Covid-19

In a time of global chaos, we outline the steps businesses can take to imagine new scenarios and build future-fit strategies to turn uncertainty into action.

Behaviours : Opinion

We must rethink hotel design for a brave new world

By David T'KInt 15 : 05 : 2020 Luxury : Hospitality : Travel

Luxury hotels are being challenged to swap opulent interiors for considered spaces and hygienic materials in order to future-proof the guest experience.

We must rethink hotel design for a brave new world

WANT TO READ MORE?

BECOME A MEMBER TODAY

DISCOVER OUR MEMBERSHIPS

Already a member? Click here to log in.

Webinar: Covid-19 Future Planning

Webinar: Covid-19 Future Planning:

A 30-minute webinar examining the pandemic’s impact across key sectors, and the steps to future-proof strategies for your organisation...

 Society : Covid-19 : Retail
Social distancing tableware elevates inter-Covid dining

Social distancing tableware elevates inter-Covid dining:

Design studio Boir is releasing a conceptual tableware collection for socially distant dining.

 Dining : Food : Drink
Stat: Private-label groceries thrive during the pandemic

Stat: Private-label groceries thrive during the pandemic:

Many consumers’ shopping habits are changing as they choose private-label goods over their preferred brands.

 Retail : Stat : Statistic
An anti-microbial coating to ease fears about touch

An anti-microbial coating to ease fears about touch:

Strategic agency Designsake Studio is launching Matter, an anti-microbial coating to provide protection from high-touch surfaces.

 Health : Wellness : Covid-19
ClassPass branches into at-home beauty

ClassPass branches into at-home beauty:

Flexible fitness membership platform ClassPass is expanding with on-demand beauty and wellness services.

 Beauty : At Home Wellness : Recuperative Living
Safety-first sensory shopping by StudioXAG

Safety-first sensory shopping by StudioXAG:

StudioXAG imagines a future retail experience centred around hygiene-first, immersive shopping.

 Retail : Covid-19 : Coronavirus
Transparency means business in the Covid age

Transparency means business in the Covid age:

Covid-19 brings an opportunity for brands to radicalise a generation of recycling moderates into consumers that demand transparency from...

 Packaging : Retail : Sustainability
Microsoft wants to digitise the daily commute

Microsoft wants to digitise the daily commute:

Microsoft Teams software will soon encourage workers to engage in a virtual daily commute.

 Technology : Workplace : Covid-19
Stat: Britons turn to local produce during Covid-19

Stat: Britons turn to local produce during Covid-19:

New research from Barclays finds that one quarter of Britons now suggest they buy produce in local shops and farm stores.

 Retail : Food : Drink
Inspiring social distancing with the No Douche Bag

Inspiring social distancing with the No Douche Bag:

A simple tote bag is designed to promote safer travelling on public transport.

 Retail : Travel : Public Transport
MasqueBAR tackles ‘maskne’ with under-mask solution

MasqueBAR tackles ‘maskne’ with under-mask solution:

Skincare brand MasqueBAR has launched a skincare mask designed to be worn under face masks, intending to soothe consumers suffering with...

 Beauty : Health : Wellness
Good Measures uplifts pandemic wayfinding

Good Measures uplifts pandemic wayfinding:

Good Measures is a new company offering design-first wayfinding for the inter-Covid period.

 The Future Workplace : Architecture : Covid-19
Diesel personalises jeans with 2020’s cancelled plans

Diesel personalises jeans with 2020’s cancelled plans:

The fashion brand is encouraging people to celebrate the unexpected memories made in 2020, by capturing cancelled plans on custom-made...

 Fashion : Retail : Covid-19
Stat: Millennials prioritise home ownership amid Covid-19

Stat: Millennials prioritise home ownership amid Covid-19:

The pandemic has made future home ownership a priority for US Millennials.

 Society : Stat : Statistic
Off-price Retail Strategies

Off-price Retail Strategies:

To counteract the surplus stock resulting from Covid-19 closures and slower spending, brands are innovating with new off-price retail...

 Retail : Pricing : Luxury
Hygienic cinema seating for inter-Covid screenings

Hygienic cinema seating for inter-Covid screenings:

Sequel Seat is a premium cinema seat that incorporates increased hygiene features.

 Media : Entertainment : Design
A Covid-proof smart city for lockdown living

A Covid-proof smart city for lockdown living:

Spanish architects Guallart are designing a self-sufficient smart city for future lockdowns in China.

 Society : Architecture : Wellness
This is what real disruption looks like

This is what real disruption looks like:

Covid-19 has given the world a glimpse of what true disruption looks like. Now, it should change how businesses think about disruption...

 Covid-19 : Design : Society
NiceSeats makes air travel more hygienic

NiceSeats makes air travel more hygienic:

NiceSeats is empowering consumers to take hygiene into their own hands with its fabric seat covers for air travel.

Travel : Hospitality : Health And Wellness
Anti-viral fabric for the inter-Covid era

Anti-viral fabric for the inter-Covid era:

IFTNA (Intelligent Fabric Technologies North America) creates anti-viral textile solutions. Giancarlo Beevis, CEO, discusses the...

 Fashion : Materials : Covid-19
Stat: At-home socialising becomes the new normal

Stat: At-home socialising becomes the new normal:

A new global study by Accenture highlights how people are seeking brands that tailor their products and services to the Homebody Economy.

Retail : Society : Covid-19
Upgrading urban mobility for the pandemic age

Upgrading urban mobility for the pandemic age:

With public transport use declining worldwide, innovators reveal how more sustainable approaches to mobility will flourish in the cities...

 Transport : Health & Wellness : Smog Life
Positive Barriers

Positive Barriers:

Designers are reframing the visual language of social distancing, using colour and familiar materials to encourage safer navigation of...

 Health : Wellness : Covid-19
Reworking the Workplace

Reworking the Workplace:

Inter-pandemic, the workplace is undergoing a reconceptualisation, from the systems and layout of the workspace, to materials and...

 Workplace : Technology : Health And Wellness
Epidemic Retail Futures

Epidemic Retail Futures:

How will retailers in 2025 cater for future viral outbreaks and enable consumers to move effortlessly in and out of lockdown periods?

Inter-covid : Scenario : Retail
Will Covid quell fashion’s ‘more is more’ mindset?

Will Covid quell fashion’s ‘more is more’ mindset?:

With smaller brands struggling to stay afloat and larger brands left with stock but no demand, the pandemic could push fashion toward a...

 Fashion : Retail : Sustainability
Inter-Covid Fashion

Inter-Covid Fashion:

In the inter-Covid period, fashion choices are becoming informed by health and safety concerns, resulting in hygiene-first threads and...

 Fashion : Covid-19 : Health
Coca-Cola posits an optimistic new normal

Coca-Cola posits an optimistic new normal:

Its latest campaign, Open Like Never Before, highlights the mindset shifts that have occurred during the pandemic, encouraging optimism...

 Society : Campaign : Advertising
Retailers must digitise fashion for the Covid era

Retailers must digitise fashion for the Covid era:

Bruno Antunes Luis, co-founder of Gaspard + Bruno, on how hyper-real digital solutions offer untapped ways to experience and interact...

 Fashion : Technology : Retail
Augmented Restaurants

Augmented Restaurants:

Augmented reality is creating unconventional, interactive dining experiences that bridge the gap between physical and digital environments.

 Food & Drink : Social Media : Technology
The post-pandemic future of Beauty & Wellness

The post-pandemic future of Beauty & Wellness:

Michel Brousset, the founder and CEO of incubator Waldencast, predicts a future of hyper-local retail, bioscience beauty and safeguarded...

 Beauty : Health & Wellness : Sustainability
Health justice will shape our future cities

Health justice will shape our future cities:

Araceli Camargo, co-founder of Centric Lab, on its work and the civil movement to address urban health inequalities and ensure future...

 Architecture : Future Cities : Health
Brazil’s communities are teaching brands a resilience lesson

Brazil’s communities are teaching brands a resilience lesson:

With the government failing to meet their expectations, Brazil’s informal settlements are carving their own path through Covid-19 – and...

 Covid-19 : Resilience Culture : Society
Stat: Pandemic-struck Generation Z move back  home

Stat: Pandemic-struck Generation Z move back  home:

In a  recent study, online real estate database company Zillow reveals how American Generation Z are saving money by moving in with...

 Money : Society : Finance
Recuperative Living

Recuperative Living:

In the aftermath of Covid-19, consumers’ collective concerns about hygiene, wellbeing and immunity will drive new directions in beauty...

 Beauty : Health : Wellness
A pandemic-proof bunker for subterranean living

A pandemic-proof bunker for subterranean living:

Sergey Makhno Architects have created Underground House Plan B, an underground concrete home envisaged as crisis-proof dwellings.

 Architecture : Covid-19 : Coronavirus
IKEA’s at-home imagination travel kits

IKEA’s at-home imagination travel kits:

Ikea UAE is encouraging customers to use the home as a form of cultural escape with its ‘vacation in a box’ concept.

 Travel And Hospitality : Retail : Covid-19
The Purgo turns hand sanitising into a sensory experience

The Purgo turns hand sanitising into a sensory experience:

Design agency Echo has created a series of conceptual designs to re-imagine hand sanitation in public places.

 Health & Wellness : Covid-19 : Coronavirus
Pandemic Dining Market

Pandemic Dining Market:

As they respond to the coronavirus, restaurateurs have an opportunity to redesign future dining spaces and reclaim their role in the...

 Restaurants : Covid-19 : Food & Drink
The imperfect voices of quarantine cooking

The imperfect voices of quarantine cooking:

As consumers turn to home cooking as a source of comfort during crisis, culinary experts are championing a slower, simpler and more...

 Food : Home Eatertainment : Covid-19
Inter-Covid hospitality

Inter-Covid hospitality:

Amid a tourism drought, hotels are repurposing their vacant rooms to cater for consumers seeking shelter, safety and privacy.

 Hospitality : Travel : Health
Decentralised Care

Decentralised Care:

With the world facing a crisis of health, new micro-societies are emerging that infuse local communities with solidarity, trust and care.

 Health : Covid-19 : Wellness
Squadded recreates the mall effect online

Squadded recreates the mall effect online:

Elysa Kahn, co-founder of Squadded, highlights the potential for the new social e-commerce solution and the difference between shopping...

 Retail : Fashion : E-commerce
The post-Covid consumer: hedonistic or minimalist?

The post-Covid consumer: hedonistic or minimalist?:

Brands and businesses must prepare for polarised responses to the pandemic as established consumer paradigms are either accelerated or...

 Retail : Covid-19 : Coronavirus
A home-sharing revolution for a post-Covid world

A home-sharing revolution for a post-Covid world:

Martin Rosengaard, co-founder of Human Hotel, on how inner-city adventures and serendipitous home-sharing will shape post-pandemic travel.

 Travel : Hospitality : Tourism
We must rethink hotel design for a brave new world

We must rethink hotel design for a brave new world:

Luxury hotels are being challenged to swap opulent interiors for considered spaces and hygienic materials in order to future-proof the...

 Luxury : Hospitality : Travel
In lockdown, experiential retail is screwed. Or is it?

In lockdown, experiential retail is screwed. Or is it?:

With the physical world shutting down, it’s even more imperative that online retailers turn transactional web interactions into experiences.

 Retail : Customer Experience : Technology
Re-imagining hype: post-Covid menswear mindsets

Re-imagining hype: post-Covid menswear mindsets:

The current pandemic is driving street and menswear aficionados to re-evaluate their relationship with luxury and clout, amplifying a...

 Fashion : Luxury : Covid-19
Pandemic-proof Properties

Pandemic-proof Properties:

Lockdown has highlighted the health impacts of life in isolation. We forecast how the design of our future homes and interiors will...

 Future Home : Architecture : Covid-19
Urban Wellness Market

Urban Wellness Market:

Consumers are re-appraising what it means to be well. Post-Covid-19, they will demand higher levels of urban health and more civic...

 Wellness : Smog Life : Covid-19
A bench for socially distant city living

A bench for socially distant city living:

Benched is a new public design intervention created by Buro Bordo and Studio 212 Fahrenheit which symbolises social distancing through a...

 Society : Health : Wellness
Virtual sanctuaries

Virtual sanctuaries:

From phygital spas to virtual hot springs, traditional wellness spaces are being rethought to combine ancient wellbeing...

 Virtual Reality : Luxury Beauty : Beauty
Covid-19 Contingency Planning

Covid-19 Contingency Planning:

Learn the immediate impacts of Covid-19 across key sectors, and discover best-in-class case studies and future considerations for your...

 Covid-19 : Society : Health
What lies in store for retail post-Covid-19

What lies in store for retail post-Covid-19:

Jeff Kindleysides, founder of design studio Checkland Kindleysides, discusses Covid-19’s impact on experiential retail, brand...

 Retail : Society : Brand Communication
Covid-19 is reframing the meaning of luxury

Covid-19 is reframing the meaning of luxury:

With luxury reeling from Covid-19’s impact on sales, international tourism and events, four industry experts share their vision of...

 Luxury : Retail : Health
Four ways travel brands can become pandemic-proof

Four ways travel brands can become pandemic-proof:

With the tourism industry on pause for the foreseeable future, explore four strategies to help travel and hospitality brands survive...

 Travel : Hospitality : Covid-19
Covid-19 has brought chaos – and vast new possibilities

Covid-19 has brought chaos – and vast new possibilities:

With existing systems crumbling, businesses will need to quickly recalibrate, using fear as a positive catalyst to create future-fit...

 Retail : Society : Covid-19
The productivity paradox of self-isolation

The productivity paradox of self-isolation:

As the world adapts to life in isolation, brands operating in an accelerated capacity are spouting self-improvement and productivity –...

 Advertising : Retail : Covid-19
Covid-19 is accelerating our working landscape

Covid-19 is accelerating our working landscape:

The fallout from Covid-19 has transformed not only how people in the UK work but where, marking a major turning point for how...

 Office : Flexible Office : Covid-19
The Covid-19 pandemic will reshape travel as we know it

The Covid-19 pandemic will reshape travel as we know it:

Travel has become meaningless. Now, the Covid-19 pandemic has granted travel brands an opportunity to contemplate – and moralise –...

 Travel : Hospitality : Covid-19
Sacrificial Advertising

Sacrificial Advertising:

With a quarter of the world’s population in lockdown, brands are sacrificing typical marketing messages for campaigns that promote...

 Advertising : Society : Covid-19
Virtual Happy Hours

Virtual Happy Hours:

Amid Covid-19 and self-isolation, digital tools combined with delivery services are reframing drinking at home as a positive,...

 Drink : Society : Retail
The digital future of Fashion Weeks

The digital future of Fashion Weeks:

The impact of Covid-19 and growing climate concerns are pushing luxury and fashion brands to technology that digitises the runway and...

 Fashion : Luxury : Retail
Generation Homebody

Generation Homebody:

Staying in is in. From TikTok bedroom dance-offs to CBD-infused bath bombs, the home has become Generation Z’s ultimate hangout.

 Youth : Fashion : Wellbeing
Covid-19: Bleach brings home the salon experience

Covid-19: Bleach brings home the salon experience:

Bleach London has launched a virtual hair salon experience to help guide isolated consumers through at-home hair maintenance.

 Beauty : Covid-19 : Retail
Stat: Lockdown boosts live-stream retail in China

Stat: Lockdown boosts live-stream retail in China:

According to research by Taobao Live, Alibaba Group’s dedicated live-streaming channel has continued to grow during the Covid-19 pandemic.

 Covid-19 : Coronavirus : Retail
Home Eatertainment

Home Eatertainment:

Changing dining dynamics have created a new convenience culture focused on elevating the experience and enjoyment of eating and drinking...

 Food : Convivial : Convenience
Covid-19: Haus creates bespoke aperitifs to support restaurants

Covid-19: Haus creates bespoke aperitifs to support restaurants:

The direct-to-consumer brand of aperitifs has collaborated with nine US restaurants to create a range of bespoke blends.

 Food : Drink : New York
Covid-19: JD.com takes clubbing online for self-isolators

Covid-19: JD.com takes clubbing online for self-isolators:

JD.com is creating an online clubbing experience in collaboration with major alcohol brands.

 Technology : Music : Alcohol
Resilience Culture

Resilience Culture:

We have been living in an age of self-censorship, hyper-safe spaces and social comfort zones. But as global anxieties abound, a...

 Wellness : Health : Travel
Covid-19: A sterilisation lamp designed for the home

Covid-19: A sterilisation lamp designed for the home:

Frank Chou hopes the lamp will fight the spread of bacteria on everyday items such as phones, keys and wallets.

 Design : Health : Wellness
Club Quarantäne is a virtual sanctuary for isolated clubbers

Club Quarantäne is a virtual sanctuary for isolated clubbers:

Club Quarantäne is a live-streamed virtual club delivered by Invisible Hand on Resident Advisor.

 Media : Online : Online Shopping
Reimagining public transport for the inter-Covid era

Reimagining public transport for the inter-Covid era:

Bus operator Arrival has unveiled a zero-emissions bus designed to make public transport more sustainable, while prioritising public health.

 Mobility : Covid-19 : Coronavirus
Covid-19: Snapchat filters for safe social distancing

Covid-19: Snapchat filters for safe social distancing:

Snapchat has released a new augmented reality (AR) lens to help people remain at a safe, two-metre distance from others during the...

 Media : Technology : Digital
Covid-19: Bottega Veneta’s hopeful virtual residency

Covid-19: Bottega Veneta’s hopeful virtual residency:

Bottega Veneta has launched a virtual residency featuring different creatives from a range of disciplines, aiming to provide comfort and...

 Luxury : Technology : Customer Experience
Stat: US citizens are optimistic about travel in 2020

Stat: US citizens are optimistic about travel in 2020:

A new survey by LuggageHero has shown that more than 75% of Americans still intend to travel in 2020.

 Travel : Hospitality : Tourism
Covid-19: Carlo Ratti creates ICUs from shipping containers

Covid-19: Carlo Ratti creates ICUs from shipping containers:

Carlo Ratti Associati has designed an intensive care pod in a shipping container that could be added to hospitals fighting the...

 Covid-19 : Coronavirus : Intensive Care
Covid-19: Quarantine Together is a more focused approach to dating

Covid-19: Quarantine Together is a more focused approach to dating:

The dating app requests that users log on at 6:00pm daily to be matched with potential dates.

 Mobile Dating : Dating App : Covid-19
Stat: US lockdown prompts new superfood favourites

Stat: US lockdown prompts new superfood favourites:

According to research by food tech firm Chicory, US citizens are increasingly interested in superfood ingredients as they navigate a new...

 Superfood : Food : Natural Ingredients
Covid-19: Shift’s market for safe social distance

Covid-19: Shift’s market for safe social distance:

Shift Architecture Urbanism has developed a model for a street food market that allows people to buy fresh produce while remaining...

 Food & Drink : Architecture : Augmented Reality
Covid-19: A soap for 20-second hand-washing

Covid-19: A soap for 20-second hand-washing:

Creative agency Verve has created an innovative soap product to develop positive habits around hand-washing.

 Covid-19 : Health : Campaign
Covid-19: Short-term rentals could save Japan’s marriages

Covid-19: Short-term rentals could save Japan’s marriages:

Rental company Kasoku is supporting couples during lockdown by providing short-term rentals as a place of respite.

 Society : Health And Wellness : Rental Market
Stat: Britons have an appetite for change after Covid-19

Stat: Britons have an appetite for change after Covid-19:

A study by YouGov has revealed that only 9% of Britons want life to return to normal after the lockdown is lifted.

 Covid-19 : Society : Resilience
Covid-19: Wheel of Foreplay prompts isolated intimacy

Covid-19: Wheel of Foreplay prompts isolated intimacy:

The online ‘spin the wheel’ game allows individuals, couples and distanced partners to remain intimate during the coronavirus lockdown.

 Health : Technology : Society
Covid-19: A virus-proof suit for post-pandemic partying

Covid-19: A virus-proof suit for post-pandemic partying:

Production Club has designed a virus-proof, half-body suit concept to allow socialising without distancing.

Covid-19 : Coronavirus : Fashion
A portable sanitation kit for public hygiene

A portable sanitation kit for public hygiene:

Designer Kiran Zhu has created a cleanliness package to improve public health habits following the pandemic.

 Health & Wellness : Beauty : Covid-19
Covid-19: Office spaces for socially distant employees

Covid-19: Office spaces for socially distant employees:

Cushman & Wakefield has designed a conceptual new office space to help its clients prepare for employees to return to work post-lockdown.

 Covid-19 : Coronavirus : Workspace

Related to Covid-19

Stat: Covid-19 is forging stronger familial ties in India News

Stat: Covid-19 is forging stronger familial ties in India

According to a survey by YouGov, research firm Mint and think tank Centre for Policy Research (CPR), urban Indians have different personal experiences during the nationwide lockdown.

Stat : Society : Family
Webinar: Future Forecast 2021 Big Ideas

Webinar: Future Forecast 2021

Watch our 60-minute webinar hosted by co-founder Chris Sanderson, exploring how in 2021 the global pandemic, climate change, politics and social movements will force us to re-imagine the fabric of our societies, relationships and economies.

Future Forecast : Report : Covid-19
Stat: Thai consumers opt for preventative supplements News

Stat: Thai consumers opt for preventative supplements

According to research by Mintel, Thai shoppers are using vitamins, minerals and supplements (VMS) to meet various health concerns.

Stat : Statistic : Health And Wellness
Stat: UK affluents boost sales of country homes News

Stat: UK affluents boost sales of country homes

Luxury country home prices in the UK increased significantly in 2020, with many affluent consumers choosing to invest in properties with more outdoor space and workplace flexibility.

Statistic : Luxury : Covid-19
Stat: Americans rely on cars for pandemic escapism News

Stat: Americans rely on cars for pandemic escapism

Many Americans are relying on their cars for escapism during the pandemic and consider vehicles as safe third spaces away from their home environments.

Statistic : Mobility : Society
Stat: UK consumers are embracing grocery discounters News

Stat: UK consumers are embracing grocery discounters

According to research by Mintel, more British consumers are shopping at food discounters like Aldi and Lidl for economic reasons as a result of the pandemic.

Food And Drink : Society : Covid-19
Stat: American singles are dating more intentionally News

Stat: American singles are dating more intentionally

Most US-based dating apps have reported increased usage since the beginning of the pandemic, with people changing their behaviour to reflect a more intentional mindset.

Stat : Statistic : Society
Stat: US consumers alter their saving habits News

Stat: US consumers alter their saving habits

Many Americans are thinking differently about how they save and manage money as a result of the pandemic.

Statistic : Covid-19 : Finance
Obé inspires at-home fitness with workout parties News

Obé inspires at-home fitness with workout parties

Digital fitness platform Obé is recreating the social element of group workouts through its online Workout Parties.

Health & Wellness : Fitness : Covid-19
The Big Idea: How Generation Z are reshaping the offline world News

The Big Idea: How Generation Z are reshaping the offline world

Wilson Oryema, co-founder of Regenerative Futures on bridging the growing generation gap between the young and the old.

Youth : Sustainability : Civic Brands
The Trend: Inter-Covid Fashion News

The Trend: Inter-Covid Fashion

In our Inter-Covid Fashion microtrend, we explore some of the health-focused innovations playing out in the sector – from social distancing garments to anti-bacterial textiles.

Fashion : Covid-19 : Health
The Interview: Squadded’s social approach to fashion retail News

The Interview: Squadded’s social approach to fashion retail

Elysa Kahn, co-founder of Squadded, delves into the importance of community on e-commerce platforms – and identifies the difference between shopping and buying.

Fashion : Retail : Ecommerce
The Space: Off-White’s Miami flagship News

The Space: Off-White’s Miami flagship

Virgil Abloh and architects AMO designed the Off-White flagship in Miami Design District to serve seamlessly as a fulfilment centre and multipurpose events space.

Luxury : Fashion : Hospitality
The Campaign: Louis Vuitton’s LinkedIn runway livestream News

The Campaign: Louis Vuitton’s LinkedIn runway livestream

A campaign that pointed to the Omnilux future of brand communication and audience outreach landed in October 2020, when French luxury house Louis Vuitton chose LinkedIn as its platform of choice to stream its Paris Fashion Week show.

Fashion : Luxury : Technology
The Trend: Omnilux Lifestyles News

The Trend: Omnilux Lifestyles

In a year when access to luxury, customer experience and attainment took on new forms, our macrotrend Omnilux Lifestyles revealed why the luxury experience of the future will no longer rely on tactile human-to-human moments.

Luxury : Hospitality : Travel
Load More
You have 3 free News articles remaining. Sign up to one of our membership packages from just £100 a month.
View Subscription Offers Sign in

What do we use cookies for?

We use cookies to enable the use of our platform’s paid features and to analyse our traffic. No personal data, including your IP address, is stored and we do not sell data to third parties.

Learn more