Hospitality operations design
Hospitality operations design consultants
Every operational decision in the building, from the first area programme to the last commissioning visit. We guide owners, architects and operators through all of a hotel’s operational design.
How much space each department needs, where it sits, how guests, staff, food, linen and waste move, and where service meets the guest. These decisions are set early, by the grid and the service cores, and are hard to buy back later.
Our deepest specialisation is kitchens and laundries, where we issue the detailed drawings and tender specifications for every item of equipment.
Vital Concept Design is an independent consultancy founded in 2001, with offices in New Delhi and Bengaluru. We do not sell or supply equipment and take no commissions. The principals lead every project personally.
What we deliver
- Area programmes for front and back of house
- Adjacencies and flows
- Guest interface with operations
- Service optimisation for outlets, banqueting and in-room dining
- Employee areas sized from the staffing ratio
- Stores, commissaries and bakeries
Selected projects
All projects →
Luxury Resorts · Maldives
St. Regis Vommuli
Kitchens, bars & laundry →
Business Hotels · Mumbai, India
JW Marriott Sahar
Kitchens & 10-ton laundry →
Business Hotels · Lower Parel, Mumbai
The St. Regis Mumbai
Kitchens & heart-of-house →
Luxury Resorts · Thimphu, Bhutan
Taj Tashi
Kitchens & F&B →
Luxury Resorts · Vagator, Goa
W Goa
Kitchens & bars →
Business Hotels · Bangalore, Karnataka
The Oberoi Bangalore
Restaurant kitchens & service →
Questions we are asked
Straight answers
Do you only design kitchens?
No. We advise on all of a hotel’s operational design: area programmes for front and back of house, adjacencies and flows, the guest interface with operations, service optimisation, employee areas, stores and commissaries. Kitchens and laundries are where we go furthest, with detailed drawings and tender specifications for every item of equipment.
What staff-to-room ratio should we plan for?
Between 2:1 and 3:1 staff per key, depending on luxury tier and scale. It drives lockers, staff dining and support areas long before it shows up in the operating budget.
When should we bring you in?
At feasibility, before the architecture is fixed. Back-of-house area and adjacencies are almost impossible to buy back once the structural grid and service cores are set.