10 Decisions to Make Before Drawing Your Hotel's Architectural Project

When planning a hotel investment, the architectural project is usually seen as the first concrete step of the process.

You meet with an architect, explain what you need, and drawings start getting made.

But for a good hotel project, telling the architect only:

"We want to design a hotel here."

isn't enough.

Because the architectural project is actually the physical translation of many decisions the investor has already made.

How many rooms will there be?

What kind of guest is being targeted?

Which segment will the hotel sit in?

How will guests move through the hotel?

Which areas will generate revenue, and which will serve operations?

What's the budget?

And maybe most importantly:

Once it opens, what kind of business will this building actually operate as?

Starting to draw before these questions are clear enough can lead to constant changes as the project progresses.

And every change doesn't just mean lost time. Some changes can turn into serious costs once execution has already started.

That's why I believe certain core decisions need to be made as clear as possible before the architectural project begins.

Here are 10 important decisions to make before your hotel's architectural project is drawn.

1. Decide What Kind of Hotel You're Building

The first decision isn't what the building will look like — it's what kind of hotel it will be.

A boutique hotel?

A city hotel?

A resort?

Will it cater to long-term stays?

Will it target business travelers?

Or will it be a more niche concept built around a specific experience?

This decision affects nearly the entire project.

For example, the expectations of a business traveler and the expectations of a leisure guest aren't the same.

For one:

• a workspace
• strong internet infrastructure
• easy access
• fast check-in and check-out

may matter more.

For the other:

• common areas
• a garden
• a pool
• lounge areas
• the experience

may stand out more.

That's why, before the architectural project begins, this question needs as clear an answer as possible:

Who is this hotel being designed for?

2. Define Your Target Guest

A design made without a defined target guest risks trying to appeal to everyone while ending up strong for no one.

For example, your target audience could be:

• couples
• families
• foreign tourists
• business travelers
• city dwellers on a weekend getaway

Each group has different expectations from the hotel.

For a family with children, in-room storage or the option of an extra bed may matter.

For couples, privacy and atmosphere may matter more.

A long-stay guest may expect a larger room and solutions that make everyday life easier.

That's why the target guest isn't only something for the marketing department to think about.

It's also one of the starting points of architectural planning.

3. Determine Room Count and Room Types

When you look at a property or a piece of land, one question naturally comes up:

"How many rooms can fit here?"

But in an architectural project, trying to hit the maximum possible room count alone may not be the right approach.

Because as room count increases:

• circulation space
• staffing needs
• cleaning operations
• technical capacity
• common area needs

change too.

That's why you first need to build a room program that fits the target operating model.

For example:

• How many standard rooms?
• How many superior rooms?
• How many suites?
• Will there be family rooms?
• How will room planning for guests with disabilities be handled?

questions like these need to be thought through early on.

The right room count isn't the maximum number you can physically fit;

it's the room count that fits your concept, budget, and operating model.

4. Think Through Where the Guest Experience Begins

A hotel's guest experience doesn't start when the guest enters the room.

It actually starts the moment they walk through the hotel's door.

In fact, it often forms even earlier, with the first impression of the hotel from outside.

The guest:

Where will they enter from?

Will they be able to find reception easily?

How will they move with their luggage?

What will the experience be like on the way to the room?

Where will they first encounter the common areas?

These questions need to be thought through at the architectural planning stage.

Especially in small, boutique hotels, even a corridor a few meters long, or a poorly positioned entrance, can change the guest experience.

That's why the project shouldn't be looked at only on the floor plan — as much as possible, it should also be looked at this way:

If I were the guest, how would I use this hotel?

5. Define How the Common Areas Will Actually Be Used

In hotel projects, common areas can sometimes look very impressive.

A large lobby.

A spacious garden.

A stylish seating area.

But the important question is:

Will the guest actually use this space?

Instead of adding a common area to the project just to fill empty space, you need to think through the usage scenario.

For example:

How will this area be used in the morning?

What happens in the afternoon?

Will the guest want to spend time here in the evening?

Is there an alternative for this space when it rains?

How will staff service this area?

A space looking good in photos matters.

But a space that sits empty most of the day, or is hard to operate, is a decision worth questioning in the long run.

6. Plan the Unseen Side of Operations From the Start

The areas guests don't see are just as important as the ones they do, for the hotel to actually run.

In a hotel:

• laundry
• housekeeping
• storage
• receiving
• cleaning
• technical maintenance
• staff needs

continue every single day.

That's why focusing only on guest areas while drawing the architectural project can create a serious gap.

For example, if the housekeeping team constantly has to walk from one end of the hotel to the other to reach towels, sheets, or cleaning supplies, that's a small-looking inefficiency at the project stage that repeats every day once the hotel is open.

A good hotel plan needs to think about staff movement inside the hotel just as much as it thinks about guest movement.

7. Set Aside Enough Space for Technical Infrastructure

Technical areas are often one of the sections that planning teams try to add in later.

But many of the systems the hotel needs to run have to be placed somewhere.

Electrical panels.

Mechanical equipment.

Water systems.

Climate control equipment.

Ventilation.

Fire systems.

Internet and other digital infrastructure.

All of these need space and coordination within the project.

When enough space isn't set aside for technical systems, changes to the architectural design may become necessary later.

That's why, before the architectural project begins, it's not just:

"Where will the guest stay?"

but also:

"How will this hotel work technically?"

that needs to be asked.

8. Set Your Budget Limit at the Start

In an architectural project, there's no limit to what could be done.

Bigger rooms.

Higher ceilings.

Custom stone.

Custom furniture.

Larger pools.

More elaborate details.

But the investment budget is limited.

That's why it's important for the project team to know the approximate budget framework from the very start.

The goal here isn't to limit the architecture to only the cheapest solution.

But design decisions need to be made within a realistic investment budget.

Otherwise, the resulting project may end up constantly being simplified or changed during execution.

And that usually means:

• lost time
• additional project cost
• execution delays

That's why this question needs an answer at the start:

What is the approximate investment budget we can reach for this project?

9. Identify Which Decisions Are Hard to Change Later

In a hotel project, some decisions can be changed easily later on.

For example, some furniture, decor details, or accessories can be refreshed over time.

But some decisions are much harder to change.

For example:

• columns and the load-bearing structure
• the position of the stairs
• the elevator
• shafts
• main plumbing lines
• room and bathroom layouts
• core technical infrastructure

can be costly decisions to change after execution.

That's why, before the project begins, it's especially worth thinking through this question:

If we wanted to change this decision three years from now, what would that take?

If the answer is:

"We'd have to tear the building apart to do that."

then this decision needs more thought from the start.

10. Think About the Hotel Five or Ten Years From Now

A hotel project shouldn't be designed only for opening day.

Because once you've invested, the business will keep running for years.

That's why you need to think, as much as possible, about needs that might arise in the future too.

For example:

• Will the electrical capacity be sufficient in the future?
• Can infrastructure be built for new technologies?
• Could some spaces be used differently later on?
• Will maintenance and renovation be easy?
• Will technical equipment be accessible?

It's not possible to predict every scenario today.

But leaving some flexibility in certain areas can make future changes easier.

A good project isn't designed only for today;

as much as possible, it's designed for tomorrow too.

A Short Checklist Before Your Hotel's Architectural Project

Before architectural drawing begins, these 10 topics need to be as clear as possible.

1. The hotel's type and concept

2. The target guest profile

3. Room count and room types

4. Guest experience and circulation plan

5. The purpose of the common areas

6. Operations and staff flow

7. Technical infrastructure needs

8. Investment budget

9. Decisions that are hard to change later

10. Long-term needs and flexibility

It may not always be possible to have all of these topics 100% finalized.

But the more of these are clarified before the architectural project begins, the more smoothly the project process will run.

Conclusion: The Architectural Project Doesn't Start With a Drawing

A hotel's architectural project doesn't actually start with the architect drawing the first line.

There are many decisions the investor needs to make before that line.

What kind of hotel?

For whom?

How many rooms?

How will it operate?

How much investment will be made?

And how will the resulting building work in the long run?

A project that begins before these answers are clear tends to keep changing throughout the process.

That's why the architectural project should be seen not as a starting point, but as:

The physical translation of the right investment, concept, and operating decisions

That's how it should be viewed.

The right decisions made before drawing begins can not only lead to a better-designed hotel, but also reduce many of the problems that could otherwise surface during execution and operations.