Design-Driven Hotels Lure Travelers Back from Airbnb

A decade after peer-to-peer platforms like Airbnb threatened the hotel industry, travelers are returning to well-designed hotels, according to a Monocle article by design editor Nic Monisse. The novelty of staying in someone's home, exemplified by a 2013 Airbnb stay on New York's Upper West Side, has worn off due to chore lists and inconsistent quality. Monisse argues that hotels offer superior 'hardware'—architectural and design elements that shape guest experience. He highlights two examples: Chesa Grischuna in Klosters, Switzerland, a Bündner Haus transformed in the 1930s by architect Hermann Schneider with murals by illustrator Alois Carigiet, and Teffont House in Wiltshire, UK, newly opened by the Beckford Group and co-owned by Charlie Luxton, designed with Natasha Hidvegi. Teffont House features distinct public spaces including an orangery, bar, lounge, brasserie, and terrace, and integrates with the village of Teffont Evias. Luxton emphasizes creating 'a series of vignettes' with different moods. The article concludes that good hotel design orchestrates experiences and movements, a power that cannot be replicated by Airbnb stays.