thus, their behavior. Given a person’s own experience and past encounters, he/she responds uniquely when confronted with a specific situation or experience, or in contact with a specific object or person. The responses are classified into three categories, i) sociological, ii) psychological, and iii) physiological, all of which are prompted by factors within the specific spatial environment. Sociological responses relate to the social needs of the person, group dynamics, and refer to the need for communication between the person and other people in the environment. Psychological response has to do with the space planning and design of the interior environment; determinants in effect include aesthetics, lighting and ambience. Physiological response is determined by factors considered as early as the programming stage, such as functionality, ergonomics, safety, and health concerns (Neff 2017). The three responses are very similar to the three levels of Don Norman’s concept of emotional design as explained earlier. In the context of a home, the person is sociologically detached from other people and psychologically engaged in his/her own world, while physiologically the interaction between people and their domestic context creates the ‘safe’ and ‘comfort’ that a person needs at home; as Rybczynski suggested that when one is ‘at home’, one is secure and comfortable (1987). The feeling of separation from the outside, or public space gives a strong sense of being home. This feeling which relates to sense of ‘privacy’ is strongly connected to emotions, acoustic, and the visual presentation of the space (Crawford 2006). And with the sense of privacy, the person will be able to conduct any activities that is strictly personal; as Lumthaweepaisal suggested, “development of privacy in the domestic sphere promotes individuality and simultaneously suggests neutrality as its basis” (2013).

People of all cultures have understood that environment influences behavior (Gallagher 1993), and behavior drives activities. Gallagher begins The Power of Place by explaining how behavior and the environment are connected. The physical environment of a place creates expectations on one’s behavior and what they can and should do (Sommer 2007). As in a library, the environment has alerted us that it is important not to disturb other people,

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and therefore we tend to discipline ourselves within the environment and refrain from talking loudly or behaving conspicuously. Such behavior conforms to the kinds of activities that can be conducted in the environment; activities make up experience. A well-designed space should only be beautiful to look at; it should also allow the user to conduct certain activities comfortably and efficiently (Sommer 2007). The flagship store of a major brand should not only reflect its brand personality and retail philosophy -- a well-designed retail space should attract the right customers to enter, to try the products, and finally to make a purchase. Activities within a space can be encouraged or discouraged by its décor and configuration. Indirectly, the activities reflect the person’s state of mind and emotions. In fact, the effect is reciprocal. When the person is in good mood, he/she will be more willing to engage in activities that intensify the mood. This may encourage other activities to take place. If a person goes clubbing, he/she may feel stimulated by the lighting and the music in the room and motivated to socialize with other guests. Energized by meeting new friends, the person may start feeling like dancing. Activities also mark the person’s sense of fit in the space. The sense of fit also determines the kind of activities the person will do or participate in.

Home is also where a person’s thoughts, memories and dreams come together (Bachelard 1958). Aside from comfort and security, another emotion that is based at home is ‘ambition’ -- something to look forward/aspire to. If the kitchen, bedroom and bathroom are the main areas that contribute to comfort and secure feelings, the living room or the basement (for homes in North America) and balcony (for homes in Hong Kong) may be where dreams roam free. Such emotions are also related to the objects contained within that space. For example, the headboard, the armchair, the floor lamp in the sitting room could resemble the ones used in the décor of the guestroom at a particular hotel: they are actually visual cues to help us channel a more carefree place and time; such cues allow the person to dream of their future.

To business travelers, the guestroom is the bedroom, the sitting room, the office, the meeting room, and can also be the study, the gym, and the dining room. To these people, the boundaries between home and hotels have become fuzzier (Chang 2006); the two places seem to be able to accommodate similar needs. Gary Chang has commented in his book, that “what my home and a hotel room have in common are their convenience and practicality” (2006).

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1.3.3 Objects at Home Objects can be classified into three major categories: i) physical objects (which have a definite form and volume), ii) social objects (people and friends), and iii) abstract objects (principles, ideas, or theories) (Blumer 1969). Every object has a meaning and a place in the owner’s life that is as relevant as the function it serves; the meaning and functional aspects are inseparable (Rybczynski 1986). Accordingly, each piece of furniture echoes a value in the owner’s mind, denoting an experience or a need; together they reflect a cognitive process within. Objects can be used to define space, determine flow/path, create relationships; they can also be cues to next touchpoints and establish ‘functional masses’ as illustrated by Architect Philip Johnson's Glass House (Hawthorn, 2012). In that article, functional masses explains how objects found inside most homes appear to serve physical functions, but many have psychological functions embedded in them too. Physical objects found at home -- bed, fridge, basin, chairs, TV, telephone, cups, hangers, frying pan -- all have functional values, and may contribute to the efficiency of a person’s everyday life. Physical objects in a home may also include emotional objects; usually keepsakes, especially in the case of people who are frequent travelers and love to fill their homes with souvenirs/objects from places they have visited (and also from hotels they have stayed in). Social objects in a home are the people who are directly or indirectly related to the inhabitant(s), and who have had an effect on the dweller(s)’ emotions and contributed to their memories. The most obvious kind of abstract objects are memories and stories. In the article Every Object Tells a Story Intergenerational Stories and Objects in the Homes of Pakistani Heritage Families in South Yorkshire, UK, finding from the research conducted by Pahl K also indicated that there is a strong relationship between objects and family stories and timescales. According to Donald Norman “people tend to choose things based on the occasion, context, and above all, the mood” (2004) to create emotional attachment or feelings. The idea is that for most of the time, when we encounter an object, our reaction is determined not only by how well it works, but by how good it looks to us, and by the self- image, loyalty and nostalgia it evokes in us (Norman 2004). Of all, physical objects have the most significance, and they are also descriptive symbols/cues that create the personality of a home. People imbue their home with their own stories, and through decorating the house with things that tell other people (and themselves) about who they are (and who they want to be). Objects found in homes can be culturally relevant too. When we look at a North American home and a Japanese home, we may find a fireplace in many homes in North America; tatami exist only in Japanese homes. Things at home are reflections of a particular culture and lifestyle, and are also symbols that represent the personality of the owner(s); and people choose to place things in a home which represent

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some thing(s) about their culture, beliefs or values. From a reseach I conducted in 2014, the finding suggested that the bedroom is where we find most of the story-telling objects, or so called ‘social objects’. Individuals are believed to select and create a bedroom environment to reflect who they are in order to leverage emotional attainment (Lau 2014). Objects in placed in the rooms are usually more ‘private’ or precious objects; those displayed in the sitting room are usually those that the inhabitant believes say something about them. These objects can be regarded as more ‘public’ create the link between the guest and the temporary environment. They are decorative elements to complement the story-telling.

When we look into the stories of what each object in the hotel has to say as compared to those in our home, we can understand, or even redefine, our relationship with them, and thus understand how they can create the right ‘homey’ feeling in a hotel. There is also a close relationship between people and the things they own and use, and it is through interaction and connection that a homey feeling can be created in a guestroom. Assuming that the perceived value for objects and activities change according to the nature of the stay for guests, it might be possible to create ‘intimacy of belonging’ during the stay through objects. The right object(s) can be placed in the guestroom so that guests will arrive at a higher ‘level of contentment’ and ‘emotion attainment’ through offering certain service, or by placing particular products/items in the room, or at crucial ‘touch points’ within, so to simulate and build up the feeling of ‘being at home’ for business travelers. The underlying perception of ‘being home’ is linked to objects of familiarity and inspiration. In the paper Room with a View (about itself) I wrote for The 8th European Academy Of Design Conference in Scotland (2008), I presented a model on which objects, activities and emotions are mapped against two major attributes of ‘inspirational’ and ‘familiarity’. The model is used for studying a number of hotels of different star-ratings selected from around the region. The result of the analysis expressed through an index helps to identify: What gives a space its value? The conclusion is that creating the right emotion is not so much about how stylish or contemporary the room is; it is about whether we can create a corner that can evoke the relevant emotion and feeling.

In that study, I developed a new model -- calling it ‘The Ochoko Theory’ (2012), it substantiates the hypothesis that when the guest is offered to configure the room by selecting object(s) of his/her own choice, the room will end up with a refined attitude which can be interpreted as a view of that particular room. The findings from that research explained that users create values out of objects placed in the room, and the objects are

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able to induce emotions and activities; contributing to the ultimate experience for the stay, and memories for the future. Also in the research, it was found that the objects of ‘inspiration’ and ‘familiarity’ identified by the users in their bedroom and in the guestrooms of the hotel they stayed in are very similar in nature, form and functions. The values they assigned to the objects can be transferred, and therefore, when they see a similar object in the guestroom of the hotel, users can experience emotions of being ‘home’. The theory was tested during another research I conducted in 2013 on objects in design studios, as well as the field work in this research; both proven that the theory is somehow relevant.

1.3.4 The Home of a Female Business Traveler Recent research conducted by Andrew Young School of Policy Studies indicated that 50% of female entrepreneurs are single (2016). These female entrepreneurs not only create a job for themselves, but design an entire life. Accustomed to making decisions in the workplace, they are the decision-maker in the house whether they live with the family or alone. Little research exists on the homes of female business travelers or female entrepreneurs, yet it can be seen in photographs illustrating interviews in magazines like inhabitat or Elle that the homes of these women usually present a certain style and charisma – bright, bold, with simple design and lots of objects on display. The visual reference can be substantiated with a study I conducted in 2008 for the research The Room with a View (about itself) indicated that over 85% of female business travelers have things in common displayed in their home. Objects like a nice teapot and matching teacup, a flower vase, a dish or plate for holding small objects can also be found in the entrance area of the house. There are pillows or cushions on a couch or on the bed. There is a chair or stool in the room where they place their everyday handbag or tote bag, and a pretty or designer bedside lamp beside the bed; design objects seem to have a special appeal to female, which also apply to female business travelers.

In terms of activities, female business travelers generally spend their weekday evenings reading books or watching videos. 65% of them practiced yoga or some kind of exercise before or after work. During weekends, almost all of them would go out instead of staying at home. 82% indicated that they love to do facials or manicure at home during weekends and holidays, and over 60% of them enjoy cooking for themselves. Narelle Hicks, a female entrepreneur from Hong Kong who is now based in Singapore, started her own consultancy business in 2016. Narelle’s home in Singapore is designed with minimalism in mind. She has kept the overall color scheme very pale and preferred furniture which is functional. But by functional, she refers to those furniture pieces or objects that plays a

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role in creating the right emotional experience for her when she returns home every day after work. For example, the Barcelona Armchair in the sitting room is where she sits at the end of every day to enjoy a cup of tea, to relax and recharge herself. Sitting on that chair means she has returned home and can be herself again. Jennifer Kim, a female entrepreneur who owns a little retail store in Seoul that sells her own branded fashion accessory, has a home that displays all the souvenir collections from her past trips. In a way, her home looks more like a museum, but to her, those objects are part of her history. Her collection includes objects by Philippe Starck, Andrea Putman and Eric Chan. Whenever she has time to look at them, they bring back the memorable moments of each of the trips. She displays her most treasured fossil collections on her bedside table, and the lamp over that table was also a collectible item from Croatia, which she visited on her 30th birthday. Her home is a studio flat but functional areas are divided by different floorings that give each its distinct character.

Everyone’s home contains objects that reflect their identity, define their personality and recall their past experiences. These objects induce emotions and activities; the research cited above and the two case studies suggest that for these women the objects have a strong ‘emotional charge’ and conjure up the image of home. Seeing and interacting with these objects, the female business traveler can reconnect to her home and embrace the feeling of ‘homeyness’.

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CHAPTER TWO | LITERATURE REVIEW

__ This chapter aims to summarize and synthesize the arguments and concepts from books, publications, and materials on disciplines of anthropology, sociology, psychology, architectural design, gendered space, product ecology, and spatial design; with reference to the main focus of this research. Sociological concepts such as the Territoriality and Existential Space explain the very fundamental spatial relationships of objects and users, connecting mathematical and instinctive measurements between objects and people. The theory of Gendered Space will help to differentiate gender-specific requirements that can be applied to different kinds of space. Architectural concepts such as Environmental- behavioral Dynamics and Symbolic Interactionism discuss the relationship between user activities and those objects engaged in such. Key concepts and approaches have been revisited in order to develop a context within which to place the study, and to identify and associate the different elements for framing the multidimensional study that intends to connect user, design, experience, behavior/culture, emotion, and spatial interaction. A number of approaches for the literature review have been adopted in this research which underpinned the study to provide a good summary of the materials collected, and as the foundation to new interpretations. Approaches like i) ‘Argumentative Review’ -- the purpose of which is to develop a body of literature that establishes a divergent viewpoint, ii) ‘Theoretical Review’ -- which aims to examine the body of theory that has accumulated in order to understand the relationships between the theories that already existed so as develop new hypotheses to be used, and iii) ‘Integrative Review’ -- a form of research that reviews, critiques, and synthesizes representative literature in an integrated way such that new frameworks and perspectives on the topic are generated; very commonly used in the social sciences are engaged in this research. The review also helps to identify strengths and weaknesses in previous work, which can be used as rulings to eliminate the potential weaknesses in the proposed research. By comparing past publications, the missing dimensions can be further substantiated, and attributes that possibly (re)connect the dimensions could be recognized. While individual concepts explain and provide support, cross-referencing adds predictive power as ‘formulas’ can be deduced from injecting element(s) taken from the theories and factor(s) that contributed to setting up those concepts. The complex exploration of interweaving of conceptual exploration will help to develop a framework that can identify gaps and opportunities for establishing new insights and create change. The study on the connection proportions and missing dimension between bedroom and guestroom, former and latter philosophies and hoteliers and designers added to the depth and breadth of the literature review. The accentuated the

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amount of effort paid by the researcher in trying to justify the complexity of the methods to be used, and how the approaches and theories can be cross-referenced to create more dimensions to the research is so different from those that had been done or currently exist. The (renewed) connection will be able to create a complex dynamic force field that can better contextualize this study of hotel experience, which can be used as a foundation on which behavior and preferences of female business travelers are then added in. A newly- constructed matrix of the related theories and concepts visited will be used to establish an analytical framework against which findings can be referenced so as to come up with a proposal for an ideal guestroom configuration. The theoretical review on Territoriality, Existential Space, Gendered Spaces, Environmental-Behavioral Dynamics and Symbolic Interactionism will also be used for supporting the hypothesis generated from the data from the field work, and as the basis for the Phenomenological Approach in the second-tier of the research.

2.1 Territoriality The two important environmental concepts that belong to ‘former’ groups like Edward T. Hall and also those from the ‘latter’ groups like Maurice Merleau-Ponty were explored, to better understand human presence and how the environment induces activities and emotions, which framed the parameters of the literature review. ‘Territoriality’ is a concept first described by the English ornithologist H. E. Howard in his 1920 book, Territory in Bird Life. It was later used as an anthropological concept that derives from observations of animal ownership, originally for studying animal behavior. The concept is further substantiated by Edward T. Hall’s later explanation of the connection between environmental form and human behavior, which stated that “man has invented many ways of defending what he considers his own land, and it’s the basic behavioral system characteristic of living organisms including man” (1990: p.10). Territoriality is also a term associated with nonverbal communication that refers to how people use space (territory) to communicate ownership or occupancy of areas and possessions. According to Hall (1990), the territoriality of an individual can be broken down into three basic geographic areas -- i) primary, ii) secondary, and iii) public territory. Primary territory defines a person’s exclusive domain, which consists of his or her personal belongings including the bag, desk, bedroom or even house. Secondary territory suggests the affiliation of the person with a certain space or object, such as his or her favorite shop, cafe, or a particular chair in the classroom. Public territory is any space open to everyone else and not owned by any individual.

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The concept of territoriality is useful for building a better understanding of how to connect female business travelers’ behavior in the hotel context and within guest rooms with basic human behavior in an environment that has a specific set of pertinent behavioral systems. The understanding of this concept will underlie the exploration of how individual spaces/territories are established, and by relating it to gendered preference, explain how (and why) female business travelers can create their personal spaces in the guestroom.

2.1.1. Creating a Territory Territoriality is not limited to defining space, but also extends to anything that is 'mine' including material things or objects. Embedded in the concept of Territoriality are two major ideas: i) “an animal with a territory of its own can develop an inventory of reflex responses to terrain features” (Howard 1920) - this defines territory as a space where an animal (or human being) can claim ownership. The sense of ownership is determined by the values established by the owner in regard to the surrounding environment (which changes by context). This implies that animals/human beings are adaptive and responsive to their environment, and that they interact with each environment differently by creating a kind of communication or reaction that is specific to that particular setting. ii) “one of the most important functions of territoriality is proper spacing, and the removal of boundary markers and trespass upon the property of another man are punishable acts” (Hall 1990) -- this idea reflects the importance of differentiating private and public spaces. While human beings need interaction with other people to feel their existence, they also require space(s) where they can retreat and avoid interacting with other human beings. The concept is further explained by Robert Sack (1983) as the attempt to affect, influence, or control actions, interactions, or access, by asserting and attempting to enforce control over a specific geographic area.

In his book The Hidden Dimension (1990), Hall suggested that the concept can be applied to human being’s marking of territory as a basic behavioral system/character, and study of which has been redefining human life, behavior and relationship with the environment (nature in particular). The common ways people protect their perceived space can be classified as i) central markers, ii) boundary markers, and iii) ear markers. Central markers would include placing a book, a bag or jacket in the seat, most commonly seen in cafes when someone does not want another person to sit next to him/her. Boundary markers are as literal as the fence between two neighboring houses, the partition between two

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cubicles in an office, or the white line that marks two parking spots. Ear markers would include personalization of belongings like signing on a book or by use of embroidered initials like those done on the sleeves of shirts or on the back of a polo tee (Tylee 2011). The concept states that ‘territories’ can be created by different senses: there could be i) thermal space and ii) tactile space, as well as iii) olfactory space; the three senses denote how multisensory cues can be used to create space and experience for it. As Hall explained, “different use of the senses leads to very different needs regarding space no matter on what level one cares to consider it” (1969). The size of the marked territory determines how willing a person is to be contacted, and also defines his/her sense of security. This is highly applicable to a guestroom situation when the guests mark their territory by placing their personal amenities in the bathroom and other objects on the bedside table, stating that he/she owns the room for the period of time of the stay.

2.1.2 Privacy Setting Feeling territorial over a place or thing is based on control and perceived or actual ownership (Gifford, 2007: p.166). More specifically, territoriality involves defense and exclusiveness of use (Edney 1974). Territoriality is a means of achieving a desired level of privacy. It involves the exclusive control of a space by an individual or group. For the individual, territorial control provides security and identity and is expressed through personalization and definition. It is key to social interaction, usually discussed in conjunction with other concepts such as personal interaction level, privacy and crowding. When a person tries to establish his/her personal space, he/she tends to enclose himself/herself in privacy. The distance between the person and the objects owned by that person decreases while the distance between the person and other people increases. The space a territory occupies is defined by placing objects that mark the boundary of the space itself. In marking the territory, the owner implies the space is owned and private. The kind of objects that are and can be used to define territories in a space varies in different situations and contexts: a hat or handbag in a coffee shop or library, a car in front of a building. In the case of a guestroom situation, the door sign ‘Do Not Disturb’ is the mark that suggests high privacy is required and no one (even the housekeeper) should enter the room.

2.2 Existential Space Existential Space is a built-environment concept studied by architectural historians and theorists like Maurice Merleau-Ponty (1942), Christopher Alexander (1977) and Juhani Pallasmaa (2005). They focused on the importance of measuring space and buildings

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against utilitarian standards rather than just aesthetic standards; which is directly related to learning more about human behavior, values and interactions. The spatial experience, according to Norberg-Schulz, is "a dimension of human existence and not merely a dimension of thought and perception, essential for orientation and action in the environment" (1971, p.9); a cognitive structure of spatial information that can be used to guide actions. Norberg-Schulz also explained that “existential space is a relatively stable system of perceptual schemata, meaning a system of three-dimensional relations between meaningful objects” (1971, p.10). Accordingly, the experience of space also consists of the tension between one's immediate situation and existential space. ‘Theory of Existential Space’ emphasized the lived experience of architecture. It states that “a house that has been experienced is not an inert box” (Bachelard 1969), and that only with the existence of a human being in a space can the space be better perceived and understood. Simply put, the concept denotes that people (especially those who live in close contact with nature), have spatial intuitions and orientations in relation to objects and localities -- the space identified is cognitive and not perceptible. The theory contributes to the thesis explicitly as it explains the close relationship of the user with the space through living in the space and explains that the existence of the user is defined by his/her movement around the space and how he/she interacts with the objects within.

In any sense, home need not involve a physical structure and may exist in any kind of existential space (Norberg-Schulz 1980). Space perception of a person is a sum of his motivations and past experiences, and it may vary according to situations and emotions. So any space may be defined as a ‘home’ when the past experiences are recreated within visually (by the use of objects or by the ambience) or physically (by the layout of furniture) and such experience motivates the person within to live the space as one. A space it therefore experienced in immediate perception of the person, and as a sum of the person’s experience in it navigating through the space and conducing different activities in it. A theme park, for example, is experienced for its colorfulness and associated with the different performances and games that happened there. In order to fully grasp a person’s conception of a home, it may be necessary to know more about the factors, attributes, and/or elements that let the person feel that he/she is in a ‘home’ environment. The theory of Existential Space will contribute to seeing how female travelers’ behavioral response to the objects in the space promotes the construction of meaning for the space by the objects and where they are placed in the space. Existence is therefore more a conceptual denotation of space based on instincts of the user.

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2.2.1 Perception vs Calculations The concept of Existential Space is more a psychological perception approach than a geometric calculation to understanding space that uses a person as a center of the space; closely related to the theory of relativity. It implies an abstract measurement of defining how things in a space relate to each other as well as to the human being. The concept of Existential Space explains that a person identifies space as cognitive, that they have spatial intuitions and orientations in relation to objects and localities by measuring distance. A person responds to the environment and the objects within in a particular way as a result of how the environment responds to him/her. For philosopher Martin Heidegger, for example, “the space is there, and only if it is there, can man exist” (Heidegger 1970). The idea of Existential Space can be described as purely conceptual as it determines a human’s reaction to a space in terms of ‘relativity’, with the user in the center of a relationship with surrounding objects or people. This idea can be applied to the study of bedrooms and guestrooms to learn more about human behavior through exploring how experienced stimuli induce responses and activities in relations to objects in space, revealing users’ values that may reflect whether cultural and geographic reference apply when the size of the room varies. In other words, the emotions could be strongly related to how the guest perceives the space.

2.2.2 The Construction of Experience The experience of space is a tension between ‘existential space’ and the ‘occupied space’ at that particular moment in time, implying that the person is constructing his/her own meaning of the space in real time (Norberg-Schulz 1971). For example, the experience of a concert hall may include its grandness and the musical sound it creates, but it is also associated with the numerous concerts performed there in the past. The concert hall is experience in immediate perception and as a sum of schemata; therefore, experience and schemata construct the ‘image’ of the space (Norberg-Schulz 1971). The construction of the image may also lead to the actual creation of how the space works. In architectural design, the architect is the one who creates the space, but by constructing new meanings, a user can reconstruct the space. As Marie Louise Stig Sørensen (2013) suggested in her book Gender Archaeology “the spatial meaning must intersect for the existential to materialize as form”, which imply that meanings can only be defined by physical practices and usage. That is to say, the space is there only if people exist in that space; the space should express and reflect the person living and experiencing in it -- only then the space attains the quality of its existence. By understanding space in existence, the concept of space can be more accurately defined and not just interpreted as a mathematical

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abstraction, but one grounded in actual practice and human experience. Therefore, the interaction of the guest with the guestroom when he/she first entered starts the creation of the spatial experience, and the experience can be accumulated and altered as he/she navigates through; the navigation flow builds up to the total experience. In the situation of a recurring visit for a hotel guest, past experience with the hotel also helped to shape and/or enhance the experience in the upcoming visit(s).

2.3 Gendered Spaces The two previous concepts have identified important attributes or ideas as to how things work in a space. The environmental aspects under the concept of Territoriality and the dynamics of Existential Space can be further explained with the introduction of ideas of gendered space into the overall picture. Gendered space is a concept in the study of gender, and how different genders create their own space(s). Gendered space literally refers to areas in which particular genders are welcomed and belong to, and the space contains rules and regulations which a particular gender observes, and behaves accordingly. Gendering of spaces is an important means by which social systems maintain the organization of gender. They reinforce particular ways of being a man or being a woman, and can maintain the relationships between men and women. The relationship between gender and space/architecture has been studied and explained by Diana Agrest (1996), and more recently by Borden and Rendell and Penner (2000). Their writings expressed the power and diversity of women's views on architecture and spatial design, and explained how gender differences have reshaped architecture. The interdisciplinary approach used by Borden and Rendell and Penner further elaborated how gender considerations have altered the use and design of particular architectural sites, projects and ideas. Gendered space is also culturally relevant as some cultures have very strict rules as to separate women’s and men’s spaces, and contribute to the differentiation of gender preference and space creation; and the genderization of spaces (Low 2012).

Furthermore, gender and space are closely related there has long been social and cultural associations of women with the private space of the home and children, and women going into the public. Massey in her book Gender, Identity and Place suggested gender differences created the places and in return, the gendering of the space defined behavior and how the gender created values for different spaces and places. The later chaper in the book futher explained that some spaces were defined as feminine or masculine based on the kind of work and activities conducted by the different genders over time, and based on the essential elements in the identities that they were constructed as such. While

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Territoriality and Existential Space help explain how a female business traveler presents herself in the guestroom, the concept of gendered space introduces understanding of the female sense of spatial experience. The experience as female defines a lived space by values she creates out of living in it; exploring whether cues are gender-specific or just context relevant, and if the cues are same as those found in the home of those female business travelers.

2.3.1 Women and the Making of Space Alice Friedman in her book Women and the Making of the Modern House: A Social and Architectural History (1998) presented a series of case studies of twentieth-century houses built for single women. Each of the case studies illustrates how the specific needs of women, such as how they find their way to the bathroom, or making a meal for themselves, can influence design decisions for architects and interior designers in creating the house. She explores the challenges that unconventional attitudes and ways of life presented to architectural thinking and to the architects themselves. The case studies present the connections between feminist ideals of reforming domesticity and the design of modernist houses. Friedman suggested that women not only represented the femininity of a house, they were also the key influencer of the form and layout of the house they reside in (Friedman 1998). The connection between women and spaces are indirectly biological, suggested by Rendell that “the connection of women with inside spaces due to biology— to the specific shape of their bodies or society specific shape of their bodies or society” (2000). Detailed portraits and description of personal letters, diaries, office records, and photo albums of the targets in the book revealed the private passions and emotions that contained in those houses as well as brought to these projects by the female architects. The objects were directly related to the making of the space, and helped to make the space more fitted to the needs of the women living in them. The objects, that made the space, also suggested the rich cultural and gender specific context in which each house was created. Most obvious as in female washroom are designed differently to male washroom in terms of the amount of space and the kind of fittings. For example, the news on December 6, 2015 highlighted the amendment of a law the past week to increase the ratio of male/female toilets across malls in Hong Kong (SCMP 2015). And in December 2018, Yorkdale Mall of Toronto announced the opening of its first gender-neutral bathroom.

The rise of female architects also led to significant changes in the design of space. To investigate into the effect, Alice Friedman conducted a study in eight houses designed by prominent architects for women in the 20th century, in each of the chapters of her book

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Women and the Making of the Modern House: A Social and Architectural History, she analyzed in details the relationship between the homes’ architects and the women who commissioned the work (1998). How female architects may also references upon their own experiences in a household to design for women, such as their own habits of placing and using objects, and interacting with things in their homes. The ways of presenting the thinking so unconventional is somehow related to the ethnographic approach of this research and demonstrates the relevancy of such an approach. Friedman argued that “the gendered social roles of the culture in which these women’s lived has led them to demand homes that shift traditional boundaries between work and leisure”, in that book, she suggested that the shift in women’s role and the increase of more women entering the work market has redefined and combined public and private spaces, which then fostered a greater variety of household compositions and house design during that time.

2.3.2 Women-only Space A women-only space is a physical area where only women are allowed -- a place where women can enjoy privacy to conduct women-only activities and not have to interact with men. Hotels and restaurants in the early 19th century had women-only dining spaces, since it was socially unacceptable for women to dine in public without a male escort at that time (Freedman 2014). In recent years, hotels have created women-only floors to cater for female travelers because the that market segment has grown, and in response to industry research that indicated a significant difference between the needs of male and female travelers (Nagaraj 2012). The latest study by the Women’s Student Association of Harvard Business School showed that “as travelers, women do seem to distinguish themselves from men in several important ways” (2012), and women hotel guests are more particular in their needs than most men. It has been noted that the growing number of female business travelers has had significant effects on the travel experience. As the article Women Keeping Up Pressure for a Better Travel Experience stated “women are a big part of the reason that a typical hotel room, whether midlevel or luxury, has better bedding, lighting, room service, closets, work spaces and overall design” (2007). The launch of a new brand that is more female-focused called Hotel Indigo by InterContinental Hotels Group revealed the increasing attention to the things female guests required of a hotel. Instead of enlarging the overall guest room, Hotel Indigo has enlarged the space of the bath area, and introduced color rather than the predictable 'hotel beige', rotating some of the designs on a regular basis. Apart from the general décor, female guests tend to be more specific about objects such as towels in the room and amenities in the bathroom; to them, brand names matter. A recent research conducted by Seth et al entitled An Analysis

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of Women-only Hotel Accommodation in India (2019) suggested that the demand of female guests for particular amentities and brands are strongly related to emotional needs, and that ‘comfort’ as a strong emotions highly rated by the guests is also an emotion most valued at home. Another research conducted in Malaysia reported in the article What Women Want; Hotel Characteristics Preferences of Women Travellers (2019) also confirmed that through factor analysis and denomination, comfort factor was the most significant factor affecting female business travlers in their overall lodging experience; which implies that women travelers are perceived to be especially interested in comfort. Hence, the commonality of the emotional factor that defines the satisfaction of the female users in a hotel and home can be used to interpret and suggest that there is a strong correlation between the female travlers and homeyness.

In view of the above, learning more about how female business travelers create a ‘homey’ feeling through objects in hotels can add value to the theoretical understanding and physical design of a total lodging experience at boutique hotels for business travelers, as even men reported that they agree with the changes suggested by female travelers, and recent research by Holiday Inn Express (2012) showed that men would consider prolonging their stay based on the changes introduced. A lot of hotels, like The Leela Palaces, has realized that it has become necessary for hotels to upgrade themselves to meet the needs of female business travelers (2010). The vice-president of the hotel group stated in an interview that because “domestic and international women travelers, who journey their own, comprise a very important market segment” (2010); their women-only floors are further reinforced with relevant objects including curling iron, heath food, yoga mats and large mirrors catered for the guests. The coveniences catered for female guests further suggest how hotels are working to enhance women-only floors by use of relevant objects that are related to the emotional and physical needs of the female guests.

2.4 Environmental-Behavioral Dynamics The earliest study of the field began in the 1940s, growing throughout the 60s into a more recognized concept in the 70s (Gifford 1987). The environment can be perceived as a series of relationships between things, things and people, and people and people; forming an orderly pattern within the space. As suggested by Rapoport, spatial objects and people are related through various degrees of separation in and by space within an environment (1982, p.178).

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The concept of Environmental-behavioral Dynamics is fundamentally based on the ‘womb with a view’ theory – that the mother’s womb marks very human being’s first experience within an environment (Gallagher 2006). The environment is the space where we first initiate interaction with our surrounding context, and in this, refers to the Mother’s womb - - where we first recognize what a place is and what is being located in a place means to us. The concept suggests that environment affects human behavior and activities within, and in return, the behavior creates and changes the environment’s atmosphere. The reciprocal relationship described in the concept supports the importance of interaction between human and their environment, and further underlines the contribution of an effective interaction to create the dynamics that: i) can be supportive of the needs of the users, ii) expresses the values and personality of the users, and iii) nurtures positive experiences within an environment. The concept also encompasses different dimensions of sound, smell, visual and touch; that correlates to the belief that spatial experience is multi-sensory, and the senses can be used for developing cues that contribute to the overall spatial experience. The cues should be carefully laid out to facilitate movement and support related activities within the space. Intuitively, we know that the physical environment of the toddler playroom has an impact on the behaviour of both the parents and the kids, as well as their emotional connections. The important idea is to understand how the impact occurs and how much of the impact can be planned by the designer when setting up the playroom to encourage the kinds of interaction desired to create the emotional exchange needed to help create quality time between the parents and the toddlers. Such understanding of the environmental-behavioral dynamics can benefit designers by empowering and can be transferred to the users (and in this case, the parents) to enable them to take control of the space and participate in the design of it. So what an interior designer provides with a space is a “finished beginning”, but when the user inherits the space, there is a tendency to create a passive acceptance of the space they are given (Horne 1999). Like when a chair is placed in the room, it was meant to define the function of the space and to suggest the kind of activities to be conducted within for the user(s). On entering the space and interacting with the chair, the user(s) then literally inherited the space and by taking the cues from the interior designer; the room is physically lived in and the cues are then activitated to facilitate different kinds of activities that the room was designed for. So when a couch is placed in a guestroom, the designer may have used it as a cue to suggest a point for resting or for the guest to sit down and enjoy the view outside, yet the couch can also become a spot that invites the guest to connect with the room space by suggesting a where the guest can unload his/her personal belongings in the room. The strategic placement of cues is important to initiate the dynamics of the

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interaction, yet the dynamics will start to change when the guest starts placing personal belongings, moving things around, and engaging in different kinds of activities within the space.

While the two aforementioned concepts will be studied and discussed separately, they will then be cross-referenced with theories of Environmental-behavior Dynamics, Symbolic Interactionism, and Emotional Design in Product Ecology. The cross-referencing of concepts and theories will extend the understanding of spatial relationships beyond purely mathematical or social approaches in a matrix that is more three-dimensional. Like by mapping Winifred Gallagher’s delineation of ‘Environmental-behavior Dynamics’ -- that suggests different environmental cues can support, express and nurture a spatial experience to concept of Territoriality can better determine how inhabited space transcends geometrical space (Bachelard 1958) in the context of a hotel.

2.4.1 Proxemics Proxemics is a term coined by Hall (1966) which is an approach used for interrelated observations and theories of human’s use of space as a specialized elaboration of culture; the theory involves multiple categories of sensory, visual, emotional, visceral, functional and structural elements and factors constructing the space. As Hall stated “the spatial experience is not just visual but multisensory” (1982). Wilhelm Schäfer (1925), a German writer who specialized in Naturalism -- a literary movement that used detailed realism to suggest that social conditions, heredity and environment exerted an inescapable force in shaping human character -- established similar theories that stated environment had inescapable force in shaping human character. The value in studying Proxemics is in its applicability in evaluating not only the way people interact with others in their daily life, but also the organization of space in houses and buildings. Hall noted that different cultures maintain different standards of personal space. His study indicated that human beings tend to establish ‘barriers’ around their own defined territory by setting up ‘balloons’ or ‘bubbles’ in order to maintain a minimum space requirement between themselves and other people. The ‘balloons’ or ‘bubbles’ could be in the form of tangible objects as well as intangible matters.

Proxemics can be applied to understand how big a space is required in different contexts, in different cultural settings, and at different times, for a person to feel safe and away from others and ‘the outside’. This is relevant to help determine the size of a guestroom and assess whether the size is sufficient for creating a private space for the guest. The idea of

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Symbolic Interactionism can help to explain why and how people’s behavior expressed through verbal language and gesture creates a subjective way of communication, that can also reflect the values of the person; which in turn can help us to understand why certain objects in the place create meanings and provoke certain activities in a marked territory.

2.4.2 Kinesthetic Experience Winifred Gallagher (2006) has stated that environmental cues, such as objects and other visual elements, embody a spatial experience. These theories echo Donald Norman’s (2003) concept of Emotional Design, which states that emotions have a crucial role in the human ability to understand the world, and how humans learn new through emotional connection with objects. The three dimensions of the concept: i) visceral, ii) behavioral and iii) reflective -- echo the user’s attitude towards the object as his/her experience with it changes over time as the context changes. Different theories and past research have clearly indicated that objects make up the visual as well as the kinesthetic experience in a hotel guestroom, while kinesthetic makes up the tangible aspect -- which is the ‘basis of any movement dynamics’ (Sheets Johnstone 1966, 1999); visuality is the cognitive end to creating an experience.

The extension of this concept to the discussion of place and space further supports the idea that space consists of human experiences (marked by activities), and that emotions (elicited by responses and stories) play a major role in defining the spatial feeling. According to Yi-Fu Tuan, ‘place’ represents security/attachment and pause (in terms of thoughts and values), while ‘space’ marked by movement between point a and b, represents freedom and aspiration (1977). Gaston Bachelard, in his book Poetics of Space (1958) also states that “a sense of place (a sense of home) can be attained in two ways: firstly by connecting with place, feeling part of it, and secondly having the freedom of choice to experience what a home offers” (Bachelard 1958). This is especially true for hotels as guests are disconnected from the visiting destination in some ways.

2.5 Symbolic Interactionism Symbolic Interactionism is a term for the approach to studying human group life and human conduct (Blumer 1969). It rests in the analysis of three principles, the first being that human beings react and respond to objects based on the meanings they have created for the objects in their minds. Second, the meaning of objects is determined as a result of the interaction between two people. Third, the meanings for an object can be modified or re- established through a cognitive process through the interaction. From the minute a person

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interacts with an object, he/she goes through a series of activities (physical and mental) in order to recollect memories of related objects so as to define a new meaning for the object within the context where the interaction takes place (Anon 2001). As Blumer said, “meanings can then be used and revised as instruments for the guidance and formation of action” (1969), implying that the formed action also contributes to another set of meanings to the one who took the action and the one receiving it. Interaction between Visual Cues/Objects and Guests determines the experience. Interactionist’s theories (Buss 1987, Synder & Ickes 1985, Swann 1987) suggested that individuals select and create their social environments to match and underpin their dispositions, preferences, attitudes and self-views. Consistent with that, individuals are believed to select and create environments through interacting with the objects within to reflect their identity so as to leverage emotional attainment; building to the ultimate experience.

Symbolic Interactionism is a sociological theory that places emphasis on studying micro interaction, creating a framework for building a theory that sees society as the product of the everyday interactions of individuals and objects around them, to provide subjective meaning in human behavior. The theory echoes the Laws of Stimulus Information (Gibson 1950) which contributes to the discovery of ‘Place Memories’ that determines ‘Place Science’ (Kellert 2005). By defining actions and interpreting the definitions of actions, people can learn to fit their behavior into context. By exploring how cues/symbols interact with the users’ multisensory (auditory, visual, olfactory, tactile, and vestibular) involvement, and how they juxtapose with the design of the space (in regards to the zoning and spacing) can constitute the creation of 'comfortable' spaces that should be -- i) complying, ii) communicating, iii) comforting, iv) challenging, and v) continuing (Reiss 2004). The only thing missing from the approach could be a methodological position that defines how the reasons are constructred systematically in terms of proportions and the elements in each of the proportion.

2.5.1 Emotional Design in Objects and Space Emotional design helps designer create products that elicit appropriate emotions, in order to create a positive experience for the user. To do so, designers need to consider the connections that can form between users and the objects they use, and the emotions that can arise from them. The emotions a product elicits can strongly influence users’ perceptions of it. There is a correlation between emotion design of objects and spaces. A space is, in fact, a product with a volume. The three levels of product design used by Don Norman -- visceral, behavioral, and reflective -- can be matched to the aesthetics, flow,

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and activities under the phenomenon of interior design of space. Visceral emotional design appeals to the user’s first reactions when he/she sees (or encounters) a product. It mainly implicates perception and therefore can be connected to the aesthetics of a space. Behavioral emotional design relates to the usability of the product, how the expectations of the user are met in terms of how well it functions. The process of learning how to use the product is somehow similar to navigating through a space. It is also at a level that a more justified opinion of the product is established. Reflective emotional design is concerned with how (far) the product’s impact on the life of the user after using it for some time -- the memories and experience built during the long time usage; the values attached to the product. In the case of a guestroom, it is the experience and memories gathered by the things done in the room during the stay. Here is where designers will want to maximize the users’ desire to own that item.

The assumption is that there may be commonalities that can be applied, which can be used across the two disciplines of product and spatial design; and matching up the two will create a more complete picture of how interior space works with human activities. If the assumption is relevant, it also supports the concept of ‘Life Enhancing Architecture’ by Merleau-Ponty (2002). As Pallasmaa suggested that “the geometry of thought echoes the geometry of the room” (Gardenfors 2004, Pallasmaa 2012) -- the emotional design of objects interacting with the space in which they are placed, builds up to create an experience for the person, and that creates the power of the place (Gallagher 2007). Emotional Design in product ecology can supplement the understanding of territoriality and the sense of existence in a space that defines the place. The ideas on Product Ecology also lead to the understanding of Participatory Design, Experience Design, Cultural Probes, and Contextual Design; explaining how different users feel and use the same product(s) to create social and emotional relationships with them.

2.5.2 User-centered Studies For designers to understand users better, knowledge of culture, practices, etiquette and lifestyle are important. Designers of different disciplines in the past engaged themselves in research to learn about users and consumers using their own research tools and methodologies. The generated knowledge is usually discipline-specific and can only be exclusively comprehended by related parties. Lately, ‘user-centered’ design/research (Maguire 2001, Langford & McDonagh 2003), reconfigured research and ways of determining the values of research, instituting a platform for design research with approaches and definitions that are more unanimous, to be applicable across disciplines

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and support cross-disciplinary collaboration. User-centered design is a constructivist approach that makes user/customer values, beliefs, experiences, culture, and knowledge an integral part of the design process. The overall focus of the approach is on understanding the requirements of users, the functions of the proposed design object, and the needs of the target market. This focus requires knowledge from multiple disciplines. User-centered design and research are interdisciplinary in nature (Vredenburg et al. 2002), and are best for studying how design works for users in a multi-dimensional setting – as in a space where designs of all dimensions can be found. In living spaces, commercial spaces and recreational spaces where graphics, products and multimedia designs interact with users, the interplay of dimensions and theories of two-dimensional design juxtapose with those of three-dimensional and four-dimensional designs creating a complex model. Simply looking at objects alone, or the interior décor alone, disregards the powerful interplay of the elements that actually makes the space and creates the experience within. Moreover, a person using the space brings along his/her experiences, beliefs, cultural background and values; his/her experiences interlink the emotional, functional and physical aspects. The reinforcement of the objects within as well as the ambience, and the user’s own emotional state or aspiration, creates an intricate relationship that is more than any of the elements alone.

User-centered design is becoming increasingly important as “there is a growing recognition that design focused on providing superior experience and value for users is instrumental for business success” (Boztepe 2007). The engagement of user-centered study for any business development (product or service) will determine the usability of the product and service, and thus the success of the business.

2.5.3 Ecology of Objects Object ecology makes assumptions about the dynamics of social relationships with objects. The object ecology framework helps to define the relationships and the dynamics an object use to create relationships. Each object has its own ecology which can result in subjective and individual experiences in different users when interacting with the same object. Factors in object ecology can be examined in isolation or in combination with factors of other objects. The model of product ecology/object ecology is best used for conducting qualitative design research (Forlizzi 2008). The ecology of objects suggests that from the minute the user interacts with an object, the user will go through a series of activities -- mentally as well as physically, which will then create new meanings to the object -- emotionally and functionally (Postma & Stappers 2007). The idea is that most of the time,

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when we encounter an object, our reaction is determined not only by how well it works, but by how good it looks to us, and by the self-image, loyalty and nostalgia it evokes in us (Norman 2004). Positive emotions give a space its value, and physical environments contain and communicate shared symbols and meanings (Gieryn 2000) of people it contains.

As suggested by Donald Norman, “people tend to choose things based on the occasion, context, and above all, the mood” (2004) the perceived value of objects and activities changes according to the nature of the stay. Individuals are believed to select and create environments to reflect who they are so as to leverage emotional attainment, while the object helps to create the link between the permanent and temporary homes. Accordingly, the object works as a good ‘reflective design’ that helps to reflect him/her within the context of the environment (which, in the case of this research, is the guestroom). Research shows that individuals do decorate rooms (especially bedrooms) and place objects in the room to reflect how they would like to be regarded (Baumeister 1982, Swann 1987); this is closely related to activities-of-preference during a particular period of time, and these activities are able to drive or change the emotional state of occupant.

2.6 The Connecting Proportions and Missing Dimensions It is obvious that development of the hotel industry and the increase in the number of females entering the business world and their need for traveling around are connected. Moreover, good business in the hotel industry is directly related to attending to the needs of the prospering group of guests, and as mentioned earlier, being able to manage (or even exceed) satisfaction levels of guests is the single most important aspect of surviving and continue growing in the industry’s changing landscape. But apart from the existing connections identified that are supported by the industry reports, and drawn from a business angle, there are other aspects (not directly related to business performance) that connections are becoming more prominent. For instance, there is an increasing resemblance in home and hotel design, similarities in the configuration of bedroom at home and guestroom in the hotel, as well as ambience of hotel lobby and sitting room in houses. As discussed in the previous section, some people tend to relate their hotel experiences to their lives at home; some of them were even inspired to decorate their home like their favorite hotel(s). The phenomenon was also proven by research conducted by professionals. David Ashen, Principal and Founder of Dash Design (2015), for example, mentioned in his article Limited Service and High Design Changing Hotel Branding that “some guests even leave inspired to replicate the look of a hotel public spaces or

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furnishings in their own homes”. Initial study in this research also suggested that there is a possible connection between the emotions that are encompassed in a home and in a hotel; and also those objects that are contained in those two places in creating a sense of place and emotional attainment for users.

Through identifying and re-establishing the different connections, it was discovered that there are missing dimensions in the connections which may require further study; and by looking into and discovering more about those dimensions that the connections can be reinforced. Like for example, there are differences in how people of different generations conceive space, and how professionals of different disciplines and sectors translate ideas into space for the users through the way they conceive the idea. Scholars have studied and discussed the notion that design defines how people understand and interpret space, yet little research was carried out to fully understand how people interact with objects in the space to create their own experience by design. That was the reason for David Brody to study about design and housekeeper’s work in his book Housekeeping by Design – Hotels and Labor (2017), in which he discovered that the needs of housekeeper should be accommodated in the design process to facilitate their housekeeping job, and in doing that, be able to exert an effect on creating a better experience for the guests. The relationship between design and the stakeholders in the design context can provide ideas on how design can improve on the overall user experience; not just visually, but functionally connecting with the user’s practice in interacting with the environment through performing different kinds of activities.

To discover more about where ideas connect and to locate the missing dimensions in- between, and those in the practice of designers and the hoteliers, may help to establish new connections. Creating a better understanding and identifying connections between designers and hoteliers is all the more important since they are the key parties that need to work together and communicate better to support the building of a good lodging experience. In the following, the connecting proportions that framed the research, and the missing dimensions that lead to the comprehensive literature review will be discussed.

The Connecting Proportions The research is based on the assumption that the role, configurations and dimensions of a guestroom correspond to that of a bedroom; implying that a guestroom is comparable to a bedroom in principle, therefore appropriate for cross referencing in the study. Although the bedroom is a space within a house (or the home) that is mainly for resting, while the

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guestroom is ‘the’ place for rest, work and all relevant activities for a traveler at a hotel, they both represent a space that provides privacy and blocks off outside elements. Novelist John Steinbeck (1961), in his book Travels with Charlie, wrote “a human occupying a room for one night prints his character, his biography, his recent history, and sometimes his plans and hopes”. Steinbeck’s observation draws on an intuition that much can be learned about individuals from the spaces they inhabit. Basically, a person spends the same amount of time in the bedroom when he/she is at home and in the guestroom when traveling on business. The amount of rest will not differ a lot given the change of the context.

In terms of the configuration, there are certain pieces of furniture in the layout of a bedroom or a guestroom that allow the space to serve their functions. In the market, standard bedroom furniture, sometimes called a bedroom set or bedroom suite consists of a group of furniture which includes items such as: bed, closet, dresser, drawers/chest, nightstand, armoire, vanity, trunk, and mirrors; and such pieces are also found in hotel guestrooms. From a design perspective, for either the bedroom at home or a guestroom in a hotel, the core idea is to create a space where a person can rest or conduct more personal activities (Gallagher 2006). Of the general commonalities between a bedroom at home and a guestroom in a hotel, one major similarity is that the bed dominates a room; which denotes the core function of the bedroom or guestroom – for resting the mind and body. The size of the bed in relation to the room matters, and when efficiency and privacy are the key considerations when it comes to deciding how furniture should be arranged in a bedroom; it is discovered that hotel sometimes do a ‘better’ job on this.

With reference to aesthetics and schematics, a survey conducted by (2016) revealed that certain shades can stimulate or relax sleepers, and their effects last beyond nighttime. Aesthetically, we expect the room where we rest to be designed in a more harmonious and calming way; and that usually is the approach of all interior designers to create the space for resting. Antony Chan (2015), ex-Chairman of Hong Kong Interior Design Association, suggested that cream colors and earth tones are always the choice for bedrooms amongst the clients in Asia. He also mentioned that “one of the first steps to a great bedroom design is having an efficient and well-designed floor plan that gives you everything you want and to create the atmosphere”. The guestroom he designed for Hotel LKF in Central, Hong Kong has put emphasis on the efficiency of the layout and the creation of private corners that allow the guest to be secluded from the rest of the space. The word ‘efficiency’ to Antony means the distance between space and pieces of furnishing, he also referred to the number of pieces of furnishing in the guestroom; he has

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emphasized that those pieces should each serve a function beyond the decorative; he further explained that “proportion of each corner is very important in the room to ensure all needs are accommodated within the small space” (2015).

Looking from the psychological perspective, the emotions between a bedroom at home and the guestroom can be closely measured and compared. In terms of emotional aspects, bedroom at home and guestrooms in hotels are both designed with concepts that are associated with revitalization, comfort, and privacy. Privacy means the room can allow the person to shut out the noise, close the door, and be in his/her own thoughts; both the bedroom and the guestroom are considered a ‘room of one’s own’. Both the bedroom and the guestroom can demonstrate how people use space to communicate Antony Chan (2014), he agreed with the concept of ‘familiarity’ and ‘adventure’ in rooms I described in the paper A Room with a View (2009), yet he emphasized that “the ratio between the two varies under different context” (Lau 2009).

Furthermore, the layout and atmosphere we create for our rooms (be it the bedroom at home or guestroom in the hotel) is a creation of a sense of place that encompasses physical objects that belong to us, as well as emotions, memories and projection of desires. The sense of a place is therefore constructed by a physical part and an emotional part; the two together makes the place complete. Whether the place is called a sitting room in the home context, or a lobby lounge in the hotel context, same as whether it’s the room at home or the guestroom in hotel, there is a sense of place that we can relate to them through objects, emotion and/or geographical location. It is by understanding the commonalities and differences of the different aspects that we can draw out the connections and create better design of a place (Knutson 2007).

2.6.1 The Secrets of the Bedroom If “home is where the heart is”, the bedroom corresponds to the atrium of the heart. Gallagher (2006) has mentioned that the bedroom is the place for expression of emotions. In general, a person spends over 30% of his/her entire life in the bedroom, resting, getting ready for work, and building relationships. We can find treasures that tell stories about their owners in bedrooms where they hide their ‘valuables’. When people move around an environment, they leave traces that contain rich information about their personalities, values, lifestyles, as well as emotions; this is especially true for bedrooms, in which people spend so much time. Interactionist’s theories (Buss 1987, Synder & Ickes 1985, Swann 1987) suggested that individuals select and create their social environments to match and

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underpin their dispositions, preferences, attitudes, and self-views. Consistent with that, individuals are believed to select and create bedroom environments to reflect who they are so as to leverage emotional attainment.

Historically, the bedroom refers to a space where the bed is placed and which a person rests and serves two major purposes -- sleep and intimacy. But bedrooms are getting ‘bigger’ – bigger in size, with bigger beds, and with people doing more in there (Gallagher 2006). Bedrooms of houses in Europe and North American countries are becoming so, while bedrooms in most Asian countries and especially in Hong Kong, where a square foot costs a few thousands, are best examples of what ‘bigger’ means as they have come to accommodate so much more than just resting. Checking into bedrooms in Hong Kong apartments and houses, it is not difficult to find the most interesting things like water kettle, dumbbells, TV or computers, mini-fridge, musical instruments (such as drum-set), Chinese dried mushrooms; the bedroom is truly becoming a place of ‘substance’ - as in amount of objects as well as the variety of objects. The ‘augmented role’ of bedrooms implied that the dynamics and emotions inside a bedroom is becoming more complex. The complexity can be further illustrated by some newly built apartments, or called ‘studio flats’, in Hong Kong, which are around only 10 – 30 sq. m. The one floor-space of these apartments encompasses all the functional spaces of a traditional house -- living room, the sitting room, the kitchen and the bedroom; so the entire place serves a variety of functions which then also embodies an intensity of all the related ‘emotions’.

When the bedroom extends beyond its ‘obvious’ role and as they are usually referred to Bedroom Suites nowadays; other more complex emotions at the superordinate level - positive vs. negative emotions, and the subordinate level -- specific/secondary emotions (Shaver, Schwartz, Kirson and O’Connor 1987), such as excitement and frustration, emerged and intertwined as a result. Psychologist Stephen Suomi once described a bedroom as “a safe haven to explore from and return to when the world gets dicey” (1971). Such description matches well with what a guestroom could be. Whether on leisure or business, when a guest returns to the guestroom after a day out, the guestroom will naturally become ‘a safe haven’ that can block off the noise, disturbances, troubles, pollution from the outside. Suomi also discovered that even a very brief respite in the room may produce a huge psychological effect and behavioral change. The calming effect will also induce a change in the perception of things around the person, and how he/she values things (objects/the environment). The bedroom is unquestionably the place where one finds the inner self, as Thomas Merton (2006) stated in his book House: a mirror of self,

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“there should be at least one room or some corner, where no one will find you and disturb you or notice you”; the ‘corner’ may corresponds to the ‘territory’ that marks one’s privacy and where one can feel safe and comfortable. Merton further elaborated on that concept by relating personal values and behavior to the creation of person space that is reflective of someone, and that concept supports the idea that in every space, there’s always the possibility of allowing a person to create a space that can projects one’s personality or values. Like on the tables in libraries, users may leave their belongings to mark their space and by looking into the objects and the books placed on the table, it is possible that the identity of the user is reflected. The idea can also relate to the concept of the creation of personal space and the amount of space we required of to separate our private space from the public space around us. Bedroom, being the most private space in a home demonstrates a good place to understand more about personal values as Merton suggested that “we only love the reflection of ourselves we find in them” (2006), therefore it is possible to create resonance for personal values if we can create the reflection of such in other spaces.

2.6.2 The Secrets of the Guestrooms The guestroom is where travelers spend the night, but also a place where they create their own ‘safe haven’ during their stay. In spite of the wide range of services now offered by hotels, the guestroom can be considered the most important place in a hotel simply because that is where guests spend most of their time. In a hotel of any type, the room will contain a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a bathroom; additional features may include a telephone, an alarm clock, a TV, personalized robes, designer slippers, branded toiletries, and broadband Internet connectivity - which are common for Boutique hotels. Hoteliers see the additional features as adding value to what they provide to their guests, in order to create the best experiences and positive emotions for their guests. (Cornell Hotel & Restaurant Administration Quarterly August, 2002) In terms of emotions, being comfortable, feeling welcome, and relaxing are the most desirable emotions for guests to experience in a hotel (this applies to most hotel segments). A respectful and helpful staff is a critical element. In terms of value, receiving services worth the price paid makes guests feel comfortable with their hotel experience. When asked to mention other ‘products’ in the hotel that give them the most desirable emotions, guests often mention things in the room -- in particular, the picture on the wall, a comfortable bed and pillow, convenient amenities, nice toiletries and the greeting note from the manager. The guest-room can therefore be considered the most important place in a hotel, relative to all other service areas in a hotel, as guests spend most of the time inside it.

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With the increase in the number of boutique and design hotels, guests’ expectations of attractive and modern design in hotel spaces has motivated hoteliers to pay closer attention to the décor in hotels, and especially in guestrooms. Most commonly, introducing thematic rooms is a way to give an impression of freshness to returning guests. Thematic rooms can also attract guests who are more fashion forward, tech and design savvy, and invite them to return. Some hotels have gone the extra mile to introduce different themes in their rooms on a regular basis to attract return guests. Hotel Claska in Tokyo will from time to time invite Japanese interior designers to redesign guestrooms, and promote their work on their website and on other channels. Yet it was discovered these fashion- conscious guests tend to be less brand loyal than any generation of travelers before them (Forbes 2017).

Other hotels may decide to create a special narrative in the guestroom, like the Hotel East in Hong Kong, which installed the famous Eero Aarnio ‘Bubble Chair’ in their Corner Suite, and where every Urban View room contains the work of a famous local artist. Macq01 in Hobart, Tasmania has used attached to their 114 rooms stories of Tasmanian personalities. From these initiatives, it is clear that hoteliers also recognize the guest-room is an important space where guest experience can be compiled efficiently; and where the emotions get most absorbed in relative to all other service areas in a hotel. Physical objects, like artwork or items designed by local designers are used as the ‘tools’ for communicating the message and creating feelings and emotions towards the guestroom. The cute rubber duck by the bath tub of every room at Hotel Conrad is another great example. As explained in the earlier sections that there is a close relationship between people and the things they own and use; guestrooms do speak to the users, using the user’s specific language and vocabulary to link to the user’s own values, experiences and culture.

Apart from objects that pre-existed in the guestroom, travelers often bring in their own possessions to be placed in the room during their stay. In the initial stage of this research, it was discovered that 26 out of the 50 female business travelers who responded to the survey indicated they carry with them at least one personal object from their bedroom when they travel. These include book, rosary, aromatic clothes hanger, accessories box, plush toy or even mini humidifier/diffuser, and Chinese tea set. When traveling away from home, the objects we bring along from our home will help to create a sense of place in an unfamiliar environment; being able to project or create a sense of place is catching the attention of marketing professionals, and especially the hoteliers recently.

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So when we look into the stories of what each object in the hotel as compared to those in our bedroom has to say, we can understand, or even redefine, our relationship with them, and thus get to understand how these objects engage the users in different kinds of activities to establish their sense of space, and can create the right ‘homey’ feeling in a hotel.

The Missing Dimensions Knowledge can only be completed when the gaps are filled and the missing dimensions are identified and reconnected. In the context of a hotel guestroom study, amongst the three major stakeholders – the hotelier, the designer, and the user, there exists a number of gaps in terms in the perception of the space, and also in their definition of what constitutes a good one. The gaps are also results of the way they practice in their own professional arena, the language they used in expressing their thinking and ideas. Past research has revealed a gap in how architects (or professionals) and people in general (or consumers) often think about space and places (Gallagher 2006). A place to user means where activities are carried out, say for example in a park, users know that they can ride, do exercise, relax and maybe have a picnic there. Architects may see it from the angle of configuration, and criticize the park on its ambience, amount of green area, facilities, or location. It is apparent that the viewpoint and values of professionals may be very different from those of general public; most obvious in the example of the signage outside public parks in Hong Kong which clearly listed all those ‘not allowed’ -- running, cycling, sitting on the grass, playing music, dancing and signing. while the public are performing all those activities inside the park. Even amongst professionals, there exist a difference in the understanding and interpretation of concepts; the way architects of different eras tend to study and evaluate places based on a different focus. Furthermore, architects and interior designers, who are the practitioners who work on the same environment, tend to define a place differently and using a different set of standards; which may generate a gap where there could be missing dimensions that can be identified. For instance, in the creation of an architectural building, architects are more focused on the form, while interior designers spend more time working on the flow and usage.

It is also noticed that in the professional practice of architects and interior design, the way they work on creating the environment is by simply measuring and evaluating space against aesthetics standards or ergonomic ratios with reference to existing/established professional guidelines or legal rules and regulations (Gutman 2010), which is not able to

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reflect how users can and will use the space. There are standards that practitioners adhere to such as minimum distance between things, and the dimension of standard furniture pieces; but those standards are not that ‘human’. Even that programming activities were first carried out before the building to address the ‘human factor’, they are functional rather than emotional focused; information collected are mainly mathematical. Programming exercises were completed before the actual user(s) did not have the chance to use the room; values were measured by a ruler and everything was by pure calculation using data. Although Interior designer may be able to use the data to help them configure a space, and add in their concept by presenting visual elements on schematic boards that show colors, textures, and materials; yet the interior designer may only focus their attention on the visual and aesthetics most of the time and place lower priority on the cognitive process of the users when they actually use the space. Designers may be able to define zoning and separation of space based on usage/function, and requirements stated for a particular kind of space, but during the design process, they were not able to see/know exactly how potential users use the space; the prediction of flow and activities is a pure estimation based on calculated figures rather than a measured study of how one thing lead to another, as how an object can incur movement that provokes an activity that leads to the interaction of another object.

Using a very simple example to explain this, when a person enters a house, he/she may stop to put things down before walking further into the room. For normal calculations, the entrance hallway only measures the amount of space to fit the person or maybe a few his/her guests (at maximum) and the amount of space required for the door to swing open; without realizing that there be extra space required for things to be put down. As Barrie Gunter (2000) explained in his book Psychology of the Home (2000), that while all studies during planning emphasize the relationship of the conceptual and physical attributes of place, they neglect the third component of place that is activities (of people); which relate to utilitarian standards and user behavior. The gap between hoteliers and interior designers is more about expectation and interpretation. When the hotelier briefed the designer to work on the design for a hotel, the vocabulary and expression used by the hotelier may not be interpreted in a way that echoed what the hotelier expected of the final design. Hoteliers usually look at things from a business and marketing angle, while designers always have their own ‘concept’ about the same thing. For example, the word ‘efficiency’ used by the hotelier in reference to a room space may mean use of materials and the selection of facilities, while designer may approach it from the creation of space and the placement of furniture in the room. In most hotel marketing materials, we are also

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only able to find description about the design of the space, maybe on details about the color scheme and selection of furniture; seldom are we able to learn more of the design concept that frames the emotional aspect of the hotel experience.

It is hoped that by locating the missing dimensions and seeing how the missing dimensions and gaps can be reconnected and filled, through better understanding of the connections that already existed, can substantiate the knowledge and create support for building a common platform or a prescriptive direction that can be shared between the practitioners of different discipline and sectors to create a homey feeling for lodging experience.

2.6.3 The ‘Former’ and the ‘Latter’ In studying built environments, it is noted that ‘former groups’ (including Edward T. Hall) have focused on proxemics, personal space and territoriality, while ‘latter groups’ (including Maurice Merleau Ponty) relate more to concepts like pattern language, existential space, and the third environment. The theory of proxemics, personal space and territoriality identified ‘spaces’ or ‘distance’ between objects and people, and people and people; basically how people use space in communication with each other and objects around them, while latter concepts such as pattern language and existential space elaborated on sense of orientation and sense of intuition; simply rely on one’s perception to define the space based on situation and past experience. The definition of the two groups came up in the book The Eyes of the Skin by Juhani Pallasmaa (2005).

The scholars of the ‘latter groups’ criticized those concepts from the ‘former groups’ as being too philosophical, and suggested that their concepts better define spatial relationships of objects and the environment. Undoubtedly, both sets of concepts were able to add to our knowledge on the definition of different kinds of space, and explain how human being uses them. They were able to separately point to presumed basic needs of users, only that each set working on its own lacked explanatory power (Gutman 2010). Which means that the concepts were only able to define needs, they failed to help determine drivers and predict ways as to how and why people respond to different environments, and to understand the cognitive and emotional process of the human brain that are involved in the user’s response to the space. Moreover, given that the two sets of concepts belong to different period of time, followers only study them separately, and there was little effort to cross reference them in order to see how they compare and also to possibly combine the thinking and develop new theories to construct a more functional model that has prescriptive power. Furthermore, scholars in the different time period may

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be affected by the economic and social development of their own times, and therefore their study may be biased towards certain standards that are more applicable to their own time.

As time period and focus may be factors that create differences in the concepts, the most important issue about them is that, the concepts of both periods did not consider the ‘human’ aspects of space and the emotional relationship to one’s environment. David Brody has also made references to past scholars in his book Housekeeping by Design – Hotels and Labor (2017), commenting that “those of us who think about design need to think more about how society uses spaces and objects within them instead of focusing only on the form or stylistic impulse visible on the design’s surface”. In a built environment, users engage with the space to create a meaning for the place, and through which, also build up memories of that place, that can affect the user’s perception of similar space in the future. The interaction and activities of the user can add a lot of depth and definition to a space that is simply configured out of measurement and transfigured out of the designer’s own conceptual of such a place. Sociologist Henri Lefebvre (1974) also contended that there are different modes of production of space (i.e. spatialization) from natural space ('absolute space') to more complex spatialities whose significance is socially produced (i.e. social space) during a particular time.

All in all, studies conducted on different environment has remained on the surface, discussion has emphasized on surface design and about objects as a stand-alone item, rather than interactions with users; missing on that one dimension that can possibly connect concept and things.

2.6.4 The Hoteliers and the Designers The missing dimensions in theoretical studies during the different period of time created the opportunity for discovering new insights, while the missing dimensions in the design practice and hotel marketing can contribute to the development of a new set of practices and language system that helps to draw hoteliers and designers closer.

In hotel design, while hoteliers are becoming more aware of the need to create products that demonstrate better understanding of special population groups and submarkets, most hotels have only been designed to ‘standards’. Hoteliers’ efforts have concentrated on creating a nice hotel environment, with clean rooms and welcoming lobbies, which are in fact all measured against the level, grade, and standard of the category of that particular hotel. A grand hotel is expected to be fully equipped with dining outlets, ballroom(s),

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swimming pool, business center, while a business hotel may only offer only minimum services and facilities; some don’t even have dining services. As discussed in earlier sections, hotel groups may be creating or acquiring new establishments with the growing demand for resorts and boutique hotels, but they are still very much according to a ‘standard’ prescribed by the perceptions of the potential guests. For instance, a boutique hotel has to be chic and stylish, and should definitely offer high speed wifi. Although boutique hotels have captured the imagination of a group of travelers and represented the creativity of some interior designers; in a lot of cases, they are quite similar and somehow adhere to the standard to be categorized as a boutique. The Hotel Classification Standards set the industry standard of guest room configurations, while the Hotel Quality Standards by AA clearly state the requirements for staff appearance, dining provisions, housekeeping, room size. In most cases, hoteliers have assumed that all tourists responded similarly to the services and facilities that the specific category of hotel should offer, and how rooms should be set and the amenities the hotel based on the standards issued by the different professional bodies or accreditation institution; but they often failed to take into consideration other factors, such as those that are gender or culture specific, that could affect choice and the chance of repeated visits (Wearing & Wearing 1996). Websites like Hotel Executive, Journal of Hotel & Business Management, JLL, STR Global, Sojern, and Hotelanalyst, may provide hoteliers with insights and predictions on trends that they can refer to, but they are pretty ‘standardized’ and lack depth and not formulative.

While assumptions of guests’ preference on the part of hoteliers are subject mainly to industry standards, the common problem amongst architects, interior designers and hoteliers is that they are usually designed according to trends, or based on their own predictions of favorable style. In most cases, after the designer is being briefed by the hotelier, the idea is translated into a set of elements with reference to a particular style. The elements used, including fabric, furnishing, lighting, and artwork, are based on the schematic board and agreed upon after the discussions between the designer and the hotelier; the created space is only ‘out of the intention’ of the two parties involved. Furthermore, there may be slight discrepancy between what the hotelier has expected and how the interior designer has translated.

The problem is further complicated as the interior designer is not going to be the actual user, and is not able to really see how people ‘lived’ in the space (they intend to create) during the planning stage. There is a possibility that guests of different cultural backgrounds may prefer to navigate through the room differently, and an Asian guest may

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conduct different activities in the room from a North American guest when they return to the guestroom after a day out (working or shopping); a business travelers would prefer to eat while working, while a leisure traveler may have room service in front of the TV; and a female guest would settle her cosmetic bag in the bathroom, while a male guest may like to first put up his shirt in the wardrobe. The difference in culture may affect the design of the room. Although interior designers may be aware of the possible activities that could take place within the space when creating them; based on their expertise in designing guestrooms, but exactly the how the activities are being carried out can only be noted when guests have actually moved into the space after they can be ascertained when actually using the room. Moreover, to add to the complexity of understanding activities, there are also emotions that could not have been imagined by the designer as they are displayed by individual guest based on his/her own experience; such experience is a reflection of memories recalled by the guests after seeing a certain object that is displayed in the room or interacting with it.

It is obvious that hoteliers and interior designs speak a totally different language. Although they are the two groups of people who work very closely together to create guest experience, the lost in translation may result in a lot of misunderstanding and misinterpretation. Besides, the ‘standards’ used by the hoteliers may not exactly correlate with the ‘standards’ used by the interior designers. Most past research was discipline specific; conducted by sectors or industries for their own purpose. There has been major research in the hotel industry conducted by hotel groups or hospitality industry consultants on the trends and business performance. Other research on hotel design has been carried out by design groups and individual designers to learn how to design (or basically how to decorate) a hotel. Sociologists and anthropologists have also carried out research on human behavior in different spaces including hotels. As these studies were all carried out and published separately, the proposed research addresses the relationship between design practices (of Interior Design as a profession) and theoretical presentation (of what constitutes a good interior space), as well as the relationship between ethnographic and phenomenological techniques in an investigation that engages an ethnographic approach in the early stage and then a phenomenological approach in the latter stages.

In this research, the researcher draws upon the perspective of a communication designer and knowledge in interior design, and contributes to the study as an observer as well as a user.

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CHAPTER THREE | TIMELINE & METHODOLOGY __ This chapter describes the application of specific procedures or techniques used to identify, select, process, and analyze information applied to understanding the research question; structured in a ‘who’, ‘what’, and ‘how’ way. Given that this research is built on a multidisciplinary context and the research was conducted over 26 months engaging a two- tiered approach involving three different groups of subjects; the presentation of this chapter is structured on the chronological basis as it can better reflect how the methodologies were implemented over the period. In the sub-chapters, the different methodologies in each stage will be explained in detail so as to justify why each of them is appropriate for fulfilling the aim of the research and relevant for producing reliable findings. The timeline approach caters for a more systematic way of understanding how the methodologies are matched to the different groups of subjects and correspond to the multiple contexts.

The research involves a twofold investigation into the theme of business traveling and guestroom design, and challenges the use of a single, disciplinary approach to the investigation of space, specifically, lodging space, and aims to answer the question: How do female business travelers create a lodging experience that can compare to their experience at home through interacting with objects and engaging in activities in the guestrooms of boutique hotels around Asia? The research further attempts to define the meaning of 'spatial design' when design is no longer delineated by disciplines but rather, in a spatial-behavioral perspective, employing a multi-dimensional approach that incorporates emotional and cultural considerations with objects and physical activities of the guestroom users. It does this by examining the following directions: i) How does size affect the level of emotional attainment, and how do human activities map out patterns that can influence the design of spaces? and ii) How does the meaning of objects interact one's own personal values to impinge on experiences, and how much does gender play a part in creating differences or establishing common ground? The research question, built upon a multidisciplinary context, is embedded with notions of women, business, hospitality, travel, design and emotions, as well as theories of anthropology, psychology, sociology, architecture, and interior design.

The contexts in the research question have transcended those in traditional studies which are mostly academic, based on an individual discipline and aim to explore into discipline- centered knowledge framed within a single focus. With a research question of such complex nature like the one proposed, different approaches were used to achieve the

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differing research objectives and to identify findings that can address the contexts. The methodologies were carefully selected and implemented strategically to generate problem- oriented knowledge that was ‘applied’ and ‘trans-disciplinary’ (Gibbons 2000), which can generate insights that relate to the different contexts and provide answers to the different parts of the research question. The insights generated assimilate a multidisciplinary perspective that enabled cross-referencing of a diversified range of knowledge gathered from past and current research conducted by scholars and professionals, as well as users and practitioners in the respective areas. The approach and methodologies used by the professionals and scholars for conducting past studies were also studied and modeled over each other to facilitate cross-mining of ideas and to explore into the possibility of developing new models for future study. The analysis of the different models can be used for filling in knowledge gaps, and to strengthen the weaknesses of any singular approach.

This research, engaging a two-tiered approach -- ethnographical and phenomenological - was conducted in three stages: i) Stage One, during which observational studies of potential target were conducted to collect mainly qualitative but also quantitative data, ii) Stage Two, the analytical phase which aimed to identify scenarios and verify key phenomena, and iii) Stage Three, the concept testing phase that allowed for the formulation of prescriptions and conception of future research plans. The Ethnographic Approach was engaged in Stage One, when fieldwork was conducted, and involved face- to-face encounters with the female business travelers, hoteliers and the interior designers. The Phenomenological Approach was applied in Stages Two and Three, during which intensive cross-referencing and further literature review were completed. The diagram in Figure. 6 shows how the two approaches are related to each other and how the analyses are applied to build on the findings at different stages in order to arrive at the final model.

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Schema/Model

activities emotions keywords cross-checking of findings developed from analysis against data

qualitative comparative analysis of findings collected from both approaches

quantitative qualitative Phenomenological Approach

Ethnographic Approach

Figure. 6 Diagram Showing How the Two Approaches are Related and Implemented in the Different Stages

An ethnographic approach allows for research from a wide range of parameters as it involves active engagement rather than traditional forms of research. Ethnography literally means ‘a portrait of a people’, and is a written description of a particular culture – the customs, beliefs, and behavior – based on information collected through fieldwork (Harris & Johnson 2000). In fact, ethnography is rooted in the fields of anthropology and sociology, and draws on both qualitative and quantitative methodologies to learn and examine perspectives and theories of a problem. The most important aspect is that the ethnographic approach studies people in an everyday context rather than under experimental conditions, and collects data from a range of sources rather than just one subject (Hammersley 1990). The use of an ethnographic approach can combine and juxtapose two-dimensional design with three-dimensional and four-dimensional designs. An ethnographic approach embraces ‘user-centered’ design/research, reorganizes the research in a way that relates the center of study to the object of study, and institutes a platform for design research with methodologies and definitions that can be applied across disciplines and supports cross- disciplinary collaboration. The approach generates important data in the form of descriptions, quotations, and excerpts of documents. This information, translated into the form of a narrative description, will help to better explain the theoretical concepts, and be used for formulating the prescriptions to better understand built environments and their relationships with users.

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In How to Use Qualitative Methods in Evaluation, Genzuk stated that “experiencing an environment as an insider is what necessitates the participant part of the participant observation” (1999). Research methodologies such as participant-observation and interviewing, common to the Ethnographic Approach, are used in Stage One of this research. Simply, the difference between an ethnographic and traditional research is the insight collected; which are first-hand and not second-hand. For example, a traditional research study of the activity of a guest using a guestroom may only be focusing on one aspects such as the practice of using the in-room entertainment system, data may be collected in forms of ticks and comments from a feedback questionnaire or data capture using interactive device in the room. Taking an ethnographic approach, the researcher can participate in the research, and observe the activities involved, as well as the facial expressions and simple gestures of the guest touching something when he/she moves around the room. The participatory nature of the ethnographic approach allows the researcher to identify findings to answer the first part of the research questions -- how female business travelers create a lodging experience that can compare to their experience at home.

The Phenomenological approach at the latter stage aims to clarify the specifics and to identify phenomena and values of the users in a given situation -- the guestroom in this research. Phenomenology is solely concerned with the study of the experience from the perspective of the participants, so the goal of engaging a phenomenological approach in this research aimed to arrive at a description of the nature of the particular phenomenon (Moustakas 1994) -- female business travelers in guestroom, for the development of a model that can foster the creation of a guestroom that promote a better sense of ‘homeyness’. Typically for the approach, interviews are conducted with a group of individuals who have had first-hand knowledge of an activity, situation or experience. The design of the set of discussion topics for the interview(s) is intended to explore answers to questions like experience in terms of the phenomenon and causes for behavior(s). Other forms of data such as documents, observations and photos may be used in the approach, and the data is then analyzed and culled for common phrases and themes that are then grouped to form clusters of meaning (Creswell 2013).

Phenomenology differs than most other research methodologies because the goal is to describe a lived experience. With roots in philosophy, psychology and education, phenomenology attempts to extract the raw data and information rather than to explain or quantify it in any way; in other words, phenomenology emphasizes subjectivity. Hence, the

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methodology during Stage Three is designed to be less structured and more open-ended to encourage the participant to share details regarding their experience. Focus groups and role play were used instead of surveys and questionnaires as in Stage One which were directional and would not allow the participant to freely share their experience staying at hotels during their business trips. During Stage Two and Three, engaging the phenomenological approach, methods such as card-sorting, role playing, evaluation matrices and mapping are particularly effective at bringing experiences and perceptions of individuals together, through which patterns are identified and analyzed. Although the Phenomenological approach is to some extent based on a paradigm of personal knowledge and subjectivity (in this case, each individual user), it also emphasizes the importance of different perspectives. To verify the interpretations, methodologies like literal review and desktop research can be engaged in order to ensure that the developed set of comments or models is supported with sufficient evidence. Through the process, the researcher may construct the universal meaning of the activity, situation or experience so as to arrive at a more profound understanding of a phenomenon. The descriptive nature of a phenomenological approach allows the researcher to understand of how values are built when the guests interact with objects and engage in activities in the guestrooms of lifestyle boutique hotels, to determine how better guestrooms can be designed. This can then provide a better understanding of how the female business travelers’ interaction with the objects and engagement with activities in the guestrooms of lifestyle boutique hotels create values for them to attain a sense of ‘homeyness’.

In fact, both ethnographical and phenomenological approach are qualitative-based research methods, that are especially relevant for research which the focus is on humans. The two approaches were built on similar parameters which can be easily referenced across each other, yet the methodologies used are different and the application of each separately can provide information that supplement the findings from each other’s research activities. Owing to the complex nature of the research question and the multidisciplinary context it involved, the two-tiered approach meets the objectives of the research and can provide the relevant tools for the mining of qualitative data and information necessary for answering the research question. The diversified approaches also allowed the researcher to experience the life of the users by immersing oneself into their lives to develop experiential knowledge at the early stage, and then assimilate concepts from a wider parameter by exploring into the differing phenomena during the analytical and conceptualization stages.

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Three categories of subjects were compiled for the research: i) female business travelers, ii) hoteliers, and iii) interior designers. A random sample of over 100 female business travelers, who contributed to open discussions on a Facebook forum, together with over 10 referrals from Swire Travel Ltd. and a group of female travelers identified from TripAdvisor, went through judgement sampling to become the final 70 selected participants for a first-round survey. 30 out of the 70 completed the questionnaire, of which 10 were contacted for a structured telephone interview. Four of the 10 shortlisted targets took part in a further semi-structured face-to-face interview and six of them agreed to be part of a shadowing exercise. The diagram on Figure. 7 illustrates how the final targets for female business travelers were shortlisted.

Figure. 7 Diagram Explaining the Process of Selection and Shortlisting of Female Business Travelers

Seven hotel managers of lifestyle boutique hotels around Asia were identified and invited to participate in an online survey, of which six also accepted the invitation to participate in a semi-structured, face-to-face interview. Five interior designers from Hong Kong were invited to participate in a semi-structured, face-to-face interview. The pool of reliable targets for all three subject groups consists of over 80 respondents for the whole research exercise.

The research was scheduled to be conducted in three stages amongst three subject groups, with research activities carried out over a period of 26 months from March 2014 to May 2016. Each stage was around 8 – 11 months long, during which the researcher

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followed a systematic programme of research activities, by referring to the set objectives of the respective stage. The diagram in Figure. 8 clearly maps out the stages, the number of targets engaged at each stage and how the methodologies are implemented in each stage, and how the theories are being examined across all the stages.

200 30 70 Female Business Travelers 30 Female Business Travelers 2 groups of Female Business Travelers Online Hotel Search Visits 10 Hoteliers 7 Hoteliers 1 groups of Hoteliers

5 Designers 5 Designers 1 group of Designers

anthropology STAGE STAGE STAGE psychology GROUND sociology ZERO ONE TWO THREE architecture Mar – Apr 2014 Mar 2014 - Jan 2015 Jan – Aug 2015 Aug 2015 – May 2016 Interior design Fieldwork + Preparatory Concept Testing Literature Review Analytical Phase

Methodologies: • Hotel Visits • Survey • Document Review • Role Play • Second Research • Interviewing • Desktop Research • Focus Group • Photo Elicitation • Content Creation • Conceptual Modeling • Participatory Observation • Web-based Feedback • Matrices • Card-sorting • Mapping

Figure. 8 Diagram Presenting Stages of Research in Relations to the Different Theories and Methodologies Used on Studying about the Object and Subjects

Stage One was carried out from March 2014 to January 2015 and consisted of extensive fieldwork to study the three subject groups separately. The stage was lengthy and the approach was complex as the reliability of the targets was a critical factor that determined the accuracy of the research findings. A pool of potential respondents was gathered at the very early phase of Stage One from different sources and platforms so that they formed a representative group in which the final set of targets could be identified. The selected targets were asked to participate in a few research activities to ensure that the responses were correlated. The selected targets were expected to be invited back in the latter stages to participate in focus groups and discussions of the reconstructed models. With ethnographical approach in Stage One, methodology such as i) Survey, ii) Interviewing, iii) Photo Elicitation, iv) Participant Observation, v) Evaluation and Proximity Matrices, and vi) Mapping were used to create a portrait of the subject and to paint the landscape of the hotel industry.

Stage Two, mainly on sorting and analysis, ran from January to August in 2015. Data collected from Stage One were carefully collated and analyzed in this stage. Stage Three,

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focused on the development of models and testing, commenced in August 2015 and was completed in May 2016. A total of 81 respondents were involved over the period of 26 months. Research methodologies that corresponded to the activities were used strategically at the different stages. Methodologies like i) Document Review, ii) Desktop Research, iii) Participatory content creation and Web based feedback mechanisms, iv) Card Sorting, v) Role Play, vi) Focus Groups, and vii) Conceptual Modeling were used for the Phenomenological Approach in Stage Two and Stage Three. The methodologies that corresponded to each of the two approaches were target-specific to ensure that data collected were relevant and represented the behavior and preference of the different subject groups. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected through research activities so as to identify common keywords and themes, and to uncover interconnections that can be used for creating scenarios and models for further studies.

3.1 Ground Zero – Research Foundation Development | Mar – Apr 2014 In order to ensure that the study is able to meet its objectives, and relevant materials, information and data can be identified from the work conducted, a series of ground work were completed before the actual field work commenced. Ground Zero is the foundation where the actual research work laid. In 2013 to 2014, the researcher analysed a variety of sources related to the topic and the subjects, and researched 200 boutique hotels and visited over 30 boutique hotels around Asia. 20 out of the 30 visited belonged to the category of lifestyle boutique by the definition of this paper were documented in detail, with notes, photographs, and floor plans. The photos in Figure. 9 show the notes taken during the hotel visits.

Figure. 9 Photos of Floor Plans and Field Notes Taken During Hotel Visits

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The information collected was used as reference material during the research and for cross-referencing to those submitted by the female business travelers. To supplement the written observation and records, the researcher also collected objects from hotels, onsite promotion materials, advertisements in magazines, photographs, and videos [Appendix B]. And apart from the fieldwork, the researcher also engaged in other second-hand research activities like literature review and web browsing to collect other important quantitative data, which include measurement of guestrooms, number of objects and interactions, as well as amount of time used for navigation. During the period, the researcher had developed various models and frameworks and have tested those initial models for extracting the commonalities and appropriating the differences of the materials, information and data collected, to understand how to refine them so that they can be used across each other within the parameters of the different notions in the actual research stages. The two photos in Figure. 10 show rough sketches of some early models.

Figure. 10 Photo of Rough Sketches of Models Conceived in the Early Stages of the Research

The refined models framed parameters of the study and meet the objectives of the different stages. The basis for the construction of the models, the selection of key targets and how the research methodologies were used on them as well as how they were implemented against a timeline will be presented in the following. The raw data collected and knowledge gained at this preliminary stage was used for formulating the theoretical framework that supports the research and prepares for the commencement of the actual field work. Details of the ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘when’, ‘how’ of the research -- the profile of the three groups of subjects, the timeline of the three stages and the implementation of the research activities specific to the subject in each stage will be described and explained in Section 3.1.2.

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3.1.1 Defining Theoretical Framework: Q.A.M.E Anthropologist Gregory Bateson (1972) first articulated the concept of framing in his book ‘Steps to an Ecology Mind’. Bateson wrote that a ‘frame’, is "a spatial and temporal bounding of a set of interactive messages”. A framework represents a structure underlying a system of things, and it is through the framework that the disconnections can be identified and get reconnected. In a research, the theoretical framework incorporates all the necessary knowledge elements that contributes to the theme and supports the objectives of the research, and to allow the reader to conceptualize the study in its context. In this research, the framework is especially important as it encompasses the variety of elements that are multidisciplinary in nature, and the framework embodies the different contexts presented as one.

Experts in different fields have been conducting environmental research in diverse ways, each trying to learn about space and place using their own discipline-specific theories and standards. Although there has been a huge amount of knowledge generated in forms of reports, papers, visual presentations and video documentaries, they all have a distinct focus and only work in their own context. For architects, the study of the built environment has always taken a ‘measured’ approach. Most discussions conducted so far, or analyses used by experts in the field, are based on a quantitative framework (or numerical formula) that clearly defines and measures relative factors. On the other hand, interior designers approach spatial design with another set of theories that mainly come from an aesthetic perspective. Interior designers may look at proportions, but they are usually more theoretical and objective, unlike those used by architects. Social scientists approach things with a sociological perspective: they mainly study social behavior or society by looking into its origins, development, organization, networks, and institutions using various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis. Each approach has merit, but is unable, alone, to lead to a framework that acknowledges the dynamics of the interplay of dimensions and theories extracted from their own field or discipline. The findings did not share enough common attributes to allow direct cross-referencing, nor can these attributes be assembled into platforms that present a set of common language to facilitate communication.

To accommodate the multi-disciplinary nature of this paper, the research adopts Alan Barnard's framework of questions, assumptions, methods, and evidence (Q.A.M.E.). The beauty of this model that incorporates the four elements of theory (2000, p. 5-6), is that it offers the flexibility to accommodate discipline-related questions, each with its own set of assumptions, methodological approach to seeking answers, and ideas for proper evidence.

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It defines the parameters of study in the early stage, before actual fieldwork commences, to help the researcher identify questions related to the core research question, and establish the fundamental assumptions and working theories for constructing the skeleton of the research, and to identify the relevant methodologies. The theoretical framework of the paper is constructed on the notions of architectural phenomena, psychological theories, sociological perspectives, industry performance, and the practice of interior design; a multi-disciplinary study that aims to allow cross-referencing of knowledge and information from different disciplines. The most significant edge of the model is that it can help position new understanding in the context of the research question by verifying existing knowledge and reveling new insights.

Q.A.M.E. The framework contains TEN related questions developed from the core research question, which can be categorized across THREE domains, i) guestroom design, ii) user experience, and iii) hotel marketing. Every domain has a set of questions it seeks to answer, a set of assumptions it holds, a methodological approach towards getting to the answers it seeks, and its own notion of proper evidence. Three of the ten are on guestroom design, five of them are on user experience, and the remaining two are on hotel marketing, each question relevant to its own discipline. The ten questions are listed below, each corroborated with an assumption based on information and knowledge collected by the researcher during Ground Zero and pointed towards methods and evidence for uncovering facts to verify and identify (the true) answer; which contribute to the final answer to the research question. [Appendix C]

Q.1 Can a hotel be a home? The assumption is that “a hotel can never be home – as hotels should provide inspirational lifestyles that bring guests to a higher ‘level of contentment’ and ‘emotion attainment’ than being at home”, based on James K. Feibleman’s suggestion that “a hotel is a way station which visual quality is important to create ‘feel’, but it also needs intense interaction for dramatization of experience to enhance the aspirations and needs during the stay” (1969). Feibleman was suggesting that a hotel will require more than just a pretty décor to create a sense of belonging for the guests, in that regard, he was implying that experience can be created through different forms and ways of interaction between the guests and things in the hotel space. The assumption can be verified by face-to-face interview with users, and further evidence can be found in the writings of Robert Ivy, Donald Keene, Donald Norman, Robert Sommer and James K. Feibleman.

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Q2. Does guestroom size matter to business travelers? The assumption is that “room size is not important, the flow of the arrangement in the room actually constructs the user’s impression of the hotel and the emotional state during the stay”, based on Winifred Gallagher’s view that “the environment affects behavior/activities and at the same time, the behavior creates/changes the environment’s atmosphere” (1993). Therefore the dimension of the room may only create an impact if the user can perform relevant activities within. As suggested in the comment by Juhani Pallasmaa that “good architecture offers shape and surfaces molded for the pleasurable touch of the eye” (2013). The assumption can also be verified by ethnographic study during which notes and images are recorded. Further evidence can be found in the writings of Winifred Gallagher, Edward T Hall, and John Berry.

Q.3 Can the emotional attainment level of guests be simply addressed visually through design? The assumption is that “multisensory (auditory, visual, olfactory, tactile and vestibular) experience creates the major part of a ‘total’ lodging experience which determines the emotional attainment level of guests”, based on Edward T. Hall’s comment that “the spatial experience is not just visual but multisensory” (1966). Hall was suggesting that there could a variety of sense that can be used to creating an experience. This assumption can be verified by both literature review and observation; and further evidence can be found in the writings of Juhani Pallasmaa and Ilse Crawford.

Q.4 From which area/space in the hotel does the traveler derive most satisfaction? The assumption is that “a hotel guest (especially the business traveler) spends most time in the room compared to other spaces in the hotel during each visit”, which can only be verified by statistical study.

Q.5 How do guests create their sense of place during hotel stay? The assumption is that “a hotel guest marks a special corner in the room to establish their ‘personal space’ and to define their territoriality” based on the understanding that “Territoriality -- in a hotel room, where people put their things to mark ‘this is mine’ for the coming two weeks” (Sommer 1969), and Witold Rybczynski who stated that “every object had a meaning and a place in life that was as much as part of its function as its immediate purpose, and these two are inseparable” (1986). This assumption can be verified by

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ethnographic study during which photo elicitation is used. Further evidence can be discovered in the writings of Mihaly Csikzentmihalyi, Robert Somme, and Don Norman. Q.6 How will the preferences and habits of the guests at home be transferred to their stay in the hotel? What are they? The assumption is that “expectations change in accordance with change in activities, pace and living habits of people over the decades, activities and objects in the room (as interpreted by guests) give meaning to the room’s stay”. Winifred Gallagher suggested that “design often means finding relationships between things they didn’t immediately have so they become something more” (1993) therefore the amalgamation of things can create a sense of place. The assumption can be verified by literature review of past research and papers by Ruth Benedict, Ward Goodenough, Peter Just, John Monaghan and Winifred Gallagher.

Q.7 What are the key emotions contained in a guestroom? The assumption is that “business travelers would choose ‘enticement’ over ‘comfort’ when selecting a hotel, and ‘security’ is increasingly important with the growth of female business travel. The feeling of ‘security’ is what makes hotel more ‘homely’, based on Tuan’s description of place which means “security and space equals freedom, and space is defined by objects and therefore places and objects define spatial experience” (1977), can be verified by interview and observation. Further evidence is in the writings of Donald Norman and Yi-Fu Tuan, as well as comments and data from Hotel Online articles.

Q.8 What do business travelers expect of a good hotel experience? The assumption is that “business travelers are expecting to savor local experience even inside the hotel (because they may have little time to tour around the city given all the meetings)”, based on comments collected from hotels and travel websites, can be verified by interviews and further review and cross-checking of comments by frequent travelers.

Q.9 Do the expectations of guests reflect their cultural background? What exactly does culture refer to? The assumption is that “expectations of hotel guests are pretty universal, while culture here should refer to the preferences and patterns of a specific group of travelers -- business people”, based on Tuan’s saying that “culture and experience strongly influence the interpretation of environment” (1977). The assumption can be also verified by literature review and observation, with further evidence in the writings of Grant Hildebrand, Edward Casey, Franz Boas, Edward T Hall, and Yi-Fu Tuan.

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Q.10 What should be the focus of hotel marketing and promotions? The assumption is that “hotel marketing strategy should focus on multi-sensory experiences rather than either functional descriptions and offers (that are represented by pretty visuals in the advertisements and promotional materials)”. The assumption is based on Juhani Pallasmaa’s (2013) description of good architecture, which should be multi- sensory. The assumption can be checked against advertisements in hospitality journals and on the websites of the hotels.

3.1.2 Selecting Participants and Shortlisting Targets It is important to first define and identify where the potential respondents are before actual field work commenced. To begin the recruitment, an initial research of the potential targets was carried out in March 2014 in order to determine the landscapes of the different targets’ markets.

Female Business Travelers The recent study conducted by Travel & Leisure indicated that females are estimated to comprise 50% of frequent fliers, and 40% of business travelers today are women (2016). Study in Asia also indicated that around 10 per cent of the entrepreneurs in South Asian countries are women. The industry findings about female users’ impact on air travel resonates with the industry findings about their effect on hotel business. Studies conducted in the last decade by most hotel groups have reflected that women, as travelers, seem to distinguish themselves from men in several important ways, and that women hotel guests are more particular in their needs then most men. A travel survey conducted by Deloitte, published in Jan 2012, suggested that younger business travelers under the age of 44 have very different attitudes and expectations about the hotels they frequent when compared to older travelers. For instance, these travelers prefer expedited check-in, working in public areas of hotels and patronizing hotels that operating in an environmentally-sound manner.

The recruitment of female business travelers was done by random sampling and judgement sampling. The designated Facebook page entitled ‘betterthanhome’ was launched on April 10, 2014. The page was used as a platform to attract potential respondents for the research. The page promoted itself with the message “all you may wanna know about hotels and their guest rooms, from keycards to pillows to showerheads. Let you know why some hotels are just better than home”, and can be searched by keywords such as ‘Inspiring’, ‘Fun’, ‘Helpful’, ‘Sexy’, ‘Home’, ‘Homey’, ‘Comfort’, ‘Hotel’,

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‘Guest Room’, ‘Experience’, and ‘Holiday’. Packing Tips and Hotel Sharing posts were scheduled to be uploaded regularly during weekdays and posts entitled ‘Sunday Special: Design Hotels’ were uploaded on Sundays. The researcher also posted random questions selected from the questionnaire designed for female business travelers on the page, and the subscribers were invited to respond by voting on the answers. The page has successfully attracted over 70 subscribers in the first week and a total of 147 frequent travelers were recruited in the first month; currently, the page is still active and has over 200 followers (as of December 2018).

Figure. 11 Screen cap of Facebook Page ‘Better Than Home’ created in April 2014

The 147 subscribers represented those who are interested in boutique hotels or are likely to stay in boutique hotels when traveling on business; both female and male. By establishing a better understanding for a few of those active subscribers, the researcher started to contact them via posts and inbox in order to identify those who match the profile of potential targets -- i) female, ii) at the age of 25 – 44, and iii) travel to Asia for business at least two times per year. The researcher has also participated in a group on the TripAdvisor page that are targeted at female travelers and shortlisted potential respondents. 55 subscribers from the Facebook page who matched the profile, together with 13 female business travelers are identified through TripAdvisor and two referred by Swire Travel Ltd. -- a local travel agency in Hong Kong were shortlisted into a pool of 70 targets for a first round of survey.

Five criteria were used to select the final respondents; i) the selected females have to be frequent business travelers, with no less than two trips a year, ii) they must be frequently travelling to Asian cities and usually have the freedom to make their own travel plans, iii) they tend to pick boutique hotel for their accommodation, iv) they are aged 25 – 44, and v) they hold a managerial position in their own company or the company they work for. The

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questionnaire contained questions that aim to collect information about the female business travelers’ demographics, work and hotel choices, hotel and in-room activities, their views about comfort and safety in the guestroom, and an open-end section that asked them for additional comments.

Hoteliers Hoteliers in this research include hotel owners and managers. The focus of hotel owners is always on profit and loss and occupancy rate, all the decisions they made are strictly business-oriented. While hotel owners want to establish a successful business, hotel managers have the responsibility to work with the hotel team to create memorable and unique experiences for guests. Managers of boutique hotels have the benefit of feeling more hands-on with guests given the small number of rooms. Although managers working in a grand hotel may not be seen as ‘attentive’ as managers from boutique hotels, they always try to walk an extra mile to make sure guests are well taken care of and check out with a smile on their face. Experienced hotel managers may have further insight into guest preference, operation convenience and styling of hotel interior and guestroom design. With the growth of boutique hotels, the hospitality industry has been experiencing high turnover rate in management, creating and nurturing a talent pool is a matter of urgency for a lot of hotel chains when they started to open up their own boutique hotels or rebranded themselves. A report published by Marriott Hotels Resorts Suites in 2014 indicated that there is an increase in women-owned hotels, Julius W. Robinson, Marriott International vice president for and diversity ownership champion for the group, mentioned that Marriott has intended to have 25% of its portfolio owned and managed by diverse individuals by the end of the decade (2014). By looking into the hoteliers’ perspectives, the researcher was able to discover a very different side of seeing how hotels are presented.

The selection of hoteliers started with a search for boutique hotels that correspond to the definition for lifestyle boutique in this paper. A study and comparison exercise was conducted to learn of the hotel types and to identify the key features that define boutique hotels. Out of the over 200 boutique hotels studied, the researcher then visited around 30 boutique hotels around Asia during 2012 to 2013. Out of thirty boutique hotels around Asia visited, 20 of them in five Asian cities were selected for detail documentation. The basic criteria with reference to the definition stated in Chapter One were used for selecting the hotels. The selected hotels are all situated in a convenient location close to the each of the city or urban areas, operated independently or independently owned by may belong to

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a luxury hotel association, has no more than 150 rooms that have contemporary interior design combining cultural elements with chic elegance or designed by a famous designer, and the hotel advocates some kind of lifestyle through services they offer. A few of the selected hotels are built/renovated or converted from an existing building no more than five years ago with good design aesthetics. And to ensure that the information collected from the interviews can be representative, hotels selected were from different cities around Asia that has indicated an increase in amount of business travelers presented by the research cited in the Section 1.2.1 and Section 1.2.2. Selected hotels included those from Bangkok, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Taipei, and Tokyo. The twenty hotels chosen for detail documentations were:

1. Opposite Hotel, Beijing 2. East Hotel, Hong Kong 3. Mira Moon, Hong Kong 4. Flemming Hotel, Hong Kong 5. Jia Plus, Hong Kong 6. Amba Hotel, Taipei 7. Home Hotel, Taipei 8. Eslite Hotel, Taipei 9. Hotel Claska, Tokyo 10. Strings by the Intercontinental Group, Tokyo 11. Hotel Studio M, Singapore 12. Scarlet Hotel, Singapore 13. Quincy Hotel, Singapore 14. Wanderlust, Singapore 15. Indigo Hotel, Bangkok 16. SO Sofitel, Bangkok 17. ShinShin Hotel, Seoul 18. Waterhouse at South Bund, Shanghai 19. Indigo Hotel, Shanghai 20. Hotel Langham, Shenzhen

Out of the 20 fully documented hotels, 10 hotel managers were then invited to participate in a survey. Invitations were sent out to them by email, inviting them to first complete a questionnaire on Survey Monkey. The questionnaire contained five questions that aimed to verify their hotel category, and to check on their views on the most important thing in ‘mobile lodging’ (short term hotel stay for business travelers), and key features of their hotel (rooms or services) as well as promotion strategy (functional and emotional). From

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their answers, the researcher then identified a sample of hotel managers and invited them to participate for an interview. Seven invitations were sent and six of them have agreed to attend a semi-structured face-to-face interview.

At the same time, further research about the hotels was conducted online (mainly via TripAdvisor) to understand more of the visitors’ type and comments, and to capture an initial idea of the hotel visually by looking through management and visitors’ photos posted on websites and other social media.

Interior Designers An interior designer evaluates and designs interior spaces to make them functional, appealing and well-suited to users’ needs. As the interior designer of the hotel or the guestroom, they are responsible for defining the ‘personality’ of the hotel and a theme that defines the ambience by presenting matching color palettes, selecting appropriate furniture, and accessorizing the space with fabrics, wall hangings, window treatments, light fixtures and flooring. In most cases, the interior designer communicates closely with the hoteliers to deliver on his/her vision of the hotel. The interior designer also coordinates with the hotel managers and the staff team to ensure that the chosen materials and furniture can be easily maintained. As discussed earlier, there are a lot of discrepancies in terms of vision and expectations between those of an interior designer’s vision and a hotel manager’s. The differences stemmed from their education training as well as their own definition of terms and concepts. Moreover, the professional practice of interior designers is based on a set of guidelines, while hotel managers focus more on the business side. Simply on the word ‘experience’, interior designers would look at it from the angle of visual treatment, while hotel managers are more on the choice of amenities, like the choice of pillows and speed of wifi. But with boutique hotels, especially lifestyle boutique, interior designers play a more important role in setting up the environment for the guests by injecting the relevant and appropriate elements in the guestroom that contribute to a distinctive hotel experience, and on the business side, be able to meet strategic and operational needs of the owner to help them realize their vision and attract the right guests to the establishment.

The selection of interior designers for this research started with a search through names and portfolios of member listed on the Hong Kong Interior Design Association (HKIDA) website. The designers chosen must have worked on at least three boutique hotel projects in the region over the last 5 – 10 years. Designers must be Asian and based in Hong Kong

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or Mainland China. Amongst the selected designers, there must be at least one female representative. The rationale is that male and female designers may have gender-biased comments, and given that the research focuses on female business travelers, it is important to collect views form a female designer to ensure that the findings are un-biased. Mr. Antony Chan, Mr. Timothy Cheng, Ms. Rose Poon, Mr. Hung Chung Hin, and Mr. Ed Ng were the five selected interior designers. The hotels they have worked on or contributed in include Intercontinental Hotel in Macau, W in Chang-an Beijing, Little Tai Hang in Hong Kong, and TUVE Hotel in Hong Kong.

3.2 Stage ONE – Data Collection | May 2014 - Jan 2015 (11 months) Stage One of the research focused on qualitative research and engaged an ethnographic approach. Research activities for the three groups of targets were carried out over a period of 11 months. The objectives of the first stage are: i) to determine taxonomy of city-based hotel experiences, and ii) to identify the situational conditions and antecedents, and their association with consumption emotions, and iii) to map out the user activities and their interaction patterns in the guestrooms. It was expected that the research conducted in this stage can verify most of the assumptions made on the questions developed from the core research question. The diagram below illustrates the flow of the research in Stage One, matching the methodologies used in each process, relating the methodologies and the objectives of this stage.

Figure. 12 Flow Diagram Illustrating Stage One of the Research

To meet the first objective on determining the taxonomy of city-based hotel experiences, the researcher has visited over 30 lifestyle boutique hotels in Asia, during which interviews with hotel managers were carried out to discover relevant information about hotel business in general, segmentation of markets and related marketing strategies, as well as current trends and projection in the future of hotel business for female travelers. The second objective was achieved through conducting research on female business travelers and

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hoteliers over three phases, to shortlist the final targets for structured telephone interview and the semi-structured face-to-face interviews, as well as the shadowing exercise. The third objective was completed as maps and photo images were collected from the female business travelers, which were used to identify the segments, emotions and objects, and complied to produce pattern maps for comparison studies. The maps, photo images, and data were also used to develop into a set of cards and personas to be used in the latter stages.

Stage One of the research involved an extensive amount of data collection, sorting and checking. In this stage, apart from the use of survey and interviewing, the researcher was also engaged in observational and participatory studies. Intensive field work was carried out to discover the concerns, preferences, and emotions of female business travelers’; as well as to identify the stimulus for their behavior and activities within guestrooms of the selected boutique hotels. During the fieldwork, methodologies such as videotaping, photography, passive and participant observation are used.

3.2.1 Survey Survey research is a type of field study that involves the collection of data from a sample of potential target drawn from a well-defined population with the use of questionnaires (Babbie, 1990). Questionnaires developed for conducting an ethnographic survey should be designed for the purpose of framing the interview, but the respondents should also be allowed to freely express and add comments in their own terms; most questions are open- ended and non-leading questions. Based on the objectives of Stage One of this research, online questionnaires were developed for a preliminary screening of targets from the three subject groups. Shortlisted targets participated in a two-tier survey to confirm their identity and to provide answers to questions to build on the data collected from the preliminary round.

The 70 female business travelers shortlisted in April, which has a 80/20 split between Asian and non-Asian female, were then invited to participate in round of survey by completing a questionnaire. They were those who met the criteria of i) age 25 – 40, ii) either in managerial position or owner of business, iii) traveling at least twice a year on business around Asia, and iv) preferring to stay in business or lifestyle boutique hotels. The 70 female business travelers who participated in an online survey were asked to complete a questionnaire that contains five sections of 19 questions [Appendix D], that collected demographics and preferences about them in order for the researcher to shortlist

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them for the face-to-face interviews. The different sections aimed to collect information about the background of the respondents, their selection process for hotels, their habit and preferences, their activities during the business trips and additional comments on hotel experiences. Although the research focused on female business travelers, the researcher has invited ten male business travelers from the Facebook page to participate in the first- round survey; so a total of 80 respondents were invited, out of which 70 were female. The aim of involving male respondents was to create bench mark for checking, data collected from the male business travelers was used to discover and cross-check any major differences in the responses between genders. A online invitations (by inbox or email) with five simple questions were sent end of May 2013 to the 70 shortlisted females and invited them to complete the questionnaire.

The second set of online questionnaires contained three sections that included i) work and hotel choices -- questions to collect demographics, and to learn more of their particulars, their preferences, their work nature, their choice of hotels, which cities they visited most, ii) comfort and security, and iii) guestroom design and in-room activities -- specifically, what a comfortable guestroom means to them. It also allowed the respondents to add comments about the definition of ‘homeyness’ in a guestroom. 42 of the 70 invited targets have responded and completed the questionnaire, out of which 30 of the questionnaires were deemed valid. So a total of 30 responses from the female business traveler and five males responses were collected; marking a 44% response rate. In order not to distract the findings, data collected from the five male business travelers were excluded from the tabulation, and will only be included if they can support an argument of a particular behavior amongst business travelers in general or when they can be used to reflect differences between genders.

Hotel managers of seven different business or lifestyle boutique hotels were invited to participate in an online survey and complete a simple questionnaire online [Appendix E]. The questionnaire with only six simple questions, powered by SurveyMonkey, aimed to verify whether the manager had over 10 years of experience in the hospitality industry, with at least five years managing business or lifestyle boutique hotels.

A simple profiling exercise was conducted by screening the list of interior designers on the Hong Kong Interior Design Association (HKIDA) website to select five designers with over 10 years of work experience on residential or hospitality projects, and who had participated in at least three hotel design projects around Asia. These were invited to participate in a

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survey online by completing a questionnaire which contained two parts: i) design approach, and ii) experience and expertise; they were then invited to attend a semi-structured interview [Appendix F].

3.2.2 Interviewing Interviewing is a qualitative research method, and is particularly useful for getting the story behind a participant's experiences to collect in-depth understanding of a specific topic. Structured interviews or standardized interviews can ensure that each interviewee is presented with exactly the same questions in the same order; semi-structured interviews combine a pre-determined set of open-ended questions that can allow the interviewer to use prompts and explore particular themes or further responses. In conducting interviews for research under an ethnographic approach, the objectives of the research should guide the process, and the questionnaires are designed based on the research objectives.

10 female business travelers of the 30 were then shortlisted and participated in a semi- structured telephone interview. A questionnaire that comprised mostly open-end questions was used for the interview [Appendix G]. The questionnaire contained six sections with a total of 23 questions, the questions in the second questionnaire were similar to the first, except that a section with five questions were added to learn more of the female business travelers’ interpretation of ‘homeyness’ in guestrooms. Respondents were asked to elaborate on their work experience, views on hotel trends, emotional keywords, definition of home, and objects that mean home and ‘homeyness’; as well as to share interesting stories about their past hotel stays. The interview focused on the open-ended questions, and participants were invited to add more detail, to talk more freely about their thoughts and to add any comments that might be useful. A sample of the interview record is attached in [Appendix H].

The hotel managers, after completing the online survey, were also invited to attend a semi- structured face-to-face interview. Six hotel managers who have accepted the invitation, met with the researcher during April and May 2014 for a semi-structured audio video recorded interview. A longer questionnaire was used, with questions on demographics and work experience, as well as marketing strategies and details of hotel services at their hotels [Appendix J]. The online questionnaire for hotel managers aimed to collect general data about the target market of their hotel, and focused on: i) services and amenities, ii) promotion strategies, and iii) loyalty programmes. It aimed to collect general information about the selected hotels in order to contribute to the ontology of city-based hotels, and to

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substantiate what defined boutique hotels and their target audience. The questionnaire designed for face-to-face interviews with hotel managers examined in more detail subjects like the design of guestrooms, selection of designers, toiletries, and bedding. The managers were also asked to discuss recent hotel trends and developments, as well as to talk about memorable stories shared by guests directly with them or posted on social media. Managers were also invited to compare their own hotel with major competitors, in terms of service as well as interior design. After every interview, the researcher asked to be toured around the hotel to take photos of the premises, and to prompt the managers for comments especially during the stop at the guestroom. After the researcher completed all interviews with the hotel managers, a comparison analysis using evaluation matrices was conducted. Apart from the managers, telephone interviews with hotel marketing personnel were conducted using a set of open-ended questions to determine the key marketing messages and propositions of boutique hotels in different cities. A sample of the interview record is attached in [Appendix K]. Through these interviews, keywords were identified that defined the promotion strategies of different hotels, and were used to determine how hotels try to distinguish themselves from each other.

10 identified designers were sent invitations by email inviting them for an interview. Five interior designers who specialize on hotel projects, particularly boutique hotel in Asia were invited to participate in the research. The five interior designers who accepted the invitation participated in a semi-structured audio/video recorded face-to-face interview during April and May 2014. Interior designers were invited to attend a semi-structured interview with a questionnaire that collected information on their design methodology, design thinking, and approach to learning about user experience [Appendix L]. The interior designers are also invited to talk about the difficulties they encountered with their clients (the hotel owners or the hotel managers) during the planning stage. A sample of the interview record is attached in [Appendix M]. After individual interview, two of the designers were asked to attend a mini focus group to conduct further discussions with the researcher, and to evaluate results of the findings from the female business travelers and hotel managers.

3.2.3 Photo Elicitation Photo-elicitation is a method that uses visual images to elicit comments, a common approach used in visual sociology. Types of images used include photographs, videos, paintings, illustrations, and advertising. In this research, photo-elicitation was used in all stages.

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During Stage One, a Photo Elicitation assessment is used on all the invited participants. They are asked to use a camera to photograph their own bedroom. The participants can choose to show a favorite corner or corners of his/her bedroom (and some also included hotel rooms), and/or close-up shots of particular objects that they have special feelings for or which represent important function(s) related to their activities in the bedroom. Participants were then asked to email the photos or send them to the researcher via Facebook with a short description of each to explain why he/she considered the particular corner/object worth capturing. Apart from inviting the potential participants to send photos of their bedrooms or guestrooms, selected female business travelers who participated in the second round of the survey were also asked to send in pictures correlated to their answers on the questionnaire. Apart from contextual data, the researcher has also conducted telephone interviews with a few of the respondents asking them to describe in details the activities they usually engaged in in the room, and how those activities related to the photos. They were then asked to list (positive) emotions prompted through a list of emotive descriptors derived from the Framework of Emotions (Carroll Izard & Robert Plutchik, 1977), which included most highly-rated emotions listed in the Modified Herfindahl- Hirschman Index (MHHI), such as: comfortable, content, practical, secure, entertained, relaxed, elegant, pampered, excited, respected, and cool. MHHI is a measure of market power that incorporates the implied levels of “market concentration” due to common ownership.

The photos collected from this stage were used to create cards for a card-sorting exercise during interviews with female business travelers and hotel managers in Stage Two of the research. During this stage, the researcher sorted out the common keywords and comments from the interviews, and highlighted keywords mentioned by the hoteliers. Messages from advertising campaigns and on-site promotion materials were studied and compared to identify common propositions. Four sets of cards were developed, showing images of objects, corners of bedroom/guestroom, statements/advertising taglines, and emotional keywords. These were used, together with photographs, image cards, illustrations and floor plans, to prompt respondents for information and comments that could contribute to the construction of models and ideas.

3.2.4 Participant Observation Participant-observation is a common research method in ethnography, and is mainly conducted by actual participation that involves personal experience of the researcher. Sociologists have conducted participant-observation studies and discussed the pros and

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cons of the approach since the early 1880s (Webb 1926, Park, Burgess, & McKenzie 1925); while the advantage of it being able to allow for actual participation, the interpretation of the information may subject to the experience of the researcher and could affect the accuracy of the result. Strategic observation produces experimental knowledge and can turn the researcher into an instrument of data collection and data analysis, while at the same time going through the experience together with the target (Malinowski 2006). During the study, field notes were taken that were highly expressive of the participant’s experience and feelings, and comments from the participants were quoted verbatim to ensure that they precisely reflected the participant’s meaning. To ensure that the collected information provides different perspectives of the situation, photos with corresponding notes were also taken during the process.

Shadowing was the technique used as a form of participant-observation. Shadowing originated in Management Studies and iterations on structured observation (Minzberg 1970). In this research, shadowing as a strategic observation technique allowed the researcher the opportunity to go through first-person experience together with the target - - the researcher was able to follow the subject into the room and observe how they entered the room, which areas they checked out first, and to note the corner/place where they put their luggage and personal items.

Through the shadowing exercise, the researcher was able to obtain contextual information and comprehensive data about the patterns of activities, interrelationships of objects and navigation flow and emotions of the female business travelers. The level of observation was enhanced with information about comments, body language, pace as well as timing to compile a full picture of the targets’ guestroom experience. Field notes and reports that incorporated the thoughts and feelings of the researcher as a participant comprised important field data, and were useful as evaluation criteria and for constructing models. A debriefing with the target, in form of a semi-structured face-to-face interview, was carried out after the process to verify the data collected from the observation and to uncover the meaning behind the behaviors. 30% of the female business travelers who participated in the telephone interview were then invited to attend a semi-structured face-to-face interview or a shadowing exercise. Four of them were contacted further for a semi-structured face- to-face interview during one of their business trips, to further investigate into specifics of answers; the interview was audio-video recorded (only if they agreed to). The discussion at the face-to-face interview also touched on other issues that may not be included in the survey. The interview actually took part during one of the target’s business trips, during

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which the researcher took notes and photos, and drew maps of the selected females’ journey in the guestroom during the first 10 minutes they checked in. The participants were then left with a worksheet for them to note down relevant points after the researcher left the room. They were also asked to use the camera on their smart phones to capture images of her preferences and activities inside the guestrooms, and to provide descriptions of the three photos taken that they think most represent homey feelings in the room with accompanying notes.

Five female business travelers were invited for a debriefing afterwards and the researcher was able to collect more information on the answers and notes from them. Six of them have agreed to participate in a shadowing exercise, during which the researcher experienced the guestroom together with the female business travelers during another business trips for one room-night. User-journey maps were created to record the activities and interactions with objects of female business travelers in the guestrooms, navigation routes were mapped down during observation and compared to identify the cognitive process and the points where emotions are defined. The kind of activities inside the guestroom and the amount of time used for each activity were also recorded and studied to understand how time was allocated, represented by percentages. Figure. 13 shows sample of map created with notes added in by research during the interview with the female business travelers.

Figure. 13 Sample of Map Created by Researcher showing the Navigation Pattern and Objects during Face-to-Face Interview

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3.2.5 Evaluation and Proximity Matrices Evaluation matrices are used to evaluate several options against prioritized criteria. Evaluation matrices were created to evaluate and prioritize the concerns and preferences elicited from female business travelers in Stage One. At different stages of this research, matrices were also created for the measurement of variables -- objects, activities, and emotions -- and for understanding the level and effectiveness of interactions of things. Proximity Matrices record the distances and paths between the elements, as well as the relationship between objects and activities. In this research, such matrices provide information on how subjects navigate through the room and the location of the objects, as well as where interactions take place. The chart in Figure. 14 shows a matrix used for determining the relationship between objects and activities.

Figure. 14 Sample of Matrix used for Analyzing Relationship between Objects and Activities

3.2.6 Mapping Mapping is a research method used to establish connections between things, and for organizing data. In this research, maps were used to record information, and also a way of presenting how related objects, activities, and emotions were organized on a two- dimensional plan. In Stage One, 15 maps were created from observing selected female business travelers and during shadowing. Figure. 15 shows some of the maps created.

Figure. 15 Maps Created by Researcher Showing the Navigation Pattern and Objects during Face-to-Face Interview

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The maps were then developed into two Concept Maps for Stage Two. Concept maps are originally graphic tools for organizing and representing knowledge. By creating concept maps during this stage of the research, emotions, objects, design elements, activities were all clearly mapped out; representing on one single plane how the different elements are connected and interrelated, as shown in the Figure. 16. The 10 female business travelers who participated in the Stage One research were invited back during Stage Three to create a concept map of guestroom that represented their own journey and experience.

Figure. 16 Concept Maps of Guestrooms Showing Objects, Activities and Emotions

The maps were overlaid on top of each other, and the resulting map became the key visual basis of the study. Additional information collected was added to the map. The map also represents a cognitive process of how the participants establish a sense of belonging in the guestroom; the process of how they change meanings of the space and objects to create a sense of ‘me’. The maps created by the participants have, in a way, re-arranged the floor plans of the guestrooms, as they show that participants have created their own paths to build up emotional connections with the space. The interaction with the objects further helps them to confirm their ‘connection’ with the space and to establish their ‘existence’ by bringing in memories of the past to connect the present; is a result of which the participant and the space are modified to obtain a balanced equilibrium – adaptation (Norberg-Schulz 2015).

3.3 Stage TWO – Secondary Data Collection | Jan - Aug 2015 (8 months) Stage Two of the research, engaged with a phenomenological approach, was an analytical stage focused on cross-referencing, cross-checking, and verification. The research and analysis were carried out over the 8 months and engaged qualitative (inductive) and quantitative (statistical) approaches separately and simultaneously; an approach that

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caters for ethnographic research and will also allow cross-referencing of stakeholders’ contributions. The inductive approach facilitates the flow of knowledge from various contexts and conditions, and the deduction of phenomenon allows for the creation of scenarios, while the statistical approach allows for tabulation and compilation of data to review patterns and clusters. Data collected and compiled from Stage One is verified by matching against past research and theories, and organized into categories, while further research and literature reviews were conducted against answers and findings, to determine the interconnectedness of conditions that may have given rise to the finding. Based on a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, the analysis contributes to the categorization of behaviors and hotel types, identifies patterns, and contributes to the development of models. The approach is unique as compared to other research currently available on hotel development or design trends, which are either conducted by interview or data mining, and are discipline-specific, or focused just on a single topic. This approach will allow the researcher to draw on knowledge from different disciplines and conduct research using different perspectives at the same time when seeking answers. The objectives of the second stage are: i) to generate philosophical support to the qualitative finding from Stage One, and ii) to further verify the assumptions of the research questions. The diagram below illustrates the flow of the research in Stage Two, matching the methodologies used in each process, relating the methodologies and the objectives of this stage.

Figure. 17 Flow Diagram Illustrating Stage Two of the Research

To meet the objectives for Stage Two, document review including a literature review and desktop search were carried out. The findings were matched to the theories and concepts visited on Interior and Spatial design, the data was cross-checked against the trends and figures indicated on those industry reports to identify patterns and correlations. The sorting and analysis of the findings from the female business travelers were conducted in this stage, research activities like conversation analysis, pattern creation and card sorting

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using images collected were completed to identify the keywords used by the females in their description of a ‘homey’ guestroom, and to create a matrix that can be used together with findings from the hoteliers and interior designers to cross check the identified objects and description. Ethnographic Decision Modeling (Bernard 2012) was engaged in this stage to create ethnographic modeling trees, which served to discover i) choices that female business travelers make when choosing their ideal business hotel when travelling overseas, and ii) the navigation pattern of female business travelers in a guestroom, the interaction points and objects they interacted with, and iii) the cognitive development of interior designers in the creation of guestroom. The work conducted in this stage has allowed the researcher to modify the research based on any discrepancies. A set of initial findings was noted upon completion of Stage Two of the research. Schemas (Bernard 2012) of guestrooms were also developed to be used in Stage Three for further research. Visual cards were the major tools used in this stage; the findings were used to revise the different sets of cards for conducting further research in Stage Three. The revised sets of cards were developed into two scenarios for discussion during focus group interviews. The diagram in Figure. 18 shows a sample of a model used in the analytic stage for understanding the relationship between areas in the guestroom and decision for different activities conducted.

Figure. 18 Sample of an Ethnographic Modeling Tree Created for the Analysis

3.3.1 Document Review Concepts and theories extracted from the literature were used to cross-validate the information collected during field work. Documents reviewed included (additional) literature review, desktop search, and contents search on websites or chat rooms. During this process, the researcher has made reviewed additional literature to ensure that updated

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information is also included during the analysis. The information from the reviews and findings were synthesized (re-organized) for further interpretations. Document review helps to generate data and knowledge in the form of quotations, descriptions, and excerpts for preparing flash cards, and as evidence to support the findings and the proposition made. A careful comparison of models and frameworks was done to explore the different approaches for conceptualizing spatial/environmental design and behavior, in order to identify the most relevant theories that could be applied for constructing the final model.

3.3.2 Desktop research A web search was conducted to identify and determine the taxonomy of city-based hotel experiences (eg: adventure hotel, lifestyle hotel, eco hotel, and city hotel), by highlighting keywords and common descriptors. Marketing messages and taglines from official web pages of hotels and advertising campaigns online were also identified, and used for preparing the cards in this stage. A search was also conducted into some hospitality industry and design related pages such as boutiquehotliers.com, wallpaper.com, and Travel+Leisure.com, sojern.com, to gather news and comments about industry development. Web search was also conducted on most popular hotel and holiday-booking sites, such as Trip Advisor.com, and Hotels.com, to collect ratings, comments, and to capture keywords. The engine was able to identify similar expressions and comments made by other travelers on the general hotel experience. Maidenvoyage.com, a website with its own Facebook page, is dedicated to female business travelers, provided useful information on their preferences.

Figure. 19 Screen Cap of the Facebook Page ‘Maiden Voyage’

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3.3.3 Participatory content creation and Web based feedback mechanisms Participatory content creation is a form of creative engagement with communication technology (ICT) (UNESCO 2008). The contents collected after extensive discussions platform are collated and collected onto a platform to form a pool of knowledge. The discussions or forums created on social media are a form of participation research as contents and questions are created to generate feedbacks and comments. The Facebook page ‘betterthanhome’ is used as a bank for storing all the information collected.

The analysis of data collected from female business travelers and interior designers was carried out simultaneously through January to April 2015. In the process, images and keywords for the different sets of cards, that were categorized into i) visuals of objects, ii) descriptions of emotions (presented with emoji), iii) words, and iv) colors and patterns were identified. Such ‘sign cards’ with visuals, keywords or phrases were then uploaded regularly to the Facebook page and those female business travelers who participated in Stage One research were invited to report to them by scoring or voting. The exercise allowed the researcher to verify the selection.

3.3.4 Card-sorting Card sorting is a technique in user experience design in which a person tests a group of subject experts or users to generate a dedrogram (category tree) or folksonomy. It is a useful approach for designing information architecture, workflows, menu structure, or website navigation paths.

Four sets of visual and keywords cards were also created for female business travelers and hoteliers to work with in Stage Two. The selected images represented those with the highest count when respondents are asked to relate images with emotional keywords like ‘comfort’, ‘secure’, ‘convenience’, and ‘practical’. The other set of cards contained emotional keywords that related to ‘homeyness’, such as ‘comfort’, ‘secure’, ‘privacy’, ‘safety’, ‘joy’, ‘convenient’, ‘enjoyable’, and ‘inspiring’. Respondents were asked to select four and rate them by priority. The other two sets of cards contained photo images of corners of bedroom/guestroom and taglines extracted from different hotel marketing campaigns. Participants were asked to pick the two images of room corners that represent ‘homeyness’ and elaborate on them, and to select the best and worst statement/tagline and explain why. The diagram in Figure. 20 shows how image cards were sorted into the different emotion quadrants in a matrix during the analysis.

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Figure. 20 Cluster Diagram showing Relationship between Objects and Different Emotions

By asking the respondents to prioritize the different set of cards and/or rate them, the researcher was able to identify structure and understand the relationships of collected information. The methodology was particularly useful in this research since original photos may be distracting. The cards used composed/cropped visuals to ensure that the subjects did not have preconceptions when looking at them. The target group was allowed to play around freely with these sets of cards to develop combinations that expressed their preferences based on different sets of objectives. Upon completion of the sorting, matrices and maps were created; they also formed narratives representing preferred experiences and situations of the targets. This methodology is particularly useful, in both Stage Two and Three, as it can also help the researcher to identify potential navigation structures representing different kinds of experience for the guestroom and a variety of elements, including objects and emotions.

From the data collected from the interviews with hoteliers, together with that collected earlier from the business travelers and interior designers, as well as those from the poll on Facebook, a second round of analysis was conducted from May to August 2015. A conceptual model was developed which collated all the findings and perspectives into two room configurations as shown in Figure. 21. The six selected targets of female business travelers were asked to match the visuals, keywords, phrase against the two layouts, and to place objects on them.

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Figure. 21 Two Guestroom Configurations with Mapping of Cards

The researcher was able to use their responses as a guideline for creating schemas and scenarios that can be used for conducting focus groups in Stage Three. Two scenarios and a three-dimensional theoretical framework were also developed. At the end of Stage Two, the list of objects, values, patterns, flow and emotions and their relationship with the female business travelers have been constructed. The elements containing visuals, texts, expressions and navigation diagrams were modeled into a few scenarios for concept testing in Stage Three.

3.4 Stage THREE – Concept Testing | Aug 2015 – May 2016 (10 months) Stage Three, engaged with a Phenomenological Approach, is the final and concept testing stage, aiming to formulate ‘prescriptions’ for designing guestrooms that match bedroom experience for female business travelers. The final stage of the research focused on testing the developed concepts with potential users, and to formulate ‘prescriptions’ for how to design a guestroom that can create an ideal lodging experience for female business travelers. The diagram below illustrates the flow of the research in Stage Three, matching the methodologies used in each process, relating the methodologies and the objectives of this stage.

Figure. 22 Flow Diagram Illustrating Stage Three of the Research

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Stage Three is also the modeling stage. Selected targets of the female business travelers who had participated in the Shadowing exercise in Stage One were invited back to role- play and contribute in two separate focus groups. Tape recordings of focus groups were transcribed and a preliminary analysis was conducted in order to get a general sense of the data and reflect on its meaning. The data was then sorted into categories of themes or topics. Data collected from the different focus groups was again analyzed and cross- referenced to determine the interconnectedness of ideas and expressions. Using the comments collected from the focus groups, new models were created and maps were developed that represent a narrative in the form of a flow through a guestroom. Representatives from different lifestyle hotels were also invited to a focus group to collect their comments on the new models. The consolidated feedback from guests and hoteliers was used to prescribe the design of a guestroom that best contained a ‘homeyness’ experience.

3.4.1 Role Play Role-playing is a very common methodology that involves changing one’s behavior to assume an adopted role. The approach can be applied in different contexts and allows the participants to imagine themselves in the scenarios presented. It gives respondents the chance to experience the situation from the perspectives of other users, by acting out the situation after studying the other person. In this research, the three respondents who were part of the shadowing exercise took part in role-playing during Stage Three. The exercise gave them the opportunity to imagine themselves in the different reconstructed guestrooms with a set of objects they were allowed to decide how and where to display in the room. While allowing the respondents to show empathy as actual users and express their comments and emotions, this also allows the researcher to learn more about what triggers the emotions and behavior of female business travelers.

During the focus group for interior designers conducted in December 2015 with 3 interior designers, the participated designers were asked to act as female business travelers to comment on the provided schemas and to indicate how they would navigate around the room on arrival. The purpose of engaging role-play as a methodology at this stage was to allow the target to imagine themselves in different situations/scenarios. The comments collected were used for cross-referencing and learning more of the kind of emotions that can be triggered by the objects selected for the scenario. Conversations will be recorded during the role-playing exercise for further conversation analysis to identify keywords and comments that may be used for creating advertising messages.

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3.4.2 Focus Group A focus group is a form of qualitative research through semi-structured discussion intended to provoke perceptions and comments amongst a selected targeted group of users. Focus groups may not be commonly used in the area of social research, but they have a long history in market research (Morgan 1988), and are often used in medical research (Powell & Single 1996). In market research, focus group usually consists of sessions in which a group of people are asked about their perceptions and attitudes towards an existing or new product or service, a concept in an advertisement, or a packaging design. In medical research, it is a way of collecting opinions about a new idea or a new application of medical tools.

A focus group typically consists of a small number of participants, around 6 - 12, who are demographically diverse but from similar backgrounds or experiences. A facilitator guides the participants through discussions and collects their comments by taking notes and photos. Sorting cards and storyboards are common tools for conducting focus groups. Focus groups of female business travelers and interior designers were set up in this stage to elicit perceptions and comments on the schemas, using the cards developed in Stage Two.

From August to November 2015, unofficial meetings were held with two of the female business travelers who participated in the shadowing exercise in Stage One to review the ‘Moment-cards’ of the two scenarios, to help the researcher make adjustments on them. At the end of this research stage, the theoretical model used in Stage Two was developed into a full conceptual model that included all the theories and concepts.

In December 2015 to March 2016, a total of four focus groups were conducted over the four months; two for the female business travelers, one for hoteliers, and one for designers. There were 6 - 8 participants in each of the focus groups for female business travelers. At the session, they were asked to develop schemas (Bernard, 2012) of a perfect guest room that can create a homey feeling by using the different sets of cards, and to participate in a role play to act as interior designers to develop the space and to comment on the ‘Moment- cards’ of the two scenarios.

3.4.3 Conceptual Modeling A conceptual model is a constructed out of concepts which visually presents a consolidated vision that is used to help people know, understand, or simulate a subject the

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model represents, and the concepts within. While conceptual models are usually used to guide research, new conceptual models can also be developed out of findings that can be used for further studies. Modeling is a popular analytical tool in the social sciences used for analyzing two- and three- level data as well as correlational tests and identification of relationship between matters (Asher 1983).

During April to May 2016, upon the findings generated from the focus groups, the researcher has used two months to consolidate the results and comments, and was able to refine the initial model and reconstruct an indicative model that can provide prescriptive direction on how to create an ideal guestroom experience for female business travelers. The new model is a time-based matrix that indicated the flow with touchpoints, and incorporated objects and emotions.

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CHAPTER FOUR | RESEARCH FINDINGS __ This chapter presents a summary of the findings in this research. Since the research was conducted during a specific timeframe, and focused on female business travelers and lodging experience at lifestyle boutique hotels in Asia, the data and findings in this research are only correct at the place and time as stated. The anonymity of participants is protected in this thesis unless approved by the particular individual, and in some instances the use of ‘they’ or ‘their’ as the first person singular pronoun has been chosen to illustrate how the statements made by some of them are representative of the majority. And it is important to emphasize that when a direct quote is used, it is not a random choice, but representative of the views expressed by a majority of participants.

Subject to the nature of the ethnographic approach, most of the data collected was of a descriptive nature, and some of the returned questionnaires were incomplete, responses in the early stages were analyzed by frequency distribution and percentages; a lot of the findings are presented as textwork or vignettes. And owing to the huge amount of data and information collected over the 26 months, only the indicative figures and data that were relevant to the key findings are presented in the thesis supplemented by sample charts or diagrams of showing how the analyses were done. Excerpts from interviews and focus groups that reflect and elucidate those findings will be included in the text. The answers to the core research question are presented in Section 4.1. Assumptions validated by research through answers collected during interviews and focus groups, and cross- referenced with concepts and statements quoted from scholars and veterans of the hotel industry and interior/spatial design, are presented in Section 4.2. Implications of the findings will be discussed in the next chapter, together with a conceptual matrix and a prescriptive prototype of a guestroom. Each section in this chapter begins with a list of major points discovered during the analysis and reflected in the interviews or discussions about the key finding, followed by a brief summary of the findings and an expanded description of the narratives collected during interviews and discussions, if applicable.

The finding is a result of a comprehensive research conducted with over 70 business travelers, seven hotel managers, five interior designers, and more than 30 hotels around Asia, over a period of 26 months. In order to ensure that the results were unbiased and representative, subject groups encompassed targets from different national and professional backgrounds. Of the 70 female business travelers shortlisted online through Facebook, sampled from TripAdvisor and recommended by Swire Travel Ltd., 61 of them

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were from cities in Asia such as Taipei (10%), Singapore (15%), Hong Kong (49%), and from Mainland China (13%); two of them were from Melbourne (3%), and the remaining seven were from the North American cities of New York (3%) and Toronto (7%). The seven Hotel Managers represented hotels in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, and Tokyo; and the final six managers interviewed were from culturally diverse backgrounds including American, Singaporean, Chinese and Swedish. While all interior designers invited for interviews were from Hong Kong, the hotel projects they worked on were in different cities such as Singapore, Tokyo, Seoul, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Beijing, Chendgu, Taipei and Bangkok; and of the five interior designers, four were male and one was female. The diagram in Figure. 23 shows the distribution of the overall population.

Figure. 23 Infographics Showing Background of Research Population

During the 26 months, over 2,000 photographic images and around 80 objects from guestrooms have been collected. Photographic images collected were used to assist the researcher in the visualization and cross-checking of data during the analytical process, and for verifying findings from the survey. The images and objects collected were used in the production of cue cards as well.

4.1 The Subject . The Object . The Value The findings from the first two years of this research indicated that the advantages of hotel living are obvious, and the comments collected from the interviews with the target audience show that there is a close relationship between the changing living habits/patterns of females living and/or traveling in Asia and their cultural preferences for specific guestroom spatial designs; apparently, urbanization has proven to be the major aspect that

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determines the connection between female business travelers and boutique hotel. Moreover, the individual’s culturally-mediated personal values also shape the lodging experience and the meaning of objects. Female business travelers tend to create their ‘sense of home’ by applying meanings and values to objects in the guestroom, and including their own objects from home to reinforce the emotions of ‘being home’ in the guestroom. For objects that they found similar to the ones they have at home, they tend to appropriate the meanings of that object, so that the object can help them to acquire a sense of familiarity. For new objects, they will associate them with something related to their own past experience or aspiration so as to apply new meanings for them to adopt the necessary emotional associations. By interacting with the objects and placing their personal objects at the touchpoints, the objects are then connected to aggregate the emotions and sense of belonging in the guestroom. The objects, connected as a series of touchpoints, will induce the female business travelers to engage in different kinds of activities, and the interaction and activities will contribute to the building up of the overall experience to create a sense of ‘homeyness’. The findings also showed that the female travelers are more sensitive emotionally towards objects and experience, and the industry findings also reflected female guests tend to be responsive to providing comments; their comments are also more constructive and specific that can contribute to better understanding of guests’ needs.

Concisely, the understanding of how these female travelers use the objects in the guestroom to create values and meanings for their stay, and how they interact with the objects inside the room when they perform different activities in it, can be developed into a prescription that helps designers and hoteliers create a true homey experience for female business travelers. With the prescription, designers and hoteliers are able to create better experience for the female business travelers to make them feel more ‘at home’ in the guestroom of hotels when they travel on business. The possibility of being able to create the sense of homeyness in a guestroom suggests that ‘Hotel can never be home’ but ‘homeyness’ can be created.

4.1.1 The Representation of Female Business Travelers - frequent female business travelers are of age 30 – 50 and work at managerial level - Asia has been and still will be the most frequently visited region - preferences of female business travelers do not reflect national differences - women who travel a lot preferred to be ‘taken less care of’ and require a lot of privacy

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The demographics of these business travelers were collected from two rounds of research. Since the profile of the target subjects was pre-determined as suggested by industry studies, the aim of collecting demographics was to confirm whether the profile of the selected respondents corresponded to that of target, rather than to use the data collected for constructing their profile. Of the female business travelers who responded, 10% of the participants were aged 45 – 53, 44% of them were aged 36 – 44, and 46% were aged 27 – 35. Occupations of respondents include Project Manager, Manager, Business Director, Project Consultant, Merchandiser, Marketing Manager, Banker and Engineer. 60% had an annual income of over HK$500,000, 30% had an annual income of over HK$300,000, and 10% an annual income over HK$800,000. 78% of them indicated that they travel more than twice a year, 18% traveled twice a year, and 4% traveled at least once a month. The profiles of the respondents in these two rounds of research confirmed that those invited were representative of the subject group, and those selected as targets for further studies reconfirmed that the profile of the frequent female business travelers correlated with that presented in the travel survey conducted by Deloitte, published in Jan 2012 -- which indicated the female business travelers are mostly under the age of 44, and the cities they most frequently visited in Asia include Hong Kong, Seoul, Singapore, Shanghai, Taipei, and Tokyo.

Further details about these female business travelers were collected during the face-to- face interviews, and it was discovered that all of them were single and indicated that they were living alone. In the bags they carried, there are at least two pieces of technology, and they all used smartphones (two of them had an iphone, two had an LG, and one a blackberry); not surprising that they all had an ipad in their bag. They emphasized that this technology is very important to their work life, and especially when they were traveling overseas on business. On a business trip, they all indicated that privacy is very important and they all preferred a lot of private time in their room, either to prepare for meetings or to pamper themselves -- doing a masque or taking a bath. The reason they liked boutique hotels more was that the rooms are usually well-equipped with what they need (like drinks and snacks), and they much preferred not to be ‘too’ taken care of by the housekeepers or hotel staff during their stay. They were used to traveling light, which also explained why sometimes they expected the hotel to be ready to provide things they have forgotten to bring with them. Although they usually remember to bring their ‘personal’ belongings – like plush toy, rosary, teaset, books, they tend to be forgetful of ‘functional’ objects – like hairdryer, facewash, hygiene pads, iphone charger, cable converters. In any case, nationality did not seem to impact on behavioral differences: the preferences of a

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Singaporean female business traveler do not seem to differ greatly from those of a Canadian female business traveler. The personality of the female business travelers interview were very international, their style and presentation were highly cosmopolitan. As suggested by one of the respondents, they need to be “highly adaptive when you have to work with many overseas counterparts and having exposed to a lot of different cultures, the traits of one’s own nationality has kinda morphed and make us more universal”.

During the telephone interview, the shortlisted subjects were asked to suggest how their friends and colleagues would describe them in five words. All targets indicated that their friends and colleagues would speak highly of them; words with positive implications such as ‘cheerful’, ‘out-going’, ‘capable’, ‘reliable’, ‘adventurous’ were mentioned. The word ‘confident’ and ‘independent’ were mentioned by six of the targets. ‘Fearless’ and ‘charismatic’ were used by two of the targets. One respondent offered a statement that was representative of all the comments -- “business women nowadays are fearless” -- by which she implied that they are a very autonomous group who are ready for the future, and can take on any challenges that come their way. Two or three of the respondents indicated that their colleagues might give negative comments about them when talking specifically about their management style -- calling them ‘dominating’ and ‘demanding’. Yet, they seemed to be rather proud of those comments that reflect their character better as a business woman.

4.1.2 Considerations for Choosing Where to Stay - female business travelers are their own decision-makers - their choices are based on familiarity, convenience and enticement - they always make plans for themselves during trips - they are very independent, prefer privacy, but also need a lot of support

Questions about hotel choices and preferences were included in the questionnaire in the two rounds of the survey. Apart from the data collected, the researcher obtained more descriptive answers on hotel choices and preferences from the ten targets during the interviews. The key findings from the survey and telephone interviews are documented in this section.

In the two rounds, targets were asked to provide information about destinations of their business trips, the duration of each trip, the choice of hotels and reasons for returning. On consolidating the findings, data indicated that all of the female business travelers had

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traveled on business to Hong Kong, 74% to Taipei, 56% to Shanghai and Beijing, 13% had traveled to Tokyo, and 10% to Seoul. The cities most visited by the respondents corresponded with those that were predicted by ‘Female Business Travellers’ in 2004-05, which suggests significant growth in airline capacity for the next 10 years. On the duration of stay per trip, 37% of them stayed for one night, 48% of them stayed for two to four nights, 11% of them stayed for five nights or more, and only 4% said they stayed over a week. When they have spare time on business trips, 64% said that they go shopping and visit cultural sites, 17% visit friends or have dinner with colleagues based in that city and the remaining 19% said they usually stay around the hotel and enjoy the facilities. 54% of respondents indicated that they have the freedom to pick their own hotel, which they usually do based on past experience, online search or a list suggested by their travel agent. The 46% who said they do not (usually those who work in larger corporations), would leave the decision to their secretary or the administration office.

There was a long list of names of hotels mentioned by the respondents, most in the boutique hotel, or small lifestyle or business hotel categories. Some of the hotels listed include Home Hotel and Quote Hotel in Taipei; Courtyard by Marriott and Hotel Indigo in Bangkok; Hotel LKF, Hotel East and Hotel Icon in Hong Kong; Scarlet Hotel, Quincy Hotel and Naumi Hotel in Singapore; WaterHouse in Shanghai; and Opposite House in Beijing. 81% of the respondents said that the reason for revisiting the same hotel in a city was convenient location; 72% cited a comfortable guestroom setting; 66% emphasized free wifi; 64% prioritized homey décor; 54% mentioned room size; 42% looked for good business facilities; and for 33% friendly staff and good food were key. Apart from the top consideration of convenient location, the considerations with the higher percentages were all related to the comfort of the guestroom. The chart in Figure. 24 indicates finding related to hotel choice and selection considerations of a number of hotels and a portion of the targets interviewed.

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Figure. 24 Chart showing Hotel Choice and Rating of Selection Considerations

The finding also showed that this generation of female business travelers are very independent in decision making, and the new boutique-style hotel is more appealing to them. One respondent indicated that “boutique hotels are more stylish and staying there will help to make the business trip more fun, as I feel entertained every time I walk into the room seeing the chic décor, and I love the little surprise they prepare for you; especially those that give me a sense of the local flavor … the tea tray and the welcome message box at a boutique hotel in Kyoto (Figure. 25) were things that has created a good start to great memories of the hotel and the city”. The comments further suggested that the design of a boutique hotel makes a difference, and the little touches they offer is what makes them appealing to the female business traveler. A respondent who worked in the design industry commented that “picking a hotel that has stylish design like my home gives me a sense of belonging, and makes me feel at home too”. Another respondent, from the marketing industry, explained that “I tend to buy into hotels that have good stories to tell, and are able to present more of their personality in their websites or other promotional materials”.

Figure. 25 Photo of the Tea Tray and Welcome Message with Local Candies at Kanra Hotel in Kyoto

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88% of them rejected grand hotels, as they don’t think that the service a grand hotel provides is something they need during business trips. 48% of them prefer to stay in the hotel they favor if they return to a city they have visited before. The decision to return to the same hotel is based on cost, location, and service; and 87% of them like the feeling that the familiarity of the hotel and the guestroom makes them feel ‘at home’. One of the respondents who has to travel to Taiwan every six months for work suggested that “on returning to the same hotel, I feel as if I am returning to my home in that city …. but I also like the little differences I discover about the place every time, like the design of the mug by the local designer is different, and they change the choice of body wash regularly”. That not only echoes women’s genuine nature of liking shopping, it also suggests the importance of including some kind of aspirational elements in a guestroom to balance the sense of ‘new’ and ‘familiar’.

10 shortlisted female business travelers were asked to discuss hotel choices and preferences in more detail, and to elaborate on their favorite places in the hotel and what contributed to their decision on picking a particular. All of the respondents indicated that when they have the freedom to pick their own hotels, and they are usually interested in boutique hotels that are conveniently located in the city where they have meetings; 80% of them usually had a particular hotel in mind, especially in cities they have visited before. Nine of the 10 female business travelers stated that they like to make sure that there are places they can visit in the neighborhood, or at least can conveniently travel to, as they often want to go out after work. Six of them indicated that they usually stay behind if the work day falls on Thursday or Friday or they will travel earlier if the work day is on a Monday, to take time to familiarize themselves with the city by making short excursions or to relax a bit and prepare for the working week in their room over the weekend. One respondent commented that “there should always be a fun part to a business trip, we all know that it’s crucial to ‘work hard play hard’, which is the philosophy of a successful life”.

Most importantly, when they were asked to suggest the differences between male and female experiences in a guestroom, 87% of them mentioned that female guests need a lot more privacy and sense of security. 64% suggested that a more ‘feminine’ room design is preferred, 56% commented that female guests would prefer a bigger bathroom and a larger counter-top around the basin area, and 13% favored the idea of women-only floors. One of the interesting ideas pointed out by around 70% of the targets was that the thing women tend to do first was to put their makeup bag or their own toiletries on the countertop of the bathroom; while checking on the answers provided by the male respondents, they

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indicated that usually hang up their shirts in the closet. Four of the respondents stressed the importance of having a proper makeup table and the fitting of a full-length mirror somewhere in the room; one of them pointed out that she always check whether the guestroom in the hotel she picked has hangers in the bathroom. Somehow, small details like those may strangely become major considerations for hotel choices.

The findings confirmed that if the female business travelers were given the freedom to pick their hotel, boutique hotels were usually their preference; those which can offer them ‘a taste of the city’ will be their top pick. The findings validated the assumption “business travelers are expecting to savor local experience even inside the hotel (because they may have little time to tour around the city given all the meetings)”. The comments from the business travelers of both genders further reinforced the idea that although men and women in business may be similar demographically and psychologically, there are some distinctive gender differences in hotel choices as well as behavior in the guestroom; and suggested that the configuration of guestrooms and details inside may need to be carefully considered to accommodate the differences.

4.1.3 The Good and Bad Times in Guestrooms - rooms of ‘manageable’ size with ‘standard’ layouts make them feel ‘safe’ - little surprises are always heart-warming and make the stay memorable - they love to listen to stories and be communicated with - they appreciate it when the hotel provides them with things they need/forget to bring along

The 10 shortlisted targets were invited to share good and bad experiences at a hotel during their recent business trip. They were also asked to describe the room experience, and prompted to talk about the layout and objects they most remembered from the room. Nearly all of them suggested that the best experience came from a hotel that they have always stayed in when they travel to the same city, the reason being that they found the hotel familiar and ‘manageable’ -- implying not too big and with everything within a reachable distance. Four stories were about the friendliness of the staff at check-in. Six were about happenings in the room, like the efficiency of room service, amenities and little surprises found in the room, as reflected in one of the comments, “I can’t help but smile when I found the little bath toy around the bath tub … feel so sweet and reminded me of my childhood bath toy, and really encouraged me to take a bath (and as if reminding me to rest well after doing my work)” and another respondents also commented that “I found

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the little items in the room very fascinating and special like the cups, the trash bin and the tea towels. The slippers I got from a hotel in Singapore (Figure. 26) were so sweet and immediately make me feel so welcomed and ‘homey’”.

Figure. 26 Photo of the Slippers Collected by One of the Respondents from South Beach Hotel in Singapore

Especially with the advancement of technology, the guests felt good about the room when they were provided with the support and latest gadgets, reflected in a comment by one of the respondents, “there are so many little things to play with and discover in the room. The free mobile phone was particularly impressive. It made me feel so secure and well taken care of even when I am out. For someone who doesn’t really know the city, the device is definitely a great added benefit; something that pronounces ‘good customer service’”. Stories told by the respondents also suggested that female business travelers love ‘messages’ and being ‘communicated with’. One respondent recalled, “I was reading the description of the concept of the hotel while the receptionist checked me in and I found the idea very warm and welcoming. Seems like listening to a story about the hotel family from the hotelier and it made me feel very welcomed”. The majority were impressed if there was a note from the manager in the guestroom; the note then connotes an important ‘social object’ in this case which can make them feel being ‘talked to’.

Room size also helps to create a good impression: as one of the respondents said, “I love the size of the room as it is very manageable and not too big to make me feel ‘too small’”. Another respondent made a similar comment on the importance of size: “The room is of pretty standard size, the furnishing wasn’t particularly fancy and interesting; yet gives a very functional feel – good for business people” which echoed the comment made by the other respondents. Interestingly, the subjects were not very particular about the layout,

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and in fact almost all of them suggested more ‘standard’ layouts are preferred as they give a sense of familiarity; as one of the respondents commented, “I love the fancy décor of boutique hotels but I still want standard layouts for rooms as that the floorplan makes me feel that the space is more ‘familiar’ and it will then be easier for me to fit in quickly”. One particular thing highlighted by two respondents was that having a little corridor space in the room can create a very different impression of the space. One of them explained that “the short corridor that leads into the bed area makes me feel so like going home, like going from my sitting area into my bedroom”, and another respondent also commented that “it’s the dining table along the short corridor that made the space so defined and more homelike, especially since I like having room service”. In that case, the guestroom may seem more than just one room, but a room more like a home with a dining area, a sitting area and a sleeping area.

The findings validated two of the assumptions -- i) “room size is not important, as different sizes of guestrooms do not create a major impact to the guest experience while the flow of the arrangement of the objects and furniture in the room relative to the overall proportion of the space constructs the user’s impression and the emotional state during the stay”, and ii) “a hotel can never be home – as hotels should provide inspirational lifestyles that bring guests to a higher ‘level of contentment’ and ‘emotion attainment’ than being at home”. While the responses reflected majority of good experiences, a number of bad experiences were cited by the respondents. Those were usually a result of a mismatch of expectations, and happened when the targets did not get to pick their own hotels. A few of the respondents indicated that for many times they felt cheated when they checked into rooms that looked so different from what they saw on the hotel home page or TripAdvisor. The first impression of the room when the door opened could be detrimental to the experience; mainly as a result of mismatched expectations, like pictures presented on the hotel home page or TripAdvisor which were “not exactly how the hotel looks like in real life” as one of the respondents commented. Other bad experiences mentioned by a few of the targets were related to the cleanliness of the bathrooms and carelessness of the housekeepers in misplacing things after they refurbished the guestroom.

4.1.4 Navigation Pattern and In-room Activities - there should be a place after they entered where they can drop off the key card to mark their arrival - the window is their connection between inside and outside, and female business travelers prefer to have windows in their rooms

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- cushions, telephone, remote control, bath toy, branded toiletries, and bedside lamps are some of the objects that give them a sense of familiarity - they are attracted by new objects after they have settled in - the couch, the bed, or the desk are always one of the final landing spots

The respondents in the second round were asked to provide information about their activities in the room, and to submit a sketch that marked their navigation and activities in the room. 12 maps were received, and maps prepared by the 10 shortlisted targets were supplemented with information about emotions and objects gained during the face-to-face interviews and shadowing exercise. All the information collected was depicted, compiled, and interpreted through the maps created.

Face-to-face interviews were conducted mostly in guestrooms. Navigation maps of female business travelers in the guestroom, notes of activities and the duration of each activity, recordings of the interview and photos were either taken by the researcher during the interview or provided by the target at the earlier stage. The navigation maps are two- dimensional diagrams that show places/corners of the guestroom that the participants navigated through over time and the marks of the objects they have interacted with as well as comments they have made or emotions they have shown at the point of interaction. They indicated tiers of connections along the ‘path’, where the participants identify their ‘personal spot’; where the ‘private’ territory exists for each of them inside the room. The photos collected were later added back into the diagrams so as to relate the findings. According to the data collected from the 18 maps, there are seven to eight ‘touchpoints’ revealed in each map that also marked how the participant navigated through the guestroom in the first 5 minutes while settling down. The chart in Figure. 27 below shows the results from the maps collected.

Figure. 27 Chart Showing Data Collected from Maps Created on Sequence of Touchpoints

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On entering the room, the touchpoint would be the landing right beside the door where they can put down the key card, as they suggested that “you need to mark your ‘arrival’ and also free up your hand”. One of the respondents mentioned the small table in the guestroom of Ritz Carlton Hotel in Shenzhen saying “it’s the best I have ever seen, stylish and of the perfect size for my keycard and handbag”. They would then identify a spot where they can put their luggage.

Figure. 28 Photo of the Small Table at inside the Guestroom of Ritz Carlton Hotel in Shenzhen

The third touchpoint was the window; over 80% of the participants will check out the outside view, and 20% of them will just open the curtain. During the interview, many of the respondents commented that a large window area is important, as one of them explained “I have to feel that I am part of the city, and I need to be able to see outside”. The fourth touchpoint varies, with 30% of them touching on the bed and feeling the mattress and 70% of them going into the bathroom and examine the toiletries. The fifth touchpoint was usually the wardrobe; participants will check out the hangers and the room safe (if any). The sixth touchpoint is the mini-bar. The seventh is the couch (if any); the participant may sit down to rest a bit and (visually) examine the room, before most of them will get up again to unpack their luggage and start putting their personal things in the bathroom or hanging up their clothes; which is also the eighth touchpoint on most of the maps. The final touchpoint also shows the corner of the room where the participants can find emotional peace of mind, usually the couch or the bed. It was also found that the bathroom or the sofa at the end of the bed/couch is where they first put down their personal items. The touchpoints on the map echoed the remarks made by one respondent on the recollection of a good guestroom

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experience during a recent business trip, “I love the seat at the end of the bed, where I usually drop off my handbag and shopping bags”. Finally, subjects were asked if they prefer a room with a view. Over 67% of respondents said the view is important as they feel connected to the city and they can orientate themselves better, while 33% felt that a view is not important as they were out most of the time during the day.

The photos taken by participants indicated that they tend to identify objects that they can associate with their home at the very beginning of entering the guestroom, and start picking up objects that look interesting or are new to them as they navigate through. The object does not have to be exactly the same as the one they have in their home, but the object itself is a cue, telling them they are secure and they (somehow) know the space. Accordingly, they will be able to find some sense of fit when they see object(s) they are familiar with. Photos of such objects include cushions, telephone, remote control, bath toy, branded toiletries, and bedside lamps. These also appeared in photos provided by respondents in the first round survey, and also by subscribers on the Facebook page, when asked to take photos of objects they think represent their homes. Photos of new objects include the coffee machine (boutique hotels now equip rooms with fancy branded ones), magazines, designer mug, artwork -- including artwork or photographs on wall or artistic or sculpture-like table lamp, as well as smart phones -- a device introduced by a lot of boutique hotels lately to provide guests with free local call service and information about local attractions. The diagram in the Figure. 29 shows the matching up of objects found in a guestroom against those presented by the participants in their bedrooms representing the same emotions found in the different zones of the two places. The touchpoints in guestroom are compared against those in the bedroom to identify where the emotions are and how they are built up. Objects which are appeared to be familiar and are something new to the eyes of the participants in the guestroom are labeled and checked against the emotions they generated.

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Figure. 29 Diagram Showing the Matching Up of Objects Collected in Bedroom and those in Guestroom against Emotions and sense of ‘Familiar’ and ‘New’

There is usually a split of 62/38 between photos that show familiar objects and new/interesting objects; the split reflected guests much preferred to be entertained while acclaiming homeyness in the guestroom. The finding once again validated the assumption that “a hotel can never be home -- as hotels should provide inspirational lifestyles that bring guests to a higher ‘level of contentment’ and ‘emotion attainment’ than being at home”. The placement of personal objects in specific corners of the guestroom as the guests settled down validated the assumption “a hotel guest marks a special corner in the room to establish their ‘personal space’ and to define their ‘territory’; as suggested by the theory of ‘Territoriality’ mentioned in Chapter Two. The action of marking and setting up one’s territory also indicates that the person is feeling secured and safe about the place.

4.1.5 Emotions and the Definition of ‘Homeyness’ - ‘safe’, ‘comfortable’, and ‘private’ are emotions connected to home for female business travelers - personal objects brought from home create sense of belonging and safety - homeyness as a physical as well as an emotional feeling - size of guestroom impacts building and configuration of emotions - little surprises can activate positive emotions and connect guests with the room

Subjects were asked to describe and define ‘a perfect guestroom’ by rating the priority of i) comfort, ii) safety, iii) security, iv) delight, v) efficiency, vi) homeyness. During the first round survey, a majority of the respondents rated comfort and safety highest, followed by efficiency and security, the lowest being delight. Amongst all the areas that they would first check out when entering the room, the bathroom has the highest percentage (77%). During

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the second round survey, the selected subjects were again asked the same set of questions, and the priority of ‘a perfect guestroom’ in order was comfort (94%), second was safety (84%), then efficiency (82%), homeyness (80%), security (45%), and delight (32%). The result confirmed that comfort and safety are important, and efficiency must also be carefully addressed. It was noted that 41% of the respondents of the second round checked into the bathroom first thing when they entered the guestroom, a clean bathroom to them implied ‘comfort’ in a certain way. 23% of the respondents suggested that they would checked the windows to ensure their safety and security, while 2% checked the safety box, and 1% checked the fire escape route map for the same reason. 13% of the respondents checked the bed to ensure it’s as comfortable as required. In regard to the sense of efficiency of the room, 10% checked the workdesk, 6% checked the minibar/fridge, 2% checked the couch, 2% checked the closet. The diagram in Figure. 30 shows the matching of descriptive keywords to different areas inside the guestroom, the finding indicated that some areas were associated with more than one description, while safety and delight are two more important feelings, safety is found in the hallway, wardrobe, window/balcony, and bed area while delight is found at the minibar, workdesk, bathroom and window/balcony. The distribution suggests that objects can be (or need to be) placed at touchpoints inbetween the beginning and ending of the journey to create delight and enhance the ultimate feeling of ‘homeyness’.

Figure. 30 Diagram Showing the Mapping of Description and Areas in a Guestroom

Subjects were also asked about the one thing that they would choose to bring from their bedroom at home to the guestroom to make it more their own. These things include magazines, books, bible, notepad, headphone, plush toy, thermal mug, spectacles, scarf, essential oil aroma diffuser, and bathrobe. Most of them indicated that they would place the object that they brought along on their bedside table or in the bathroom. Respondents confirmed that the objects they bring with them are usually very ‘personal’ and can give

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them peace of mind and a sense of home. One of the respondents commented that “the plush toy is actually a mini me, and having it beside me when I travel in business is like bringing the child-in-me with me”, another indicated that “as I turned on the essential oil diffuser, the aroma brings the feeling of home immediately”. The chart in Figure. 31 shows the percentage distribution of objects.

6% 2% 10% 3% 5% 6% 2%

10% 12%

6% 7% 3%

28%

Magazine Books Bible Notepad/ipad Headphone Plushtoy Thermal Mug Spectacles Scarf/Throw Essential Oil Aroma Diffuser Bathrobe Hairdyer Massage Cushion Figure. 31 Chart Showing Percentage Distribution of Personal Objects Brought Along by Female Business Trips to Guestrooms

And if they were allowed to remove one thing from the guestroom to bring some memories home, over 90% indicated that they would take the pen or the slippers. 76% said they would like to have the bathrobe, and 47% said they would like the pillow -- if they really found it comfortable. The findings validated the assumption that the emotional attainment level of guests is a “multisensory (auditory, visual, olfactory, tactile and vestibular) experience” which can be created by objects and addressed beyond the visual design of the interior (referring to schematic color, texture, and lighting).

Apart from the creation of experience defined by objects, during the telephone and face- to-face interviews, the respondents were further asked to explain in their own words what home means to them, and to describe the layout of their homes in five words. ‘Homeyness’ to most of the participants implies they can do what they want, and be in any position they feel free to be in, within the hotel room, just as they can in their own bedroom at home. Comfortable, cozy, simple, laid-back and dreamy are some keywords they mentioned about what homeyness meant to them. Other definitions of home by respondents included, ‘”a place to rest”, “where my belongings are”, “where I daydream”, “where my heart is”, “a

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place where I don’t have to put anything on, so I can be naked and feel relaxed”, “somewhere work doesn’t exist”, one of them went all the way and sing a Chinese song about home – 家 by Kit Chan. Words used by the respondents to describe home included ‘warm’, ‘love’, ‘safe’, ‘cosy’, ‘true’, ‘food’, ‘stories’, ‘happiness’, ‘dream’, ‘sweet’, ‘private’, ‘desire’, ‘comfortable’, ‘rest’, ‘simplicity’, ‘ease’, ‘friends’, ‘future’. Overall, the words ‘safe’, ‘comfortable’, ‘private’ or words implying a similar meaning were used by over 50% of the respondents. In order to learn more, subjects were asked to elaborate on their feelings at home and to present their views on what contributes to an ideal guestroom and the determinants for homeyness. ‘Safety’, ‘security’, ‘efficiency’ and ‘comfort’ are the four keywords that all participants mentioned when they were asked about what is most important in an ideal guestroom. ‘Efficiency’ and ‘comfort’ are the keywords that were ranked the top two considerations for an ideal guestroom. Most respondents indicated that to them, ‘efficiency’ referred to the size of the room, which suggests that the room participants would refer to as ‘manageable’ would be well-proportioned -- that is not too big (around 30 sq. m) -- and contain things that allow them to work, including stationary at the desk. 78% commented that small rooms actually can convey a homey feeling as they can easily find a sense of attachment; these respondents were from Taiwan and Hong Kong, where houses are small (average around 40 – 60 sq. m for a bachelor studio/one bed-room suite) and bedrooms are around 5 – 6 sq. m. One female business traveler commented that “hotels can never be home, but boutique hotels give a homey feeling because of the room size and that staff are less ‘overwhelming’”. One respondent revealed to the researcher that “I am okay with the size of the room as I always fear large grand hotel rooms when I am alone, larger size makes me find it very empty and scary when I have to sleep alone”.

4.1.6 Taxonomy of Hotels and Recent Changes in the Hotel Industry Two rounds of research were conducted in order to verify the relevance of the category of hotel selected for the study. In the two rounds, six hotel managers from Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo were interviewed. All interviewees have worked in the industry for over 15 years and were engaged in managerial positions at grand hotels; now managing successful boutique hotels in their respective cities. The hoteliers who agreed to be interviewed were asked to describe the services and amenities in their own hotel, and to talk about the changes in the hotel industry over the years.

All of the hoteliers had noticed the increase of boutique hotels or small hotels that claim to be a boutique, and all of them agreed that boutique or lifestyle boutique hotels define a

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whole new way of doing business in the hospitality industry. Both Ms. Jennifer Cheung of East Hotel and Ms. Cindy Kuan of T-hotel commented that boutique hotels have captured the hearts of many travelers, and especially female travelers; as they prefer efficiency and like to stay at hotels that give them some sense of ‘newness’ and a cozy feeling. Most of them don’t have their unique definition of boutique hotel, other than to refer to the standard categorization of hotels with less than 100 rooms as boutique hotels. As boutique hotel managers, they all realized that in the last few years more business travelers, and especially female ones, like to stay at boutique hotels. They mentioned that female business travelers were all very particular about things, and most importantly safety and where their rooms are located. They also mentioned that boutique hotels need to have good wifi as that is the trend in the industry and is also a key expectation of business travelers. Also, service must be personal to address the individual needs of the guest, as Mr. Jorgen Christensen of Mira Moon Hotel said, “without wifi is a dinosaur, without FREE wifi is a crazy dinosaur”. Hotel managers realized that business travelers prefer more neutral guestroom design, but at the same time expect the room to have some personal touches or surprises in store for them. In Langham Hotel, the rubber swan always makes guests smile, as do the rabbit-shaped paper clips at the work desk of Mira Moon, HK. Hoteliers believe that ‘small touches’ add to the service at guestroom level, and show that the hotel still cares even when the guest is alone in the room.

Figure. 32 Photo of Rabbit-shaped Paper Clips of Mira Moon Hotel in Hong Kong

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Figure. 33 Photo of Rubber Swan in the Bathroom of Langham Hotel in Shenzhen

In the promotional materials for their hotels, all of the managers tend to focus on creating a kind of ‘home away from home’ feeling for the guests -- like East Hotel, which promotes itself as the “Lifestyle Hotel in Hong Kong”. They were all aware that creating a ‘sense of place’ is one of the core marketing tasks, and many of the boutique hotels launched in recent years tend to be located in less crowded areas of the city, and to make themselves as ‘un-hotel-like’ as possible to differentiate the guest experience. Mr. Christensen also mentioned that there is a trend toward business travelers turning into ‘Bleisure’ travelers; these guests expect hotels to provide more authentic, locally-focused experiences; and that is also the reason why Mira Moon Hotel have emphasized the ‘story of the rabbit and the moon’ in their promotions.

Figure. 34 Screen Cap of Mira Moon Hotel with the Story of the Rabbit

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Since all these hotel managers have worked in the industry for a long time, they were aware of the importance of giving that extra attention to the guests to make them feel special and connect them to the local ambience. They all believe that guests notice the different touches they create in the rooms; Mr. Hiroyuki Kaneko pointed out that the bonsai tree in the guestrooms of Strings Hotel can create a sense of relaxation and a Japanese ambience, and Ms. Jennifer Cheung of East Hotel mentioned that the free mobile device in the room containing updated highlights of restaurants and places near the hotel can help to invite guests to explore the neighborhood. When asked how to promote guest loyalty, they commented that loyalty programmes for individual hotels are not that relevant nowadays, as guests tend to like trying new hotels when they travel. But for business travelers, the tendency to return on their next business trip is comparatively high, as their choice of hotel is about location and past experience, and many of these guests may relied on their company to make their bookings.

The comments collected from the hotel managers have validated the assumption “that “expectations of hotel guests are pretty universal, while culture here should refer to the preferences and patterns of a specific group of travelers – business people”, and suggested that the assumption “hotel marketing strategy should focus on multi-sensory experiences rather than either functional descriptions and offers (that are represented by pretty visuals in the advertisements and promotional materials)” is relevant. More importantly, the findings reinforced the connections between boutique hotel and female business travelers in terms of demand and supply of needs and services.

4.1.7 The Perfect Guestroom in the Eyes of a Designer Ms. Jennifer Cheung of East Hotel commented in the interview that a good hotel designer is important, and she admitted that good design helps to make the hotel stand out. The six designers interviewed have all worked in the design of different boutique hotels and are all very experienced interior designer/architects. In all their projects, they have a systemic approach that engages design thinking and user perspective in coming up with their concepts for hotel spaces. Looking into their portfolios and work files, yet it was discovered their approaches were very much related to the traditional design thinking methodologies of following the flow of understanding, observation, definition, ideation, prototyping and testing. When further asked about standards or aesthetic reference, all of them suggested that the design of hotels is closely associate to the trend of the particular time. For example, when ‘minimalism’ was trending in the year, design for communication, product, as well as interior spaces will have a strong reference to it -- in the use of materials, colors and

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proportion. They also suggested that the design of a hotel should reflect the brand personality which elements of which are applied to the overall design in terms of color, shapes and forms. All of them agreed that although trend and characteristics of the brand are very important, creating a sense of ‘comfort’ is most critical in designing hotels, and that the sense should not be carried away by elements of the prevailing design trend. Amongst the photos of the guestrooms shown to the targets during the focus groups, those of Eslite Hotel in Taipei and South Beach Hotel in Singapore (Figure. 35) were the two most highly rated in terms of the color scheme and interior design. One of the respondents indicated that “the room of Eslite Hotel were very simple yet functional and I particularly like the color scheme and the use of wood in the interior”. Another respondent commented that the use of grey and white in the room of South Beach Hotel “tells me I can ret well and it’s clean. I just love the picture of the cloud which made me feel I can sleep very well in there”.

Figure. 35 Photos of the Rooms of Eslite Hotel in Taipei (top) and the South Beach in Singapore (bottom)

Apart from extensive experience in hotel design, the six designers were also involved in many residential projects, and all of them commented that the design and materials used

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for residential projects and hotel design, especially in bedrooms and guestrooms, are very similar nowadays; their clients often show them references of their favorite hotel rooms at the briefing stage and ask for a similar design for the bedroom in the house. They also agreed that in designing boutique hotels, they tend to be briefed to pay more attention to details and the use of designer furnishings; and most of the time, the hoteliers ask them to inject a ‘wow factor’ into the concept, and introduce a local flavor into the guestrooms. With reference to proportions, they all pointed out the importance of size of furniture in relation to the size of the room, and highlighted how the artwork/artefacts placed in the room, the choice of curtains, can have an affect on the overall ambience. Mr. Ed Ng highlighted that size of guestrooms has decreased in general (across all categories, especially for the newly built), as business travelers nowadays expect rooms to be more ‘efficient’ rather than big and impractical, yet he emphasized that the bed and the desk are the two most important pieces of furniture.

When asked about the direction for creating the guest experience, most of them indicated that they tend to make reference to the design of hotels in the same category, and usually the approach for creating the experience is through visual effects, such as strong colors, bold items, and sometimes through aroma. Ms. Rose Poon and Mr. Antony Chan mentioned that the lobby is the heart of the hotel, especially for new hotels catering to the ‘bleisure’ guests; they also pointed out that these guests expected a lot from the design of guestrooms as they need to use their rooms as remote offices, and tend to spend more time there than business travelers in the past. So the room aesthetics must align with operational needs and incorporate the latest technology. Although three of them were architects-by-training, they admitted that they seldom refer to environmental-behavioral theories or conduct user studies before they commence the design of guestrooms; information collected were mainly second-hand or provided by the client.

The interviewed designers mentioned occasional difficulties in meeting the expectations of hoteliers as the business and design side never quite correlate. It was felt that designer and hotelier may differ in their interpretation of an idea, causing problems in the execution. Also, they believed that hoteliers tend to see design in a more ‘operational’ sense rather than from an ‘emotional’ perspective. During the interview with hotel managers, Alison Yau, Hotel Manager of Hotel LKF, commented that “hoteliers and designers may have very different focus and objectives when creating/designing the hotel, and the most critical issue is that their focus and objectives are too different to compromise most of the time” (June 2016).

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The findings suggested that there may be a need to better align the expectations and requirements of the business and design side as Alison suggested, “design alone cannot sustain a brand”. The above further validated the assumption “hotel marketing strategy should focus on multi-sensory experiences rather than either functional descriptions and offers (that are represented by pretty visuals in the advertisements and promotional materials)”.

4.2 The Assumptions and The Facts By comparing the findings collected from the different subject groups, and referencing knowledge from scholars in the past and recent industry findings, allowed the researcher to uncover answers that can support or counter the assumptions made against the questions within the Q.A.M.E. framework, categorized across THREE domains, i) guestroom design, ii) user experience, and iii) hotel marketing. The findings are summarized below. Each sub-chapter begins with a brief summary of the findings, excerpts from focus group discussions and the actual words used by participants are integrated into the summary to provide the reader with a greater understanding of what has been discussed and how they were presented.

4.2.1 Things to know about Guestroom Design #hotel can never be home #multisensory experience #size does not matter

Three questions were posed at the beginning of the research that related to guestroom design, asking i) if hotel can be (treated/seen) as home, ii) does size of room matter, and iii) can the emotional attainment level of guests be simply addressed visually through design. The researcher has based the research on finding the answers to the question on three assumptions that suggested that ‘hotel can never be home’, that size of room is related to ‘flow’ and ‘relativity’ rather than ‘dimension’, and that multisensory experiences create a ‘total’ lodging experience.

Hotel can never be Home Respondents were asked to elaborate on what made them feel home by describing the specifics that elicit the feeling of ‘home’ to them and presenting photos of objects at their homes or they can relate to ‘home’. The participants of the two focus groups were asked a series of questions and to discuss ‘homey’ feelings and the series of actions when they

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returned home everyday to determine the flow of ‘being home’. The researcher was interested in how the specific objects they presented signify home and how the objects were connected in the dimension of a home. The findings validated the assumption, and confirmed that a hotel can only either create an ambience that physically or visually denotes a home; but can NEVER be home, exactly like what a ‘home’ enfolds.

Respondents used different words to express their feelings towards their hotel stay and home, as they would say “I love the coffee mug that I have been using the past five years in the picture” of a mug from the home, and “I really like this mug by local designer that is placed in the room”; the two statements suggested that ‘love’ for things takes time, while ‘like’ can be a spontaneous reaction. As one respondent echoing the sentiment expressed by many respondents, stated “I think the difference in a hotel and a home is that you grew to love your home over time while you may love to stay at a hotel and the design of the guestroom, but it’s only during that few days and when you leave, the love ended”. The duration of stay during a business trip, even for the maximum of a week long, may not allow for sufficient time to accumulate ‘contents’ for making the hotel a home. As one respondent explained, “I like the guestroom but I have only two days and I can’t say I fall in love with it”. Another respondent echoed that sentiment and told the researcher that, “no matter how much I love staying in one hotel, it’s like a ‘one night stand’ with it because I will have to leave when the trip is over and I may not be coming back to the same city or hotel”. As reflected in the findings in the earlier section, there is a split of 62/38 between photos that show familiar objects and new/interesting objects taken by the respondents. Even the share of familiar objects is higher, it also shows the impression was created by a share of new things that may inspire them; while photos of objects taken at home presented by the respondents were all objects they found familiar. The share of new/interesting objects that denotes inspiration makes hotels slightly different from what a home represents. The finding was supported by a statement made by James K. Feibleman, “a hotel is a way station which visual quality is important to create ‘feel’, but it also needs intense interaction for dramatization of experience to enhance the aspirations and needs during the stay”. (1979)

A hotel can be ‘seen’ as a home during the period of stay for every guests, and they tend to make it as ‘homey’ as possible for themselves. In some ways, the guest will also try to create values out of things and the experience to relate the hotel to their home, and to ‘imagine’ the guest room their own home by associating things and appropriating values of objects to decrease the sense of ‘strangeness’ increase the sense of ‘homeyness’.

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Hence, a hotel is an ‘imaginary home’ -- one that contains the relevant emotions to provide the guest with the comfort required of feeling home during the stay, but also embraces values that are somewhat ‘visionary’ that portrays an ‘ideal home’ for the user.

Size does not matter Respondents of the two rounds of survey were asked to express their views on the size of guestrooms, and to elaborate on whether size matters. The findings validated the assumption, and confirmed that a guestroom does not have to be sizeable to make guests feel comfortable. A lot of them have commented that they prefer rooms that are ‘manageable’ and ‘efficient’. Apart from the findings presented in the earlier section, it was noted from the discussion during the focus groups that the female business travelers were most comfortable with rooms that are around 30 sq. m. (boutique hotel room size nowadays 15-35 sq. m compared to over 40 sq. m. in a grand hotel). One respondent emphasized that “it’s not about the size of the room, it’s all about how the design of the furniture and how they are placed in the room. I really don’t understand why some of the guestrooms have the bed too far away from the bathroom”, another respondent followed up on that point said that “it’s best to have everything within a few steps away and I really like that room at Hotel East where I can just walk into the bath area in two steps after I get off my bed”. One respondent described the room at Hotel East in Hong Kong as ‘all well- connect’ by pointing out that “I can just walk into the bath area in two steps after I get off my bed in the morning, and after I finished showering, the coffee machine is just around the corner”.

Figure. 36 Floor Plan of Standard Room at Hotel East in Hong Kong Photo Source: Official Website of Hotel East, HK . downloaded March 2019

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The comments suggested that the places/touchpoints in the guestroom need to be connected, and the places should not be treated as a single point in design physically or visually. One respondent added to the comment by saying, “It’s the layout, and not the size of the room, that makes me feel comfortable inside. Sometimes a super nice designer chair may not necessarily attract me to go over and sit down on it, but say a simple and nice couch placed in the right distance to the mini bar will make me wanna go over and sit down after making a coffee in the morning”. As Juhani Pallasmaa commented about architecture, “good architecture offers shape and surfaces molded for the pleasurable touch of the eye” (2005), the same principle can be applied to the spatial design of the room, whuere the shapes and surfaces of furniture pieces create a pleasurable touch of the eye and connects activities. The idea can be further supplemented by the statement made by Tommy Pao-Watari, designer of Little Tai Hang in Hong Kong in a recent interview by Home Journal Magazine, “It’s just about comfortable distances: between the table and the chair, and how wide your living room is… everything is just big enough and just right, just sort of where it wants to be. It’s the small conveniences that really double up and add to the feeling of comfort” (HomeJournal 2018).

Figure. 37 Floor Plan of Standard Room at Little Tai Hang in Hong Kong Photo Source: Official Website of Little Tai Hang . downloaded March 2019

Size is then more a measure by emotions rather than actual numerical values between things. The feeling of size to the guests is about how things and activities are related and connected.

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Guest emotions are attained through multisensory experiences The participants of the two focus groups were asked discuss the emotion keywords identified from the survey findings, and to elaborate on how the emotions were created by different objects, activities, and experiences in the guestrooms. The findings validated the assumption that multisensory (auditory, visual, olfactory, tactile and vestibular) experience creates the major part of a ‘total’ lodging experience, which determines the emotional attainment level of guests. Many hoteliers and designers believe that by creating a ‘whimsical’ space or using designer objects in the room will inspire guests and enhance their experience. But during the discussion, it was discovered that those effects were only visual, as one of the respondent stated that, “pretty interior design of the room is only ‘eye- candy’ to me, the thing is that the size has to be good and the furniture has to be functional”; another responded added that, “somethings I may be attracted by a piece of designer object of the room shown in the photos on the website, but I will not book a room because the piece of furniture looks pretty; I always checked on comments from recent guests and look into those that talk about the overall experience in the room”. It may be true that one or two pieces of objects in the room may induce positive emotions from guests on seeing them, like the rubber ducky toy was able to make the guests feel “taken care of”, “loved” or it may let them recall their childhood memories at home; the effect of having just one stimulus may not be thorough. A more methodical approach to build on and connect different stimuli can create a more ‘total’ experience. One of the respondents mentioned that, “there were a lot in the room to be discovered. The theme was well taken through and the little items put a smile on my face; especially the animal-shaped paper clips … it also started me to find out why and I started reading the story inside the information catalog. The thing about stories creating emotions for guests was also reflected in another comment, as the respondent said, “I was reading the description of the concept of the hotel while the receptionist checked me in and I found the idea very warm and welcoming. Seems like listening to a story from the owner and it made me feel very welcomed”. It was obvious that the sense of belonging was created not only on a visual basis, but extended beyond what the eyes can see. One of the respondent reflected that ‘”as I was finishing checking in at the counter, the front desk staff passed me a rose and wished me a wonderful stay …. it felt so sweet and welcoming. The lobby actually has a very sweet floral scent all around, and I can also smell the scent when I opened the door to the guestroom …. it created such a lovely feeling as I love to put potpourri in my bedroom too”. The assumption of multisensory experience confirmed Edward T. Hall’s philosophy of a spatial experience as he commented in his book The Hidden Dimension that “the spatial experience is not just visual but multisensory” (1990).

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An experience can be more comprehensive and impactful if the guest’s emotional experience is multi-faceted rather than singular. The multisensory experience is connected to form a narrative, making the experience more memorable and complete.

4.2.2 Key Things about Guest Experience #guest spent most time in room #every guest creates his/her special corner #what they do in room #prefers enticement over comfort

Five questions related to guest experience were posed at the beginning, questioning which area/space in the hotel drives satisfaction, and how do guests create their sense of space during the stay through different activities in the room; and the kind of emotions and expectations involved. On those questions, the researcher has drawn a few assumptions, i) the guests spend more time in the guestroom, ii) every one of them will mark a special corner in the room, iii) activities conducted in room and objects contribute to creating the experience, iv) business travelers would choose ‘enticement’ over ‘comfort’ when selecting a hotel, and ‘security’ is the feeling that makes hotel more homely, and v) business travelers like to savor local experiences during their stay.

Guests spend more time in the guestroom The assumption that the female business travelers spend more time in the guestroom than any areas on the hotel is validated as 23 out of 30 of the respondents from the second round survey suggested that guestrooms are amongst their favorite place in the hotel, and 60% of the targets replied at the interview that they would reside in their rooms after work, and most of them would just sit on the couch and watch TV, make herself a cup of tea, or to take a shower/bath. 47% of the targets indicated that they prefer to work in the guestroom rather than utilize the public areas or business center at the hotel. One of the targets, who participated in the shadowing exercise, mentioned that a good workdesk and chair in the guestroom is an important consideration that affected her decision on choosing the hotel, as she always spent her evening in the guestroom to do preparations for the next day. One of the targets mentioned that she picked Hotel LKF in Central, Hong Kong was because they have Herman Miller chairs in their suites, and during that time, she has to spend a lot of time in front of the computer at the desk in the room. Although a lot of

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lifestyle boutique hotels nowadays offer nice and spacious public areas with high speed wifi and comfortable seating, the respondents commented that they would prefer spending time in their rooms as they felt more ‘free’ in their own room, and by locking the door, they feel higher sense of ‘privacy’ and ‘security’. One of the respondent highlighted that, “I can simply take off my work clothes and drop my bag on the floor when I am in my room, the most important thing is that I can take off my makeup and bundle up my hair without fearing that people will find me not looking good and messy”.

The guestroom is where privacy can be attained and is where the guest can really feel safe and comfortable enough to be feeling like ‘being home’.

Guest likes to mark a special corner in the room From photos provided by the respondents in the first and second round of survey, images of bedside table, bathroom countertop, safety deposit box, couch were the most frequent. The diagram in [Appendix N] shows a sample record of the tabulation of favorite corners during the study. The photos also showed that the female business travelers would gather their most personal belongings and accessories together and place them near the bed or on the workdesk, and those are the two areas where activities most related to the life of the guests in a room were conducted -- sleep and work. The researcher also observed during the shadowing exercise that all six targets will place their personal belongings on a corner of the workdesk or put aside the existing objects on the bedside table and create a space for placing their watch or accessories, and they displayed positive emotions of ‘safety’ and ‘comfortable’ when they laid down their things. In matching up a guestroom with a home, spaces were similarly divided up to represent the kind of activities, although the size of the two are different. Corners of the room depict routine activities of a person’s life, and they tend to identify certain corners for respective activities. It was noted that guesst tend to associate the bed as the bedroom area at home, the workdesk area in the guestroom as the study at home, and the couch area in the guestroom as the sitting room at home. One of the respondents indicated that, “actually the size of the room is almost the size of my home, my bedroom in the house is my bed so the bed is where I usually love to lie down in the guestroom, same when I am at home”. Interesting to note that the bathroom are the most popular ‘private space’ in the room amongst all female business travelers, as one of them explained that, “the bathroom is where you do your most ‘personal things’”, and she was joined by another respondent who said that, “it’s where I feel most ‘carefree’ and ‘relaxed’, especially when there’s a door lock on the bathroom door, I feel double protected/secured when I am inside”. During the interview and the focus

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groups, the respondents were also asked to indicate how they select the corner for putting their personal belongings, and they indicated they usually identify a ‘clean’ corner in the room where they place their most personal belongings; some of them indicated that they feel ‘settled down’ after finding that corner to put their things. One of the targets commented that “once I have settled my personal things, and sat down on the couch, I feel myself ‘home’”. Not only that the findings validated the assumptions, there also aligned with the theories behind the concept of Territoriality and Existential Space, and also reflected in Don Norman’s interpretation of space as he suggested, that “man’s sense of space is closely related to his sense of self”. The relationship between objects and space creating a sense of space was mentioned by scholars like Yi Fu-tuan who suggested that “a space is defined by objects and therefore places and objects define spatial experience” (2001).

The special corner is where personal things can be secured and emotions can be released without fearing being interfered and one’s privacy being intruded. The corner is usually located in the more inner part of the interior space as it is seen more distant from the public world outside the door.

Activities conducted in room and objects contribute to creating the experience In light of the connection between multisensory experience and positive emotions, targets selected to participate in the two focus groups were asked to elaborate on the guestroom specifications and their activities inside. The researcher was able to find out how objects, emotions, and the space were connected through the findings. Respondents have commented that a nice and trendy coffee machine will encourage them to make their own coffee and to sit down on the couch to enjoy the coffee. Two of the respondents have the habit of doing yoga exercise in the guestroom, and they commented that the placement of furniture in the room will either encourage or discourage them. One of them mentioned that she was “thrilled” and “so impressed” when she found that she can request room service to provide her with a yoga mat in one of the hotels she stayed in. Majority of the respondents agreed that the objects placed in the room will inspire them to do certain things in the room and to make them feel more ‘resided’.

During the discussion, when one respondent was explaining to the others that the design of the red lacquer box for soap in the bathroom of one hotel was so similar to the one she had at home and somehow she immediately felt kind of ‘home’, another respondent added about her experience in a guestroom, of a hotel in a city that she visited for the first time,

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“I was attracted by the photo image on the wallpaper that depicted the city during the 1940’s, and my I saw the book on the sitting on the bedside table (Figure. 38) after I dropped off my keycard and I just started reading”. It was also during the shadowing exercise that the researcher discovered that the female business travelers were attracted to objects with a bit of design, meaning that they are not in their ‘standard’ look and feel. A respondent was attracted by the design of a tea cup (Figure. 39) showing native patterns on the outside, and decided to make a cup of tea before she started un-packing. She indicated to the researcher that “I don’t usually do that, whenever I go into the room and having checked everything, I always unpack first; but the tea cup is really so attractive and it’s like saying to me “please sit down and enjoy a cup of local tea first”.

Figure. 38 Photo of the Book at the Bedside Table of Chez Nous in Taipei

Figure. 39 Photo of the Designer Cup of Home Hotel in Taipei

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Findings indicated that objects tend to create their own meanings for the users depending on the context and often, the surface appearance becomes conveys a message that induce certain behavior. The finding was supported by Winifred Gallagher as she commented in her book House Thinking, “design often means finding relationships between things they didn’t immediately have so they become something more”. The relationship between objects, activities, and space was also mentioned by Witold Rybczynski, as he has conveyed that “every object had a meaning and a place in life that was as much as part of its function as its immediate purpose, and these two are inseparable”. It was also discovered that emotions such as sense of “safety” and “comfortable” were demonstrated by the targets at the touchpoints in those corners. And after they feel settled, they tend to interact with a new object, and displayed the emotion of “delight” when they interact with that object. It was noticed that the new object may also engage them in new activities which add to the overall experience. As one of the respondent explained, “I never take a bath when I travel on business, simply because I feel so uptight after work. But finding the little bath toy beside the bathtub was like an invitation to take a break, and I felt so relaxed …. it reminded me of my childhood”. The findings echoed the theory of Symbolic Interactionism and substantiated how the meaning of an object can be established through a cognitive process through interaction.

‘Safety’ is the feeling that confirmed homeyness The respondents were asked to suggest the rank the five key emotions of feeling comfortable, security, delight, efficiency, and safety in the order of importance in an ideal guestroom, and to elaborate on their own interpretations of the emotional keywords by specifying any objects or activities related to each of them. Comfortable, efficiency and safety ranked the top three amongst the respondents. Regarding the interpretation, majority of the respondents explained that comfortable means anything soft to them, such as soft bed or pillow, three of them associated the word with the room size being in good proportion. Efficiency has always to do with the size of the room and the layout, as one respondent explained, “efficiency is similar to what I said about being manageable, which means I can get hold of things myself easily without having to read too many instructions, and I can have place to out down what I have to put down (in the right place)”. Safety literally imply being able to lock the room or secure their belongings in the room or inside the safety box. Delight was created by having little surprises in the room or something that reflected the local flavor of the city they were visiting. The selected target were further asked to discuss the word ‘homeyness’, and majority of them indicated that emotions such as ‘safe’, ‘comfortable’, and ‘private’ came to them mind. One of the respondent

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emphasized that “home is where my personal things are and my life is, and I am very particular about my feelings towards the house, and I have to feel secure and safe when I first walk into the house before I will choose to live there”. When further asked to explain further of where the feeling comes from, the respondent indicated that “it’s about the amount of light through the window, the room layout, and how I feel I can manage the space”, another respondent added that “you don’t need a big place to live, the size of the house have to be in proportion with the pieces of furniture you have, and the height of the ceiling …. everything should be in proportion”. The researcher tried to compare the order of the emotions suggested by the respondent to the ratio of familiar and new objects identified by them and discovered that those new items were similar to those that the respondents mentioned being able to give them the feeling of delight. By comparing the findings from the different research methods, it reflected that the emotions of an ideal guestroom has attained a good combination of providing a sense of secure and delight; the ratio of the emotions should be around 3:2 as suggested by the percentage of photos of objects presented by the respondents, and the comments they made during the interviews and focus groups. Referring to the theory by Yi-Fu Tuan, “space is defined by objects and therefore places and objects define spatial experience” (2001).

Business travelers like to savor local experiences During the two rounds of surveys, targets were asked to comment things they would do after finishing their work activities, which were reported in the earlier sections. The findings validated the assumption that business travelers like to savor local experiences during their stay. The participants of the focus groups were asked to further discuss past experiences with savoring local flavor. Apart from stories of venturing to local markets and restaurants, one respondent expressed that she was so impressed when she was able to experience different local produce and local designs in the guestroom of a hotel in Taipei. Another respondent added to the comment by saying, “the reason I go for lifestyle boutique hotel is because they are always able to present you with some kind of locality, by either telling you about the neighborhood or they will have something that is from local stores or artisan in the guestroom”. Respondents were asked of how those contributed to the overall experience, they commented that such allow them to make them feel “accommodated” and give the feelings of “being part of the city”, “I am now settled” and “as if I know the city better”. One of the respondents have stated that “the free smart phone was particularly impressive …. For someone who doesn’t really know the city, the device is definitely a great added benefit”, another respondent added that the information contained in those devices are always able “makes you feel less intimidated, and I like to check out the

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recommendations contained in those devices for local places to eat as they are usually very reliable”. The researcher has also conducted a study on TripAdvsior and discovered that over 60% of the positive remarks contained comments related to staff knowledge about the surrounding areas and suggestions for places to visit. The finding was also verified by the kind of messages appearing on the marketing materials and websites recently. A lot of lifestyle boutique hotels are selling themselves on their proximity to local residential and culture areas, and have built in a lot of such content in order to add more depth to their promotions.

4.2.3 Critical Factors to Successful Hotel Marketing Two questions related to hotel marketing were posed at the beginning of the research, and the researcher attempted to explore answers to the questions based on the two assumptions i) expectations of hotel guests are pretty universal, tourists sense are not exactly patterned by regional culture, and ii) hotel marketing strategy should focus on multi- sensory experiences rather than either functional descriptions and offers.

Expectations of guests are not patterned by regional culture As stated in the early section, the selected respondents have different national background. During the survey, interview and other research activities, it was observed that they did not demonstrate any traits of cultural differences in their behavior of disagreement in viewpoints. While their responses were not exactly patterned by regional culture, it was obvious that female business traveler is itself a specific culture group, and they tend to agree with each other and supported each others view points. From observing their response and discussion, the assumption that “expectations of hotel guests are pretty universal” can be validated. While female business travelers is itself a special ‘culture group’ that conjure specific preferences and patterns, that should be carefully attended to. And through the way they have expressed their comments, and suggested of the meaning of different objects in their bedrooms and guestrooms, it can be reconfirmed that “culture and experience strongly influence the interpretation of environment” (Tuan, 2001)

Hotel marketing effort should focus on multi-sensory experiences Marketing and promotion materials from those boutique and lifestyle boutique hotels visited were collected. The researcher has analyzed the contents and compared the messages advocated by the different hotels. Findings indicated that majority of the hotels in the category of boutique or lifestyle boutique addressed that they are for business travelers, and in the contents, they like to use words that imply the stay at their hotel is

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somehow like ‘a home away from home’. Words such as ‘efficient’, ‘convenience’, ‘balance’, and ‘personalized’ are very common. Many of the messages were written to suggest their services address both functional and emotional needs of the guest. Like in the landing page of East Hotel, the message stated “EAST is a lifestyle business hotel with a difference. EAST will help you balance work and life” (2011). Findings also indicated that many of the hotels have started to pay more attention to the emotional needs of the guests and to use ‘soft marketing’ and ‘emotive’ words in their advertising and marketing messages. As mentioned in an article from Hotel Executive, the author has stressed that “sense of place has become one of marketing’s more recent buzzwords”. Apart from selling the services through regular channels, hoteliers have paid a lot of effort to align their proposition with the services by providing the ‘hardware’. The design of guestrooms was looked into, and designers were engaged to create rooms to deliver the right experience. The manager of EAST Hotel stressed that their guestrooms are “very ‘efficient’ and ‘practical’, not necessarily too big, but well thought out in terms of layout with lots of drawers that help guests to organize things, closet is not big, but other things are provided”. Another hotel manager told the researcher that “everything contained in the rooms serves a purpose and the layout of rooms make the best use of space. The large windows in room are to give guests a good sense of spaciousness”.

During the two focus groups for female business travelers, they were asked to comment on the materials and to discuss what exactly appeal to them and influenced their decision during hotel selection. The majority of the respondents suggested that the materials were too “single-minded”, and most of the time when they refer to the materials or look at the website, they were only able to learn of the functions and the amenities, and unable to really understand what they hotel “has to offer (in terms of the kind of attention they can get)”. One respondent complimented the website of Mira Hotel as the story about the rabbit and the moon started to give it a different appeal, the description of the EAST Hotel landing page, given by another respondent, on which guests can read about the designer’s concept in a way echoed what the first respondent has explained. The findings somehow validated the assumption that the expectation of guests is not single dimensional, and hoteliers should bring their marketing strategy to a multi-dimensional and multi-sensory level. The finding can be cross-referenced to the theory by Juhani Pallasmaa in saying that “good architecture that offers shapes and surfaces molded for the pleasurable touch of the eye separates us from the world while other senses unite” (2005).

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CHAPTER FIVE | DISCUSSION __ The findings presented in the previous chapter can be translated into evidence to support the assumptions made to the research and answer the research question -- “How do female business travelers create a lodging experience that can compare to their experience at home, through the meaning they assign to their interactions with objects and environments inside Asian boutique hotel guestrooms?”. The answer further substantiated the notion that emotions, activities, objects and hotel guestroom design are closely interrelated. The new model revealing how geometric space transcends inhabited space denotes that the research was able to convert a piece of academic study into a fundamental exploration of design practices -- to find out how design researchers might predict the ways in which people will respond to the environment. The researcher has discovered that the response and interaction of female business travelers towards the guestroom is the result of a chain-effect which incorporates a system of emotional and functional connections which can be translated into a linear pattern in form of a narrative that the effect progresses at different levels. So by linking up the touchpoints in the narrative, it will form a pattern that reviewed the cognitive process of the female business traveler’s journey of getting to know the room. The user maps collected are reflective of some common patterns, showing the journey and showing how the engagement of multisensory stimulators at important touchpoints came into interaction with the guests. The findings also suggested that the foundation of theories of emotional design, environmental-behavior, and communication design are comparable in a way that they are all created upon a set of ideas that involve user experience, touchpoints, interaction, communication and experience. Although the presentation of the individual theories may vary, the basic ideas that were used to construct them can be referenced against each other. The theoretical frameworks can be matched against each other; and by extracting commonalities and appropriating differences, a new theoretical model could be developed.

This chapter aims to highlight findings related to the connections and disconnections specific to the research and elaborate on how the findings reinforce the connected proportions and reconnect those disconnected proportions. By refocusing on the basic concepts of the research, the discussion in each section reveals a synopsis of what was found and explains the implications of how the findings contribute to the development of the concluding model. The model -- the ‘Matrix’, is a three-dimensional configuration built on the connected proportions of the concepts and by reconnecting the missing dimensions between ideas and views of different stakeholders. Like a data cube, it is a

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multidimensional presentation of cross-tabs of insights. The foundation of the Matrix is built upon the theories of Territoriality and Existential Space, embracing the idea of Gendered Space and Symbolic Interactionism, and configured to spatial interpretation in relations to experience in the design of a guestroom. Representing a new, amalgamated set of concepts, the Matrix is an extended version of the current model used for environmental- behavioral dynamics study, and can then be translated into a new guestroom layout that is divided by zones, supplemented with an indication for objects that can create touchpoints to building up the emotional attachment to a place that can construct the total experience within. The structure of the Matrix will be presented and explained in detail in Section 5.3.

While the discussion further validated the connections suggested by the researcher at the beginning of the research about i) hotel and home. ii) objects and interaction, and iii) emotional design and confirmed the uniqueness of the study; limitations of each of the connected proportions will be also discussed and highlighted at the end of each section. Limitations to each of the connection proportions and the reconnecting elements identified can be interpreted as indicators for further research in the related areas or any work to be done for parts unanswered.

5.1 Where are the Connections This section, corresponding to the findings and ideas presented under ‘The Connecting Proportions’ in Section 2.6, will further elaborate on how the findings relate to the theories developed out of the research contribute to the construction of the new concept. The discussion in each section will summarize the key findings that confirmed the connections, and explain how the identified connection contributes to new understanding that can be used to formulate the prescription for constructing the experience. The connecting proportions underpinned the redefined concept, which represent a multidisciplinary perspective that brings theory and practices, as well as stakeholders -- including users, hoteliers and interior designers together; illustrated by the matrix presented in Section 5.3. The limitations of each of the connecting proportions will also be highlighted at the end of each subsection.

5.1.1 Hotel and Home The comments made by the female business travelers, hoteliers and interior designers at the interviews and the study into the trend in the latest design for hotel and home, echoed the comment made by famous designers like Chang (2008) in saying that the definition

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between hotel and home are becoming ‘fuzzier’. The connection of the two places are not limited to the functional aspects in terms of how the places are used and the activities that are carried out in there, but also in the emotions embraced within. Words like ‘safe’ and ‘comfort’, as well as ‘secure’ are the on top of the list of emotions suggested by the female business travelers. And although hotel can never be home, findings indicated that the guestroom (at the hotel) can somehow be created to simulate a bedroom (at home) for the guest by its layout and design. As suggested by the theorist of territoriality and existential space, “a home need not involve a physical structure and may exist in any kind of existential space” (Norberg-Schulz 1980). Accordingly, the possibility of creating a guestroom that feels like bedroom at home is to reinvent the emotional aspects of bedroom of a home in a guestroom by setting up the room in a way that creates the right flow of emotions, and generates the appropriate sense of ‘homeyness’ for the guest -- with the sense of comfort, secure and safe. Comfort embraces history, sense of fit, cultural relevance, and physical containment (Busch 1999), and is an important determinant to good experience that can foster repeated visit; which is critical to hospitality business success as well.

In terms of layout, although a home usually has different functional spaces as indicated on most floor plans, and each of the spaces has a very specific function and set of emotions that promotes users to perform different activities; and the spaces in totality makes the place a home. Within the limited floor space of a guestroom, space is usually defined by the placement of furniture or the use of different floorings. So, in order to make the guest feel ‘at home’ in a guestroom, some of the major functional spaces of a home must be contained in the guestroom. In fact, it was discovered that the functional spaces of a home follow a logical flow to them, like the entrance hallway is “where the ceremony of entering the home is performed” (Chan 2015), the hallway leads to the sitting room -- which usually marks the center of a home, and into the bedroom -- the most private space where personal activities take place. The flow resembles the cognitive process of the user in connecting oneself with the space. Another way of interpreting the idea is to look at the flow and the sense of belonging in a place, which is similar to the digestive system in our body -- when we eat something, the taste of the food in our mouth is like the first impression of a place, then the chewing can be compared to the kind of activities, the food going down the intestines is like the flow and once the food enters the stomach, we feel satisfied – the satisfaction is comparable to the sense of belonging attained by the guest. From the maps created by the female business travelers, it is apparent that the pathway for most of them navigating through the guestroom reflects similar process; digestive, as suggested by the

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analogy above or rather, cognitive in the processing of information and establishing contacts in order to familiarize oneself with the space. A guestroom can be designed based on that flow to help the guest establish a sense of fit, but with little chance of personalization within the space, it may take guests a longer time to acquire a sense of order; thus creating the sense of fit during the first few seconds is the most challenging thing. The definition of the functional areas may also need be more ‘intense’ as the guestroom, while needing to contain all the functions of a home, is usually much smaller in size. The ‘intensity’ can be enhanced by injecting more relevant objects to induce the relevant emotions in each of the functional space or by infusing other sensory stimulators, so that reduced floor space in a guestroom can incorporate all the elements for complementing the sense of a home.

In view of the difference in permanency between hotel and home, the connection can established by use of objects to engage the guests in different kinds of activities to build up the emotions so as to obtain a sense of permanence in the not-so-permanent space. Findings on ‘the good and bad times in guestrooms’ and ‘emotions and definition of homeyness’ indicated that similar level of ‘intimacy of belonging’ in hotel and home may be achieved through offering certain service, or placing particular ‘visual cues’ at crucial ‘touchpoints’ within the guestroom to provide guests with higher ‘level of contentment’ and ‘emotion attainment’ during the stay in a hotel. The findings presented in Section 4.1.4 suggested that it is possible to provide guests with ‘visual cues’ that replicate those they have at home to create look and feel of a home environment. ‘Visual Cues’ like a bowl for putting small objects down could also help the guest start interacting with the guestroom in order to build up a sense of familiarity from the minute he/she enters the room. Other objects could create touchpoints and invite the guest to interact with the room with a tempo that builds up the sense within a short period of time confined by the size of the guestroom; such includes a contemporary art piece, a ceramic coffee mug, nice plushy cushions, a designer couch, and a branded coffee machine. These suggested objects, associated with descriptive keywords like ‘fun’, ‘chic’, ‘trendy’ and ‘artistic’ by the targets in the research, are perceived to imply values aspirational to them and contribute to creating the sense of ‘delight’. So by building up the level of interaction with objects in the room, meanings are redefined and new values created; which enhance the building up of memories and help the guest to acquire the sense of belonging and adopt the ‘homey’ feeling in the guestroom.

The connection drawn here corresponds to the Theory of Proxemics and Kinesthetic Experience under Environmental-Behavioral Dynamics, which explained the idea that

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spatial experience is related to not just an interaction point between single object and the user, but how the points of interaction can be organized (Schäfer 1925). And also that space consists of human experiences (marked by activities) such that behavior towards the place by engaging in different activities create and change the atmosphere; suggesting that emotions (elicited by responses and stories) play a major role in defining the spatial feeling (Tuan 1997). In that regard, it might be also possible to provide guests with ‘transitional objects’ (Winnicott 1951) that help to create a better link between the permanent and temporary homes. Transitional objects refer to objects that can provide a sense of comfort psychologically, especially in unusual or unfamiliar situations, like plush toys for kids and blankets for toddlers. Yet somehow, the preliminary impression of the objects matters, and there may be a need to know how aesthetics relate to cultural background. Simply, white and grey objects are used for the Japanese during their new year to signify a fresh start, yet the Chinese prefer red and gold in the same context. Although it has been proven that female business travelers are rather international and national background does not have major implications on preferences, somehow the interaction between the guest and objects can be enhanced if some basic cultural differences are accommodated to.

The only limitation of the connection between hotel and home is the issue of ‘physicality’ - referring to the physical presence of the home that is located in a ‘hometown’ with an address. The ‘permanent address’ suggests stability, sense-of-belonging and comfort. That apart from that a ‘physical’ home has and address and a dimension, it contains objects of past experiences and those useful for everyday living that; it also contains memories of people, friends, relatives, actions and words spoken by people who have been there for any reason. There are certain things and values that make a home ‘homey’. As Witold Rybczynski stated, “(home) meant the house, but also everything that was in it and around it, as well as the people and the sense of satisfaction and contentment” (1987). In particular, objects in a home are symbols of the owner’s comfortable experience, and also function as comforters that are closely related to the owner’s tradition (memories) and aspirations (adventures). Although boutique hotels are able to offer a high level of personalized services and products, little can be done to replicate a home within a hotel. Moreover, the permanency of a home also embodies memories, of friends and stories that can only be built up over time. But having said that, guests will be able to build up memories for a hotel if they pay repeated visits. As explained in Chapter One, the introduction of loyalty programmes are crucial for hotel amidst the fierce competition, and that the chance of business travelers returning to the same hotel the next visit is possible since the findings

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indicated that majority of them are eligible to select their own hotels; so the decision will very much depend on the ‘connections’ they have with the hotels created by the past experience(s). So apart from the physicality, the idea of emotional elements of comfort and the use of visual cues between hotel and home are compatible, and a common vocabulary can be developed.

5.1.2 Objects and Interactions The findings with reference to the past research and theoretical support has proven that “interaction can be appropriate to the context, which can then affect and alter the total experience” (Biggio & Cortese 2013). In view of that, it may be possible that objects in a space can be used as ‘connectors’ that help the guests interact with the space; thus build up their emotions and determine the final experience. This echoes the Theory of Symbolic Interactionism in which people react and respond to objects based on the meanings they have created for the objects. As a result of the interaction, the meanings for an object can be modified or re-established (Blumer 1969). As mentioned earlier, objects create visual cues, which can then become ‘touchpoints’ in the guestroom, and the connecting touchpoints will help to lead the guest around so as to create relevant emotions to build up the sense of fit through interaction and ultimately simulate the sense of homeyness for them. As suggested by the findings presented in Section 4.1.4, the touchpoints can be physical objects that can be touched or used, and can also be artifacts or part of the decoration -- like furnishing, curtain or the fridge, that is visibly attractive to be in contact with the eyes of the guest; so the interaction is not limited to physical. The distance between the touchpoints should also be ‘measured’ carefully to build up emotions; more or less like story-telling or narrative that the guestroom communicates to the guest through interactions. This is similar to the making of a film, in that the pace and rhythm of the story- telling has to be carefully worked out at the time when drawing up the storyboard so that within the timeframe, the plot unfolds at dramatic moments in a chronological order; similar to how the objects in the touchpoints interact with the guests in a guestroom to build up the experience. At best, the objects should be moveable and allow the guest to create their own narrative and ‘relationship’ with the room. The ability to personalize the guestroom will further enhance the sense of fit; making the guestroom more like their own during their stay there. The rearrangement of objects allow the guests to create their own set of meanings and a new interaction/cognitive process that generates the required emotions and her own feelings of homeyness. The touchpoints should also function to balance to sense of feeling familiarity and state of dreaminess.

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Although the findings indicated that female business travelers are rather international and not very much bounded by their own national culture, the findings also suggested each of them may have rather specific requirements and expectations based on their own personal life experience and experiences with the hotels; yet somehow, cultural background may have certain impact since the character of the female business travelers are somewhat shaped by their background. Therefore, culture and experience may influence the interpretation of environment, and that feelings and emotions cannot be generic and not all spaces evoke the same feeling(s) to all people (Tuan 1977); so objects could imply different things to the same person at different time the interaction happens. In a guestroom, Asian guests may not necessarily find wine glasses inviting or welcoming, while American or European guests can relate better with wine glasses as they are objects which exist in their home. Moreover, according to the Theory of Existential Space (Norberg-Schulz 1971), a person constructs his/her own meaning of the space in real time; so the meaning for things may vary according to situations and emotions (which can also be affected by external factors not within the space itself at the moment of interaction). As suggested by Donald Norman, “people tend to choose things based on the occasion, context, and above all, the mood”; the perceived value for objects and activities change according to the nature of the stay. Individuals are believed to select and create environments to reflect who they are so as to leverage emotional attainment, while the object helps to create the link between the permanent and temporary homes. Accordingly, the object placed at the touchpoints works as a good ‘reflective design’ that can help to reflect a person within the context of the environment -- in the case of this research, the guestroom. In fact, the findings have suggested that guests of different cultural background have slight differences in the interpretation of the values of objects -- like in the level of attachment or a simple choice of color or shape for the same object, which may suggest a possible cultural reference; therefore the interaction between suggested cues and different guests may reflect a stronger difference in values and interpretation. Like for Asian guests, they would prefer seeing a more colorful Chinese style painting on the wall, while Western guests would like contemporary black and white photography piece. The difference in values may also evoke a different set of emotions that induce a difference in the behavior and related activities, which was mentioned in previous section. Suggested by a female business traveler from Shanghai during one of the focus groups conducted, she was immediately taken by a ceramic thermal mug placed on the countertop of the minibar in the guestroom of a hotel in Singapore that reminded her of the one she had at home, while a female business travelers of a Canadian background found the same mug very old- fashioned as she is more used to those Starbucks version like in the one on the photo she

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has sent the researcher. In that case, the Shanghainese guest took the mug and made herself tea while the Canadian guest decided to go out for a coffee instead. The action of making tea with the mug is an activity that created further interaction between the guest and the guestroom. The idea of objects being a reflective device correspond to the idea of personalizing space under the ‘boundary markers’ suggested by Tylee (2011), and that in creating personal space, people will display items that can reflect their own personalities or preferences. The association of the objects in the guestroom is similar to how people relate themselves to the brand, the elements selected by brands to communicate to their target audience is strongly based on how the audience see themselves connected with the brand; as suggested in the design of the Paneri showroom in Hong Kong designed by Patricia Urquiola.

Stated in the beginning of this section, the flexibility that allows the guest to rearrange the room setting is just as important as placing reflective design elements at the relevant touchpoints. The rearrangement allows the guests to modify or improve the narrative, and to pace the touchpoints in a rhythm based on their own preference. The idea correlates to the concept explained in Section 2.5 about Symbolic Interactionism. Interactionist’s theories (Buss 1987, Synder & Ickes 1985, Swann 1987), which suggested that individuals tend to select and create their social environments to match and underpin their dispositions, preferences, attitudes, and self-views/values. Consistent with that, individuals are believed to select and create environments to reflect who they are so as to leverage emotional attainment. From past research and the findings from this one, it is noted that individuals decorate rooms (especially bedroom) and place objects in the room to how they would like to be regarded (Baumeister 1982, Goffman 1959, Swann 1987), which are closely relate to activities-of-preference during a particular period of time. Therefore by allowing minimal personalization in the guestroom, the guest will find the room more user-friendly in their own terms and be able to conduct their own activities; and that the activities are able to drive or change emotional state of guest in return. The moving of furniture reflects stronger interaction and represents a deepening of the relationship between the user and the space. For example, students who live in residence tend to decorate their rooms with poster and personal belongings and move furniture around when they first moved in. In most cases, first year university students get to inhabit in the residence for their first year; and in that case, the room is a ‘temporary’ home for them. The placement of the objects or furniture is determined by the student’s background and preferences conjured by past experience, and the objects and furniture formed a pattern that may also define the movement and life of the student in the room. The student has become the interior designer, but being the

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user of the space, the student has better sense of how the flow should work. Objects in this case function as a tool for the students to create comfort and a sense of belonging (Lumthatweepaisal 2013). The cues created could link up in a way that is reflective of the cognitive process of building a bond with the room and adding values to creating the personal space for the user.

In view of the above, the only limitation of understanding this connection lies in the lack of a methodological blueprint that can illustrate how the cues can be constructed and how multisensory -- auditory, visual, olfactory, tactile, and vestibular -- cues can juxtapose with the design of the space (in regards to the zoning and spacing) for the creation of 'comfortable' spaces. Other limitations may relate to the fact that the connection was established based on the research which is to cater for people of high mobility; so whether the trend of mobile living will sustain can be affected by many other factors such as social changes or the development of world travel under the influence of technological development. The values of the objects and the interaction may also be affected by other factors not contained in the room, such as an emotional change caused by a message sent via whatsapp; again, the advancement of technology in our lives.

5.1.3 Emotional Design and Experience As explained by the different theories in Section 3.4, space consists of human experiences -- marked by activities and emotions -- elicited by responses and stories. Experiences and emotions together play a major role in constructing the overall spatial experience. The findings further substantiated the implications of that interaction determines experience; while good experience is determined by positive emotions. The findings and quotes in Section 4.1.3 provided details of the emotions and how the experience can be created and enhanced by interaction between the female business travelers and the objects in the room. The tactful placement of objects in relevant touchpoints will be able to induce the emotions and encourage interactions that can contribute to building up of the total lodging experience. The findings further suggested that a business traveler’s hotel experience is underpinned by the long-term relationship of the guests with the hotel through repeated visits, which imply the importance of a hotel being able to maintain the relationship with the female business travelers. So when they need to visit a particular city again for business, they will select the same hotel to stay in, so that past memories can be further reignited to build up the experience. In other words, the connection of emotional design and experience also correspond to the connection between hotel and home -- the hotel

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can be perceived more like a short-term home if a female business traveler have established a better emotional attachment to it.

The findings presented in Section 4.1.4 and 4.1.5 clearly suggested that emotional design and experience in product design can be comparable to the spatial experience. It was stated in the assumption and proven by the findings that the experience of interacting with a design can be achieved through the building of emotions in three different levels as suggested by Don Norman’s emotional design (2003), and three levels used on the design of a product can be applied on a spatial aspect and similar to the approach of any communication or advertising campaigns. The diagram in Figure. 40 illustrates how the different concepts can be referenced across each other in terms of the levels and flow.

Figure. 40 Diagram Showing the Comparison of Product Design Theory, Interior Phenomenon and Communication Design Flow

In that regard, the accumulation of the experiences through interaction and communication is similar to the journey of consumption of goods. Empirically, consumption experiences are linked with both values (Beatty, Hale, Homer, and Misra 1985) and emotions (Havlena & Holbrook 1986, Havlena, Holbrook, and Lehman 1989); while consumption can refer to a product or a service. Further research has demonstrated that subjective feeling occur when making consumptions or using a product “affect constructs of interest to marketing academics and practitioners; studies have demonstrated that consumption emotions influence both satisfaction and repeat patronage” (Cohen and Areni 1991), which marks the strategy of major brands in the market, and can definitely be applied to hotels (as brands). Section 1.1.4 in Chapter One already explained the connection between emotional design and hotel industry and pointed out the increasing awareness of the

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hoteliers in engaging the use of emotional design strategies rather than just relying on promoting the functional aspects in their marketing approach. Thinking further, the launch of loyalty programmes and female-only floors can be recognized as useful tactics for enhancing the emotional experience by use of services, as they attain to a higher level of emotions that are not limited to those generated in the guestroom.

The recognition for emotions in defining and creating hotel experiences has grown in the last decade, and is reinforced by the findings presented in Section 4.1.6 and Section 4.1.7. The keywords finding suggested that the emotions of ‘safe’ and ‘comfort’ are highly valued in both home and guestroom, and as mentioned by the interior designers interviewed, they are the key considerations for the design of guestroom interiors for hotels. Based on that the emotions that are required of a guestroom and a bedroom are the same and as proven by the study, the sense of homeyness can be created aside the limitation of physicality. ‘Homeyness’ is therefore an impression or feeling based on emotional experiences, rather than a definition of a physical place. In addition, know that a numbers have started to use multisensory cues to enhance guest experience, like the use of aroma and sound mentioned in Section 1.1.4, it is reckon that emotional design and experience is closely connected in lot more aspects than currently known.

While past studies and this research indicated that emotions do influence customer loyalty towards hotels and that certain emotions play a strong role in the decision-making process regarding willingness to pay a given rate and willingness to return (Jonathan Barsky & Leonard Nash 2002), it was discovered in the research that limited research addresses the situational conditions, or antecedents, associated with consumption emotions (Nyer 1997, Bagozzi, Gopinath, and Mayer 1999). Scant research had tried to study the relationship between emotions and specific objects within a particular context. Since emotion is acute -- limited in duration, and intentional -- directed at a certain object, the connection between a particular object to emotions of the one using it or seeing it, at a particular time, in a specific context, seems obligatory. Moreover, the increase of people treating hotel as home, and the fact that more hotels are designed to be more ‘homey’, reflected a blurring of definition for ‘home’ and ‘hotel’. Hotel nowadays means more than just paid lodging to many guests. If a house has the power of integration for the thoughts, memories and dreams of mankind (Bachelard 1969), the guestrooms has similar power for those business traveler as the guestroom is the house for those on-the-road. Taking another angle, using the analogy of a hotel and a relationship, staying in a hotel is more like having an affair, although it is considered a home by the traveler, the duration of the

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stay only allows the traveler to be able to build the bonding on a very short timeframe; somehow similar to a short rendezvous. The term ‘rendezvous’ is used to indicate the kind of romance and intensity during that timeframe, it is also used to reflect something more than what a simple lodging should provide. So when a defined space extends beyond its obvious role; other more complex emotions at the superordinate level - positive vs. negative emotions, and the subordinate level - specific/secondary emotions (Shaver, Schwartz, Kirson and O’Connor 1987), such as excitement and frustration, emerged and intertwined as a result. Consequently, in hotels, guests would prefer to find excitement more than pure sense of attainment or sense of fit. French architect Jean-Philippe Nuel noted “it has long been said that a hotel should resemble a home, but in reality it should be more than that” (2018). Zaha Hadid has also said that “hotel is for ‘escapist’” when she was interviewed about the Hotel Puerta America in Madrid (2003).

The discussion implies that there is minimal limitation to this connection apart from that this research only presents connection between emotional design and experience in hotel. The emotions discovered and studied were mainly positive emotions, so leaving other negative ones untouched and yet to be explored by applying the model to other spaces. One important observation is that given the size of guestrooms are getting smaller, and that the guestrooms in boutique hotels are already small; there may be the need to determine how the emotions can be generated within the limited space, which also means limited time for generating the emotions and establishing the experience. Based on the very simple translation of Ecology of an Object, from the minute the user interacts with an object, they together go through a series of activities, which then developed into a narrative and became memories to the user. Positive emotions give a space its value, and physical environments contain and communicate shared symbols and meanings (Gieryn 2000) of people it contains. The idea is similar to how Donald Norman’s (2004) concept of the emotional system that consists of three different, yet interconnected levels -- visceral, behavioral, and reflective; each of which influences our experience of the world in a particular way. So when we encounter an object, our reaction is determined not only by how well it works, but by how good it looks to us, and by the self-image, loyalty and nostalgia it evokes in us. This idea is applicable to the situation of the guestroom, viewed as an object as a whole. The concern may be the duration or time issue since in a home, the amount of space that flow from the entrance to the bedroom may allow enough time to build up the sense of loyalty and nostalgia; so the time allowed for such to happen inside the limited space (usually around 20 – 30 sq. m. for most guestrooms in boutique hotel) may not be as long as in the home situation, but it should be long enough if the flow was

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accurately mapped out with touchpoints placed correctly. Time factor then becomes something worth further examination when developing the formula; also implying that the intensity of the emotional effect within the period of time between touchpoints needs to be carefully worked out. Another important consideration is on the kind of ‘surprise’ to be injected in the overall experience, and the precise level of surprise that balances the overall experience. The findings suggested the emotions are compiled of objects that give the dweller a sense of familiarity as well as objects that are new to them, the proportion of such objects has to be accurately prescribed in order to attain the best outcome for the best experience.

5.2 Where are the Disconnections Barrie Gunter (2000) explains in his book Psychology of the Home that while spatial design studies emphasize the relationship of the conceptions and physical attributes of place, they neglect the third component of place that is activities. In the past, the spatial designer and architect simply measured and evaluated space against conceptions of aesthetics standards or physical attributes of ergonomic ratios rather than against behaviors of use. With increased competition among hotels, a new focus on emotional and experience design has arisen to address the need of understanding and enhancing the customer experience in hospitality design, especially within the context of Asia and the specific experiences of female travelers. Therefore, there is a need to revisit the key concepts and approaches to the spatial design of Asian boutique hotels, so that new ones (that are more prescriptive) can be developed to explain how female travelers’ experiences can be better understood, framed and designed. This section, is reflective on the idea presented under ‘The Missing Dimension’ in Section 2.2, and aims to explain on how the findings confirm the disconnected elements can be reconnected; and elaborate on how the connections can help to enhance creation of the experience and be used in the final model. The discussion may also point towards future research needs, which will be further discussed in the Conclusion.

5.2.1 Objects and Values The relationship between objects and values is an interesting one as there seem to be a disconnection between them when they are presented separately, yet the findings demonstrated a lot of common ground. Generally speaking, objects are recognized as tangible items and values are intangible description. Moreover, the definition for objects and values are different as objects can usually be explained in terms of form and design while values referred to keywords and interpretation. Yet it was discovered in the study

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that every object has a ‘perceived value’, and the value is determined by the user’s experience and emotional state. In the contextual study about Homeyness, it was discovered that objects in the homes of the female business travelers are reflective of their values, and the objects in their homes have a strong ‘emotional charge’ and conjure up the image of home and their identity. The emotional charge is usually built up through time -- through which memories are conjured, and connection -- in terms of times of interaction between the user and the object. Findings also showed that female business travelers tend to introduce objects into the temporal space to construct a sense of fit/comfort for themselves. And the literature review on Ecology of Objects and Emotional Design of Objects and Space reviewed that there are strong connections between users and the objects they use, and the emotions that can arise from them; and there also lies a correlation between emotion design of objects and spaces. As explained in Section 2.5.1, a space is in fact a product with a volume, and therefore the three levels of product design used by Don Norman -- Visceral, Behavioral, and Reflective -- can be matched to the Aesthetics, Flow, and Activities under the phenomenon of interior design of space. The above suggests that the disconnection between the objects and values can be connected via the platform of emotions.

Findings reported in Section 4.1.5 indicated that homeyness is a feeling based on emotions. Although it may not be possible to replicate the physicality of a home in a guestroom, objects (physical, social and abstract) can be used to create the emotions of a home; which can be applicable to other physical space to simulate the feeling of ‘home’. In other words, objects of homeyness may not need to directly refer to exact objects that exist at home, and they could be recreated objects which provoke the kind of emotions for the guests to establish a homey feeling; therefore the location of physical space is not important, while the state of mind determines the emotions. Guests when arriving a foreign city will have a certain sense of ‘strangeness’ and even when checking in a hotel which they have stayed in before, the emotional state of mind reminds them that they are ‘not at home’. Although findings suggested that ‘transitional objects’ can be used to create the link between permanent and temporary home, even objects that seemed familiar may suddenly become unfamiliar. The value of the objects could have changed as it may have a new meaning in the guestroom environment, so the crucial thing is exactly how to establish the right values for the object, so the values of the recreated object in the room can represent the values relevant to the guest for attaining the right emotions. The above can be supported by that in creating comfort and establishing a sense of homeyness for female business travelers, objects play an especially important role in guestroom

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environment; the relevance is especially strong especially in a temporal situation comparing to a permanent one (Lumthaweepaisal 2013).

Objects and values can be reconnected and objects can be used to create values; values can be translated into emotions. As suggested in the findings, objects in the guestroom are used as touchpoints, and they are also emotional cues for inducing emotions from the guest. Objects that are homey can be both objects of familiarity and also inspirational objects. Objects of familiarity are usually more ordinary objects that most people can find in their homes. Put aside the significant cultural differences, objects of familiarity are flip flops, key holder, ceramic tea cups, ceramic coffee mugs, floor mat, cushions, hair dryer. They could be decorative or serves a function. Objects of familiarity can also be keepsakes or ornaments; in that case, such may be harder to replica. Inspirational objects are usually less functional. In a home, they could be artwork or luxury items, such as teapots, local artwork/artefacts, branded coffee machine, bath toys/plush toys, bookmark, pillows and cushions. Basically, these items inspire people to look into their future or to create dreams and aspirations. The findings also indicated that the aroma of branded products is a useful cue to elicit the relevant emotions as aroma does not take any physical form which may create complications by perception. So many hotels have started using aroma for creating experience. Aroma may also be related to branded toiletries. The findings in Section 4.1.1 suggested that when participants see products of brands that they use at home, the brand and the aroma of it can help them to connect the sense of homeyness in a guestroom; aroma especially appealed to female.

In view of the above, learning more about how female business travelers create a ‘homey’ feeling through objects in hotels can add value to the theoretical understanding and physical design of a total lodging experience at boutique hotels for business travelers. The launch a new brand that is more female-focused called Hotel Indigo by InterContinental Hotels Group revealed the increasing attention to the things required of hotel for female guests. Instead of enlarging the space of a guestroom, Hotel Indigo has enlarged the space of the bath area, and has decided to bring some color rather than stick with 'hotel beige' to that area, or to rotate some of the designs regularly. Apart from the general décor, female guests tend to be more specific about objects such as towels in the room and amenities in the bathroom. The article Women Keeping Up Pressure for a Better Travel Experience stated that “women are a big part of the reason that a typical hotel room, whether midlevel or luxury, has better bedding, lighting, room service, closets, work spaces and overall design” (Marsh 2016). The latest study by Women’s Student Association of

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Harvard Business School showed that “as travelers, women do seem to distinguish themselves from men in several important ways”. Even male interviewees reported that they agree with the changes suggested by female travelers, and recent research by Holiday Inn Express (2015) showed that men would consider prolonging their stay based on the changes introduced.

The connection re-stablished also reinforced the idea that product brands have brand values that are intangible yet can be easily related to users’ personal values. Like for example, Nike represents courage and fearlessness, Tiffany is love, Coke is happiness, HSBC is global, Nokia is innovation. A brand is a lot more than the products or services while the logo, product range, website, and even the tagline for marketing campaigns may change over the years, the thing that remains is the brand values. Emotions are therefore the ‘motivators’ that can be leveraged upon to connect the branded product and the brand values. So if guestroom represents the product, the value of it is determined by the emotions; while emotions can be prescribed by the use of design.

5.2.2 Inhabited Space and Geometric Space Inhabited space and geometric space represent two camps of thoughts, and and are typically referenced by two different groups of people -- theorists and practitioners. Separately, each concept represents a well structured set of theories that constructs space. The theory of Inhabited Space could be interpreted as space defined by people and stories, while the theory of Geometric Space could be understood as measurement and dimensions. During different period in time, the two set of theories had supported extensive research for the interpretation of space and understanding for our environment. The research have also generated additional concepts used for other studies relating space and people. But as presented in the literature review, although there have been concepts developed all along by experts of various disciplines, including architects, philosophers, environmental psychologists, and historians; recently by professionals, to cultivate a better understanding for our built environment, it seems that whatever concepts used to study architecture or space are insufficient/incomplete. As Louis Khan explained, “whatever concepts used to study built environment, those used by both former (concern about proxemics, personal space and territoriality) and later (concern about scared space, pattern language, existential space and the third environment) groups lack explanatory power (Architecture from the Outside in, Dana Cuff and John Wriedt 2012), all studies conducted only point to presumed basic needs, but fail to provide ‘prescription’ -- which means they fail to predict the ways in which people will respond to the environment.

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Practitioners, including architect and interior designers, have also realized the importance of design research and how they can use research to learn about users. But owing to their own position as practicing professionals, the tools and methodologies that they used are usually limiting and skew towards the aesthetic perspective. Moreover, the generated knowledge is usually discipline-specific and can only be exclusively comprehended by designers or users of the specific discipline.

Like for the study of living spaces, commercial spaces and recreational spaces where graphics, products and multimedia designs interact with users, most of the research simply look at objects or the interior décor alone, and disregards the powerful interplay of the elements that actually makes the space and creates the experience within. Measurements used by designers only explain the geometrical relationship of things in space. All in all, the study conducted by theorists and practicing professionals are like general description of inhabited space; although somehow similar but discretely based on their own terms of reference. For example, interior designers or architects will first come up with a ‘programme’ for a space before they start designing, a programme describes what happens on or within a building, site, or wider area, including all the activities and functions of the building; specifically to how the elements, zones and spaces are organised. The presentation of a programme is in the form of a list of required fittings and dimensions of items. The study of Inhabited Space by theorist is descriptive in a way that it details the movement and behavior of the people in it, the presenting of information is more qualitative as suggested by Bachelard (1958), “inhabited space transcends geometric space”. The list in a programme is actually calculated upon the users’ engagement with the space and interaction within. The two descriptions are therefore based on the similar perspective, just different in the way they are presented. The gap between the separate descriptions is exactly where the disconnection between Inhabited Space and Geometric Space lies. The key is to establish a more systematic way to define the theory and understand how the descriptions support the understanding, then it may be possible that a common set of terms of reference can be created.

The notion of establishing a common set of terms of reference is supported by the findings for emotional design of 3-D objects and the communication of messages in 2-D design. As the findings indicated, although the terminologies used in the approach for the two design dimensions differ, the methodologies are built on common ground. The findings presented in Section 4.1.4, objects could be the connector between touchpoints that instigate activities, by engaging the user in activities, emotions can be built up. So in another word,

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emotions can be the platform where the two disconnected proportions re-connected. The disconnection between inhabited space -- applying to the theories of philosophers, environmental psychologists, and historians), and geometric space -- the way to measure space by dimensions used by architects and designers) can therefore be re-established by studying movement, or activities, or interactions of the user and the space and objects. The thinking seeks to extend on Winifred Gallagher’s delineation of ‘Environmental- behaviour Dynamics’ (2007) that suggests different environmental cues can support, express and nurture a spatial experience, in order to further determine how inhabited space transcends geometric space (Bachelard 1958) in the context of a hotel. As mentioned in Section 2.6, knowledge can only be completed when the gaps are filled and the missing dimensions are identified and reconnected.

5.3 Which are Concepts Redefined This research, built on a multidisciplinary perspective, aims to define how female business travelers attain homeyness in guestroom so as to develop a prescription for the design of personal space. The literature review of past theories suggested that they are all based on behavioral programming which have been used as the foundation to create understanding for human behavior in spatial design. The fieldwork helps to relate the actual behavior of the female business travelers to the theories. The findings from the 26 months long field work demonstrates how the information collected and theories are related, and how connections can help to develop new understanding. The examination of the concept, theories and terms listed above will help reconnect the missing dimensions and establish the determinants of the model for mapping out the impact of the human interactions with those objects, matters, and other human beings within a space; bridging the gap between the designerly and ethnographic approaches to learning about space, and will be referenced to the female business travelers in a hotel context.

In this section, the amalgamation of the findings from the ethnographical and phenomenological approach will be discussed through the presentation of a new model -- the ‘tranXperience’ Matrix (‘Matrix’). The configuration of the Matrix will be explained in details in Section 5.3.1, the determinants of the Matrix reflect the connections of the different disciplines and represent the impact of the interactions between users, objects, emotions, and activities, within a space. The new matrix presents an understanding that bridges the gap between stakeholders and approaches in a hotel context.

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5.3.1 The Matrix The Matrix shown in Figure. 41, is a complex three-dimensional model that has incorporated the attributes from spatial study, interior design, and emotional design, that illustrates how two-dimensional theories can be connected to three-dimensional ones through the construction of the model. The X,Y,Z axes on the matrix labeled as ‘Level of Attainment’, ‘Level of Interaction’, and ‘Touchpoints’ are marked by emotional keywords - - comfort, secure, safe, level of interaction -- passing, interacting, engaging, and by three domains -- landing scape, dream scape, home scape. The three levels on the x-axis correlating to the three keywords on the y-axis suggest the relative connection between emotions and interaction through activities. The three levels of attainment and level of interaction together projects the volume of the three ‘roomscapes’, the blocks are delineated by a different number of touchpoints on z-axis. The volume of the block reflects the depth of the engagement of different elements such as objects, emotions and activities, with reference to the preferences/culture of female business travelers in guestrooms of hotels in Asia.

Figure. 41 The tranXperience Matrix Diagram constructed by Ivan Yan M.H . April 201

The construction of the Matrix supports the idea that emotions are motivators that can be leveraged on to connect objects and values and justify the kind of objects to be placed in each of the touchpoints, and the model is also able to incorporate emotional values with

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multisensory parameters. It also represents how emotions can be used for establishing the connection between inhabitation and geometric spaces -- that supports the idea of how “inhabited space transcends geometric space” (Bachelard 1958). In other words, the information derived from the matrix presents geometrical interpretation and at the same time explains the ‘humaness’ of the experience in a guestroom context. In another word, the three domains – ‘Landing Scape’, ‘Dream Scape’ and ‘Home Scape’, are constructed by emotions, objects, activities, which the elements that reconnect the missing proportions. The matrix is therefore a three-dimensional presentation of a complete homey experience, and explains that the experience can only be achieved by combining the different parameters shown. The level of attainment is related to the sense of belonging of the guest. The flow is highly representational of the movement of the guests. The level of interaction reflective of the depth of connection between the guests and the room is directly related to the work of the interior designer in programming the space and their theories used in designing it. The details in the different domains can be used in the messages for communication in marketing and promotional materials, and is relevant to the work of the hoteliers. The matrix accommodates all the three perspectives into one framework and is able to connect all the theories that applied respectively.

All in all, the model represents a framework that is more comprehensive than each of the concepts alone; more indicative of the possible solutions for spatial creation, and reinforce the importance of Design Anthropology in design research by highlighting the role of design artefacts in user interaction with space; challenging existing ideas on human experiences and ecology of objects viewed separately. The complexity of the matrix and concepts used to building it not only delivers on the promise of the researcher that the findings can reconnect missing dimensions, it also aims to demonstrate how product design theory correlates the interior phenomenon, as well as theories of emotion design.

The X-axis The X-axis labeled ‘Level of Attainment’ reflects the depth of emotions engaged by the guest, say from sensing ‘comfort’, to feeling ‘secure’, to feel ‘safe’. The increase in the level of attainment will correlate to the increase in the sense of belonging and ultimately conjuring the sense of homeyness. The three keywords are identified from the findings, as the highest rated words used to describe the users emotions and feelings towards their home and guestroom. With reference to the level of emotions defined by and it was also suggested by Jaffe E. (2005) that ‘comfortable’, ‘secure’, and ‘relaxed’ are words that imply ‘feeling at home’. The findings from the research described in details in Section 4.1

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supported the notions of the theories; and when a person feels safe, he/she is relaxed. It is noted that on entering the room, the user must be able to feel comfort in the eyes, and such comfort can be achieved by helping the user to create association between the guestroom and the bedroom at home. After being able to give the user a sense of comfort, it is then important to allow them to feel ‘secure’. Research shows that after entering the room, guests after locking the door will usually check have a quick look around the room and then check the view outside the window. By doing so, the guest is in fact trying to confirm that they are inside in their own private space and can be away the public area. The finding echoes the idea in the Theory of Territoriality and the Theory of Existential Space, on establishing a sense of presence and marking one’s territority, the next step is to create a sense of security and to make the dweller feel safe. During the interview and focus group discussions with the female business travelers, it was discovered that majority of them would prefer to lock the door or switch on the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign after entering the room. The action is a sign to allow the user to feel that they are ‘secured’ and no one will be able to enter the room (their territory) as she has already claimed the space; in fact, it also correspond to the second level of attainment, and during which the user will start examining the room and having physical interaction with objects inside. The final level of ‘safe’ implies that the user feels free to doing their own (private) things, and that echoes the third level of attainment. Findings indicated that a lot of female business travelers, apart from start resting on the couch or make coffee or tea, will also like to take off their clothes and get changed (either for work or into their lounge wear). The act of changing insinuates a change of public to private life for the female business traveler; from being ‘outside’ to now ‘inside’.

The level on the X-axis is conceptual as well as literal as they represent emotions as well as actions taken by the user. The emotional keywords of the three levels contribute to the depth of the three different kinds of ‘roomscape’, marked by number of touchpoints on the Z-axis.

The Y-axis The Y-axis labeled ‘Level of Interaction’ reflects the overall experience determined by level of interaction conjured by different kinds of activities. The three levels on the axis -- i) Passing -- representing visual interaction, ii) Interacting -- suggesting physical interaction, and iii) Engaging -- implying interaction driven activities implies the building up of connections between the guest and the guestroom. The three levels are determined by the findings from the research, showing that the users usually have the first reaction and

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express emotions towards the room based on their visual interaction with it upon opening the door. They will usually try to identify an object that they can have eye contact to relate themselves with the space. The object could be an artwork, a painting, a photo, an item, or even an artwork hung on the entrance hallway or far-ends that speaks to the guest. In the case of Claska Hotel, it is the clock on the wall; as most home have a clock on the wall, the clock in the guestroom connects home feeling with entering the guestroom. At the next level, the guest may be allowed to put down his keycard on a table or tray, or to pick up a message card from the hotel manager. Findings indicated that most female business travelers prefer to have a little table or tray by the entrance, or at the end of the entrance hallway/corridor, to let them put down the keycard or their little pouch or cross-body bag. The second level is also at which the first interaction takes place, and it would be nice to have something to invite the first contact. Items should send out the message of saying welcome and ‘please pick me up’ and ‘let me show you something’ in this level. The final level is at which the interaction of an object may induce further activities, such as that by sitting down on the couch, the guest will then stretch her body before taking things out from her luggages or to make a coffee at the mini-bar. The final level also represents that the user is ‘settled’ in the guestroom, and it involves a two-step which first invite the user to rest a bit then start taking her things out from the luggage and bags and placing her things inside the guestroom; a stage which the user engage in activities that allow her to continue with everyday (or at least the few days) life. Findings indicated that majority of the female business travelers will start unpacking their bags after sitting down for a while, and a lot of them choose to first place their makeup bags in the bathroom, and some of them will hang up their outfits in the closet. Around 10% will make themselves a coffee or a cup of tea at the minibar. The activities shows that they start to feel themselves ‘at home’ in the guestroom; and the action of marking space implies the user is feeling secure and safe as suggested by the theory of ‘territoriality’; the security and safeness apply to themselves physically as well as their belongings.

The Z-axis The Z-axis, which is represented as the depth of the volume of the matrix, is indicated by ‘Touchpoints’. Consequently, the depth of the volume of the matrix is determined by the number and distance between the objects in the touchpoints, and the number of touchpoints (proximity matrix) on the map. The volume blocks marked ‘Landing Scape’, ‘Dream Scape’, and ‘Home Scape’ implies that as the user moved along the touchpoints, level of attainment increases as well as the sense of homeyness; giving rise to a deeper sense of ‘home’ and better overall spatial experience. ‘Landing Scape’ is the zone where

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initial interaction in a very brief manner is conducted, which is purely visual, similar to the visceral tier of emotional design described in Don Norman’s theory. The ‘Dream Scape’ is where physical interactions take place, similar to the behavioral tier of emotional design for objects. Guests can also be prompted to dream a bit, which suggests more inspiring objects can be used at the touchpoints. The ‘Home Scape’ can therefore be compared to the reflective level of emotional design. It was discovered in the research that the most important factor is ‘time’ in experience building since time determines the depth of a relationship and the level of emotional connection between things and people. Time in the matrix refers to ‘conceptual time’ proportional to the duration required for the guest to navigate each zone and complete the interactions, relative to the size of the room. It was noted during the shadowing exercise that the female business travelers will take around 5-10 seconds at the doorway after the entered, and majority of them have expressed some sort of positive emotions like ‘comfort’ and ‘happy’ after entering (in cases that they are pleased with the room). Majority of them will start exploring the room and also having some kind of interaction with the room, like picking up an object or touching the cushions on the couch or feeling the softness of the bedding at the next stage, which will take around 1-4 minutes. After which, they will choose to rest on the couch or at the end of the bed before unpacking. The timing was roughly estimated and averaged across the 6 shadowing exercises, and the number of touchpoints identified for the matrix was based on the tabulation of numbers of touchpoints from the exercise.

The z-axis also signifies the time/duration to complete building the homeyness experience. For example, for a guestroom of 30 sq. m., findings indicated that it will take around 3 minutes/180 seconds for the guest to complete the experience, so the first zone will take around 10 percent (approximately 11 seconds), the second zone will take around 60 percent (approximately 108 seconds), while the remaining 30 percent (approximately 61 seconds) will be spent in the third zone. Each scape/zone is proportional to the time required for the interactions to take place in order to create the right emotions and establish the connection with the space.

Landing Scape The scape is defined by emotions of comfort, and interaction on purely seeing. As indicated on the matrix, only two touchpoints are required to be created within the Landing Scape. According to the findings, female business travelers would require a place to put down their keycard or handbag on entering the room. In that regard, one of the touchpoints may include a simple tool or a small table with a tray. The Landing Scape has limited time for a

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quick first impression, and it echoes the visceral level of emotional design theory, as well as to the headline of a two-dimensional communication piece; a note from the manager or a picture/illustration may be used in one of the touchpoints. The suggestion aligns with the theory of Territoriality and Existential Space, in the creation of a territory and the definition of an initial exitence.

Dream Scape The scape is defined by a higher level of emotion of security as well as a higher level of interaction that involves a contact between the guest and objects in the guestroom. According to the findings, third touchpoints can be the window, the bathroom or the minibar area. The Dream Scape is represented by a larger volumic space, and it echoes the reflective level of emotional design theory, as well as to the body text of a two-dimensional communication piece. Objects in the three touchpoints contained in the Dream Scape should be able to arouse a sense of excitement or interest from the guest to find out more about room. The mapping of the touchpoints and objects suggested that designerly things or objects that reflect interesting local culture, which are less familiar to the guest in a certain way, are best to be placed within this scape. The Dream Scape is meant to be an area where guests are invited to imagine and ‘dream’ a bit; where new ideas balance the sense of familiarity about objects and the space to create as sense of delight.

Home Scape The scape is where the Level of Attainment and Level of Interaction is highest. The objects in the touchpoints contained in this scape are able to provide the guests the ultimate sense of homeyness. A concluding scape, the Level of Interaction is engaging, implying that the guests feel secure and safe to engage in activities that are more personal. The Home Scape echoes the behavioral level of emotional design theory, as well as to the call-to- action of a two-dimensional communication piece. Objects placed in the touchpoints within the Home Scape should be able to recall memories of home, provoking a sense of belonging for the guest. Findings indicated that the guests will also incorporate their own objects in this scape. This is where the sense of homeyness is completed.

The Prescription The research aims to challenge discipline specific studies of space, and the research findings have identified objects, emotions, and user interactions in guestrooms that contribute to the value of homeyness for female business travelers’ in Asian boutique hotel experiences. The set of values were used for setting up the matrix, and the parameters of

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the matrix can be compiled into a formula that prescribes design directions to create effective guestroom experience. By selecting the level of attainment and level of interaction, the designer or hoteliers can then determine the objects and determine the kind of activities at each touchpoint to build up the experience. The understanding can be translated into a simple formula below: E(g) = f (Att, Int, Chk)

The formula presents the ingredients to creating homeyness. E(g), which is the experience in the guestroom, equals to the function of attainment, interaction and number of touchpoints. The formula can also be translated into that ‘Homeyness’ can be experienced in levels of intensity determined by the kind of activities and emotions, and the number of objects placed in each touch point determines the intensity of experience. The formula also implies that:

Number of Touchpoints X (Level of Attainment + Level of Interaction) = Depth of Experience

The exact number of objects in each zone and the specific objects to be placed in each touchpoint will be explained in the next section. The elements contained in the formula also represent the perspectives of the different stakeholders. Objects relate to designer, as well as the hoteliers, emotions and activities are based on theoretic principles of the theorists as well as the actual experience of the users. Touchpoints are where objects are placed, the objects are a matter of the interior designer and the hoteliers. Experience involves users, and the experience can suggest emotions and keywords, which hoteliers can refer to for their marketing. Thus, cross-referencing of concepts and the incorporation of all the relevant elements of the concepts and understanding in one matrix is a way of establishing a platform where stakeholders -- designers, hoteliers and users can communicate better using a common set of language. The Matrix also resolves the meaning of 'design' in a spatial-behavioral perspective as it employs a multi-disciplinary approach that incorporates emotional and cultural considerations with objects and physical activities of the guestroom users, and promotes the idea that design is no longer delineated by disciplines.

5.3.2 The Design of a Guestroom The reconstructed model is a three-dimensional framework that resembles the structure of a room space, which represents an interaction map of objects, emotions and descriptions and suggests a pathway that not only states the attributes, parameters and

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criteria, but also determine the scenario and the activities. It forms a multi-disciplinary and three-dimensional pattern of connections and inter-related thoughts and attributes. It can be perceived as a guideline to know how we can prescribe the design of the space by knowing of activities and preferences that appeal to the potential users; in some way, desconstructing the complexity of domestic architecture.

As suggested by the findings, the design of the guest room should be similar to the design of a home in terms of layout, aesthetics and with the selection of objects to be placed inside. In Section 1.3.1, it was mentioned that there’s an ecology to a home, and a home nowadays is more than a place for activities like eating and sleeping, and could also be a place for work, exercise, party as well as meeting; the idea as supported by the findings that proven size of room does not matter and indicated that the guestroom maybe a reduced version of a home -- a condensed space where similar things and values are more tightly connected and experienced within a shorter duration (due to the time allowed for completing the experience from entrance to settling down, and from moving in to leaving the place). Reflecting on the findings which also validated the assumption that size of guestroom is not critical, and in fact, most female business travelers prefer a ‘smaller’ and more ‘efficient’ room. So based on the research, guestroom of 20 – 40 sq. m is more preferable and common. The depiction of the design of a homey guestroom below is based on guestrooms of 30 sq. m.

Layout The general layout shown below was developed out from the findings and is indicative of how the elements could be connected and presented on a two-dimensional plane. Referring to the reconstructed model, the room should be divided into three different zones. The first zone -- the Landing Scape, is the area right beyond the door of the guestroom. The Landing Scape should be able to best replica the entrance of a home in terms of emotions and physical attributes. The importance of this zone is that it’s the first impression created for the guest; like the first handshake with a new friend. The zone should have object that invites the guest to interact with, like a welcome note or a button to activate something in the room; something the guest has to touch to make into the next zone. As suggested earlier, the entrance area is an area of tradition that transcends public and private, the space should be able to bring about the impression by engaging sensory cues of different kinds.

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The second zone -- the Dream Scape, is a larger area that contains more touchpoints so to allow the guest to know more of the room; the start of a more in-depth conversation between friends. This zone is the romancing/courting area, and should contain both objects of familiarity and inspirational objects. The guest will probably spend a bit more time in this zone, and they should also be invited to explore more about the room here. The Dream Scape should contains most of the elements that can build up a sense of being home; where the feeling of being home start to sink in. As shown on the matrix, this zone contains threr touchpoints, which implies that more objects can be placed within this zone to trigger the relevant emotions and induce related activities that can help build up the right sense of homeyness.

The third zone -- the Home Scape, is where the guest will settle down in the guestroom. This zone is where the guest find her sense-of-fit and confirms her existence/relationship with the guestroom. The zone is also where the guest is farthest away from the public area behind the door. By settling in this zone, the emotions of the guest should be completed transformed, and whatever objects or activities in the zone should be able to give the guest the feeling of ‘comforts of home’ (Busch 1999).

Bubble diagrams were used for the study to consolidate the findings into a diagram with different zones and potential placement of objects for the development of floorplans of guestrooms. The diagram in Figure. 42 shows how the information were overlaid, corresponding to the different roomscapes in the Matrix. Figure. 43 shows one of the floorplans developed out of the findings.

Figure. 42 Bubble Diagram of the Design of a Guestroom Suggested by the FIndings

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Figure. 43 Floorplan of Guestroom Rendering by Ivan Yan M.H. April 2019

Schematic The suggested schematic was a result of comments contributed by the subjects who attended the focus groups. The card-sorting exercise have helped to identify the most preferred look and feel of guest room for most female business travelers. On entering the room, the aesthetics level is important as that matches to the visceral level. Then cues should lead the guest to go inside and explore some functions that he/she may find relevant; that part matches the behavioral level. These first two zones are important to create a sense of familiarity. The duration between the visceral level and behavioral level should be short in order to achieve the result. Aesthetically, the three zones should have the smallest touch to enhance the feeling and the interaction, while also being able to create a harmonic effect to the overall décor and ambience. Since it may be difficult to cater the color scheme of the room to the preference of each guest, it may be safer to use a universally generic color like white or beige. The room the becomes a canvas for the guest to paint their imaginations. As Bachelard said, “the simpler the image, the vaster the dream” (1969); which implies that the simpler the decor, the vaster the imagination. The zones can also be defined with different floorings, as the contact under the feet can be an effective emotional driver. While a more generic and simpler feel can be used in the Landing Scape, the Dream Scape should contain more exciting messages. Messages can be translated into color, textures as all as aroma, so to let the guest enter a slightly more adventurous experience in this zone. Items should include things that are familiar, but also new, such as designer objects and cultural objects of local flavors.

According to Robert Sommer (2007), “architecture may be beautiful, but it should be more than that; it must enclose space in which certain activities can take place comfortably and efficiently”. The most obvious part of his theory indicated that there is a close connection

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between environmental form and human behavior; his analysis, also refers not just to physical activities, but also objects that frame a particular kind of activity.

Objects The objects selected for the example, are exactly those represented on the image cards for the card-sorting exercise, which correspond to emotions and also imply certain preferred activities. The ‘Landing Scape’ as two touchpoints and each should have an object placed in the zone as cues to invite entrance. Since physical interaction is minimal, a simple visual cue like a painting, or an accent wall of relevant pattern will help to achieve this very quick sense of association between the guest and the room; as suggested by the existential space concept that such will ensure that the guest feels ‘connected’ with the space. Apart from the visual cure, a small object, like a tray or a message card, can help to induce the first interaction, that can help to build up the sense of attainment and homeyness. The further half of the room, marked as the ‘Dream Scape’, is the reflective level, where there should corners and objects that invite the guest to explore and conduct physical interaction with the room. Designer objects or objects related to local flavors of the city are best to be placed in this zone. It is also anticipated that this zone should be largest (as it includes three touchpoints) in order for the guests to configure their own territory in order to intensify the level of interaction to attain higher level of attainment. The interactions between the guest and the objects in the room help the guest to ‘mark her territory’, as suggested what animals would do in the nature by the territoriality concept. For female business travelers, the creation of gendered spaces is also important. Different from general business travelers, it is very important for female business travelers to mark their private corner by placing their bag or personal belongings down somewhere in this zone. In that regard, a bench or desk could be placed in this zone, as well the mini-bar could be placed here. The bed area (which includes the bed and the couch) should be placed in ‘Home Scape’ of the guestroom. Bed as an object of familiarity that symbolizes home and privacy, and also an object that allows for ultimate kind of personal activities to take place. The couch is the object that signifies the end of the journey of exploration and in this zone, the guest and the guest room is ‘connected’; the sense of homeyness has been confirmed. Photos in Figure. 44 shows the kind of objects to be used in each touchpoints of the three roomscapes; the photos are taken from those presented by the targets in the early stage of the research and are only indicative of the style.

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Figure. 44 Concept Board indicating Objects for the Different Roomscapes

The discussions above demonstrate how the Matrix can be used as a framework for creating an ideal guestroom experience for female business travelers in a boutique hotel. The design model opens to a new complexity of thinking that aim to foster further discussions in multi-disciplinary studies and cross-disciplinary research.

According to the findings, an ideal guestroom for business travelers should be laid out in a way that divides the floor into zones that correlates the tier of creation a good emotion design; in the case of a guestroom -- a comfortable and efficient guestroom. Objects of familiarity to be placed in the first two zones, and objects that are inspirational should be at the further end in the ‘Home Scape’. Best if the furnishing is moveable in the ‘Dream Scape’ so that the guest feel free to move things around after settling down. The moving of furniture is like allowing the guest to personalize his/her story, creates new proportion and renew touchpoints. The prototype is more prescriptive in a way that it clearly defines touchpoints, flow, visual elements, and predicts emotions and activities. People will be able to enjoy the privacy more if they are allowed to arrange (objects and activities) in their own space. Similarly, Yi Fu Tan has stated in his book Space and Place (2001) that only by changing a space to a place can one find freedoms and sense of attachment, and that a space is defined by the place and the objects in it. He further commented that (positive) experience is the result of (positive) sensation, perception and conception; when a person has established connection with the space through the objects within.

The floorplan created based on the prescription developed from the matrix should be indicative of possible direction for designing the space and also creating marketing messages; giving hoteliers and marketing professional more solid contents for advertising and promotion campaigns. In terms of designing, the designer can find better connections

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between the use of color, objects and materials to emotions, as well as configuring spaces within the room. Therefore, designer can tell more to hoteliers about how homeyness can be created by bringing in ideas and description of emotional design and sense of space, while hoteliers and marketing professionals can tell better stories of how their hotel creates a good ‘home away from home’ experience than just promoting hotel as home. Once the different concepts are in place, the designers will know where to put the sockets and the hoteliers will find the right word to talk to their target guests. Figure. 45 shows the floorplan with indication of where furniture can be placed.

Figure. 45 Floorplan of Guestroom with Indicative Furniture Setting Rendering by Ivan Yan M.H. April 2019

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CONCLUSION __ It was in 2011 and I had just started a new role that required frequent traveling around Asia, with the need to check into different hotels, created an urge -- stemmed from love as well as frustration -- to learn more about hotel and guestroom design. This urge fostered an interest to spend weekends in bookstores and libraries looking for books related to hotel design. Disappointingly, most of the books I found either look like catalogs selling hotels or textbooks about interior design theories and principles with advice on how to select materials and furnishing. Many of the books, articles and materials used the term ‘emotional design’, and accordingly, it was identified as a key factor driving design directions in both products and interior space. And at that time, a lot of businesses were beginning to put a strong emphasis on creating pleasant and memorable experiences for customers (Schmitt 1999, Diller, Sherdoff & Rhea 2006), and the findings from different market reports for both hospitality and retail industry have proven that emotion in design is a key driver to business successes. Since then, emotional design has become a progressive trend engaged in business strategies as emotions became the new research frontier (Lo 2007). Trained in communication and advertising design and with experience working in marketing, interior and interactive design, the complex background and know- how (and a mind that tend to favor complexity and versatility rather than simplicity and routine) inspired in me the possibility of conducting the research with a multidisciplinary approach -- integrating knowledge from marketing, communication, and spatial design to examine how user experience bridges the different dimensions of design. In fact, the definition of design nowadays has gone beyond the traditional disciplinary approach, as Prof. K.P Lee, Dean of the School of Design, Hong Kong Polytechnic stated in a Hong Kong-Mainland forum in April 2019, “the role of designers should not be discipline specific, rather, they all are designing conversations that allow the product or service to talk to their users to co-create the experience together; as emotions change, connections change and relationships change. As designers, we are dealing with interfaces and systems instead”. His comments reinforced the approached of this research and the development of the new model which connects the stakeholders, suggesting that design should be interactive and can be empowering.

A New Approach for New Findings The resulting research focused on the environmental-behavioral exploration of hotel guestrooms has taken an ethnographic approach in the early stage and then a phenomenological approach in the latter, and aimed to answer the question: How do

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female business travelers conceive a lodging experience that can compare to their experience at home through interacting with objects and engaging in activities, inside guestrooms of lifestyle boutique hotels around Asia? The comprehensive review of related literature and intensive field work over almost three years have concluded the research with positive results, and met the objectives of the initial intention. Fundamentally, the findings strongly supported the initial thesis that there is a close connection between the sense of place in the bedroom and the guestroom; therefore, it is possible to design a guestroom that feels like home to reinvent the emotional aspect by setting up the room in a way that creates the right flow of emotions, and generates the appropriate sense of ‘homeyness’ -- safety and comfort. And to accomplish that, it is important for the interior designers and hoteliers to understand how the guestroom can be zoned up by different ‘roomscapes’ that contains different levels of attainment of emotions and interactions. And in each of the ‘roomscapes’, ‘touchpoints’ that involve different level of interactions and also marks the flow of the navigation should created. The designer and hotelier need to place the right objects (and number of right objects) in the relevant ‘touchpoints’, so to build up the sense of ‘homeyness’ for the female business travelers as they navigate through the room and create their ‘sense of home’ by applying meanings and values to objects based on their own experiences and memories; and by interacting with the objects and placing their personal objects (out of their luggage that they brought from home) at the touchpoints, the objects will be connected to aggregate the emotions of ‘being home’ for them.

The two-tiered approach, with an ethnographical approach in the beginning and a theoretical approach at the latter stage, has allowed the researcher to uncover answers that supported or countered the assumptions made against the questions within the Q.A.M.E. framework, categorized across three domains -- guestroom design, user experience, and hotel marketing. The key points that summarized the answers to those were i) size of room is related to ‘flow’ and ‘relativity’ rather than ‘dimension’, and that multisensory experiences create a ‘total’ lodging experience, ii) the activities conducted in room and objects contribute to creating the experience, and most business travelers would prefer ‘enticement’ over ‘comfort’ when selecting a hotel, and ‘security’ is the feeling that makes hotel more homely, iii) expectations of hotel guests are pretty universal and not exactly patterned by regional culture. Based on the above, hotel marketing strategy should focus on multi-sensory experiences rather than either functional descriptions of what the hotel offers. The answers to the assumptions from the two-tiered approached have stretched the depth of the answer to the question by providing details and defining the

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elements for the prescription, that can achieve the objective of establishing ‘homeyness’ for the female business travelers.

Although the actual field work for the research was done during 2013 and 2014, recent studies conducted in Asia and other ciites (Zipkin 2015, Deloitte 2018, Global Business Travel 2018, Aubrun 2019) indicate that the information gathered by the researcher in the beginning is still relevant, or even becoming more relevant despite advances in technology that have made telecommuting and live-streaming conferences and events commonplace; business travel continues to boom. A study conducted by an independent agent in the beginning of 2018 indicated that business travel sector is expected to rise by 4% with China seeing the biggest rise, with the most common business traveler’s destinations being USA, UK, China, Japan, and Germany. The report on business travelers from Upside Travel Company, a business-travel booking site based in Washington, D.C., indicated that in 2017 more than 514 million business trips were taken with a total economic impact of US$424 billion. While men still make up a large portion of those who travel for work each year, the number of female business travelers have been increasing significantly (2018). In a recent research conducted by Forbes, a senior contributor commented that “more than half of corporate travel buyers say they have a higher percentage of females in their traveling populations than just three to five years ago” (2018).

Apart from that the industry finding which confirmed the statistical fact of the growing market, researches were conducted by UK, Singapore and Malaysia also indicated that there is close connection between the increase of female business travelers and the increasing number of boutique hotels being launched (Agget 2016, Henderson 2011, Marzuki, Chin, Razak, 2018). Apparently, the growth of research built around the parameters of female and business travels confirmed a stronger correlation between hotel and the target subject. As suggested in the finding of the research conducted over 218 Malaysian female business travelers indicated that characteristics such as comfort and safety, which are highly specific to home, were favoured over others preferences during the selection of hotel accommodation during business trips (Marzuki, Chin, Razak, 2018). Also, recent studies have suggested many of these female business travelers are looking at spending time after work in the place they visit. According to Expedia Media Solutions’ Bleisure Study, 43% of business trips today are bleisure trips (2018). So apart from the boutique hotel phenomenon that has transformed the hotel industry in the early year 2000’s and with bleisure continuing to trend, learning how to attract and retain the loyalty

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of female business travelers is becoming more complex and crucial for hotel brands who want to maintain their competitive edge.

Moreover, ‘Sense of Place’ has continued to become one of hotel marketing’s buzzwords, and creating a ‘homey’ feeling to guestroom is becoming the focus of new hotel design, especially for hotel targeted at business travelers as a result. Not surprisingly, the trend of creating women-only floors in hotels, after a slight plummet in 2013 notably in a number of hotels like Shangri-la, Mira Moon and Fleming in Hong Kong have closed down the women-only floors, have also returned. With more hotels paying closer attention to the needs of female leisure and business travelers, creating environments that allow women to feel safe while away from home, the competition for this target group has quickly intensified and become a priority across all hotel groups. ‘MGallery by Sofitel’ of Groups was one of the first amongst major hotel groups to respond. After conducting a survey of 250 women customers who are members of Accor’s loyalty program, ‘MGallery by Sofitel’ rolled out the programme called ‘Inspired by her’ - a special range of services for women - in 2016. The benefits of the programme echoed the findings from the survey, focusing on the importance of providing a safe and comfortable environment, the peace of mind and well-being derived from suitable welcome products and stopgap solutions, and a healthy, well-balanced and varied food and beverage offer. On arriving, the guests will be presented with a document that described the full list of services, and she will be able to choose the location and size of the room, as well as other host of special attentions, such as robe in her size and a wide range of teas. The initiative taken by ‘MGallery by Sofitel’ of Accor Groups has kicked-off to a next phase of its female-focused travel offering, in a push by the hotel to anticipate and respond to the demands of their globally-minded female clientele. And in doing so, ‘MGallery by Sofitel’ has secured its positioning as the brand of choice for female travelers around the world since then. The launch and success of the programme not only reflected the growing importance of female travel, but also signified the beginning of a new era in hotel business development with a new focus on emotional design and UX (user experience design) targeting customers’ needs and enhancing their experience in hospitality design. While traditional approaches to learning about guests’ needs is important, the ability to exercise creativity in designing research strategies and injecting new parameters to develop new benchmarking standard is even more critical (Dzhandzhugazova et al., 2015). The systematic and ubiquitous use of innovations to ensure the growth of enterprise performance is now recognized by a wide range of researchers and practicing managers in the industry.

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New Definitions The research question may reflect multiple perspectives, but can also be translated into a fundamental exploration of how design researchers might predict the ways in which people will respond to the environment by better understanding how people construct meanings for objects and visual cues so as to create an experience for themselves. Specifically, if boutique hotels are marketed as better than home, how do female travelers construct notions of home and engage in activities that make the lodging experience more homey in hotels? The research, focus on female business travelers, boutique hotel design, guestroom, and experience around Asia, represents a new kind of design research from which insights/models can be generated by involving interdisciplinary study and a creative approach in cross-referencing ideas and concepts in professional practices and theoretical knowledge. After almost four years of study and research, the findings indicated that clearly that guestroom design contains elements and values that resonant those in bedroom design; and in fact, there seems to be a fuzzier definition between the approach to designing them due to a rise in frequent traveling. Monika Moser, in a recent article, stated that “designers and hotel developers are more and more confronted with the trend of creating unexpected experiences in their hotels” (2018), while that may apply to hotel design and expectations of hotel guests in general, majority of business travelers expect to find a sense of ‘homeyness’ during their stay at any hotel; especially female business travelers. The research has attained the aim to identify the value of ‘homeyness’ in female business travelers’ Asian boutique hotel experiences, by reconstructing the flow by assimilating objects, emotions, and user interactions in guestrooms; generating a set of knowledge through its findings for creating more relevant lodging experiences when at home, in hotels or other spaces targeting females of high mobility. The set of values can be used by designers to prescribe a design direction that facilitates the user’s navigation and compile the required experience. It also resolves the meaning of 'design' in a spatial- behavioral perspective, by employing a multi-disciplinary approach that incorporates emotional and cultural considerations with objects and physical activities of the guestroom users.

Most importantly, this research is able to instate that design is no longer delineated by disciplines, and can demonstrate how concepts can expand beyond and extend across disciplines, a piece that exemplifies how PhD in design can be a drive to “shift object- centered paradigm to design practice characterized by systems” (Meredith 2008) -- from the taxonomy of hotel to ontology of hotel living, extending into ecology of objects, emotions and activities, and arrive at the axiology of values; and helps to project about

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design indicators of priorities. By conducting the research and engaging the related activities such as shadowing and focus group discussion, the researcher has demonstrated how, by shifting the paradigm and increasing the level of participation of the target audience, the control of designing can be shifted from designer to involving users. By comparing and combining the theories of interior/spatial design to emotional design in products in the construction of the matrix, the researcher further has successfully illustrated the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration. The matrix shows the importance of systems instead of singular touchpoints/objects in the design process. The connection between the touchpoints also signifies the importance of diversified knowledge, collaborations, and the development of platforms for communications amongst stakeholders who are involved in the process. The knowledge gained and the new theoretical model justified that multi-dimensional approach is relevant to relate the multidisciplinary aspects, and suggested the need for designers to work across dimensions (emotional and cultural considerations with objects and physical activities) and hoteliers to create a better storyline for their advertising campaigns and promotions.

New Model The matrix constructed out of the findings echoes Corbusier’s concept that “the house is a machine for living in” (1986), it visualizes the ‘machine’ in a systematic way, and provides clues to how the system can be created by injecting the right ingredients into the building. The study of guestroom design in this research basically investigates the human drive for survival, safety, love, respect, and self-enticement; as Ils Crawford defined it as simple as a reclamation and reintegration of human elements into the place we inhabit (2005). The X, Y and Z axes of the matrix form a three-dimensional volume that contains parameters for measuring i) ‘Level of Attainment’ -- determined by feeling of ‘comfort’, ‘secure’, and ‘safe’, ii) ‘Level of Interaction’ -- derived by passing, interaction, and engaging driven activities, and iii) ‘Depth of Connection’ -- represented by touchpoints divided into three volume blocks labeled as ‘Landing Scape’, ‘Dream Scape’, and ‘Home Scape’; also replicate the volume and the elements that contribute to the sense of ‘homeyness’ in a guestroom. The matrix constructed out of the findings and literature review can be used as a guideline for developing models for other spaces, and for learning more about ‘homeyness’; which can be expanded into identifying how we can improve our lives and our activities in different places. Further research can be developed to test the validity of the matrix across different contexts, and on different emotions required for spaces of varying nature. As suggested in Chapter Four under the discussion about hotel and home, ‘physicality’ could be a limitation in the creation of ‘homeyness’, but that also implies

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potential study of how the surrounding environment (the geographic location of the space) can help to compliment weaknesses in the physical space itself.

While the work done has provided answers to the question from the proposed research, analysis of numerical data collected and interview transcripts of female business travelers, guestroom experiences and design are valuable and abundant. Such findings include i) the representation of female business travelers, ii) their considerations when choosing hotels, iii) recent experiences in guestrooms, iv) their way around the room and in-room activities, v) how they feel in the guestroom and their definition of ‘homeyness’, vi) the positioning of different hotels and how they promote themselves to the guests, and vii) the way designers create a guestroom experience. All of these can be shared with hoteliers, designers, and marketers as ideas for creating more effective campaigns that cater to female guests. The findings can also be used to develop a set of knowledge, from redefining flow based on the user and object interactions in guestrooms, to form a framework that encompasses the different languages and parameters of the different disciplines. As explained earlier, the matrix developed out of the findings is a conversion from a two-dimensional perspective into a three-dimensional framework that represents elements that contribute to a complete homey experience, and explains that the experience can only be achieved by combining the different parameters shown. The framework containing components extracted from the different disciplines of anthropology, psychology, sociology, architecture, hospitality and interior design, is comprehensible by practitioners in the fields, and can be applied to the creation of living experiences at home, in hotels or in other spaces that are targeting people of high mobility. The level of attainment reflected by kinds of interaction is directly related to the work of the interior designer in programming the space and their theories used in designing it. The sense of ‘homeyness’ is constructed by emotional aspects that can be reflected through marketing and promotional materials, and is relevant to the work of the hoteliers. The flow is highly representational of the movement of the guests. Therefore the matrix is able to put all the three subjects into one framework, and also be able to connect all the theories that applied respectively, the extracted commonalities within the new framework are the elements/components that can be used to prescribe solutions for making guestrooms more ‘homey, or even more ‘homey’ than homes. Moreover, the framework of the research can be applied for studying into targets of different sex, background, culture and profile.

In summing up the uniqueness and contributions of this research, the matrix developed from the findings may have some limitations; as created by the context and elements used

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in the research. At a discussion with the current Chairman of HKIDA, Mr. Karr Ip, at the Business of Design Week forum held in December 2018 in Hong Kong, he has pointed out the emotions used in the study may be too limiting, and it may be possible to use the matrix as a testing models to check on how emotions may affect the guest experience; and how the volume of the different ‘roomscapes’ may vary if the number of check points increases or decreases. Moreover, the measurements on emotions on the matrix is now confined to positive emotions, the researcher wondered whether negative emotions can actually be relevant in the creation of space and experience; like when designing a theme park during Halloween, for example. In that case, the three levels of interaction, physical on the Y-axis can still apply. On the X-axis, the ‘Level of Attainment’ may then be changed to ‘Level of Anxiety’, reflecting the emotions of negative ones like ‘fear’, ‘despair’ and ‘anger’ possibly. The touchpoints in Z-axis will then become ones that are threating rather than welcoming as in a hotel. Relatively, the values of objects can be applied differently if the space and location is different, and the subject group are coming from different backgrounds. While suggesting that implies certain limitations to the matrix, it is also indicating the unlimited potential of the matrix given its multidisciplinary configuration. The research methods used and the interconnected nature of the research methodology also contribute to the design of hotels and beyond. The processes and tools used in this research can be applied to other areas and industries, increasing the value and importance of the work beyond that portrayed by the title. Further research could uncover how universal the model can be and whether the descriptive nature can be affected if the macro environment changes, such as economic shifts due to technological advances or the rise of new developments in business travel or hotel design.

Aside from the possible changes which may impact on the uniqueness of this research, as of today, the research is original as recent research on hotel experience is primarily either in the realm of visually-oriented ‘coffee table’ design books or marketing studies and, although some research may have taken an ethnographic approach, they have not defined a strong focus especially on women as business travelers within an Asian context, and engaged a multi-disciplinary approach directed at the relationship between users’ emotions, objects and the environment in boutique hotels, especially inside guestrooms. The research challenged the use of single concept in the exploration of a topic/theme, and with the cross-disciplinary analytical approach, be able to suggest a new format for multi- disciplinary study. The model also demonstrated that concepts that are related to a similar context could be built on a common ground, and besides that ideas can be cross- referenced, practitioners of the related fields can borrow each other’s philosophies and

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knowledge; which then redefine the scope of work for each of them and can also resolve the meaning of design in spatial context that extends beyond measuring distance between things and coordinating schemes with forms.

New Directions Although this research started in 2011, recent research on female business travelers and their hotel accommodation preferences reconfirmed the validity of the research intention, and in fact, suggested the visionary perspective of the researcher in proposing the research at the very beginning. Recent reports by hotelmanagement.net and deloitte.com have focused on topics like guestroom entertainment trends, guestroom controls and security. Hotel groups have also started conducting their own research from data collected from visiting guests, Accor Hotels and InterContinental Hotel Groups have both published annual trend reports, in which they identified key success factors for sustainable growth related to creating better guest experience through histories and stories. The latest report by ambius.com (a blog dedicated to interior design for commercial space) highlighted the importance of creating experience through showcasing local culture, experiences, and creating co-work//life spaces in hotels, as they have found out that Millennials are driving co-living/working economy. This key finding indicated that a hotel is no longer just an establishment that provides lodging, but rather, a place where different kind of activities take place to complete the life experience of the guests; the room is the space in which hotels will make the biggest impact and which they receive the greatest ROI (return-on- investment). An analysis of women-only hotel accommodation in India (Seth, 2018) has defined a close reference of the specific needs of Asian female business travelers to the increase of women-only floors in many hotels. Although the research may be confined by the cultural constraints of the Indian culture, most of the finding can be applied to women of other nationalities (Seth, 2018). Like suggested in the finding that the arrangement of amentities in hotel guestrooms of female business travelers closely resembled the way they are usually arranged at homes of the female business travelers, which can be translated into supporting the notion the importance of the value of homeyness in creating the preferred hotel experience for female business travelers and implied an urgency of paying more attention to the growing sector.

In conclusion, travel today -- be it for business or leisure -- is all about experience. Most guests expect every stay to provide them with an interesting and enriching experience. The term ‘experience economy’, first coined by B. Joseph Pine II and James H. Gilmore (1998) in Harvard Business Review, implied the need to create memories as products

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(services in the case of traveling and hotel stay). Guests staying in hotels are moving steadily towards experience-based consumption for the services, in which emotional experiences is becoming just as important as the physical one. As suggested by Richard Graham in his article Creating the Guest Experience on a Multi-sensory Level, he stated that “a memorable hotel stay relies heavily on a sensory experience … constructing an innovative, custom adventure for the guest is that sets modern (boutique) hotels apart from the rest” (2018). The comment reinforced the relevance and importance of this research. A hotel has evolved from just a place to sleep to a place where guests find their peace-of- mind; it’s an immersive experience where memories are created and revisited, and where dreams are envisaged and realized. In fact, the boutique concept is revolutionary in nature as it implies a whole new way of doing business, not just for the hotel industry, but can also apply to other businesses. This new way of doing business will require a whole new way of acquiring knowledge and the ability of the industry to be more universal in their understanding of things that may directly or indirectly affect the business environment; supporting the engagement of system-thinking, which implies a holistic approach to analysis that focuses on the way that a system's constituent. The thinking behind this research and the creation of the matrix reinforces the current industry trend, and this thesis, will provide insights to stakeholders more than any single publication or book do by somehow inviting them to reconsider the way they think and look at their own business and the way they are going to work with each other.

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List of Charts and Diagrams

Figure. 1 Diagram of the Construct of Research showing Fundamental Question, Focus and Perspectives

Figure. 2 Photo of Mandarin Oriental in 1963

Figure. 3 Photos taken in Lift Lobby of Different Floors inside Home Hotel in Taipei

Figure. 4 Photo of Conrad Hotel Yellow Rubber Ducky

Figure. 5 Photo of Peninsula Hotel Red Lacquer Soap Box

Figure. 6 Diagram Showing How the Two Approaches are Related and Implemented in the Different Stages

Figure. 7 Diagram Explaining the Process of Selection and Shortlisting of Female Business Travelers

Figure. 8 Diagram Presenting Stages of Research in Relations to the Different Theories and Methodologies Used on Studying about the Object and Subjects

Figure. 9 Photos of Floor Plans and Field Notes Taken During Hotel Visits

Figure. 10 Photo of Rough Sketches of Models Conceived in the Early Stages of the Research

Figure. 11 Screen cap of Facebook Page ‘Better Than Home’ created in April 2014

Figure. 12 Flow Diagram Illustrating Stage One of the Research, Methodologies Implemented and Research Objectives

Figure. 13 Sample of a Map Created by Researcher Showing the Navigation Pattern and Objects during Face-to-Face Interview

Figure. 14 Sample of Matrix used for Analyzing Relationship between Objects and Activities

Figure. 15 Maps Created by Researcher Showing the Navigation Pattern and Objects during Face-to-Face Interview

Figure. 16 Concept Maps of Guestrooms Showing Objects, Activities and Emotions

Figure. 17 Flow Diagram Illustrating Stage Two of the Research

Figure. 18 Sample of an Ethnographic Modeling Tree Created for the Analysis

Figure. 19 Screen Cap of the Facebook Page ‘Maiden Voyage’

Figure. 20 Cluster Diagram showing Relationship between Objects and Different Emotions

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Figure. 21 Two Guestroom Configurations with Mapping of Cards

Figure. 22 Flow Diagram Illustrating Stage Three of the Research

Figure. 23 Infographics Showing Background of Research Population

Figure. 24 Chart Showing Hotel Choice and Rating of Selection Considerations

Figure. 26 Photo of the Tea Tray and Welcome Message with Local Candies at Kanra Hotel in Kyoto

Figure. 27 Chart Showing Data Collected from Maps Created on Sequence of Touchpoints

Figure. 28 Photo of the Small Table at inside the Guestroom of Ritz Carlton Hotel in Shenzhen

Figure. 29 Diagram Showing the Matching Up of Objects Collected in Bedroom and those in Guestroom against Emotions and sense of ‘Familiar’ and ‘New’

Figure. 30 Diagram Showing the Mapping of Description and Areas in a Guestroom

Figure. 31 Chart Showing Percentage Distribution of Personal Objects Brought Along by Female Business Trips to Guestrooms

Figure. 32 Photo of Rabbit-shaped Paper Clips in Mira Moon Hotel, Hong Kong

Figure. 33 Photo of Rubber Swan in the Bathroom of Langham Hotel, Shenzhen

Figure. 34 Screen Cap of Mira Moon Hotel with the Story of the Rabbit

Figure. 35 Photos of the Rooms of Eslite Hotel in Taipei (top) and the South Beach in Singapore (bottom)

Figure. 36 Floor Plan of Standard Room at Hotel East in Hong Kong

Figure. 37 Floor Plan and List of Features of Standard Room at Little Tai Hang in Hong Kong

Figure. 38 Photo of the Book at the Bedside Table of Chez Nous in Taipei

Figure. 39 Photo of the Designer Cup of Home Hotel in Taipei

Figure. 40 Diagram Showing the Comparison of Product Design Theory, Interior Phenomenon and Communication Design Flow

Figure. 41 The Matrix

Figure. 42 Bubble Diagram of the Design of a Guestroom Suggested by the Findings

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Figure. 43 Floorplan of Guestroom

Figure. 44 Concept Board indicating Objects for the Different Roomscapes

Figure. 45 Floorplan of Guestroom with Indicative Furniture Setting

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Appendix A SUHREC approval form and Confirmation Emails

HUMAN RESEARCH ETHICS COMMITTEE APPLICATION FOR ETHICS APPROVAL of a RESEARCH PROTOCOL SECTION A: GENERAL INFORMATION [Nb This application form should not be used for research involving clinical trials or ionising radiation. See below.**]

PROJECT FULL Better than Home - the cultural value of homeyness in female travelers’ Asian hotel experiences through TITLE the analysis of user and object relationship in guestrooms SHORT TITLE Better than Home – Homeyness in female traveler’s Asian hotel experience (If applicable) APPLICANT DETAILS RESPONSIBLE Name & Title/Position: Elizabeth Tunstall, Associate Professor, Design Anthropology SWINBURNE FIRST INVESTIGATOR / Tel No(s) 03 9214 6086 SUPERVISOR (Where project is part of Email [email protected] Fax student research degrees or dissertations, Senior Swinburne Supervisor Faculty / School / Centre / Institute: …………………………………… must still be listed as the Swinburne Status: Swinburne Staff Member Adjunct Staff Member first investigator) Address for correspondence: Swinburne Faculty of Design 144 High Street, Building PA Prahran, VIC 3181 Main Student Investigator(s): Grace Lau, Academic Coordinator, CityU SCOPE Please complete as clearly as possible. Email [email protected] Tel No(s) +85290352712 (For Honours, higher degree and discrete Student ID Number 7247478 Fax student projects.) Degree Being Undertaken : PhD in Design

List below the names of other Chief/Associate Investigators and Research Assistants (including those with access to identifiable data). (Add (copy/paste) cells as required for additional investigators/assistants. Append Student lists for class projects.) Name & Title: Daniel Huppatz, Sr. Lecturer, Interior Design

Institutional Address: Swinburne University of Technology, Faculty of Tel No(s) Design 144 High Street, Building PA Prahran, VIC 3181 03 9214 6932

Name & Title/Position: Agustin Chevez, Sr. Lecturer, Interior Design Institutional Address: Swinburne University of Technology, Faculty of Tel No(s) Design 144 High Street, Building PA Prahran, VIC 3181 03 9214 6096

Proposed Period During Which Human Research From 01 08 2013 to 31 12 2015 Activity Requiring Ethics Approval is Needed: dd mm yyyy dd mm yyyy

[Double-click on YES/NO 'check box' to select box, then enter Default Value as Checked or leaving as Not Checked ]

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TYPE OF ACTIVITY Research by Staff Member Contract Research (Attach copy of contract) (Select as many boxes Supervised Postgraduate Research Supervised Undergraduate Research as applicable) Supervised Class Projects: No of students involved: Subject Code & Short Title:

Broad Category of Research Select one category box which best fits the application: Social/Cultural/Humanities Business/Management Education/Training/Program Evaluation Psychological/Brain/Neuro-sciences Health/Safety Engineering/Science/Technology Other (please specify) Interdisciplinary across design, anthropology, business, and technology [** For research involving Clinical Trials or Ionising Radiation, please contact the Research Ethics Officer.]

Official Use Only: Higher Risk/Impact Minimal Risk/Low Impact Research Only SUHREC SHESC (HBS - A / B) SHESC (SBT - A / B) Other Notification Only

Human Research Risk/Review Classification (Nb Checking to be consistent with published risk criteria.#) To enable a determination as to whether prima facie your research activity is Minimal Risk and/or Low Impact, please clarify by selecting [X] any one or more boxes below as to whether your research activity involves:

[Double-click on YES /NO 'check box' to select X by entering in Default Value as Checked or leaving as Not Checked ] or Special Cultural/Ethnic groups ٭Indigenous Peoples ٭Vulnerable participants, children or those dependent on care

٭Multi-centre/Other sites requiring HREC-level approval ٭Externally funded research requiring HREC-level clearance

Research conducted overseas Conflicts of interest or dual researcher-professional roles

٭Data access/use subject to statutory guidelines &/or reporting ٭Data access/use without an individual’s prior consent

٭Identification of participant individuals/groups in research outcomes without full consent or there is unclear consent for this

(commercial, professional, cultural, etc ,٭regulatory compliance ,٭Sensitive information/issues vis-à-vis context/impact (legal

Personally intrusive/confronting or quite inconvenient/embarrassing questioning or other activity

(clothing change, etc ,٭MRI ,٭CT scan ,٭X-ray ,٭Physically confining/invasive techniques or significant physical contact/stimulation (TMS

(etc ,٭war or civil strife ,٭infectious disease ,٭Working in hazardous environments (asbestos dust

etc) or equipment ,٭explosives , ٭radioactive material ,٭Handling hazardous substances (eg, asbestos

Administration of other (non-medical) substances/treatments ٭treatments/٭Administration of medical/herbal substances

٭activity/٭Non-minimal impact therapeutic or other devices ٭therapy/٭Health/medical diagnosis

٭Screening for healthy participant inclusion/exclusion Medical or psychiatric assessment/conditions

Serious psychological profiling, investigation or exploration Withdrawal of treatment/services or use of placebo

Withdrawal/substitution of educational/professional/commercial/recreational/other programs or services

Deception or covert observation Limited or non-disclosure of research information/procedures

Participant recruitment/selection via third party Human research activity commenced without clearance

Participation incentives, prizes or significant payments Research placing researchers/assistants at risk

PLEASE NOTE: If you have selected any one or more of the above boxes, your project will ordinarily be put for SUHREC must be put to SUHREC proper. But in other cases, you may wish to put a case for ٭ ethical review. Items above marked expedited review by a SUHREC Sub-Committee (SHESC) in the (expandable) box below in relation to the criteria for determining risk/impact. If you put forward a case, then in the first instance your application will be put to the relevant

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SHESC; however, the relevant SHESC may still consider the project needs full SUHREC appraisal or SUHREC may review or override the SHESC decision. We wish to make the case that this project is low risk and thus should be reviewed by the SHESC. The criteria for low risk is that it does NOT target specified or vulnerable populations, ask about sensitive issues, use limited consent, or consists any sort of health related procedures. The project targets adult women who travel for business and ask them about their experiences in hotels with full consent. Although it is being conducted overseas, the student researcher is from and lives in Hong Kong, speaks the required languages fluently, and is familiar with all of the cultural nuances of the Asian research sites.

Risk/Impact Checked with a Research & Ethics Advisor (REA)? Yes No REA Comment, Initials & Date:

….…………………..….…………………..….…………………..….…………………..….……………..….…………………

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A1 WHY IS THE PROJECT TO BE UNDERTAKEN Summarise in sufficient detail why the project is being undertaken. If references are quoted, full citations should be given. Include the educational and/or scientific aims of the project. (boxes will expand for your text)

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The Boutique-Hotel phenomenon has transformed the hotel industry in the last decade. The more successful boutique hotels have now adopted a new mentality that combines interior design with close attention to the needs of individuals. Calling themselves ‘Lifestyle Hotels’ – which aim to provide inspirational lifestyles – some are attached to the names of famous designers such as Andree Putman, Philippe Starck, Martin Margiela, and Rene Lezard. Consequently, travelers are beginning to relate to lifestyle hotels as ‘home away from home’, and interior designers now emphasize how they are creating hotels like homes; or even better than home. The proposed research project aims to investigate the guestroom design of boutique hotels, and to answer the question – How do female business travelers create a lodging experience that can compare to their experience at home, through the meaning they assign to their interactions with the objects and environments inside Asian boutique hotel guestrooms? The question can be translated into a fundamental exploration of how design researchers might predict/prescribe the ways in which people will respond to the environment by better understanding how people construct the meanings of objects placed within it. Specifically, if boutique hotels are marketed as better than home, how do female travelers construct notions of home and then engage in activities that make the lodging experience more homey in hotels around Asia? By answering the research question, the study will also uncover the relations between, i) the changing living habits and patterns of females living and/or traveling in Asia, and their cultural preferences for specific guestroom spatial designs; and ii) the individual’s culturally- mediated personal values that shape the lodging experience and the meaning of objects for females from different cultural background. Ultimately, the research will generate a set of knowledge for creating more relevant lodging experience when at home, in hotels or in other spaces targeting at females of high mobility. It will also be able to resolve the meaning of 'design' in a spatial-behavioral perspective, by employing a multi-disciplinary approach that incorporates emotional and cultural considerations with the physical activities of the guestroom users.

Original Contribution of Research Recent research on hotel experience is primarily either in the realm of visual-oriented ‘coffee table’ design books and marketing studies. Examples include “Hotel Spaces” by Montse Borras (2008), and “The Design Hotels ™ Book” by Design Hotesl ™ (2012). Although some publications, like “Hotel Design, Planning, and Development” by Richard H. Penner, Lawrence Adams and Stephani K A Robson (2012), and “Hip Hotels Orient” by Herbert J.M. Ypma (2005), may have taken a more contextual approach, they do not focus specifically on women as business travelers, in an Asian context, nor the relationship between users, objects and the environment in boutique hotels. The proposed research, that focuses on the environmental-behavioral exploration of the research target – female business travelers, will take an ethnographic approach in the early stage and then a phenomenological approach in the latter. The diversified approaches allow the researcher to experience the life of the users by immersing oneself into their lives to develop experiential knowledge at the early stage, and then assimilate concepts from a wider parameter by exploring into the differing phenomena during the analysis stage. As described in the book ‘Social Research Methods’ by Bernard (2013), the combined approaches can strategically incorporate physical variations and lifestyle with observation and collection of data, and also be able to cover cultural variations and social characteristics, as well as behavior patterns and emotional responses.

The Redefined Concepts will be (more) prescriptive Barrie Gunter (2000) explains in his book, ‘Psychology of the Home’, that while spatial design studies emphasize the relationship of the conceptions and physical attributes of place, they neglect the third component of place that is activities. In the past, the spatial designer and architect simply measured and evaluated space against conceptions of aesthetics standards or physical attributes of ergonomic ratios rather than against behaviors of use. With increased competition among hotels, a new focus on emotional and experience design has arisen to address the need of understanding and enhancing the customer experience in hospitality design, especially within the context of Asia and the specific experiences of female travelers. Therefore, there is a need to revisit the key concepts and approaches to the spatial design of Asian boutique hotels, so that new ones (that are more prescriptive) can be developed to explain how female travelers’ experiences can be better understood, framed and designed within the environments.

The research activity will consist of THREE stages: Stage ONE | Aug.2013 - Apr 2014: Stage One of the project will focus on qualitative research and engages an ethnographic approach. Observational study, by using videotaping, photography, passive and participant observation, will be used to understand the concern, emotions and stimulus of female business travellers’ behaviour and activities within guestrooms of selected boutique hotels. Interviews and surveys (using questionnaires) will be carried out with female business travellers, hoteliers, and designers, to further collect comments and answers to open-end questions about their needs and expectations. The objectives of the first stage are; i) to determine taxonomy of city- based hotel experiences, and ii) to identify the situational conditions and antecedents and their association with consumption emotions, and iii) to map out the user activities and interaction patterns of them in the guestrooms. The results will be used to identify the segments, emotions and objects, which will be developed into a set of cards and personas for further study. Stage TWO | May.2014 - Feb. 2015: Stage Two of the project will focus on analysis and engages a phenomenological approach; aiming to identify and verify key phenomena and develop models. By using card-sorting, role-playing and conceptual-mapping methods, the objectives of the second stage are: i) to generate philosophical support to the qualitative finding from Stage One, and ii) to further verify the answers to the research questions. Stage THREE | Mar.-Dec. 2015: Stage Three is the final and conceptual testing stage, aiming to formulate ‘prescriptions’ for designing guestrooms that match bedroom experience for females business travellers.

REFERENCES: Bernard, H. Russell, 2012. Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches – 2nd Edition, Sage Publications Inc. Bernard, H. Russell. 2006. Research Methods in Anthropology. Lanham, MD: Altamira Press. John D. Brewer. 2000. Ethnography. Buckingham, Open University Press. John Monaghan and Peter Just. 2000. Social & Cultural Anthropology. Oxford University Press.

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A2 WHAT - BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT In plain English The main research question is How could the understanding how these female travelers use the objects in the guestroom to create values and meanings for their stay, and how they interact with the objects inside the room when they perform different activities in it, be developed into a prescription that helps designers and hoteliers create a true homey experience for female business travelers; so to make them feel “at home” in the guestroom of hotels when they travel on business?

The proposed research project focuses on studying hotel experience, in particular the experience inside the guestroom of boutique hotels around Asia. The core target of the research is female business travellers, who are always on the road because of their job nature. The research will take on a very different approach as compared to other research that are currently available on hotel development or design trends. The approach will rely heavily on the researcher watching and going through the hotel experience with the travelers, more than on surveys. Pictures, written notes, and verbal comments will be collected and used as major elements for the study. The researcher will also participate directly in experiencing (some of) the users’ journey, such as traveling together with females during their business trips, and going through pictures of their hotel rooms and written notes of their feelings about the room and objects within, that they are asked to take. The benefit of such an approach is that the findings will address what makes a guestroom homey for a traveler, not just how many women are satisfied with it; be able to better reflect the lives and activities of female travellers within a guestroom in a narrative form. This will be compared to what hotel managers and designers expect the ideal hotel experience would be for women travelers. It is expected that the study bring together ideas from the fields of anthropology, design, and business to discover how values and emotions are co-created through the interaction of objects, environment, and people, and how the relationship changes according to women of different cultural background and expectations.

A3 HOW - PROCEDURES Please detail clearly and sufficiently the proposed research/statistical method(s), procedures and instruments to be used in the project, including all screening and research 'procedures' to which the participants will be subjected, and asterisk those which may have adverse consequences. Please include as appendices all screening instruments, questionnaires, interview protocols etc (at least in draft form if not finalised). There are THREE research subject groups in the Hotel Experience research including: 1. Female business travelers (Asian and non-Asian) 2. Hoteliers/Marketing Manager of Hotels 3. Interior Designers

Stage One – Qualitative Research Stage One of the project focuses on exploration of the theoretical proposition of the research. Observational study, by using videotaping, photography, passive and participant observation, will be engaged to understand the concern, emotions and stimulus of female business travellers’ behavior and activities within guestrooms of selected boutique hotels. Surveys (using questionnaires) will be used to collect answers to general questions regarding needs, preferences and practice; interviews will be carried out with selected female business travellers, hoteliers, and designers, to further collect comments and answers to open-end questions about their concerns, intentions, and expectations. User-journey maps will also be used to record the activities and interactions with objects of female business travelers in the guestrooms.

1. Female Business Travellers RECRUITMENT - a total of 70 female business travellers will be invited, through referral sampling (from local Travel Agency – Swire Travel, and TripAdisor website), to participate in the internet-based survey. Of the 70 female business travellers, there will be a 70/30 split between Asian and non-Asian female.

METHODS Following an ethnographic approach, the selected female business travellers will be asked to participate in two or more of the following research techniques over the first 9 months. a) survey b) field ethnography c) interview d) photo ethnography

PROCEDURES Invitations will be sent out to shortlisted females via email (Appendix 1), inviting them to complete a survey online (Appendix 2). After they have completed the online survey, the researcher will shadow study 7 selected females, during which notes and photos will be taken. 10 of females will be selected for a telephone interview for the purpose of collecting more complete data on some questions; they will also be a camera and asked to capture images of her preferences and activities inside guest rooms, and provide description of the photos taken with accompanying notes. 5 of

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the females will be invited for a semi-structured face-to-face interview (Appendix 3) to further investigate into specifics of answers, which will be audio video recorded.

2. Hoteliers RECRUITMENT - around 7-10 lifestyle/boutique hotels around Asia will be selected for the study. All selected hotels should be similar in size and scale, and are clearly categorized as lifestyle/boutique hotel according to the hotel categorization system – that are small, generally with a capacity of 3 - 100 guestrooms, rarely part of a chain of hotels, and guest services are catered to by the hotel staff who work around the clock. Most of these don't have the feel of a boxy hotel, and all the guestrooms are individually crafted, which adds to the sense of uniqueness.

METHODS Based on a qualitative intend, the hoteliers will be asked to participate in one or more of the following research techniques over the first 9 months: a) survey b) interview

PROCEDURES Invitations will be sent out to the managers/key personnel of the hotels via email (Appendix 4), inviting them to complete a survey online (Appendix 5). After they have completed the online survey, a purposive sample of managers or key personnel of participated hotels will be invited to attend a semi-structured audio video recorded interview (Appendix 6).

3. Interior Designers RECRUITMENT - 5 designers who specialize on hotel projects, in particular boutique hotel in Asia will be invited to participate in the research. The designers will be contacted by email invitation (Appendix 7) for a face-to-face interview (Appendix 8), and to sit around with other designers in a mini focus group. Potential target includes Mr. Ed Ng, Mr. William Lim, Mr. Timothy Cheng, Miss Rose Poon, and Mr. Joey Ho.

METHODS Based on a qualitative intend, the designers will be asked to participate in the following research techniques over the first 9 months: a) interview b) mini focus group

PROCEDURES Invitations will be sent out to the designers via email inviting them to participate in a semi-structured audio video recorded interview, followed by a phone call. After individual interview, the designers will be gathered together in a mini focus group to discuss results of the survey completed by the female business travellers.

Stage Two – Data Analysis Stage Two of the project will focus on data analysis, and aim to identify patterns and develop models that can be used in the following stage of study. Users will be asked to redesign space and identify the key objects that can define a perfect guest room that can create a homey feeling. Schemas (Bernard, 2012) of guestrooms will be developed. Conversation analysis will also be conducted to identify the keywords used by the females in their description of a ‘homey’ guestroom, to be used to create a matrix that cross check the identified objects. All of which aim to test against the earlier observations, and to further modify the research.

Ultimately, Ethnographic Decision Modeling (Bernard, 2012) will be created at the end of Stage Two, which serves to predict the choices that female business travelers make when choosing their ideal business hotel when travelling overseas.

METHODS 1. Card Sorting - ‘Sign-cards’ with visuals and keywords will be used to develop configurations of guestrooms for creating schemas - female business travellers who have participated in Stage One of the research will be invited back to engage in the card-sorting exercise

2. Role Playing - scenarios in form of ‘Moment-cards’ will be developed out of the card-sorting exercise - conversations will be recorded during the role-playing exercise for further conversation analysis to identify keywords - female business travellers will participate in the role-playing to explore the options within a game-setting to identify the variables to be used to create proximity matrices

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3. Proximity Matrices - measurements of variables of objects, activities, and emotions etc. will be used to understand how level and effectiveness of interactions - the related objects, activities, and emotions etc. will be selected to create maps and models for further studies

4. Concept Mapping - concept maps will be developed out of the data mining, by which personas will be created

Stage Three – Conceptual Testing The final stage of the proposed research will focus on testing out the developed concepts against the potential users, and to formulate ‘prescriptions’ for how to design a guestroom that can create an ideal lodging experience for female business travelers.

REFERENCES Bernard, H. Russell, 2012. Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches – 2nd Edition, Sage Publications Inc. Bernard, H. Russell. 2006. Research Methods in Anthropology. Lanham, MD: Altamira Press. Brandt, Eva. 2006. Designing Exploratory Design Games: a Framework for Participation in Participatory Design? Ninth Conference on Participatory Design: Expanding Bounderies in Design. New York, NY: AMC, pp. 57-66. Laurel, Brenda, ed. 2003. Design Research Methods and Perspectives. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

If you feel that it is necessary to include further material, please append. A4 DESCRIBE ANY RISK THAT MAY ARISE TO THE PARTICIPANT / DONOR? Risk to participants (and to researchers) can be real but does not need to be physical. Risk includes such as self esteem, regret, embarrassment, civil or criminal liability, disease, physical harm, loss of employment or professional standing, etc. Please consider such possibilities carefully Some research activities may put the participant at risk through what is being done or simply through their participation. Please describe the risk you perceive and the protective measures to be taken. GROUP Female business Hoteliers Interior Designers travellers ETHICS MATRIX- RISKS physical None None None emotional None None None financial None Minimum Minimum psychological Minimum: travellers None None may recount traumatic experiences with hotels. Mitigation: Follow University policy regarding the provision of medical/psychological services including access to professional counsellor. social None None None environmental None None None

A5 DESCRIBE ANY RISK THAT MAY ARISE TO THE RESEARCHER / ADMINISTRATOR? Some research activities may put the researcher at risk through what is being done or simply through their participation. Please describe the risk you perceive and the protective measures to be taken. There are minimal perceived risks of any kind to the researchers.

A6 WHAT BENEFITS ARE ANTICIPATED FROM THE PROJECT Ethical principles would require that benefits flowed from the activities - but please avoid grandiose claims. (a) To the Participant (what and how so)

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GROUP Female business Hoteliers Interior Designers travellers ETHICS MATRIX- BENEFITS physical None None None emotional Moderate. The target None Minimum. The designers may find the research are given the chance to very helpful, as their explain their expectation for hotels perspective, and that accommodation will be their design concept will better taken care of. be better promoted in the future. financial None Moderate. The project Moderate. The project intends to insights to intends to provide future business success. insights to designers to creating more relevant and effective hotel spaces. psychological Moderate. The target None Minimum. The designers may feel relieved to be can earn better respect able to voice out their for their professionalism. concerns, and contribute to better hotel experience in the future. social Moderate. The Minimum Minimum attention for female in the society is raised. environmental None Moderate. The findings None will contribute to creating better environment for people in general.

(b) More generally (to society, profession, knowledge, understanding, etc, and how so.) The proposed research, that focuses on the environmental-behavioral exploration of the research target – female business travelers, will take an ethnographic approach in the early stage and then a phenomenological approach in the latter. The benefit of engaging different approaches at the stages helps develop knowledge that is more experiential, and more user-centered than the existing ones in the industry. The knowledge can be used for formulating more concrete prescriptions in guest room design, which comprises rudiments of ethnographic study, interior design, spatial planning, behavior science, human activities, cross-cultural experience, visual communication and ecology of objects; a more multi-disciplinary and comprehensive platform that the parties can come to understand the interests, concerns and expectations of each other.

Moreover, the findings from the research can be used by independent hotel and hotel groups for designing guest rooms for guests who look for hotel that can really give them a homey experience. The models are good reference for designers to create more relevant living experiences for homes, hotels and for spaces targeting at people of high mobility. The outcome of the study will also determine how culture and values play a role to define ‘living’ and ‘living spaces’ in 21st century living, which has a strong component of fast-pace and mobility within.

A7 POTENTIAL PROBLEMS From time to time in the course of a research project important information, such as an individual found to be at risk, or entirely unforseen events may come to pass. What procedures are in place to handle unexpected or particularly significant personal or other information that may come to light through the project, eg, unknown medical/psychiatric condition, a particularly distressed participant, civil or criminal liability, etc. See risk mitigation strategies above in Ethics Matrix.

A8 PROFESSIONAL/ETHICAL ABILITY & TRAINING (Researchers/Students/Assistants) NS 1.15 Research must be conducted or supervised only by persons or teams with experience, qualifications and competence appropriate to the research … using (appropriate) facilities … (and with appropriate skills and resources for dealing with any contingencies… (a) Sufficiently detail what investigators/assistants will do in this project and their expertise/competence to do so.

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The researcher will be closely supervised by Dr. Elizabeth Tunstall, who teaches research ethics to undergraduate and postgraduate students in the Faculty of Design, and will be provided with sufficient training in research ethics.

(b) Sufficiently detail any further training/qualifications required for investigators/assistants to carry out the project. The researcher will be guided through dedicated lecture on research ethics that has been used to teach the subject in the Faculty of Design.

A9 FUTURE USE OF DATA Will any of these data be used by yourself, your students or others for any purpose other than for this project as described in the protocol? If so please describe. It is NOT expected that the data will be used outside of the following ways: - Academic outcomes: published journal articles, books, reports, and video documentaries. - Intellectual property outcomes: patents for designs, research processes, and design specifications for hotels to create better accommodation experience.

A10 EXTERNAL INVOLVEMENT Is a body external to Swinburne involved in initiation or support of the project? Yes Name of body/organisation...... If an external body is associated with the project you must provide the HREC with detail of the arrangements, including details of any funding or other resources being provided. A copy of relevant pages from the contractual arrangements should be attached. No A11 EXTERNAL APPROVALS Projects involving other organisations or entities may require approval from other institutions or their ethics committees, etc. for such things as access to prospective participants, contact lists, data, facilities, etc. A copy of such approvals may be required to be provided to the HREC at the time of application or be made available as soon as possible. In which case, the project may not commence, until such evidence is provided. Please indicate, as appropriate, if formal clearance/permission has been obtained or sought: Institutional Yes Documentation Attached or to follow Next of Kin (for special groups) Yes Documentation Attached or to follow (estimate when likely to be obtained)

No (please explain)

A12 RESEARCHER / SPONSOR RELATIONSHIP Is there any relationship or association between the sponsor and any of the researchers listed in Section A of this form, for example are any of the researchers directors, officers, employees, shareholders or promoters of the sponsor or do they receive any personal benefits from the sponsor under any other contracts or arrangements? No Yes (please explain the relationship(s), including how a vested or a conflict of interest situation does not arise. )

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SECTION B: ETHICAL ISSUES OVERVIEW B ETHICAL ISSUES

[Double-click on YES/NO 'check box' to select box, then enter Default Value as Checked or leaving as Not Checked ]

YES NO (a) Non-/Limited Disclosure or Deception: Is any detail in relation to research purposes, methods or questions being withheld from participants? Or will deception of any kind be involved? Or any covert/undeclared observation? (Refer National Statement Chap 17) (b) Does the data collection process involve access to confidential personal data (including access to data provided for a purpose other that this particular research project) without the prior consent of subjects? (c) Will participants have pictures taken of them, e.g., photographs, video recordings? If "YES", please explain how you intend to retain confidentiality and ultimately dispose of the material. (d) If interviews are to be conducted, will they be record by electronic device? If "Yes", please explain how you intend to retain confidentiality and ultimately dispose of the material. (e) Will participants be asked to perform any acts or make statements which might compromise them, diminish self esteem or cause them embarrassment or regret (minimal, moderate or significant)? (f) Might any aspect of your study reasonably be expected to place the participant at risk of criminal or civil liability (not just immediately or directly)? (g) Might any aspect of your study reasonably be expected to place the participant at risk of damage to their professional/social/cultural/financial standing or employability? (h) Will the research involve access to data banks subject to privacy legislation?* (NOTE: Annual reporting to Government may be required on this item. For info: please contact the Research Ethics Officer.) (i) Will participants come into contact with any equipment which uses an electrical supply in any form e.g., audiometer, biofeedback, electrical stimulation, magnetic stimulation, etc.? If "YES", please outline below what safety precautions will be followed. (j) Will any treatment be used with potentially unpleasant or harmful side effects? (k) Does the research involve any stimuli, tasks, investigations or procedures which may be experienced by participants as stressful, noxious, aversive or unpleasant during or after the research procedures? (l) Will the research involve the use of placebo control conditions or the withholding/substitution of treatment, programs or services (health, educational , commercial, other)? (m) Will any samples of body fluid or body tissue be required specifically for the research which would not be required in the case of ordinary treatment? (n) Will participants be fingerprinted or DNA "fingerprinted"? (o) Are there in your opinion any other ethical issues involved in the research? NOTE: If the answer to any of the above questions is "yes", please explain and justify below in sufficient clear detail. (The box below will expand to fit your response.) Item c. and d. The recording of data will not be confidential, unless specifically requested by the research participant. All survey data will be anonymous and confidential.

Attach further documents if appropriate

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SECTION C: PARTICIPANT DETAILS C1 PARTICIPANT DETAILS The composition of the participant group may, in some circumstances, distort and invalidate an outcome, and risks may arise through the composition of the participant group. How many individual participants will be involved? (Number/number ranges for which approval is sought) Males: 30 Females: 70 Total participants 100

Over what range of ages? From (youngest): 27 To (Oldest): 55

If there is a gender or age imbalance in the number of participants please explain why. The research focuses especially on women as business travelers, within an Asian context, and directed at the relationship between users, objects and the environment in boutique hotels. There may be male participants as hoteliers and designers, but the primary focus will be on female business travelers.

The recent study conducted by Travel & Leisure also indicated that females are estimated to comprise 50% of frequent fliers, and 40% of business travelers today are women. Study in Asia also indicated that around 10 per cent of the entrepreneurs in South Asian countries being women. Much of the recent growth in business travel among women comes from small businesses. The industry findings about female users’ impact on air travel resonances the industry findings about their effect on hotel business. Recent studies conducted by most hotel groups have reflected that women, as travelers, seem to distinguish themselves from men in several important ways, and that women hotel guests are more particular in their needs then most men. It has been noted that the growing number of female business travelers has had significant effects on the travel experience. A travel survey conducted by Deloitte, published in Jan 2012, suggested that the hotel industry will rebound in 2012 with the growth of female and young business travelers, and that the younger business travelers are mostly under the age of 44, and have very different attitudes and expectations about the hotels they frequent when compared to older travelers. For instance, these travelers prefer expedited check-in, working in public areas of hotels and patronizing hotels that operating in an environmentally-sound manner. As in the article Women Keeping Up Pressure for a Better Travel Experience stated that “women are a big part of the reason that a typical hotel room, whether midlevel or luxury, has better bedding, lighting, room service, closets, work spaces and overall design”.

The 70 female business travellers will form the core subject group, the total number of participants 100 also includes hoteliers, hotel managers, and interior designers who may be male or female.

C2 RECRUITMENT How will participants be recruited/selected? Please outline the process in sufficient detail how this is to occur. Note: Where participants are obtained from or through schools, hospitals, prisons or other institutions, appropriate institutional or other authority will probably be needed. If soliciting for participants by advertisement or poster please attach proposed copies or text. (See also Project Information Consent Statements and Signed Consent Forms info at the end of this application form.) 1. Female Business Travellers RECRUITMENT - a total of 70 female business travellers will be invited, through referral sampling (from local Travel Agency – Swire Travel, and TripAdisor website), to participate in the internet-based survey. Of the 70 female business travellers, there will be a 70/30 split between Asian and non-Asian female.

CRITERIA - participants should need to travel abroad on business at least twice a year - have visited at least two or more of cities in Asia - have visited at least one of the proposed list - aged between 27-55

HOW Invitations will be sent out to shortlisted females via email, inviting them to complete a survey online. After the round of survey, selected females will be contacted by phone and invited to participate in the interviews.

2. Hoteliers

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RECRUITMENT - around 7-10 lifestyle/boutique hotels around Asia will be selected for the study.

CRITERIA - selected hotels should be similar in size and scale - the hotel is categorized as lifestyle/boutique hotel according to the hotel categorization system

Potential hotels to be included in the study are listed in the following: 1. Home Hotel, Taipei 2. East Hotel, Hong Kong 3. Fleming, Hong Kong 4. Opposite House, Bejing 5. Waterhouse at South Bund, Shanghai 6. Quintet Guest House, Shanghai 7. Scarlet Hotel, Singapore 8. Hotel Studio M, Singapore 9. Strings by the Intercontinental Group, Tokyo 10. Hotel Claska, Tokyo

HOW Invitations will be sent out to the managers/key personnel of the hotels via email inviting them to complete a survey online. After they have completed the online survey, a purposive sample of managers or key personnel of participated hotels will be contacted by phone, inviting them to attend a semi-structured audio video recorded interview.

3. Interior Designers RECRUITMENT - 5 designers who specialize on hotel projects, in particular boutique hotel in Asia will be invited to participate in the research. The designers will be contacted by email invitation (Appendix 5) for a face-to-face interview (Appendix 6), and to sit around with other designers in a mini focus group. Potential target includes Mr. Ed Ng, Mr. William Lim, Mr. Timothy Cheng, Miss Rose Poon, and Mr. Joey Ho.

CRITERIA - the designer should specialize on hotel projects - the designer have worked in the design of hotels in Asia during the last 5 years

METHODS Invitations will be sent out to the designers via email inviting them to participate in a semi-structured audio video recorded interview, followed by a phone call. After individual interview, the designers will be invited back by phone for the mini focus group.

C3 PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS In some situations an underlying medical or other significant condition of a participant may result in an otherwise relatively innocuous situation causing excessive stress and exacerbate the condition. Researchers must, therefore, be alert to such situations and be able to address the resulting issues. Do participants have any medical or other significant condition of which you are aware, eg. diabetes, asthma, depression, epilepsy? What steps are in place to handle any resulting problems (you may need to correlate with A3, A4 and A7 of this form)? NA

C4 DISCLOSURE AND INFORMED CONSENT How will participants be informed about the project in order to give valid consent: Consent Information Statement(s)/Letter(s) and Signed Consent Form(s) will be used. A copy must be attached to your application. A guide to consent instruments is given at the end of this form. Consent Information Statement(s)/Letter(s) and consent implied by return of anonymous questionnaire Verbal advice (Please explain how and why) Other (Please explain how and why) Appendix 6

Copies of appropriate consent instruments must be attached to your application. Please consult the Guide to Human Research Informed Consent Instruments in carefully preparing informed consent instruments.

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C5 COMPENSATION Consent to participate must be freely given and not induced through the level of reward, perceived reward, or power relationships Provide details of any financial or other reward or inducement is being offered to subjects for participation. Indicate the source of the funds. Interviewers may be invited to restaurants or coffee houses for participating in the interview, where they will be treated with lunch or coffee as a token of thanks. The amount of compensation in form of lunch or coffee will not exceed AUS$80 each time, depending on the location.

C6 RELATIONSHIP TO INVESTIGATOR(S) Free consent may be difficult to ensure if the participant is dependent upon the investigator for employment, assessments etc Some relationships cause special ethical issues to arise Are participants linked with the investigator through some particular relationship - eg. employees ultimately responsible to or superiors of the investigator, students of investigator, family members, friends etc. NA

C7 INVOLVEMENT OF SPECIAL GROUPS Particular issues of consent may arise where special groups of participants are to be involved. There may be, for example, a need to obtain informed consent from persons other than the direct participant. Examples of such special groups include special cultural groups - eg. indigenous Australians; children and young persons (Guidelines section 4.2); groups with special circumstances - eg. persons with an intellectual or mental impairment (Guidelines s. 5) Please identify and describe the nature of the groups and procedures used to obtain permission. Note. Persons proposing research projects involving Indigenous Australians should consult with the relevant University manager of indigenous programs prior to finalising definition of the project. NA

C8 PRIVACY The University is subject to the Victorian Information Privacy and Health Records Acts as well as the Commonwealth Privacy Act and, in particular, the Information/Health/National Privacy principles (IPPs/HPPs/NPPs) set out therein and is required to report annually on projects which relate to or utilise particular records. Does the research involves access to data which was collected by an organisation for its own purposes (ie. not specifically collected for this project) such as student records, other data banks, human pathology or diagnostic specimens provided by an institution/s? If yes, please indicate source/s. No

C9 LOCATION OF STUDY Please indicate where the research will be carried out. If the research will not be on University premises permission of owner / occupier may be required. If so, please indicate what authority or permission may be required and how will be obtained. NB: Where required, please attach to this application evidence of authority obtained or provide the Secretary, HREC as soon as practicable. Hong Kong and Asian cities, including Taipei, Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai, and Singapore.

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SECTION D: DATA & PUBLICATION ARRANGEMENTS (Nb Section D Revised Aug 2007) PLEASE CONSIDER CAREFULLY YOUR RESPONSES TO THIS SECTION. YOU NEED TO BE CLEAR AS TO WHAT IS OCCURING WITH RESPECT TO DATA COLLECTION, RETENTION and DISPOSAL. (In your responses, you should demonstrate familiarity with National Statement requirements for confidentiality, relevant Privacy Principles and Swinburne’s Policy on the Conduct of Research, eg, Sect 4, see URL: http://www.swinburne.edu.au/corporate/registrar/ppd/docs/PolicyontheConductofResearch.pdf).

D1 DATA COLLECTION/RECORDING (Nb Section D1 Revised Aug 2007) Please note that, with any information or data collected/retained, if any individual can reasonably be identified, the information can be deemed “personal information” or “health information” under National/Health/Information Privacy Principles (NPPs/HPPs/IPPs). (a) How or in what form will data be collected/recorded? (eg, notes; verbatim, audio and/or video recordings; transcriptions of recordings; recorded or signed consents; etc) Qualitative data will be recorded through digital audio and video recordings. Transcripts will be made of selective audio recordings. We will use signed consent forms.

(b) As regards any individual, in relation to any data collection or retention, you need to acknowledge either or both of the following: [Double-click on 'check box' to select X by entering in Default Value as Checked or leaving as Not Checked ] An Individual can be identified OR is Potentially Identifiable / Re-Identifiable (An individual can be identified at some point or by the very nature of the data collected/retained: at time of an interview, by signed consent form, identified or labelled voice or image recording, pen-and-paper questionnaire, on-line survey instruments, etc. Whilst data may not have (explicit) identifiers, an individual’s identify can still reasonably be worked out. Or data may have (explicit) identifiers removed and replaced by codes that permit matching of an individual with the data collected/retained, in which case it is possible to identify or re-identify the person to whom the data relates.) An Individual is Non- or Un-identifiable (Data collected/retained anonymously and with no reasonable possibility of being identified.) Your acknowledgement may require further explanation or clarification; if so, please include in the following box. Individuals in qualitative research will be identified.

Individuals in quantitative research will not be identified.

D2 DATA SECURITY (Nb Section D2 Revised Aug 2007) Please note that “data must be held for sufficient time to allow reference. For data that is published this may be for as long as interest and discussion persists following publication. It is recommended that the minimum period for retention is at least 5 years from the date of publication but for specific types of research, such as clinical research, 15 years (or more) may be more appropriate.” (Sect 4.3 of Swinburne’s Policy on the Conduct of Research)

Please indicate how data (all types of data, including, eg, signed consent forms) will be securely retained (eg, electronic form in password-protected disk drive, locked filing cabinet, etc) and where? With more than one type of data, will the types be separately stored? In your explanation, you will need to make clear how due confidentiality and/or anonymity will be maintained.

(a) During the study Consent forms will be kept in a locked filing cabinet in the office of the Principal Supervisor. Electronic and video data will be kept in a secure password protected computers.

(b) Following completion of study At all times, consent forms will be kept in a locked filing cabinet in the office of the Principal Supervisor.

Upon completion of the project, all data will be stored kept in a locked filing cabinets or secure password protected storage devices, in the research office of the Faculty of Design.

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D3 PUBLICATION/OUTPUT (Nb Section D3 Revised Aug 2007) Please explain in sufficient detail: (a) What, if any, publication (conference, news media, academic journal, other journal, etc) is envisaged following on or in relation to this project, both in terms of data proper and/or analysis of data? (b) Will participants be informed about any envisaged research publication/outcome? (This information is normally to be included in the information given prior to obtaining informed consent.) (c) Would any participants be able to be identified through the publication of data proper or research findings? If so, explain why this is necessary. (a) The data gathered and analyses will be used to produce the following: - Academic outcomes: published journal articles, books, reports, and video documentaries. - Intellectual property outcomes: patents for designs, processes, or business models. (b) Yes, participants and key personnel of selected hotels will be given the opportunity to review all publications for accuracy and appropriateness. (c) Yes, in qualitative data the nature of the project, in terms of dealing with female business travellers and the participated hotels -- requires that the owner of the knowledge be identified and recognised as the rightful owner.

D4 INDIGENOUS ISSUES Storage arrangements for data relating to research into Indigenous matters must be determined in compliance with the Policy on the Conduct of Research after consultation with the communities involved. What consultation has taken place and what arrangements have been made. NA

D5 OTHER ISSUES (Nb Section D5 Revised Aug 2007) Are there any other issue relating to data collection, retention, use or disclosure which the ethics committee should be made aware of and, if so, please explain how you are to deal with this. (Eg, Research outcomes unduly impacting on any individual or group not directly participating, etc.) NIL

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SECTION E: SUBSTANCES & CLINICAL ISSUES No matters in this section are applicable to the study or E1 ADMINISTRATION OF SUBSTANCES/AGENTS Name of substance(s)

Dosage per administration

Frequency of administration

Total amounts to be administered

Anticipated effects:

NOTE: If the research involves administration of foreign substances or invasive procedures, please attach a statement accepting responsibility for those procedures by a medical or paramedical practitioner with Indemnity insurance. STATEMENT ATTACHED E2 BODY FLUIDS OR TISSUE What fluids or tissue? How will be samples be obtained?

Frequency and volume

How are samples to be stored?

How will samples be disposed of?

Who will take the samples?

What are their qualifications for doing so?

Do participants carry, as far as you know, the Hepatitis B or HIV virus? If so how will the risks be handled

Do participants carry, as far as you know, any other contagious diseases or viruses? If so how will the risks be handled

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SECTION F Declarations for Signature 1 2 3

1. With respect to this project, I / We, the undersigned Investigator(s)/Assistant(s) agree: § To undertake human research activity or handle data confidentially in accordance with Swinburne requirements, including any standard or special ethics clearance conditions, under the proper direction of the responsible Swinburne manager and/or principal Swinburne (or other) researcher/supervisor.

NAME: (block letters) SIGNATURE: DATE: ELIZABETH TUNSTALL

GRACE LAU Aug 1, 2013

DANIEL HUPPARTZ

AGUSTIN CHEVEZ

All listed applicants must sign. The Chief Investigator/Supervisor is also responsible for personnel subsequently joining the project. Expand this table or duplicate this page as required. NB This information is subject to Swinburne or external audit. **** Please note that **** PROJECTS MUST NOT COMMENCE WITHOUT PRIOR WRITTEN APPROVAL from the Human Research Ethics Committee (SUHREC) or its appropriate Subcommittee (SHESC)

2. Declaration of Compliance by Chief Investigator(s)/Student Supervisor(s). I declare that the above project has been developed and will be conducted in accordance with relevant Swinburne standards, policies and codes of practice, including any standard or special conditions for on- going ethics clearance. I further declare that all listed and subsequently appointed researchers or assistants involved in this project will be made aware of the conditions of ethics approval as communicated to me, including approved documentation and procedures.

Signature & Date: ………………………………………………………………………………. …

Name of Signatory & Position: …………………………………………………………………………….… …

(Optional) Form checked by a Research & Ethics Advisor (REA)? Yes No REA Initials & Date: ……………..………

3. Endorsement of Head of Academic Unit (or Delegate) or Above. I declare that this project: has been developed and will be conducted in accordance with relevant Swinburne standards, policies and codes of practice; and has research merit, adequate resourcing and appropriate leadership/supervision.

Signature & Date: ………………………………………………………………….…………… …

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Name of Signatory & Position: ………………………………………………………………………….…… …

(Please note: This endorsement must be given by an authorised official who is not also a chief or co- investigator of the project and who is not also the supervisor of a student investigator with an interest in the project.)

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Appendix B Sample Hotel Collection: Wanderlust, Singapore

collected materials from guestroom includes objects from keycard, pamphlets and maps, toiletries, door cards, flip flop, and magazines

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Appendix C Q.A.M.E. Framework

Assumptions Methodology Evidence

1. hotel can never be home - hotels should interview different ‘words’ and ‘stories’ to describe the two provide inspirational lifestyles that bring experiences – home and hotel guests to a higher ‘level of contentment’ and ref: Robert Ivy, Donald Keene,Donald Norman, Robert ‘emotion attainment’ than being at home Sommer, James K. Feibleman “a hotel is a way station which visual quality is important (homliness is not wanted anymore, travelers to create ‘feel’, but it also needs intense interaction for want adventures) dramatization of experience to enhance the aspirations and needs during the stay” - James K. Feibleman-

2. multisensory (auditory, visual, olfactory, literature noted activities and touchpoints tactile and vestibular) experience creates the review, pictogram and description noted by users major part of a ‘total’ lodging experience and observation ref: Juhani Pallasmaa, Ilse Crawford which determines the emotional attainment “the spatial experience is not just visual but mutisensory” –Edward T. Hall- level of guests

3. expectations of hotel guests are pretty literature users’ descriptions of their likes and dislikes universal, tourists sense are not exactly review, ref: Grant Hildebrand, Edward Casey, Franz Boas, Edward patterned by regional culture, while culture interview T Hall, Yi-Fu Tuan in here should refer to the preferences and “Culture and experience strongly influence the interpretation of environment” –Tuan- patterns of the specific grp of travllers – business people

4. a hotel guest (esp business travellers) statistical data sheet of time spent spends most time in the room compared to study other spaces in the hotel during each visit

5. hotel guest marks a special corner in the photo photos and description provided by users on blog room to establish their ‘personal space’ and elicitation ref: Mihaly Csikzentmihalyi, Robert Sommer, Don Norman to define their terriroriality “Territoriality – in a hotel room, where people put their things to mark this is mine for the coming two weeks” –

Robert Sommer-

“Every object had a meaning and a place in life that was as much as part of its function as its immediate purpose, and these two are inseparable” –Witold Rybczynski-

“Man’s sense of space is closely related to his sense of self” –Don Norman-

6. room size is not important, the flow of the user study user maps showing things and places they check into arrangement in the room actually affects trip going into the rooms user’s impression of the hotel and the ref: Winifred Gallagher, Fra Angelico, Edward T Hall, John emotional state during the stay Berry “the environment affects behavior/activities and at the same time, the behavior creates/changes the environment’s atmosphere” –Winifred Gallagher-

“ Good architecture offers shape and surfaces moulded for the pleasurable touch of the eye” –Juhani Pallasmaa-

7. expectations change in accordance to literature quotations from past research and papers change in activities pace and living habits of review ref: Ruth Benedict, Ward Goodenough, Peter Just, John people over the decades, activities and Monaghan, Winifred Gallagher objects in the room (as interpret by guests) “Design often means finding relationships between things they didn’t immediately have so they become something give meaning to the room’s stay more” –Winifred Gallagher-

8. business travelers would choose interview and keywords on emotions ‘enticement’ over ‘comfort’ when selecting a observation ref: Donald Norman, Hotel Online articles, Yi-Fu Tuan hotel, and ‘security’ is increasing important with the growth of female business travelers.

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The feeling of ‘security’ is what makes hotel “place – security and space = freedom, and space is more homely defined by objects and therefore places and objects define spatial experience” –Tuan-

9. hotel marketing strategy should focus on content ratings and comment provided by users of hotel(s) visited multi-sensory experiences rather than either creation ref: hospitality journals functional descriptions and offers (that can “Good architecture that offers shapes and surfaces be pretty visual in the presentation) moulded for the pleasurable touch of the eye separates us from the world while other senses unite” –Juhani Pallasmaa-

10. business travelers are expecting to savor Interview, comments collected in person and on travel websites local experience even in the hotel their review ref: (TBC) choose to stay in (cos they have little time to tour around the city given all the meetings)

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Appendix D Female Business Travelers Questionnaire (for Online Survey)

Target: Female Business Travellers Objectives: - to determine the taxonomy of business hotels in around Asia - to identify the habit of female business travellers with reference to their cultural background - to map the flow of female user experience in guest room in relations to objects within and the environment

I. THE INTRODUCTION Hi, my name is Grace Lau. I am a PhD student at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne. As part of my research on hotel experience in Asia, I am interviewing female business travellers about (1) what kind/type of hotel they like to stay in when they travel on business, (2) what are the kind of activities or work they do in the hotel rooms, and (3) how they navigate through the hotel rooms when they enter it the first time.

The survey contains 20 questions, and will ask you questions about (1) yourself, (2) your hotel choice and experience, (3) what makes a room comfortable and secure, and (4) what do you usually do in a hotel room.

II. THE QUESTIONS A. About Yourself 1. What is your first name? 2. What is your age? ☐27-35 ☐36-44 ☐45-53 ☐54 or above and gender? ☐M ☐F 3. What is your occupation? 4. What is your annual income? ☐HK$300,000 or above ☐HK$500,000 or above ☐HK$800,000 or above 5. How often do you have to travel overseas for work? ☐once a month ☐twice a year ☐more than twice a year

B. About Your Work and Hotel Choices (taxonomy) 1. What are the places/cities you usually have to travel to? ☐Hong Kong ☐Tokyo ☐Singapore ☐Beijing ☐Taipei ☐Shanghai ☐______2. What is the normal duration of each business trip? ☐one night ☐two – four nights ☐five nights or more ☐over a week 3. Do you spare time for local visit during those trips? ☐Y ☐N Where would you go or do? 4. Do you get to pick your own hotel every time? ☐Y ☐N 5. How do you usually get to choose the hotel you are going to stay in? ☐secretary’s recommendation ☐agent’s recommendation ☐by past experience ☐online search for offers

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6. Can you name ONE hotel that you had the best experience? Can you describe your feelings about the guestroom in around 50 words? 7. For those hotels you stay more frequently at, what are the reasons that made you go back? ☐convenient location ☐friendly staff ☐good food ☐business facilities (like business centers) ☐nice view ☐free wifi service in-room ☐nice room size ☐comfortable room setting ☐homey decor

C. About Comfortable and Security (cultural habit) 1. From all experiences collected, what do you think is most important to make ‘a perfect’ guestroom? (please rate the following in a scale of 1-5, with 1 being the most important and 6 the least important)

a. comfortable b. safety c. security d. delight e. efficiency f. homeyness

2. Which area do you check first as soon as you enter the guestroom?

☐bathroom ☐closet ☐control panel at bedside table ☐view ☐bed ☐workdesk ☐safety box ☐fire escape route map ☐couch

D. About Your Hotel Room and In-room Activities (mapping) Instructions: Follow the participate into the room and observe how they enter the room and where to visit first. Notice the corner/place where the participant puts their luggage and personal items. Ask them to identify the top 3 pieces of object in the room that they think best make them feel comfortable or secure in the room. Photograph the object with the Polaroid camera and the digital camera.

1. If you were to bring one thing from your bedroom to the hotel room, to make it more ‘your’ room, what could it be? 2. Where would you place that personal object that you brought with you? 3. If you were to move one thing in a guestroom that makes your stay more pleasant, what would you most like ask to move around? 4. Do you have special preference for room-with-a-view? Why?

E. Wrap Up 1. Please write in one complete sentence how you would describe the homey guestroom?

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Appendix E Hotelier Questionnaire (for Online Survey)

Target: Hotel Management Objectives: - to determine the attributes and determinants of a ‘secure’ and ‘comfortable’ hotel - to verify the validity of the hotel’s claims against user’s experience

I. THE INTRODUCTION Hi, my name is Grace Lau. I am a PhD student at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne. As part of my research on hotel experience in Asia, I am interviewing management personnel of different hotels about (1) what kind/type of hotel type their business is in, (2) what are the differences between hotel types and kind of guests, and (3) how do they promote themselves to attract guests and repeat users.

The survey contains 20 questions, On entering the page, you will be taken through each of the question automatically. The survey covers questions about (1) yourself, (2) your hotel, (3) hotel experiences for hotel guests, and (4) promotion strategies and loyalty programmes.

II. THE QUESTIONS A. About Yourself 1. What is your first name? 2. What is your position at this hotel? ☐manager ☐marketing officer ☐concierge 3. How long have you worked in the hotel business? ☐3 years or more ☐5 years or more ☐7-10 years ☐over 10 years

B. About Your Hotel and the Industry 1. How long has your hotel been established? ☐less than 3 years ☐3-5 years ☐7-10 years ☐over 10 years 2. How many rooms does it have? ☐less than 10 ☐10-30 ☐over 50 ☐over 80 3. What special supporting services and facilities do your hotel offer? ☐spa ☐wine bar ☐meeting room ☐business center ☐gym ☐café/restaurant 4. How would you categorize your hotel? Please specify the category from the list below ☐lifestyle hotel ☐boutique hotel ☐business hotel

C. About Services and Amenities at your Hotel 1. Can you name the core features of your hotel (rooms or services)? ☐spa ☐wine bar ☐meeting room ☐business center ☐gym ☐café/restaurant ☐guestroom tailor-designed for different gender

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2. Can you name the key features of your hotel that distinguish itself from the rest in the category (rooms or services)? ☐spa ☐wine bar ☐meeting room ☐business center ☐gym ☐café/restaurant ☐guestroom tailor-designed for different gender 3. Does your hotel offer branded toiletries or beddings? ☐Y ☐N What are they and Why? 4. Are you amenities and toiletries for sale? ☐Y ☐N What is the price range? ☐HK$100-HK$300 ☐HK$300 or above 5. Does your hotel offer any special in-room services for business travellers? What are they? ☐personal secretary/butler ☐hi speed wifi ☐computer or ipod rental ☐printer ☐kitchenette

D. Promotional Strategies and Loyalty Programmes 1. What is the marketing tagline or catch-phrase of your hotel? 2. What is the key proposition of your promotion campaign (key marketing message)? 3. Do you think your proposition is well translated into services that you offer? ☐Y ☐N How? 4. Do you place emphasis in your room in the promotional campaigns? ☐Y ☐N 7. Does you hotel offer any loyalty programmes? ☐Y ☐N What are the key features of the programme?

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Appendix F Interior Design Questionnaire (for Online Survey)

Target: Interior Designer Objectives: - to identify the attributes and determinants of a good guest room design - to map the flow of user experience in a guest room - to verify the relevance of elements of good design in guest rooms to those of bedrooms

I. THE INTRODUCTION Hi, my name is Grace Lau. I am a PhD student at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne. As part of my research on hotel experience in Asia, I am interviewing interior designers who have worked in designing hotel about (1) what makes a good hotel design, (2) what are the key considerations in designing user experience in bedrooms, and (3) what are the differences between hotel rooms and bedrooms.

The interview will take approximately 1 to 1.5 hours. I will ask you questions about (1) yourself, (2) your design approaches, (3) your design experience of hotel(s), and (4) a few wrap up questions. Do you have any questions about the contents?

Before we begin, I want you to know that this is one of those rare moments when everything you say is right. The answer you give me IS the right answer. Are you ready to begin?

II. THE QUESTIONS A. About Yourself 1. What is your first name? 2. What is your profession/expertise? Could you give a bit of detail description about what exactly you do everyday? 3. How many hotels have you been involved in designing all through your career? Who are they?

B. Your Design Approach 1. Can you describe your usual design approach to any project? [Probe for: • Thinking process • User perspective • Design rationale • Design philosophy 2. Understanding how you tackle projects, would you like to talk a bit about designing hotel? Is there a difference between designing hotel and designing other space? Like apartments? 3. In your perspective, how would you describe the trend of hotel design? [Probe for: • boutique hotel design • business hotel design 4. What are your thoughts about user-experience in hotel design?

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5. Can you name THREE best hotel designs that you think successfully create the most relevant experience for guests? Please describe the three hotels in a little more detail [Probe for: • design keywords • design approach • user profile • user experience

C. Experience and Expertise 1. How many boutique/ business hotels have you been involved in? Can you name them? 2. What are the difficulties you have encountered in the project? [Probe for: • client’s expectations and professional guidelines • cultural differences of local client and potential users 3. Could you name one hotel that you think you have done a great job in creating the best experience for all stakeholders? [Probe for: • keywords to describe the kind of user experience • design methodology • design elements used 4. Do you think there is a specific ‘formula’ for creating a good guest room experience in hotel design? 5. How do you relate that ‘formula’ to designing bedrooms? What the familiarities and differences in the two? [Probe for: • design methodology • design elements • design thinking • user study • user experiences

D. Wrap Up 1. What are the key three thoughts that I should take away from my talk with you about hotel experience? 2. Is there anything that we have not addressed that you feel I should know? 3. Do you have any questions for me?

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Appendix G Female Business Travelers Questionnaire (for Face-to-face Interview)

Target: Female Business Travellers Objectives: - to determine the taxonomy of business hotels in around Asia - to identify the habit of female business travellers with reference to their cultural background - to map the flow of female user experience in guest room in relations to objects within and the environment

I. THE INTRODUCTION Hi, my name is Grace Lau. I am a PhD student at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne. As part of my research on hotel experience in Asia, I am interviewing female business travellers about (1) what kind/type of hotel they like to stay in when they travel on business, (2) what are the kind of activities or work they do in the hotel rooms, and (3) how they navigate through the hotel rooms when they enter it the first time.

The interview will take approximately 1 to 1.5 hours. I will ask you questions about (1) yourself, (2) your hotel choice and experience, (3) what makes a room comfortable and secure, (4) ideas of homeyness (5) what do you usually do in a hotel room, and (6) a few wrap up questions. Do you have any questions about the contents?

Before we begin, I want you to know that this is one of those rare moments when everything you say is right. The answer you give me IS the right answer. Are you ready to begin?

II. THE QUESTIONS A. About Yourself 1. What is your first name? 2. What is your age? and gender? 3. What is your occupation? Would you give a bit of detail description about what exactly you do everyday? 4. What is your annual income? HK$300,000 or above HK$500,000 or above HK$800,000 or above 5. How often do you have to travel overseas for work? At least once a month Twice a year More than twice a year 6. If a friend were to describe you in five words, which words would they use? If a business colleague were to describe you in five words, which ones would they use? Why?

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B. About Your Work and Hotel Choices (taxonomy) Could you start off with telling me a story of your experiences at the hotel you stayed in during your most recent business trip? [Probe for: • Which city in Asia? • Which hotel? • How was the hotel selected? • What did the guestroom look and feel like? • What did she remember most about the room’s layout? • What did she remember most about the objects in the room?]

1. Which places/cities do you travel to most frequently? 2. How long is a typical business trip? 3. During your leisure time in the city, what do you normally do? 4. How are the business hotels selected during your trips? 5. If you do get to select the hotel, what are the most important criteria that you use? [Probe on practical and emotional consideration.] What role if any does the décor or amenities in the room play in your considerations? 6. Which are the hotels in which you most frequently stay? Would you describe the rooms in each of the hotels? 7. For those hotels you stay more frequently at, what are the reasons that made you go back? 8. What do you favor most in those hotels (please give details about places or services)? 9. How would you describe your experience in the rooms (please give THREE emotion keywords)? What do your remember most? (can you describe an incident?) 10. Tell me a story about the worst experience in hotel room thus far. 11. Tell me a story about the best experience in a hotel room thus far. 12. What factors made the key difference between your worst and best experiences? 13. What are your thoughts on the experiences of being a female traveler versus a male traveler in a hotel room?

C. About Comfortable and Security (cultural habit) 1. From all experiences collected, what do you think is most important to make ‘an ideal’ hotel room? (please rate the following criteria)

a. comfortable b. safety c. security d. delight e. efficiency f. homeyness x. words captured from open questions if not represented about

2. In your own words and language, how would you describe ______and ______

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3. What do you think can contribute to ______in a hotel room? Tell me about an experience from a hotel that best describes that? 4. Pick out the photo from the card set that best shows ______5. 8. Which features/décor from the card set that makes it so ______?

D. Homeyness 1. What does the word “home” mean to you? 2. What are five words that come to mind when you think about the layout of your home? 3. What are some of the objects in your home that make you feel “at home”? 4. When you travel for work, what are some of the things that you do to make you feel “at home” in the hotel room or hotel in general? 5. Small boutique hotels claim to be “just like home,” What do you think about their claims?

E. About Your Hotel Room and In-room Activities (mapping) Instructions: Follow the participate into the room and observe how they enter the room and where to visit first. Notice the corner/place where the participant puts their luggage and personal items. Ask them to identify the top five pieces of object in the room that they think best make them feel comfortable or secure in the room. Photograph the object with the Polaroid camera and the digital camera.

1. We have talked about how a friend and a business colleague would describe you. How would you describe yourself? 2. What do you consider your style? If you had five words to describe your style, what would they be? One word? 3. What objects do you/would you bring from home to make a hotel room feel more homey to you? 4. How would you organize a hotel room to make if feel more homey to you? 5. Are there any special preferences for room that you have? For example a-room-with-a- view? Why?

E. Wrap Up 1. What are the key three thoughts that I should take away from my talk with you about hotel experience? 2. Is there anything that we have not addressed that you feel I should know? 3. Do you have any questions for me?

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Appendix H Sample Female Business Traveler Interview Documentation (from Face-to-face Interview)

Interview Report_Guests Home Hotel_Taiwan_Iman Ip | Business Director, Concept Comm May. 2014

A. About Yourself Iman Ip, Business Director of Concept Communications. Has been working with them since 2013. Job duties include project planning and management, event organization and staff development for her own team.

Annual income >HK$250,000 and has to travel overseas on business, mainly around China in cities like Shanghai, Changdu, Shenzhen, as well as to Taiwan and Singapore.

Friend: cheerful, funful, creative, happy, adventurous Colleague: good leader, helpful, mature, professional, independent

B. About Your Work and Hotel Choices (taxonomy) 1. Story about a hotel experience I visited Taiwan to organize a event for the client and I was booked into Home Hotel since it is close to where the venue is. I did not get to make the choice, but was recommended to stay there.

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As soon as I arrived at the hotel, I fell in love with it because of its location, as well as the design of the hotel and the lobby. It seemed a very friendly place. I was reading the description of the concept of the hotel while the receptionist checked me in and I found the idea very warm and welcoming. Seems like listening to a story from the hotelier and it made me feel very welcomed.

The room is a bit small, but very manageable and the layout is very friendly. The wall of the lift lobby on each floor is very interesting typographic design on the wall, and I like it a lot. of a good size for a single traveler. The room has all the basics but the design is not particularly fancy.

I am okay with the size of the room as I always fear large grand hotel rooms when I am alone, larger size makes me find it very empty and scary when I have to sleep alone.

I found the little items in the room very fascinating and special like the cups, the trash bin and the tea towels … feel ‘homey’. i. I travel around China most of the time, cities like SH and SZ. ii. Usual trips are around 2-7 days. iii. I usual stay around the room to work on stuff when I get off meetings with client. Sometimes I will go around the hotel to find places to eat. iv. I got booked into hotel as recommended by HR or the client, depending where the event is. v. Location is usually more important, and I prefer business hotels that are more self- managed than grand hotels. vi. Not one particular. But I like rooms with standard layouts vii. The room is of a good manageable size. viii. I love the simple and clean room design. I prefer to have easy check in and out and not too much service ix. quiet, comfortable, small x. N/A xi. Friendly helps to tell me where the nearest 7-11 was so I can go get beer in the evening. xii. Minimal service. xiii. Security, I won’t be disturbed when I am inside room.

C. About Comfort and Security (cultural habit) 1. Importance (of an ideal room)? Efficiency Comfortable Security Safety Homeyness Delight

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2. Efficiency – manageable, and I can get hold of things myself easily without having to read too many instructions, and I can have place to out down what I have to put down (in the right place) Comfortable – I can feel “in proportion” to the room size

3. Security– I am safe and taken care of inside the room

4. Desk (card that shows efficiency, with all the plugs and cables)

5. The bed with the pillows and cushions (that I can rest well at night)

D. Homeyness 1. That I can be who I am, no one will be peeking. 2. Comfortable, Cozy, Lay-back, Simple, Clean 3. My teacup and my towels 4. Make myself a cup of Chinese tea and watch TV on bed 5. Small rooms are good as it is kinda scary when I am in a big room by myself (esp. in new places)

E. About your Hotel Room and In-room Activities (Mapping)

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Very different from grand hotels, the mugs more like ones I have at home

The message inside the cups makes me really think I am home

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Somehow I like the subtle pattern on the beddings, looks soft and comfortable

The brochure that talks about the products in the room makes me feel I know them

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The message on the all of the lift lobby of each floor makes me feel greeted well every time the door opens

1. I am a chatter box and it’s always nice to have me around 2. happy and cheerful, colorful, bright 3. my toiletries and makeup bag 4. put my makeup bag in the bathroom in a way I used to at home (how things are arranged in order) 5. small room with a desk

F. Wrap Up

1. nothing particular 2. Nil 3. Nil

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Appendix J Hotelier Questionnaire (for Face-to-face Interview)

Target: Hotel Management Objectives: - to determine the attributes and determinants of a ‘secure’ and ‘comfortable’ hotel - to verify the validity of the hotel’s claims against user’s experience

I. THE INTRODUCTION Hi, my name is Grace Lau. I am a PhD student at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne. As part of my research on hotel experience in Asia, I am interviewing management personnel of different hotels about (1) what kind/type of hotel type their business is in, (2) what are the differences between hotel types and kind of guests, and (3) how do they promote themselves to attract guests and repeat users.

The interview will take approximately 1.5 to 2 hours. I will ask you questions about (1) yourself, (2) your hotel, (3) hotel experiences for hotel guests, (4) promotion strategies and loyalty programmes, and (5) a few wrap up questions. Do you have any questions about the contents?

Before we begin, I want you to know that this is one of those rare moments when everything you say is right. The answer you give me IS the right answer. Are you ready to begin?

II. THE QUESTIONS A. About Yourself 1. What is your first name? 2. What is your position at this hotel? Would you give a bit of detail description about what exactly you do everyday? 3. How long have you worked in the hotel business? 3 years 5 years 7 -10 years 10 years or more

B. About Your Hotel and the Industry 1. Would you like to tell me about the hotel you are working at? [Probe for: • years of establishment/history • types of room • facilities and supporting services • categorization • market positioning • target customers

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2. How would you describe the recent changes in the hotel industry (esp. in regards to growing number of business travellers)? 3. What do you think is the most important thing in ‘mobile lodging’ (short term hotel stay for business travellers)?

C. About Services and Amenities at your Hotel 1. Could you tell me about the core features of your hotel? [Probe for: • rooms setup • guest services • amenities • loyalty programme 2. Could you tell me about the key features of your hotel that distinguish itself from the rest in the category (rooms or services)? 3. What you think the guests are looking for when they chose to stay at your hotel? Could you share some stories about guest feedbacks about your hotel? 4. Does your hotel offer branded toiletries or beddings? What are the considerations for the selection of them? 5. Could you describe to me about your guest rooms? [Probe for: • design • furniture • layout • color and theme • special items/objects 6. Does your hotel offer any special in-room services for business travellers? What are they? 7. Do you remember any memorable stories about your guests’ experiences in the guestrooms? [Probe for: • special request • unusual arrangements in room in relations to cultural preferences • sweet and gratifying compliments

D. Promotional Strategies and Loyalty Programmes 1. What are the keywords that you use to market your hotel? Is there a tagline or catch- phrase? 2. If you were to think your hotel as a person, how would you describe it? 3. What is your hotel’s promotion strategy (functional and emotional)? Can you take me through the current campaign or website? 4. What is the key proposition of your promotion campaign (key marketing message)? 5. Do you think your proposition is well translated into services that you offer? How? 6. Do you place emphasis in your room in the promotional campaigns? What are the highlights? 7. Does you hotel offer any loyalty programmes? What are the key features of the programme? 8. Do you have any memorable messages from guests that you could show me?

E. Wrap Up

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1. What are the key three thoughts that I should take away from my talk with you about hotel experience? 2. Is there anything that we have not addressed that you feel I should know? 3. Do you have any questions for me?

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Appendix K Sample Hotelier Interview Documentation (from Face-to-face Interview)

Interview Report_Hoteliers East Hotel_Jennifer Cheung | General Manager April 3. 2014

A. About Yourself Jennifer Cheung, Hotel Manager of East, has been working in the hotel business for over 13 years. Joined Swire Hotel in 2008 as Director of Sales and Marketing, got promoted to Hotel Manager in 2011, and General Manager in May 2013. Long time with Shangri-La.

Her everyday duties include managing respective department heads. Working very closely with People Development Manager, focusing on people, like staff promotion, resignation; also deal with attracting more people to join the industry.

B. About Your Hotel and the Industry 1. Would you like to tell me about the hotel you are working at? East Hotel is a “Lifestyle business hotel with a difference’. It is located in a business area with 13 commercial buildings with over 500 companies, so positioned to serve mainly business people. Serving Taikoo Place and One Island East. The reason why Swire created this hotel is mainly to serve its tenants.

East avoided Star Rating, but she would say it’s 4.5, if she tried to rate it.

Although positioned as a lifestyle business hotel, East also aims to serve leisure travelers.

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Located in the residential area, the hotel environment is less ‘complex’ in terms of the people hanging around the area. A lot of mainlanders actually prefer East and they like the idea of being able to travel to other areas with MTR.

It was opened in 2011.

2. How would you describe the recent changes in the hotel industry (esp. in regards to growing number of business travellers)?

On wifi services, cheaper and newer hotels can offer free wifi. Old hotels which used to earn huge revenue with wifi would not like to give that up. The costs for setting up wifi for old hotels was also more expensive. New and younger hotels have more flexibility to offer free wifi.

Hotel targets are around 30-50, their expectations are different from those more elder target who would much prefer ‘grand services’ like bell boys with white gloves. There is a mentality change, people nowadays prefer simplier service, preferred to take care of things themselves (自由行 trend).

Female business travelers are very particular about ‘safety”. Not so much about the lock on the door, but more about ‘what they can see’ (like the corridor design of East, female guests get to see along the whole corridor with no hidden corners).

Staff turnover for hotel is around 25%, lots of focus needs to be in F&B.

3. What do you think is the most important thing in ‘mobile lodging’ (short term hotel stay for business travellers)? A good wifi is important, free is especially important nowadays.

C. About Services and Amenities at your Hotel 1. Could you tell me about the core features of your hotel? Feast and Sugar Rooms and Suites Business Centre Gym

2. Could you tell me about the key features of your hotel that distinguish itself from the rest in the category (rooms or services)? “Efficiency”, in terms of check in and out (a comprehensive guest profile allow them to know the guest in advance and won’t need them to provide all information on arrival). Although a business hotel, they are not really very corporate and business, but emphasizes a lot about ‘human’ aspects (humanity).

Shower but not bath tub that supports saving water, space and ‘efficiency’ (most business travelers would prefer taking shower under rainforest shower heads than bath). * Japanese guests needs bath tub, but East has very few Japanese guests.

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Paperless and quick check out is core that supports ‘efficiency’. They are somehow educating the guests and changing their mindset/expectations.

Reverse message for changing beddings is a smart way to reduce costs and save the need for changing beddings (not possible at luxury hotels). East is more 平實.

3. What you think the guests are looking for when they chose to stay at your hotel? Could you share some stories about guest feedbacks about your hotel? Location, mainlanders who stayed in East know how to take tunnel bus to TST. Simplicity, East provides you with ‘all’ you need and what you need only. Nothing elaborative and over-the-top (she mentioned her experience at MO in GZ which is so ‘luxurious’)

4. Does your hotel offer branded toiletries or beddings? What are the considerations for the selection of them? Elements, and they are contained in dispensing bottles (which tide in with sustainable theme).

5. Could you describe to me about your guest rooms? They are very “efficient” and “practical”. Efficient in the rooms refer to the size, rooms do not need to be big, their rooms are only around 28-30 sq. m. Well thought in terms of layout with lots of drawers that help guests to organize things, closet is not big, but other things are provided. All necessary amenities are there.

Every thing contained in the rooms serves a purpose and the layout of rooms make the best use of space. Large windows in room also can give guests a good sense of spaciousness.

Green issues are addressed in the use of ipod, shower, and also dispensing bottles.

6. Does your hotel offer any special in-room services for business travellers? What are they? Standard stuff are there.

Ipod that provides all crucial information guests need. Service at a touch.

7. Do you remember any memorable stories about your guests’ experiences in the guestrooms? James (returning guest) from UK, providing him with a hamper of beer, chinese tea, nuts, shortbread, and chips from M&S, for his two-weeks stay, with a card that welcomes him back and “keeps him energized”. Guest with Birthday daughter, airport rep holding her a FF bear on picking her up at airport and originally she feels so nervous, was so happy and feel welcomed by East. They sang happy birthday to her and she took picture of her and the bear when she got home and sent back.

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A couple celebrating anniversary, they searched their fb and downloaded pictures and print photos in frames all setup in room on their arrival. * work close with Director of Guest Experience on brainstorming ideas.

D. Promotional Strategies and Loyalty Programmes Keyword: Difference Catchphrase: Lifestyle Hotel with a Difference (in terms of service element) As a person: new kid on the block *Jennifer mentioned Hyatt Gold Passport as a more successful Loyalty Programme in the market since guests can really earn something for themselves. ** Most loyalty program of hotel group is “a bad cousin of mileage programme”, like the Golden Circle of Shangri-La is too standard.

Guests are not that ‘loyal’ now and they look for design, good price and location (unless their stay is booked by the company, leaving them no choice)

E. Wrap Up 1. What are the key three thoughts that I should take away from my talk with you about hotel experience? East is a very good hotel that gives a lot of flexibility to the Manager, and it has a local flavor given that it is very close to a local residential area.

Matching guests expectation is important, so SOP and P&P (policy and procedure) is seen important to a lot of hotel groups (for maintaining consistency). But given the change of the guests mentality, flexibility becomes more important.

Australians are more adventurous, always looking for local perspectives and excitement. Americans are more conservative.

The homeyness in hotel is not so much about the room (hardware), rather it's the “impression” or whether they feel “comfortable”. Jennifer mentioned a service apartment in Korea that the design gives a home feeling, but for most hotel, it’s about ‘service’, a caring welcome on returning after a day’s work could mean something (being recognized, won’t feel so ‘out-of-place”, not overwhelming, more under-stated).

The most important thing about people in the hotel industry is that they need to have PASSION.

HK has over 90% occupancy around the year.

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Appendix L Interior Designer Questionnaire (for Face-to-face Interview)

Target: Interior Designer Objectives: - to identify the attributes and determinants of a good guest room design - to map the flow of user experience in a guest room - to verify the relevance of elements of good design in guest rooms to those of bedrooms

I. THE INTRODUCTION Hi, my name is Grace Lau. I am a PhD student at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne. As part of my research on hotel experience in Asia, I am interviewing interior designers who have worked in designing hotel about (1) what makes a good hotel design, (2) what are the key considerations in designing user experience in bedrooms, and (3) what are the differences between hotel rooms and bedrooms.

The interview will take approximately 1 to 1.5 hours. I will ask you questions about (1) yourself, (2) your design approaches, (3) your design experience of hotel(s), and (4) a few wrap up questions. Do you have any questions about the contents?

Before we begin, I want you to know that this is one of those rare moments when everything you say is right. The answer you give me IS the right answer. Are you ready to begin?

II. THE QUESTIONS A. About Yourself 1. What is your first name? 2. What is your profession/expertise? Could you give a bit of detail description about what exactly you do everyday? 3. How many hotels have you been involved in designing all through your career? Who are they?

B. Your Design Approach 1. Can you describe your usual design approach to any project? [Probe for: • Thinking process • User perspective • Design rationale • Design philosophy 2. Understanding how you tackle projects, would you like to talk a bit about designing hotel? Is there a difference between designing hotel and designing other space? Like apartments? 3. In your perspective, how would you describe the trend of hotel design? [Probe for: • boutique hotel design • business hotel design 4. What are your thoughts about user-experience in hotel design?

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5. Can you name THREE best hotel designs that you think successfully create the most relevant experience for guests? Please describe the three hotels in a little more detail [Probe for: • design keywords • design approach • user profile • user experience

C. Experience and Expertise 1. How many boutique/ business hotels have you been involved in? Can you name them? 2. What are the difficulties you have encountered in the project? [Probe for: • client’s expectations and professional guidelines • cultural differences of local client and potential users 3. Could you name one hotel that you think you have done a great job in creating the best experience for all stakeholders? [Probe for: • keywords to describe the kind of user experience • design methodology • design elements used 4. Do you think there is a specific ‘formula’ for creating a good guest room experience in hotel design? 5. How do you relate that ‘formula’ to designing bedrooms? What the familiarities and differences in the two? [Probe for: • design methodology • design elements • design thinking • user study • user experiences

D. Wrap Up 1. What are the key three thoughts that I should take away from my talk with you about hotel experience? 2. Is there anything that we have not addressed that you feel I should know? 3. Do you have any questions for me?

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Appendix M Sample Interior Design Interview Documentation (for Face-to-face Interview)

Interview Report_Designer Ed Ng | AB Concept Feb 17. 2015

A. About Yourself Ed Ng is co-founder and director of design studio AB Concept. With more than 20 years specializing in luxury hospitality, residential and commercial interior design, Ng has led his firm to become one of the leading design studios in Asia.

Ng’s designs tell a unique story through a spatial experience that is underpinned by the essentials of architectural precision and a bespoke sensibility that reflects the artisanal quality and craftsmanship of each project. These essentials are evident in each of his projects — from luxury to lifestyle brands, from projects in Asia to those in Europe, from architectural planning to FF&E and styling.

AB Concept’s diverse client portfolio includes luxury hotels (Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, Rosewood, Waldorf Astoria, Bellagio, Shangri-La), leading property developers (Swire Properties, Henderson Land, Sun Hung Kai Properties, COFCO Property, China Resource Land, Greentown) and lifestyle brands (, McLaren).

A graduate of Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Ng is an active participant in various international design forums. He is also a fellowship member of the Chartered Society of

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Designers in the United Kingdom and an honored member of the APHDA to support efforts at Tsinghua University to develop design talent in China.

Ed works very closely with the team everyday and is very hands on with sketching to the selection of materials and detail parts.

Hotels: 1. Four Seasons 2. Mandarin Oriental 3. Rosewood 4. Waldorf Astoria 5. Bellagio 6. Shangri-La

B. Your Design Approach Philosophy: Each design should tell a unique story through a spatial experience that is underpinned by the essentials of architectural precision in space planning and a bespoke sensibility that reflects the artisanal quality and craftsmanship as required of for that project.

“Every project we create should be a legacy for our clients. We are selective and only commit to projects that we feel passionate about, those that evoke a emotional response or spark our collective imaginations. It starts with an overarching theme that serves as a foundation. From this basis, grow a story and a design concept, evolving into a strong narrative.”

I also believe in mastering style and detail, and daring explorations of space and style that helps to bring out a genuine respect for history, culture and arts.

There are three core pillars in our office we use to approach and elevate the work, and it’s these three key words I ask my staff to always remember—“architectural,” “couturier” and “sensual.” By “architectural” we mean having all the necessary functional requirements— great circulation, an understanding of the client’s operational requirements, and a resolution of the larger architecture challenges. By “couturier” we mean that everything should be unique—using refined materials, custom elements, and fine detailing. And “sensual” is where the humanity comes in. It’s like with a human being… You have a skeleton, then you’re well groomed and dressed, and then you need charisma to communicate your personality to others.

The difference between designing hotel and home is that with hotels, you need to be more elaborative.

I personally don’t really like Boutique Hotels as I believe that a guest’s comfort is very important and that can only be provided by Large hotel groups. Boutique Hotel is only like

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an article in a magazine, that is very short and would not leave a very lasting memory like a story.

“Let’s think about the script, the movie, the storyboard… What story do we want to tell?”

User-experience can only be created upon providing them with a good story through the use of details and good space planning, that is like a storyline in a novel, you have to be able to take your guests through it. The choice of good fabric and artwork in an interior help to build up the storyline.

5. Can you name THREE best hotel designs that you think successfully create the most relevant experience for guests? 1. Mandarin Oriental 2. Waldorf Astoria 3. Four Seasons

Keywords: - elegance - precision - style

C. Experience and Expertise 1. How many boutique/ business hotels have you been involved in? Can you name them? - see answer above

2. What are the difficulties you have encountered in the project? [Probe for: • client’s expectations and professional guidelines • cultural differences of local client and potential users - I would say budget and people’s determination to get details right. They just care about opening as soon as possible and have the first room sold.

3. Could you name one hotel that you think you have done a great job in creating the best experience for all stakeholders? [Probe for: • keywords to describe the kind of user experience • design methodology • design elements used

- Renaissance Harbour View, Hong Kong - unforced elegance and simple sophistication - sensual spaces that seamlessly integrate form and function - clean over cluttered, depth over decoration, precision over preciousness

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4. Do you think there is a specific ‘formula’ for creating a good guest room experience in hotel design?

When it comes to hotels, I am a very discerning critic. I have been designing hotels for over a decade now, so great design is a given. The guest experience should be effortless and smooth, and the silkiness of customer service is what defines the entire experience — things should just fall in place. That, to me, is the definition of a great hotel.

- The whole point behind a good guest room is how to come up with a design that will meet—then go beyond—their expectations; a little surprise (decorative aesthetic, form) over comfort (function)

- In a hotel, nothing exists purely as a decoration; nothing screams ornate and tries to be a focal point — everything is in complete harmony. This approach is what makes the interior remains timeless

5. How do you relate that ‘formula’ to designing bedrooms? What the familiarities and differences in the two? [Probe for: • design methodology • design elements • design thinking • user study • user experiences

- Bedroom is part of home, and since I travel so intensely for such long periods, home is my private sanctuary. It’s my cocoon where I can relax and feel rejuvenated. It’s also the place where I love spending time with my two lovely Shiba dogs. - in designing bedroom, one must be able to provide the user with a feel of tranquility. So on top of the aesthetic considerations, the design of a bedroom should also be able to be

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like a ‘private spot’, where the user can be his/her real self without disturbance. In designing a guest room, there must be such a spot inside the room.

As the theme of my presentation at BODW 2005, “Interior Design: Beautifying Life

Home is where our lives are centred, and should be a source of great enjoyment. While each piece of furniture and decoration serves as a supporting element to the home's interior design concept, they are also suggestive of our freedom and ability to beautify our lives.”

D. Wrap Up 1. What are the key three thoughts that I should take away from my talk with you about hotel experience?

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Appendix N Sample Record for the Study of Special Corner and Related Activities

Corner in the Guestroom Activities Conducted in the Counts Emotions Identified Corner (MHHI)

Take a nap 8 Relax Drink coffee 12 Content Read magazines 14 Delighted Read documents 8 Secured Make calls 11 Secured Look outside the window 6 Entertained Watch TV 23 Entertained Eat Snacks 23 Content Exercise (Stretching) 6 Comfortable

Couch Corner

Work 27 Practical Read 18 Content Make calls 19 Secured Drink coffee 12 Content Get on computer 25 Secured

Bedside Table

Bath 14 Content Read Magazines 8 Entertained Drink tea 6 Comfortable

Bath Tub

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