Waiting Area Design Hotel

This glossary article explores the essentials of waiting area design for hotels. From understanding the importance of first impressions to incorporating functionality, aesthetics, and branding, we cover everything you need to know to create inviting and impactful waiting spaces.

The waiting area of a hotel is often the first physical interaction a guest has with your property. It’s more than just a transitional space—it’s an opportunity to set the tone for the entire guest experience. A well-designed waiting area can make a lasting impression, reflect your brand’s identity, and ensure comfort and convenience for your guests.

In this article, we’ll dive into the key elements of waiting area design for hotels, explore its benefits, and provide actionable tips to help you create a space that resonates with your guests.


Why the Waiting Area Matters

The waiting area is the gateway to your hotel. It’s where guests form their first impressions and begin to connect with your brand. A thoughtfully designed waiting area can:

  • Elevate Guest Experience: Provide a welcoming and comfortable environment.
  • Reinforce Brand Identity: Use design elements to reflect your hotel’s unique story and values.
  • Encourage Engagement: Create opportunities for guests to interact with your space, services, or staff.
  • Maximize Functionality: Ensure the space is practical for various uses, such as waiting for check-in, relaxation, or socializing.

Key Elements of Waiting Area Design

Designing a successful waiting area involves a combination of aesthetics, functionality, and branding. Here are the essential components to consider:

1. Comfortable Seating Arrangements

The seating should be ergonomic, inviting, and versatile. Consider a mix of seating options, such as sofas, armchairs, and benches, to cater to different needs. Ensure proper spacing to avoid a cluttered feel.

2. Lighting

Lighting sets the mood. Use a combination of natural light, ambient lighting, and task lighting to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere. For a modern touch, consider adjustable lighting to suit different times of day or occasions.

3. Color Palette and Materials

Choose colors and materials that align with your hotel’s brand identity. Neutral tones create a calming effect, while bold accents can add vibrancy. High-quality materials like wood, metal, and fabric enhance sophistication.

4. Branding Elements

Incorporate your hotel’s logo, colors, and design motifs subtly into the waiting area. This can be achieved through artwork, signage, or even custom furniture.

5. Functionality and Flow

The layout should allow for easy movement and accessibility. Ensure the space is practical for guests with luggage, families, or those with mobility challenges.

6. Technology Integration

Provide charging stations, Wi-Fi access, and digital displays to enhance guest convenience. Technology can also be used to showcase your hotel’s amenities or promotions.

7. Greenery and Decorative Elements

Plants and artwork can add warmth and personality to the space. Choose decor that complements your overall design theme.


Benefits of a Well-Designed Waiting Area

Investing in a thoughtful waiting area design offers numerous advantages:

  • Enhanced Guest Satisfaction: A comfortable and visually appealing space makes guests feel valued.
  • Increased Brand Loyalty: A strong brand presence in the waiting area can leave a lasting impression, encouraging repeat visits.
  • Positive Reviews: Guests are more likely to share their positive experiences on review platforms, boosting your hotel’s reputation.
  • Operational Efficiency: A well-organized waiting area can streamline processes like check-in and check-out.

Tips for Designing an Effective Waiting Area

Here are some practical tips to help you create a waiting area that stands out:

  1. Understand Your Audience: Tailor the design to the preferences and needs of your target demographic.
  2. Prioritize Comfort: Invest in high-quality furniture and ensure adequate seating.
  3. Keep It Clean and Clutter-Free: A tidy space reflects professionalism and attention to detail.
  4. Incorporate Local Culture: Add elements that reflect the local culture or heritage to create a unique identity.
  5. Test the Layout: Simulate guest flow during the design phase to ensure optimal functionality.
  6. Use Scent and Sound: Subtle fragrances and background music can enhance the sensory experience.
  7. Seek Professional Help: Collaborate with interior designers and branding experts to bring your vision to life.

Examples of Inspiring Waiting Areas

Here are a few examples of how hotels have created exceptional waiting areas:

  • Boutique Hotels: Often feature personalized decor, local art, and cozy seating to create a homey feel.
  • Luxury Hotels: Use high-end materials, sleek lighting, and sophisticated color schemes to exude elegance.
  • Eco-Friendly Hotels: Incorporate sustainable materials, natural lighting, and greenery to align with their eco-conscious ethos.

Infographic Table: Key Features of a Hotel Waiting Area

Feature Description
Seating Comfortable, ergonomic, and varied options for different guest needs.
Lighting A mix of natural, ambient, and task lighting for a welcoming atmosphere.
Branding Elements Subtle incorporation of logo, colors, and design motifs.
Technology Charging stations, Wi-Fi, and digital displays for guest convenience.
Decor Artwork, plants, and local cultural elements to add personality.
Layout Functional and accessible, with adequate space for movement.

Final Thoughts

The waiting area is more than just a transitional space—it’s an opportunity to create a memorable first impression and set the stage for an exceptional guest experience. By focusing on comfort, functionality, and branding, you can design a waiting area that not only meets but exceeds guest expectations.

At DyeLot, we specialize in crafting interior designs that tell authentic stories and create meaningful connections. Let us help you transform your hotel’s waiting area into a space that truly represents your brand and delights your guests.

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Emily Layton

Graphic Designer

Emily Layton is a graphic designer and creative with a BFA in Graphic Design & Digital Media with action sports emphasis from Laguna College of Art and Design. Adept at aligning brand goals across formats, market trends, and consumer behavior, she translates insights into compelling visual narratives. Her experience spans corporate decks, brand books, and apparel collections—ensuring brand consistency, clarity, and impact. She values strong creative collaboration and brings a thoughtful, solutions-oriented approach to every project.

Project Experience:

  • West Creative Agency, Costa Mesa, CA
  • Huntress Decor, San Diego, CA
  • La Jolla Group - O’Neill Irvine, CA
  • Gotcha Digital Design, Virginia Beach, VA
  • Veterinary Emergency Group Various Locations
  • Nostos Grocery Store Panama City, Panama
  • Tribute Hotel Nob Hill Albuquerque, NM

Priscilla Bueno

Interior Designer

Priscilla is a Cal State Long Beach alumna with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design. She has worked across residential, hospitality, nonprofit, and wellness sectors, with a focus on creating spaces that support emotional well-being and human connection.

Influenced by her interest in psychology, Priscilla approaches design with a deep understanding of how physical environments impact how we feel, behave, and connect. Her work combines material sensitivity, spatial clarity, and user-centered thinking to foster environments that help people feel grounded and safe.

From luxury spas to trauma-informed nonprofit spaces, she designs with a clear goal: to shape interiors that invite presence, foster restoration, and create a true sense of belonging.

Project Experience:

  • Vintera Resort at Napa Creek, Napa, CA
  • DoubleTree Gilbert, Gilbert, AZ
  • Alexan Long Beach, Long Beach, CA
  • Alexan Arcadia, Arcadia, CA
  • Babyletto, Los Angeles, CA
  • Cozy Earth, Newport, CA

Jen Khor

Senior Interior Designer

With a thoughtful and intuitive approach, Jen Khor brings strong expertise in hospitality design, as well as experience in retail, F&B, and corporate offices. Her user-centric, narrative-driven philosophy reflects local culture and context, creating spaces that feel relevant and resonant.

Jen has a deep understanding of hotel brand standards and leads quality control for custom casegoods with high attention to detail. Sensitive to client needs, she communicates ideas through tools like BIM, AI, and hand sketches. Jen is passionate about crafting spaces that evoke emotion, inspire curiosity, and foster inclusivity with lasting impact.

Project Experience:

  • Vintera Resort at Napa Creek, Napa, CA
  • Hotel De Novo - Tapestry by Hilton, Springdale, UT
  • DoubleTree Guestroom Prototype, Various Locations
  • Alexan Long Beach, Long Beach, CA
  • Alexan Arcadia, Arcadia, CA
  • Wild Greens, University of Arkansas, AR
  • Joybird Headquarters, Los Angeles, CA

Melissa He

Senior Interior Designer

With years of experience in working on various project types, Melissa approaches each design as a new narrative, infusing storytelling, cultural context, and personality into every space. Educated in Fine Art in China and Interior Design at Cal State Long Beach, Melissa applies a detail-driven and research-based methodology to craft spaces that are both visually compelling and deeply resonant. Her approach reflects a belief that each project offers a chance to explore new voices and challenge convention, leading to designs that not only reflect individual identities but also support the broader community. She continues to evolve her design practice through collaboration, curiosity, and purpose, seeking to create spaces that adapt, grow, and inspire meaningful engagement.

Project Experience:

  • Vintera Resort at Napa Creek, Napa, CA
  • Hotel De Novo - Tapestry by Hilton, Springdale, UT
  • Alexan Long Beach, Long Beach, CA
  • DoubleTree Guestroom Prototype, Various Locations
  • Alexan Arcadia, Arcadia, CA
  • Port of Long Beach, Long Beach, CA
  • Wolf and Shepherd, Manhattan, NY

Chris Gorney

Director of Procurement

Chris is the Senior Director of Creative Sourcing and Procurement at DyeLot. A proven industry professional, he has worked with many of the world’s largest hospitality and development companies. He can speak to the entire lifecycle of design, development, and construction as well as contribute to the minutia of bespoke fabrication and production. Using an open-book and collaborative approach, Chris has the advantage of understanding the nuances of millwork, furnishing, and custom fabrication in order to reach a true-to-concept product. He brings with him more than a decade of experience working across multiple disciplines within the design industry.

Project Experience:

  • Hotel De Novo - Tapestry by Hilton, Springdale, UT
  • Wayfarer Hotel, Los Angeles, CA
  • The Edwin, Chattanooga, TN
  • Downtown Marriott, Des Moines, IA
  • Lincolnshire Marriott, Lincolnshire, IL
  • Capitol District Marriott, Omaha, NE
  • The Ferrier, Temecula, CA
  • The Tin Building by Jean George, New York, NY

Mathew Vo

Senior Interior Designer

As a designer with a background in both architecture and interiors, Mathew brings a layered perspective to every project. Drawing on experience across diverse project types—from hospitality and food & beverage to sports and retail—he crafts spaces that balance performance, beauty, and emotional resonance. Inspired by his interest in theater and production design, Mathew focuses on creating immersive environments that take users on a curated journey. His command of design technology and documentation tools, including BIM, allows him to navigate complex projects while staying grounded in storytelling and purpose-driven design. Mathew continues to find inspiration in context, culture, and narrative—translating them into built environments that leave a lasting impact.

Project Experience:

  • DoubleTree Gilbert, Gilbert, AZ
  • Port of Long Beach, Long Beach, CA
  • Swing Set Productions, Long Beach, CA
  • Hotel De Novo - Tapestry by Hilton, Springdale, UT

Ava Javaheri

Senior Interior Designer

With roots in a family of entrepreneurs and artists, Ava’s passion for hospitality design was sparked early—surrounded by showrooms and inspired styling sessions in her family’s furniture store. Today at DyeLot Interiors, she channels that lifelong aesthetic instinct into creating immersive environments that elevate the guest experience. Ava approaches hospitality interiors as both a visual narrative and an emotional journey, blending function with atmosphere in spaces meant to inspire, delight, and linger in memory. Her creative process draws on everything from global travel and museum exploration to cinematic set design, all feeding her pursuit of detail-driven, unforgettable spaces where people feel genuinely transported.

Project Experience:

  • Vintera Resort at Napa Creek, Napa, CA
  • Hotel Maya, Long Beach, CA
  • DoubleTree Gilbert, Gilbert, AZ
  • Swing Set Productions, Long Beach, CA
  • Port of Long Beach, Long Beach, CA

Chaya Juntara

Procurement Specialist

As a key member of DyeLot Interiors, Chaya is dedicated to collaborating with clients and vendors to deliver an exceptional experience marked by reliability, accountability, and integrity. Her primary focus is executing each project vision on time, ensuring top-tier quality, and managing the budget with precision. With deep expertise in sourcing and FF&E, Chaya brings a strong technical foundation that is essential to the creation of remarkable hospitality interiors and furnishings—the cornerstone of our procurement practice. She has worked alongside industry leaders in custom furniture, providing her with a wealth of experience. Her unique background in both interiors and procurement allows her to offer creative solutions that consistently exceed client expectations.

Project Experience:

  • Vintera Resort at Napa Creek, Napa, CA
  • Hotel De Novo - Tapestry by Hilton, Springdale, UT
  • Hotel Maya, Long Beach, CA
  • DoubleTree Gilbert, Gilbert, AZ
  • Cliffrose Springdale, Springdale, UT
  • Nuri Steakhouse, Dallas, TX
  • The Tin Building by Jean George, New York, NY
  • Solis Park, Irvine, CA

Adam Ford, NCIDQ

Senior Interior Project Designer

As a Senior Interior Project Designer at DyeLot, Adam leans on his expertise in interior design and theatrical storytelling to bring designs to life. Having extensive full-service and focused service hotel design experience, he is attuned to both branded work with Marriott, Hilton, and IHG and non-branded/independent projects. Adam helps create immersive and functional spaces that resonate with guests and elevate brand identities. His collaboration with hotel brands has honed his ability to blend aesthetics with practicality, ensuring seamless guest experiences and maximizing operational efficiency.

Project Experience:

  • Hotel De Novo - Tapestry by Hilton, Springdale, UT
  • DoubleTree Gilbert, Gilbert, AZ
  • Where The Wild Greens AR, Fayetteville, AR
  • Camp Creek Golf Resort & Inn, Inlet Beach, FL
  • Hotel Cyrus, Topeka, KS
  • Delta by Marriott, Thornton Northglenn, CO
  • Tribute South Park, Austin, TX

Brittany LeBlanc, NCIDQ, CID

Senior Project Designer / Associate

With a multi-disciplinary design and architecture background, Brittany continues to create unique user experiences for diversified projects. Brittany concentrates on designing spaces that provoke interest, emotion and encourage brand longevity. After studying interior design, Brittany continues to grow and expand her knowledge of interiors and architecture by working within both disciplines. Brittany’s experience comes from a vast range of industries including hospitality, food and beverage, retail, and experiential marketing.

Project Experience:

  • Vintera Resort at Napa Creek, Napa, CA
  • Hotel De Novo - Tapestry by Hilton, Springdale, UT
  • Hotel Maya, Long Beach, CA
  • DoubleTree Gilbert, Gilbert, AZ
  • The Wilder's Lounge, Springdale, UT
  • Anu Restaurant, Springdale, UT
  • Wolf and Shepherd, Manhattan, NY

Gustavo Neri

Director of Branding

Gustavo Neri serves as the Director of Branding, leading branding and signage/wayfinding campaigns for hospitality and residential projects Neri creates the narrative for a project before it begins – setting a strong aesthetic and identity for the project to ensure its message and character is carried through the life of the design process. Neri’s view of design is that it must be seen through the lens of the viewer, not the designer. One must take into account the experience of the person perceiving his work as they are guided through it, taking all elements into careful consideration and removing himself from the experience.

Project Experience:

  • Hotel Indigo, Savannah, GA
  • DoubleTree Gilbert, Gilbert, AZ
  • Hotel Amarano, Burbank, CA
  • Glenmark Hotel, Glendale, CA
  • Eminence Boston Hotel, Boston, MA
  • Hilton Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale, FL
  • Alexan Long Beach, Long Beach, CA
  • Wolf and Shepherd, Manhattan, NY

Krystle Fader, NCIDQ, CID

Design Manager / Senior Associate

As a Design Manager at DyeLot Interiors, Krystle brings over 15 years of professional experience in interior and architectural design to the team. With experience in a range of markets including food & beverage, multi-family housing, hospitality, workplace and healthcare, she brings her combined knowledge from each and is able to apply that to new project opportunities. With an education in interior architectural design and a passion for efficient solutions, Krystle has been able to grow into a leadership role managing projects from design concept though completion of construction.

Project Experience:

  • Alexan Long Beach, Long Beach, CA
  • Alexan Arcadia, Arcadia, CA
  • The Monde, Scottsdale, AZ
  • Partake Collective, Long Beach, CA
  • Port of Long Beach, Long Beach, CA
  • Swing Set Productions, Long Beach, CA
  • Din Tai Fung, Various Locations
  • Fogo de Chao, Various Locations

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Alex Kuby, AIA, WELL AP

Associate Principal

Alex is a licensed architect specializing in hospitality and experiential interior design, with a foundation built on years of practice across high-end hotels, branded environments, and lifestyle-driven residential spaces. His work is grounded in architectural rigor and elevated by a narrative-driven approach that shapes immersive, memorable experiences. With a deep understanding of design theory, construction, and project execution, Alex brings a holistic, strategic lens to each project—bridging spatial storytelling with operational excellence.

Hospitality Experience:

  • Vintera Resort at Napa Creek, Napa, CA
  • Hotel De Novo - Tapestry by Hilton, Springdale, UT
  • Hotel Indigo - IHG, Los Angeles, CA
  • Grand Hyatt - Baha Mar, Nassau, Bahamas
  • Pullman Baotou, Baotou, China
  • Hilton Resort Wenchang, Hainan Island, China

Residential Experience:

  • Perla Luxury Condo Tower, Los Angeles, CA
  • Watermark Assited Living, Westwood, CA
  • Alexan WestEnd, Long Beach, CA

Jackson Thilenius, AIA

Senior Principal

As Senior Principal of DyeLot Interiors, Jackson operates at the intersection of strategy, design and implementation, driving innovative and authentic solutions to hospitality projects around the world. With over twenty-five years of practice in architecture and interior design, combined with a comprehensive understanding of the hospitality industry, Jackson collaborates with clients to establish project objectives which produce original designs and tailored brand positioning. Jackson has created a broad range of award-winning projects across the globe, leveraging his understanding of operational trends, local culture, and narrative-driven design.

Brand Experience:

Marriott
Hilton
Pacifica Hotels
Hyatt
Equinox
Loews Hotels
IHG
Karisma Hotels and Resorts
Oxford Capital Group
Marcus Hotels
Blackstone
Radisson Hotels
Starwood Capital