Las Vegas hotels were originally designed with the goal of transporting guests elsewhere, be that the canals of Venice or the royal palaces of ancient Rome. Nowadays, hospitality design is increasingly moving in the opposite direction, toward localism and biophilia, which are often combined to achieve a stunning effect.

“Guests have a strong desire to connect with the local vernacular,” said David McCullough, principal landscape architect at McCullough Landscape Architecture. “They want to feel like they're immersed in the local culture and lifestyle, not just outside the hotel but within the hotel itself.”

To accomplish this, hotel design is pushing back on the heavy-handed branding of the past when hotels of a certain brand looked and operated exactly the same, he said.

Embracing native flora, drawing inspiration from local ecology and using architectural choices to creatively “bring the outdoors in” are other ways to achieve this goal, he said.

“Connecting the outdoors to the indoors, like incorporating large sliding doors that open up indoor spaces to the natural elements, provides better access to natural light and better ventilation,” McCullough said. “People can feel isolated or burned out because of technology. Having reminders to step away from screens is incredibly welcome.”

McCullough will be speaking at Bisnow’s Las Vegas and Southern Nevada Hospitality CRE Summit on Sept. 15 in Las Vegas on The Business of Hospitality: Development, Tourism and Growth in Las Vegas panel.

Click here to purchase tickets.

Bisnow spoke with McCullough about the design trends rippling across the industry and how landscape design contributes to the changing aesthetic of hotel interiors.

Bisnow: What are today's guests expecting in their hospitality spaces?

McCullough: The first is that people today expect a very localized experience when they come to a hotel. The second is connection to nature. Whether it’s in the pool area or in the lobby or even in their room, people want to engage with nature in some way. They want to access it outside as well as inside the walls of the hotel. Without a bit of nature, hotels can feel overly antiseptic and hospital-like.

Bisnow: What are some other amenities people are looking for right now? 

McCullough: People are looking for health and wellness amenities, of which connection to nature is one manifestation. Things like cold plunges and saunas and fitness rooms that are connected to the outdoors are little things people like to see. It’s preferable to hiding them away in the central core of a hotel.

They also want strong, seamless WiFi connection in every part of the hotel, including their rooms, lobby and common spaces — whether that’s indoors or outdoors.

And just generally, it’s hard to overstate the importance of pool areas and outdoor spaces as amenities. They are critically important, and they need to tie in the local scene and aesthetic.

Bisnow: Can you provide some examples?

McCullough: We’re working on a hotel in San Diego that will be part of Marriott’s Tribute Portfolio. The hotel’s whole theme is derived from nature and the ecology found right outside.

Another example is the Alila Marea Beach Resort in Encinitas, California. It’s located right on the coast, and the natural bluffs come right up to the hotel from the beach. Some of the natural elements of the bluffs even get carried onto the property of the hotel itself. It feels like you’re still on the beach, even though you are on hotel property. You are immersed in that natural ecology, and it’s spectacular and beautiful.

Bisnow: What do you think will be the hottest topic of conversation at the Las Vegas and Southern Nevada Hospitality CRE Summit? 

McCullough: Landscape architects have been talking about health and wellness and the idea of connection to nature for years, but now it’s becoming superhot among the general public. The pandemic was a catalyst. People started to care more about air quality, natural ventilation, and seeking reasons and reminders to disconnect and rest.

The area around Las Vegas specifically is probably one of the most pristine desert environments in the world. People are recognizing that and want to take advantage of it. Rather than replicating something found elsewhere, which was previously popular, there’s now a move to acknowledge that people are traveling here to experience this special desert climate itself and celebrate it.

You’re seeing a lot more use of red and beige stone, succulents and other low-water landscaping features, as opposed to concrete, glass and stucco.

Las Vegas gets pretty cold in the wintertime and incredibly hot in the summertime. More and more, people are expecting outdoor spaces to be conditioned. That can be provided in several ways, such as outdoor misters, cooling devices and shading, as well as heated outdoor elements like fire pits, radiant floor heat and infrared heating devices. The goal is to be able to go from inside to outside and not feel dramatic climate variations so guests can feel more comfortable year-round.

Click here to register for the summit.

This article was produced in collaboration between McCullough Landscape Architecture and Studio B. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.

Studio B is Bisnow’s in-house content and design studio. To learn more about how Studio B can help your team, reach out to studio@bisnow.com.