Given the numerous challenges over the last two years, businesses in the hospitality industry have needed to be more adaptable and agile in order to stay afloat.
For many, it was time to press the reset button and replan hospitality spaces with a more sustainable and health and safety enhanced design to adapt to the new world we live in. Let’s take a look at how glass can be applied with innovation and quick thinking:
Sustainable Design
Almost three-quarters of respondents in a recent booking.com survey advised sustainable travel and accommodation is important and that they were more likely to book if they knew it was eco-friendly, even if this wasn’t a factor they were looking for in the first place.
With the increasing pressure to be ethically and environmentally friendly, hospitality businesses are looking at ways to incorporate more sustainable materials into building design as well as day-to-day operations.
Structural glass has quickly become one of the most reliable building materials due to its many applications, low costs and eco-friendly factors; it is 100% recyclable! Plus, using energy-efficient glass, in particular, can help reduce annual energy costs and severely reduce carbon footprint. So how can you incorporate glass into hospitality design?
Spiral glass staircase at Somerset House
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Glass staircases
Great for both inside restaurants, bars, libraries or hotel entrances, the frameless application of glass staircases minimises any obstruction of view throughout the entranceway. The natural light-reflecting qualities of glass brighten and open the space, allowing for a brighter space.
This application can also extend to art centres and museums, for a seamless and stand-out focal point for customers to see. Even better, glass has the benefit of being easier to clean and resistant to scratches, ensuring that your centrepiece is gleaming always.
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Glass balustrades
Great for applications at shopping centres, hotel entrance canopies and outdoor dining on a nice day at restaurants, glass balustrading provides a strong yet beautiful barrier or fence for hospitality. Our super-strong laminated glass provides extra security and safety too.
Toughened laminated glass at Abbey Sand
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Glass walls
Great for restaurants and bars with a view. Think a breakfast overlooking the sunrise, or dinner overlooking the sunset – without the worry of unpleasant or unpredictable weather. Glass walls look particularly impressive in higher up venues; allowing for the surrounding area outside to be part of the attraction for guests. With the growing trend of glass additions to buildings, it is especially important for your business to follow this same streamlined appearance.
The glass walls also increase the floor space of the venue, because for obvious reasons your customers will want to be next to the gorgeous view! Glass in general is also very weather-resistant, making it applicable in all areas of the globe. Our glass balustrades are able to withstand many different types of weather conditions, without compromising on looks or durability.
Enhanced Health and Safety
Health and safety has always played an integral part in hospitality and design, but COVID-19 has only amplified the importance in hospitality settings. So much so, health and safety measures have become a key element in the overall experience guests have when enjoying a day out.
As well as offering hand-sanitisers, protective masks and social distancing signage in communal areas, many businesses felt that this wasn’t enough at the peak of the pandemic and was looking for more ways to keep both employees and guests safe.
Installation of protective screens to safeguard people in customer-facing settings became the ideal solution to prevent the spread of airborne diseases. The PPE screens are also high enough to give protection but not too high to affect the aesthetic of a room, plus they have the added benefit of sound-reducing properties which is highly beneficial in cinemas to maintain a reduced noise level and even restaurants to give a more quiet, fine-dining experience.
Glass divider screens are great for cinemas, restaurants and cafes where customers by nature are close together.
What glass should you choose in hospitality?
Here at SGP, we are unique in our expertise in glass bending and shaping, and our repertoire of knowledge is evident in the many different types of glass we offer:
- Acoustic glass (reduces noise levels),
- Toughened/tempered glass (enhances security)
- Laminated glass (multiple layers to add strength),
- Curved glass,
- Bomb-proof glass,
- Annealed glass (heat-treated to make the glass easily malleable),
We can bend, curve, toughen and laminate glass up to 6000m x 3210mm!
We also offer self-cleaning products like Pilkington K Glass which can help speed up the cleaning process in busy food and beverage sectors, as well as shopping centres which have a large surface area to keep clean.
Are you looking for some inspiration to spruce up your business? Let’s discuss your next project today!
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