The Art of Placemaking: Creating Distinctive Hospitality Experiences That Reflect Location
What Placemaking Means in Hospitality
Hospitality design has evolved dramatically from the era when “local character” meant merely hanging regional artwork in otherwise identical spaces. Today’s discerning guests seek authentic connections to place—experiences that couldn’t exist anywhere else. True placemaking goes beyond surface aesthetics to create environments that genuinely reflect and celebrate their location’s distinctive essence.
What creates this authentic sense of place? It emerges from thoughtful integration of multiple elements: architectural forms that respond to local climate and building traditions, materials that tell stories of regional resources, spatial arrangements that reflect cultural patterns of gathering, and sensory experiences—from acoustic qualities to scent—that evoke specific environments.
This evolution reflects a broader shift in travel motivation. Today’s guests increasingly seek meaningful connection rather than mere consumption of place. They value experiences that offer genuine insight into local culture, history, and environment—rejecting generic luxury in favor of authentic engagement with destination. The most successful hospitality venues respond to this desire by creating environments with depth, specificity, and genuine connection to location.
Research and Discovery: Finding Authentic Local Character
Meaningful placemaking begins with thorough understanding—research that goes beyond superficial observations to uncover the essence of a location. This process involves historical investigation, environmental analysis, cultural immersion, and perhaps most importantly, deep listening to those with lived experience of place.
The challenge lies in identifying which elements most authentically represent local character and deserve translation into design. Rather than focusing on obvious visual motifs, we seek patterns, traditions, materials, and spatial relationships that have enduring significance to a place and its people. These elements provide the foundation for design that resonates with genuine local character rather than superficial theming.
Design Strategies for Authentic Placemaking
Architectural approaches that respond to local context create the framework for authentic placemaking. This may mean engaging with vernacular building forms, responding thoughtfully to climate considerations, framing significant views, or establishing meaningful relationships with surrounding structures. These foundational decisions ensure the environment feels naturally of its place rather than imposed upon it.
Material selection offers perhaps the most tactile connection to place. Locally-sourced materials carry inherent authenticity, whether stone from nearby quarries, timber species native to the region, or traditional building materials reinterpreted for contemporary use. These materials not only reduce environmental impact but create immediate sensory connection to location through their color, texture, and inherent qualities.
Cultural narratives, when thoughtfully and respectfully integrated, add depth to place-based design. Rather than appropriating cultural elements as mere decoration, meaningful integration requires understanding their significance and context. This might manifest as spatial arrangements that reflect cultural patterns of gathering, details that reference historical crafts through contemporary interpretation, or experiences that connect guests to local traditions in respectful ways.
Balancing Local Character with Hospitality Function
The art of placemaking requires balancing authentic local expression with operational functionality. Rather than viewing these as competing priorities, we search for opportunities where local adaptation enhances guest experience—perhaps service patterns influenced by regional hospitality traditions or amenities uniquely suited to local climate and activities.
For branded properties, the challenge involves harmonizing corporate standards with location-specific expression. The most successful examples find creative ways to maintain brand consistency while allowing local character to shine through—creating experiences that feel both reliably on-brand and unmistakably of their place.
At Remick Architecture, we believe the most valuable hospitality environments are those with genuine connection to their location. By creating spaces that authentically reflect place—through thoughtful integration of architectural approach, material selection, cultural understanding, and sensory experience—we develop environments that offer guests something increasingly rare and precious: genuine connection to somewhere specific.
In a world of increasing homogenization, this authentic sense of place creates not just meaningful guest experiences but significant business advantages, establishing properties as true destinations rather than mere accommodations. Through the art of placemaking, we create spaces that become essential parts of a location’s identity—environments that couldn’t exist anywhere else, and that guests remember, value, and eagerly return to experience again.
