Our project started with this design brief: How might we provide SC Asset concepts and guidance for a new hotel business that caters to the behaviors of repeat international travelers to Bangkok and Thailand?
We began our project with two weeks of research in Thailand. First, we needed to understand the challenges and needs of inbound tourists in Thailand. Second, we wanted to immerse ourselves in vibrant local culture, specifically four distinct locations. We designed unique experiences tailored to each neighborhood based on the research insights.
We learned traveling around to all these places just how different and unique each part of the city is. We felt pretty motivated and excited to venture out and explore new parts of the city but we always had to schedule everything around traffic when we were going to go. How far away things are from each other and our hotel. We found ourselves constantly shifting plans to work around this and find the best solution to travel around the city in a way that didn’t completely drain our limited time and energy.
We heard consistently that people are traveling for experiences, not places. And in Bangkok, they’re coming back over and over again because of the city’s wealth of activities, everything from the food to the arts and culture, relaxation and health, shopping, etc. Although Bangkok is no longer an exotic destination that feels new, especially to Chinese and Asian Travelers, the variety, quality, and evolving nature of its great experiences have and will keep it appealing for decades.
Authenticity is all about what locals are doing and what they are enjoying, and how they perceive the city. Giving people courage and permission to explore and go deep into real life Bangkok is what people want. Feeling like a tourist doesn’t deny authenticity as long as you’re engaging with activities that feel true to the city.
The result: we developed 4 distinctive hotel concepts catered towards specific needs based on the locations. We also designed an overarching concept that encapsulates: key experience, inbound traveler and Thai local traveler journey. Please get in touch if you like to hear more about the project.
