Q&A with Georgina Spencer, Roca

With a history that dates back almost 100 years and a presence in 135 markets around the world, Roca is a specialist in the design and manufacture of solutions to make beautiful bathroom spaces. Collaborating with prestigious designers and architects including Armani, David Chipperfield and Antonio Bullo, Roca products combine design, innovation, sustainability and well-being to create inspirational bathrooms, commercially and domestically.

We chat to their Marketing Director – Georgina Spencer to discuss how the bathroom has evolved in the hotel guest suite.

 

We recently interviewed Andrew Linwood of Areen Design who commented that bathrooms have been one of the biggest changes in the guest suite as guest expectations are so much higher, this has been fuelled by the rise in the standard of domestic bathrooms. Do you agree? If so who is leading the way?

No other room in the hotel has been given greater signficance to the same extent as the bathroom in recent years. Guests will base their entire opinion of how good a hotel is, whether they would recommend it and whether they would return themselves on the comfort levels they find in the bathroom, so getting the design, look and feel of the space just right is key to making a good first impression. In the domestic bathroom comfort levels are also rising, with homeowners inspired by hotel bathrooms. This has given even more onus to hotel designers to create outstanding bathroom spaces in order to provide guests with a level of luxury over and above what they can experience in their own home.

Sustainability is a big topic for hotels at the moment, and hopefully will continue to be so. How is this addressed as bathroom design heads towards a more spa like feel with showers often having 2-3 jets?

It is something of a misconception that a multi-function shower necessarily uses a lot of water, particularly when compared to the amount of water used by taking a bath. Hotel guests, above all, expect a powerful shower and in this area of the room’s design, user comfort must be the priority. However, of course it is important for hotel owners that they become more sustainable in their actions overall, which is why we would recommend conserving water in other ways, such as by opting for basin mixers with built-in flow restrictors and dual-flush WC cisterns. Aerated shower heads are also ideal as they offer the best of both worlds, using less water than a standard showerhead while still delivering a good performance.

“It is something of a misconception that a multi-function shower necessarily uses a lot of water, particularly when compared to the amount of water used by taking a bath.”

 

Obviously hotel rooms have a constant cycle of new guests, what developments in terms of hygiene should we expect?

Hygiene is all-important in the hotel bathroom and with time of the essence when preparing the room ready for the next guests, fixtures and fittings that are easy to clean and don’t encourage dirt and germs to gather are key. When it comes to the WC, rimless pan options reduce the surface area, leaving germs and dirt less places to linger, as well as being easier to clean. Combining rimless with wall-hung makes for an even cleaner option. With no waste pipe and pan to clean around a quick mop under the pan is all that’s needed to keep the entire floor sparkling. Hotels may also choose to have wall-hung pans with hidden fixings so there are no holes or plugs to clean around on the side of the pan.

Lime scale build up is another headache for hotel maintenance teams; innovations such as Roca’s Evershine and Easyclean coatings for its brassware help to keep taps looking sparkling clean for longer. There are even special ceramics available that have been adapted so their surface is so smooth there is no hold for dirt, with only minimal water and detergent required to keep it spotless.

In terms of aesthetics what do you see being the biggest trends in bathrooms in the coming years?

There is a move towards mixing and matching materials and finishes in the bathroom, with light timber and high gloss white being a particularly popular option that looks set to stay.

“Brassware is an important element of a bathroom’s design and is increasingly being chosen to make a statement.”

Brassware is an important element of a bathroom’s design and is increasingly being chosen to make a statement. With the trend veering towards open-plan, wet room style showering areas, a lot more focus is now being placed on shower brassware too, with large overhead showerheads being chosen as much for their looks as for their performance.

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