The line between apartments and hotels keeps getting blurrier. In the latest development, Marriott International’s Element by Westin brand is launching a new room concept, Studio Commons, that will add residential shared spaces to the wellness-focused brand’s guestrooms.
The concept connects four private bedrooms with a shared kitchen and living room areas, offering privacy and socialization at the same time. The Studio Commons communal spaces range from 600 to 650 square feet, while each of the four adjacent guestrooms range from 250 to 280 square feet.
The layout debuted at the new Element in Scottsdale, Ariz., in June, followed by Boulder, Colo., in July. The Element Boulder Superior has four Studio Commons units.
Additional Studio Commons units are expected to launch at Element hotels opening in Sedona, Ariz.; Sacramento, Calif.; Ontario, Calif.; and Minneapolis within the next year. The concept is slated to be installed at all new Element Hotels signed after the first quarter of 2017.
Before this official roll-out, Element Hotels piloted the concept at Marriott’s first-ever pop up innovation lab in downtown Los Angeles. The interactive model hotel experience let the brand crowdsource real-time feedback from industry professionals, hotel guests, associates and the general public as the team developed the final look of the rooms.
“Element Hotels is always looking for ways to continue to innovate in the longer-stay space, so this new design concept is an exciting next step for the brand,” Aliya Khan, VP of design, global design strategies for Marriott International, said in a statement. “Through our research we learned that Element’s guests value being able to replicate their home environment while traveling, so separating their sleep and work spaces was particularly important with this new offering.”
Guests staying in the Studio Commons rooms will have access to all of Element’s signature hotel amenities, including in-room kitchens, saline swimming pools, fitness centers, a Bikes to Borrow program, the complimentary breakfast and evening receptions.
Image credits: Farhad Samari