COPYRIGHT GUY MONTAGU-POLLOCK/ARCAID.CO.UK POST-OCCUPANCY EVALUATION SOUTH PLACE HOTEL SUITE SUCCESS How do you run a luxury hotel with spa-like facilities in a sustainable way? Hoare Leas Julie Godefroy shares lessons learned from a post-occupancy evaluation at Londons South Place Hotel A boutique hotel in central London, with spa-like bathrooms, represents a challenge for operators with aspirations of sustainability. These five-star luxuries are notoriously wasteful in terms of water and energy, with copious amounts of hot water required for oversized baths and rain-shower fittings. There are also loads from restaurants, a gym, conference spaces and dining rooms to The hotel South Place, a boutique hotel located between Liverpool Street and Moorgate, in central London, comprises 80 bedrooms, two restaurants, a gym, conference spaces and private dining rooms. It has enjoyed PROJECT TEAM Developer: Frogmore Hotel operator: D&D London Project manager: Gardiner & Theobald Architects: Allies and Morrison Interior architects: Conran and Partners Mechanical, electrical, public health (MEP): Hoare Lea to contract, then NG Bailey BREEAM: Hoare Lea Sustainability to contract, then Capita Symonds for McLaren Contractor: McLaren MEP contractor: NG Bailey high occupancy rates since it opened in September 2012, and is ranked one of citys favourite hotels. South Place is owned, and was developed, by Frogmore for D&D London, which operates a number of restaurants. The project was procured under a design and build contract, with the architects novated and the MEP engineers staying client-side. Frogmore intended to create a best- and fan coil units for heating and cooling in the bedrooms. High user satisfaction Feedback from staff was gathered through interviews and building use studies (BUS) surveys. More informal methods were used with hotel guests, based on comments provided either directly to staff or on travel review websites, such as TripAdvisor. These sites are also used by the hotel to monitor guest satisfaction, and the feedback generally correlated well with that received from the staff. From the early design stages, interior designer, Conran and Partners, was mindful of the interaction between finishes and services, as well as boutique branding and customer experience. The firm worked closely with the engineers, hotel consultants, and control manufacturers, so the buildings architecture and interior design have generally received good feedback. Guests and staff have commented on the hotels wow factor, modern and stylish design, and attention to detail. As well as achieving high rankings on travel-review websites, the building was rated highly in staff surveys, with an overall BUS satisfaction score in the top COPYRIGHT GUY MONTAGU-POLLOCK/ARCAID.CO.UK consider, as well as the heating and cooling requirements of demanding visitors, who are paying up to 1,200 a night for the privilege of staying at the hotel. The operators of South Place Hotel didnt shy away from the task, however, and after the building was completed in 2012 they appointed Hoare Lea to undertake a post-occupancy evaluation (POE). Innovate UK formerly the Technology Strategy Board funded the project, which included an enhanced handover and POE over two years, with a review of user feedback and energy and water consumption. We found that simple energy analysis using walk-arounds, interviews with users, and even TripAdvisor reviews is very valuable, while commissioning and careful handover are crucial because hotels do not stop, offering fewer windows of opportunity for works after opening. practice hotel and driven by local planners at the London Borough of Islington the energy and sustainability strategy included a requirement for BREEAM Excellent, standard B-rated Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) and 40% improvement on Building Regulations Part L 2010. The design approach followed the energy hierarchy, with highly efficient envelope and services, a 70kWe combined heat and power (CHP) unit, 10% of performers in its category (see graph below). Topics frequently mentioned by guests in travel reviews include the general quality, design, and atmosphere of the hotel and bedrooms; highquality service; hotel location; and luxury features, including huge beds, spa-like bathrooms with huge baths, and rain showers. This strong customer feedback represents a clear challenge to sustainability aspirations in the highend hotel sector. Operators with a strong desire for energy, water and cost 3 eadE RMOR PROJECT TEAM savings should maximise the efficiency of lower-impact uses to guests and, potentially, consider greywater recycling systems in larger buildings. As in all dense urban locations, space was at a premium and it proved challenging to balance the needs of revenue-generating front-of-house, back-of-house and staff areas. This is particularly important for industries involving long shift work, and for establishments where amenities such as canteen and rest areas, and secure cycle storage can help retain soughtafter staff. Bussatindex 2 1 0 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 80 60 40 100 20 Percentile -1 -2 -3 The user satisfaction survey showed a very high rating from the staff (Building Use Studies) COPYRIGHT GUY MONTAGU-POLLOCK/ARCAID.CO.UK tech experience. Bespoke control panels were developed by the manufacturer in collaboration with Conran and Partners. These required a period of adjustment and fine-tuning, and a simple user guide and a room in service offered to guests on arrival help with operation (see examples of control panels below). Staff consistently noted the work of the facilities manager, and the buildings BUS score for response to request for change is the best in its category. This is expected to contribute significantly to overall satisfaction and efficient operation. eadE RMOR WHO SAYS NO-ONE NOTICES BUILDING SERVICES? The inclusion of experienced staff in the design process was useful, but actual operation will always be subject to changing business practices; for example, the success of the hotels bars has led to a higher number of evening events than initially expected, requiring careful management to avoid disturbance to other areas. A canopy roof was installed over the courtyard bar, reducing sound transmission to the surrounding bedrooms while increasing the bars revenues by creating a covered area suitable for use in varying weather. Bedrooms on the two top floors have openable windows which work in conjunction with sensors that deactivate the fan coil units and guests use them, even in this busy urban location. The hotel regards this feature as a strength in its offering, because some guests request windows that open. Guests regularly comment on the gadgetry and controls in the bedrooms, which are now largely enjoyed as part of the modern, high- WHO SAYS NO-ONE NOTICES Comments on TripAdvisor The power points were all in the right place. Lighting in the room was the best for any hotel in the city that Ive experienced. Feedback on bedroom controls: James Bond feel. Electric blinds clever and working (for achange... ). As a lover of technology, this hotel was perhaps the most impressive Ive ever experienced. Thankfully, it is not so technically challenging that I couldnt manage to work them all. COPYRIGHT GUY MONTAGU-POLLOCK/ARCAID.CO.UK Touch panels werent always responsive enough, though I like the idea very much. database (1999), high occupancy rates, and the high-end and highly serviced nature of the hotel. While inefficiencies are kept to a minimum by the FM teams proactive energy management, the contribution of each factor is difficult to assess because of the relatively limited benchmark data. The CHP unit was specified with thermal stores, which were omitted in the contractors final installation. This, plus modulation issues, reduced its operation in the first two years. However, the contractor and MEP contractor did remain involved long after practical completion, and the CHP now runs as initially intended for a minimum of 12 hours a day and with quality-assurance certification. It should now contribute to the majority of the thermal load. Unsurprisingly given the enthusiastic feedback on the luxury bathrooms and rain showers that use 20 litres per minute water consumption is high, with 350-400 litres used per bedroom, excluding restaurant uses. This is higher than CIRIA benchmarks, but in line with benchmarks from the FM team and other luxury hotels. User guides for bespoke control buttons AIR CONDITIONING USER GUIDE You can adjust the temperature of your room up (+) or down (-) using the control panel in your room. Press the fan icon to increase or decrease the fan speed. The eco setting provides an energy-efficient means of keeping the room to your preferred temperature. One of the control panels Energy and water Overall gas consumption is similar to CIBSE Guide F Good Practice levels, and would be better than Good Practice if all heat was produced by boilers, rather than partly from CHP. A third of it is used for catering and is therefore unregulated. Electricity consumption mainly by fans and pumps, small power, and catering is significantly (about 80%) higher than Good Practice benchmarks. This may be attributed to a number of factors, including a relatively small and old benchmark Water-efficiency measures were implemented in incremental steps while monitoring guest feedback, and they areexpected to have led to significant savings about a 15% reduction in flow rates from shower and basin taps without having any detrimental impact on the guest experience. Lessons learned Commissioning and careful handover are crucial. This is a common POE finding, and one that is compounded because hotels do not stop, offering few windows of opportunity for works People matter. There is enormous value in motivated project teams, team-member continuity and proactive FM Quality checks such as BREEAM post-construction review, thermography surveys, and airtightness tests can be useful indicators and need to be carefully procured and programmed to maximise their value Keep things simple Detailed energy analysis is timeconsuming. Simpler analysis using walk-arounds, user interviews and main meter data is very valuable. Large numbers of sub-meters can be a challenge in commissioning, reconciling and prioritising data for analysis Energy consumption is difficult to predict, particularly with high, unregulated loads and limited benchmark data on hotels Early input from an experienced hotel manager will help prioritise conflicting needs and demands for space. CJ REFERENCES: 1 Productivity in Buildings: the Killer LIGHT SETTINGS USER GUIDE Night-time setting to allow wayfinding, for example to the bathroom; ambient light setting for reading and relaxing LED bedside reading light Variables Updated, A Leaman, Drawing on material developed jointly with Bill Bordass, supporting the Usable Buildings Trust, 2005 2 Strategies for Better Occupant Satisfaction, Adrian Leaman and Bill Dims and brightens the light settings Draws the blackout blinds up and down Lights off/ lights on Do not disturb: This will also mute the bell outside your door The lighting in your room has been programmed to provide various levels of illumination. The lighting throughout South Place Hotel uses low-energy or LED bulbs. Bordass, Presented to the Fifth Indoor Air Quality Conference, 1997 3 C657, Water key performance indicators for offices and hotels, CIRIA, 2006 The bath setting provides lowlevel lighting for a relaxing soak 4 Water management and responsibility in hotels, Green Hotelier, March 2013. JULIE GODEFROY is a sustainability associate at Hoare Lea