The Hospitality Design Framework

Avoid costly design mistakes

Build a hotel guests remember - and a business that lasts.

Most hospitality projects don’t fail because of bad intentions.

They fail because of unclear decisions made too late.

By the time construction begins, most hotel owners have already:

• Locked themselves into inefficient layouts

• Underestimated staffing and operational costs

• Designed beautiful spaces that are expensive to maintain

• Missed simple opportunities for comfort, sustainability, and profit

These mistakes don’t show up on opening day.

They show up year 2, year 3, year 5 - when fixing them is painfully expensive.

This framework exists to prevent that.

What this framework does

The Hospitality Design Framework helps you think clearly before you build.

It aligns:

• Business goals

• Guest experience

• Staff operations

• Design and technical decisions

So your hotel works not just on day one - but for decades.

Who this is for

This framework is designed for:

• Hotel owners and founders

• First-time hospitality entrepreneurs

• Resort, retreat, and boutique hotel developers

• Families converting land into hospitality projects

It is not meant for:

• Students looking for theory

• People browsing ideas casually

• Anyone who hasn’t decided to build

If you are spending real money and making real decisions, this is for you.

What you’ll learn inside

1. Clarity before design

How to define:

• What you’re building (and what you’re not)

• Who it’s for

• What success actually looks like

2. Business-led design thinking

• How pricing, occupancy, and staffing affect design

• Why numbers should inform space planning

• Simple tools to test assumptions early

3. Site, climate, and context

• How terrain, climate, and surroundings shape good hospitality

• Common site-related mistakes owners regret later

4. Experience-driven spaces

• Arrival and reception design

• Guest room comfort and acoustics

• Restaurant and café experience planning

• Sports facilities, kids’ areas, and shared spaces

5. Back-of-house and operations

• Staff accommodation and workspaces

• Laundry, storage, waste, and deliveries

• Why guests should never see operations - but always feel them working

6. Technical essentials (without jargon)

• Fire safety and circulation

• HVAC, ventilation, and insulation

• Water systems, pools, and utilities

• Maintenance-friendly material choices

7. Sustainability that actually saves money

• Passive design strategies

• Solar and energy efficiency

• Reducing waste through smarter layouts and systems

8. A worked example

A real-world concept walkthrough:

> A highly sustainable yoga retreat for 20 guests - designed for calm, efficiency, and longevity.

Why this framework is different

Most advice online focuses on:

• Trends

• Aesthetics

• “Inspiration”

This framework focuses on:

• Decision-making

• Operational reality

• Long-term performance

It is written in plain language, without architectural jargon, so owners can:

• Ask better questions

• Make confident decisions

• Lead their consultants effectively

What this can save you

Owners who apply this thinking typically avoid:

• Overspending on unnecessary space

• Under-designing staff and service areas

• Expensive retrofits after opening

• Energy and maintenance inefficiencies

• Guest complaints related to comfort and noise

Even a single avoided mistake can save far more than the cost of this framework.

Vanessa Zwick & Lakshman Badami

eco-architects & Founders of Kartofl studio

About the authors

This framework is developed by Kartofl Studio, an architecture and design practice working closely with hospitality projects in India and beyond.

Our work sits at the intersection of:

• Design

• Operations

• Sustainability

• Business clarity

This guide distills the thinking we use internally - now made accessible to owners.

You don’t need to know everything about hospitality design.

You just need to know what to decide, when to decide it, and why it matters.

This framework gives you that clarity - before the concrete is poured.

Build fewer regrets. Build a better eco-resort.

INR 12,000,-