Small space innovation for portable hotel rooms
Start-up hospitality business Snoozebox had enjoyed success with its first-generation portable hotel that was created using repurposed shipping containers. It delivered pop-up hotel accommodation to the heart of cultural and sporting events across the UK such as the Silverstone F1, Glastonbury Music Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Impressed with our reputation of maximising small spaces for premium customer within the aviation industry, Snoozebox commissioned us to create a modular design for new hotel room that could be delivered as a custom mobile solution built by British coachbuilders ASGB.
Services
- Product Design
- Design Engineering
- Colour, material & finish
- User Experience & UI
- Trend Forecasting & Vision Setting
Learning
The team sought inspiration and gathered insight from diverse sources and user contexts for the event accommodation to maximise the potential of the room, which measured just 3.6m x 2m x 2m. The room needed to be able to offer a range of different ensuite configurations to suit different travel groups. And to make the challenge really interesting, the whole thing had to fold in half on the back of a truck for ease of transportation.
Leaping
We created an ambitious proposal that went far beyond the client’s original request for a series of adjustable beds. The idea was to redefine the whole guest experience – everything from the design of the fixtures and fittings to the colour palette and the atmosphere. Achieving it required some cunning and creative design solutions.
Landing
The rooms offer 7 different bed configurations and feature fold down beds, hidden within super-sleek metal frames integrated into the walls – achieved by exploiting specialist laser-cutting and folding processes. The beds are accessed with pull-down handles disguised as shadow lines, transforming the space into a bedroom for up to four people with seven different day and night configurations. The bathroom is designed as a luxury wet room with a flared outer wall to give a sense of spaciousness, while also providing a dry hanging area.
The accommodation comes in three finishes to suit different event’s needs, with flooring and fabrics sourced from some of Europe’s top design houses.
Trying to put Snoozebox guests at the heart of the action required some innovative thinking and design leadership. tangerine allowed us to take what we wanted conceptually and actually see it realised. They were just so clever whilst also understanding our commercial parameters. Their designers thought through everything, right down to the hinges on the bed, so we were able to achieve this really exciting outcome.
Lorcán Ó Murchú, former CEO at Snoozebox
Awards
