Kew Green, Holiday Inn Leeds Brighouse

Kew Green Hotels are the UK’s largest developer and operator of the Holiday Inn hotel brand throughout the UK. Lugo has worked with Kew Green Hotels for some 15 years supplying loose furniture for their hotel lobbies, restaurants and guest bedrooms. After successfully completing a multi-sited contract to furnish over 3,000 hotel guest bedrooms for numerous Holiday Inn hotels in the UK, Lugo was invited to supply the loose contract furniture for their nationwide public areas refurbishment scheme. One of the most recent projects completed was at the Holiday Inn, Leeds Brighouse hotel.

The Venue

Holiday Inn Leeds Brighouse is situated close to the M62 in the village of Clifton, west of Leeds. The 3-star hotel with 94 bedrooms is just one of many managed by Kew Green. With amenities such as a business centre, indoor pool and fitness centre - it’s a popular hotel.

The Brief

The Holiday Inn in Brighouse received a full refurbishment of their hotel lobby and the implementation of the brand's new “Cow on The Hill” steak and grill restaurant.

The Holiday Inn brand, franchised by InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), started to implement their ‘Open Lobby’ concept in 2012. This concept involves merging the hotel reception and bar lounge areas into an airy open plan space to create a more welcoming atmosphere which shaped Lugo’s brief for the project at Holiday Inn at Leeds Brighouse. The old décor and furniture didn’t meet the latest IHG brand standards and in order for Kew Green to adhere to these standards, a number of their hotels were treated to a refurbishment.

Working alongside the design agency, Aspinall Creative, a detailed plan outlining loose contract furniture and fabrics was devised that met the budget and expectations of Kew Green.



Design

The furniture specified was modern in design and upholstered in vibrant contemporary colours with subtle geometric patterns. The colour scheme specified for the contract furniture included deep pacific teal, lemon, emerald, lime, slate grey, jade and putty. These colours were used in different variations supplied by Panaz contract fabrics across not only the contract furniture but throughout the décor of the hotel lobby.

The ethos behind the Open Lobby concept is to make guests feel more at home and welcome in their hotels. The concept has changed the function of the hotel lobby from being a service point and turned it into a hub of social activity for work or relaxation. As a result of all of this activity, the furniture that Lugo has supplied to multiple Holiday Inn sites was comfortable, addressed the needs of all guest activities from working on a laptop to lounging with a late-night drink, and was upholstered in playful bright contract quality upholstery fabrics.

Lugo supplied a mixture of 21 styles of seating and tables for this project as the hotel lobby was divided into numerous activity zones. Comfortable tub chairs, high back lounge chairs, ottomans and sofas were placed around coffee tables for guests to enjoy a coffee break or have a meeting at. Along with a mixture of restaurant chairs, banquette seating, bar stools and ottomans were placed around dining tables and bar tables in the bar zone of the lobby.

A total of 154 items were carefully specified and supplied by Lugo for this Holiday Inn project.

The Stella tub chair was ideal for this project and was upholstered in different fabrics including a lush pacific velvet and split fabric design of putty grey with complimenting jade and slate checks. A number of circular and hexagonal ottomans were placed throughout the lobby and upholstered in earthy colours such as an emerald, peacock with the same jade and slate check design used on tub chairs.

The soft lines and strong colour palette impeccably complimented the lobby’s new geometric contract carpet in both the seating and bar area. High back chairs in a grey tweed and ottomans were used to break up colour and create subsections within the open lobby. Tripod base tables were paired with the low-level seating whilst rectangular beech poseur tables with white timber legs topped with Sand Orleans Oak laminate were used in the bar.

Bar stools with lush pacific and neutral diamond quilted slate seat pads were used throughout the bar and complimented the overall light and dynamic colour scheme nicely by adding a touch of colour. The use of light, modern timber frames allowed the lobby to maintain a youthful and refreshing atmosphere whilst also being adaptable for different dining needs.

Hotel guests have varying needs so it’s important to cater to them as best as possible. For example, the bar area could not be filled with all high-level bar stool as some guests may have mobility issues. Low level allows these guests a more comfortable seat whilst being conveniently located near power outlets.

Installation

Before the loose furniture could be delivered and placed, the lobby was redecorated with new bright hues of blue and grey in addition to new geometric vinyl and carpet flooring being laid.

Once this part of the refurbishment was complete, Lugo’s installation team were able to deliver the contract furniture and place in situ. Overall a more modern and fresh scheme had been achieved by updating the hotel lobby’s furniture and colour scheme.

The Holiday Inn Brighouse is just one of over 25 Kew Green owned hotels for which Lugo has supplied loose contract furniture for. Other open lobbies furnished by Lugo include Leeds Garforth, East Kilbride, Leamington Spa to name a few.