Quart in a pint pot

Refurbishing the public areas of the Crowne Plaza London Heathrow hotel was an exercise in fitting a quart into a pint pot. It involved increasing the number of restaurant covers, doubling breakfast capacity, putting more chairs in the bar, making reception bigger and adding an exhibition kitchen - all without increasing the floor area.

Officially opened in June by Sarah, Duchess of York, the new look followed a rebranding of the 460-room hotel last year. Like all the Crowne Plazas in Europe and the USA, it was a Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza, but dropped the Holiday Inn name to emphasise the higher quality it offers.

There are seven Crowne Plazas in the UK, and the Heathrow site is one of the four owned or partly owned by Bass. "Our market research showed that people felt our lobby area was a bit small and possibly not as opulent as it could be - customers thought it was more Holiday Inn than Crowne Plaza," explains general manager Ian Taylor.

As part of a total £5m refurbishment programme at the hotel, the work in the public areas cost £1.2m. Of this, £800,000 was spent on construction, £100,000 on furniture, fittings and equipment, and £100,000 on the exhibition kitchen. The remainder was spent on an additional kitchen behind the bar and fitting a new 75-cover Simply Nico restaurant concession.

The designer for all the public areas, with the exception of Simply Nico, was RPW Architects & Designers, with Caroline Jonsson leading the project. The main contractor was Mentha & Halsall, with Francis Graves responsible for quantity surveying and Design Installation Services doing the mechanical and electrical work.

Before the redesign, the public rooms on the ground floor were semi-enclosed areas with a predominance of cane furniture, gilt features and Italianate garden frescos on the walls. Now there are bold Mediterranean colours with striking modern artwork.

However, the biggest change is in the way the space is used. Walls have been demolished and the whole space has been opened up. Now, the different areas are defined by a curved walk-through and different floor coverings. There are also large, brightly painted screens, changes in floor level, and wrought-iron balustrades with wooden rails. Jonsson explains: "Straight lines make areas seem boxy and limited, whereas the curved walk-through maximises the space."

On arrival, guests can see the changes even before they enter the front door, because the porters' desk has been moved outside, with gas heaters for winter use. The desk itself is made of figured aspen with a black granite top, and houses the porters' computer. "It has reduced the traffic inside, because people now ask for taxis outside," explains Taylor.

Once inside, guests are faced with a striking glass "sculpture" specially commissioned from Jennifer Newman-Cox, designed to create lots of impact while occupying very little space. Made up of individual panels, it represents the four seasons and five elements.

The curve of the panel on which it is mounted has been deliberately shaped to guide guests towards the reception desk on their right. Flooring in this area is limestone tiling from Capital Marble while the walls behind the reception desk and the panels around the area are a vivid cobalt blue.

Again made of figured aspen with a black granite top, the curved reception desk houses seven computer terminals instead of the previous four, without taking up any more space. Taylor says this has been a much-needed change because of how busy the morning rush hour is. "We often have to check out 400 rooms between 7.30 and 9am," he says.

Signage was a challenge because the hotel did not want free-standing signs that guests could trip over. Instead, there are wall-mounted, engraved Perspex panels, illuminated from the top, from Richard Twinch Designs.

At the end of the reception desk is the entrance to Simply Nico. With a surround of bright yellow and blue, it has doors once again made of figured aspen, with glass insets in curved shapes that echo the curves of the reception desk and walk-through. The other public areas are to the left of the main door.

At the back of the building is the restaurant. In the absence of walls, its shape is defined by a raised floor edged with a black, wrought-iron balustrade that has a top rail made of maple, toned to match the aspen used elsewhere. Previously there were two restaurants with 130 and 45 seats. The new one has 190 covers and is clearly branded as the Concha Grill, with striking cutout-style graphics from Kean Design Associates. The fact that customers can see into the restaurant has worked well, says Taylor, and may be especially appreciated by female guests.

Strong branding

It was also important that the restaurant could stand on its own and attract non-resident diners, hence the strong branding. To date, the concept is working well, with restaurant takings for September up by 15% on the same month last year.

Flooring in this area looks like sisal matting but is in fact a conventional carpet from Godfrey Hurst which looks natural and is more practical to clean and maintain.

Tables, a mixture of rectangles and rounds, have black iron legs with black, grey and cream granite tops and were supplied by Logic Lord. The Tonon dining chairs from Max International come in four different styles - all in the same basic shape, but the backs vary. Their upholstery is in four fabrics, in purple, orange, jade and blue stripe. There are also dramatic banquettes, with outsize curved backs, covered in vinyl from Michael Abbott and Spectrum Contract Vinyls. Artwork includes four specially commissioned seascapes.

At the back of the restaurant, the exhibition kitchen - designed and fitted by Chapman Catering Equipment - is highly visible, with illuminated front panels. Alongside it is a cold buffet and a dispense bar, both of which also have illuminated front panels.

On the other side of the walk-through, at the front of the building, is the area occupied by the Concha Bar and library. The 72-seat bar is given a separate feel by its terracotta floor tiles from Langley Tiles. Open 24 hours a day for both drinks and food, it also has strong branding, using the same graphic style as the Concha Grill. Again, its business has improved since the refurbishment, with September takings up by 18.5% compared with the same month in 1997.

A curved, three-sided aspen bar with a copper top has replaced the previous straight bar. All around are tall bar stools from Kesterport, in wood with blue upholstery. The same supplier provided the dining chairs and armchairs in the bar.

Tables in the bar match those in the restaurant - not just for decorative continuity, but also so they can be used for breakfast service. Taylor explains: "In the past, our biggest problem was coping with the volume of people for breakfast, especially at weekends when we may be sleeping 700 people. Now we have an arrangement that we can use Simply Nico in the mornings and we can also use the bar tables - so altogether we can sit about 300 for breakfast at once."

Variety of shapes

Alongside the bar is the library, a quiet area which seats about 45 people in comfortable, fabric-covered armchairs and vinyl-covered sofas from Max International. There is a variety of shapes, from tub chairs to wing armchairs, with a mix of colours that includes gold, viridian green and red. The carpet has a distinctive blue, rust and terracotta splatter pattern with borders, designed by RPW and specially woven by Hugh Mackay. Again, Jonsson chose a different floor covering to visually separate the library from the bar.

Aspen coffee tables for this area were specially made by Max International, and their tops have glass-covered insets housing decorative arrangements of artists' materials. The same firm supplied the circular display table at the entrance to the library. It has an unusual zigzag edge and is always topped with a dramatic fresh flower arrangement from Esprit Nicola Rose of Covent Garden. Naturally, the library also has bookshelves from which guests can help themselves.

This is one of the few public areas to have natural light, although it only overlooks the car park. Previously, the view was screened by Venetian blinds but, believing that any view is better than none, Jonsson dressed the tops of the windows with Roman fixed blinds in gold, yellow and green stripes, then added functional curtains in blue and viridian green.

Curtains and blinds throughout were made by Southern Drapes, with fabrics from Brian Yates, Designers Guild and Creation Bauman.

Taylor says he is very pleased with the refurbishment, not just because it looks good, but because it seems to be improving trade. As well as sales being up, quality ratings from the mystery shopper programme are also up - particularly showing improved and more consistent quality of service in the bar and better handling of checking in and out.

He notes: "There are a lot of hotels at Heathrow, so we wanted people to walk in and say ‘Gosh, this is different from anything else on the strip'. We think we've achieved that."

Crowne Plaza London Heathrow, Stockley Road, West Drayton, Middlesex UB7 9NA.Tel: 01895 445555