Concierge — Asheton Arnold

Unique Concierge Experience

Prompt: Luxury is going to be a big focus for our travel clients in the future - How do you bring luxury to life in the context of a hotel?

Luxury is a concept that is perceived differently by everyone. To some, luxury may be defined with lavishly appointed homes, high-dollar cars, and extravagant trips and experiences to name a few. To others it may mean the simplicity and comfort of a couch with a warm blanket. To everyone, it is assumed that a luxurious experience would include services providing for your every need. Our team’s objective when approaching this project was to find the perfect combination of opulence and immersive personalization in our design.

Research

Online Research - - Competitive Research - - Interview - - Affinity Diagramming - - Mind Mapping

Technology Research

All research was collected through web searches as well as direct phone conversations with luxury hotels across the country.

Affinity Diagram

2x2 Competitive Analysis

An overview of different technologies present in a variety of hotels to help us identify openings in the luxury hotel industry.

Mind Map

A variety of details collected over several interviews and online research to find the true definition of luxury.

Selected Insights

Focused Creativity

Each experience should be creative but have a clear focus. Differentiation is that makes hotels special.

Community Involvement

Luxury hotels are beginning to take on a unique purpose in their local communities because they have the means to create one-of-a-kind experiences.

Importance of Humanity

Staff interaction and appreciation is critical to the atmosphere of luxury hotels. Any integration of technology cannot feel cold or take away from human interaction.

Technology Integration

The integration of technology does not directly relate to the luxuriousness of the hotel. Many high end hotels utilize the same technology as standard hotels.

Initial Ideation

Local Lounge
Local Expert
Watch Wayfinder
Window Gazer
Haptic Hallway

Chosen Concept

Modeling - - Rendering - - Story Boarding

Initial Basic Renders

Storyboard

Meet

The guest goes to meet with the concierge.
Understand

The guest and expert then go through an experience mood board where the guests will indicate their interest.
Location

Based upon the guests’ interests, locations around the community are highlighted, and the guests can explore the city browsing these locations and other experiences through touching the map.
Food, Entertainment, Events

With a touch interaction, the guest can discover more information about the experiences at the location and get a sense of what the outings would be like with music and photos.
Sense of Experience

The experiences that he guests select are moved to a personal itinerary and reflects the guests interest.
Plan

Before leaving, the concierge gives the guests a copy of the detailed itinerary virtually or physically, depending on the guests’ preferences.
Excitement

As the guests move on, the concierge goes to book all of the outings for them according to the itinerary.

User Testing

Interviewing - - Projection Mapping - - Wizard of Oz Testing - - Videography

Wizard of Oz Testing

Each user test lasted 45 minutes and consisted of a traditional experience, an immersive experience, comprehension tests, and an exit interview. All participants are aged 19-25 with a variety of familiarity with industrial design methods.

Example Display Video of Little 5 Points, ATL

Feelings Towards Immersive Concierge Experience

Feelings Towards Traditional Concierge

Feelings Towards Atlanta

Key Takeaways

Cohesion

All information available on the map needs a corresponding projection video.

Tracking

Guests need a running list of which excursions the concierge has discussed with them.

After Appointment

Guests need clear instructions on what is being reserved and what they need to follow up on.

Concrete Visuals

The information from the concierge should be reflected in the immersive content, and the content should concretely reflect the location.

Final Concept

Modeling - - Rendering - - Projection Mapping - - Interface Prototyping - - Videography

Luxury hotel guests expect their hotel to provide them with the best experiences possible, yet concierge services have not advanced to keep up with emerging technology. The traditional concierge experience, according to our users, is standard and functional. Our design showcases unique opportunities that only luxury hotels can provide by putting exploration at the heart of the concierge experience. We accomplish this by designing an inviting space for hotel guests to meet with the concierge, showcasing local opportunities through immersive projection videos, and putting guests in charge of the curated city exploration through a tabletop interactive map. This design extends the luxury hotel experience beyond the physical building, encouraging guests to interact with the local attractions based on hotel connections. The hotel curates all the content for the map and projection display, but gives guests control of their trip planning. When guests leave this concierge appointment, they carry with them an itinerary for their trip as well as the confidence that comes with knowing they will enjoy the activities booked for them.

30-Second Commercial

2-Minute Video

Panoramic Display Concierge Experience

Story Board

Welcome

First, the concierge welcomes the guest to their appointment and gets to know them. The concierge directs the guest to a location on the map based on their vacation goals.
Self-Directed Map Exploration

The guest selects a neighborhood on the map that they are interested in exploring. They can read information about selected locations and can ask the concierge questions.
Projection

When the guest expresses interest in a particular location, the concierge starts the corresponding projection display. Each experience and projection display is curated by the hotel in order to fit their guests’ needs.
Indicate Interest

Guests can use the map to indicate interest in the activity, or to tell the concierge to move on to another option. These preferences will be saved in order to be used during the planning stage of the appointment.
Controlled Guidance

The concierge and guest work together and continue exploring the city. The guest feels in control, but not overwhelmed, because the concierge is there to guide them.
Itinerary Display

Each time the guest indicates interest in an activity, it is displayed on the side of their map so they can reference their options throughout the appointment.
Finalizing Plan

After exploring the city, the guest and concierge work to finalize a plan. The guest chooses their preferred activities and time frames. After they leave, the concierge will make reservations.
Gained Confidence

The concierge appointment is finished and the guest leaves feeling confident in their plan. They have built anticipation to go out into the city and feel relieved to have a plan in place.