Hotel Designer Bensley's 'Maximalist' Look Tracks With Emerging Trend
Photo Caption: One one-bedroom heritage railcar villa with a swimming pool features vibrant pinks and reds in the dual-sink bathroom, while the bedroom headboard picks up the same linear patterns. Interior of a heritage railcar retrofitted by Bill Bensley's team at InterContinental Khao Yai Resort in Thailand. Source: Bill Bensley.
Skift Take
After the pandemic, many travelers seek a "maximalist," or more-is-more, aesthetic, immersing all their senses in a profusion of color, pattern, and texture. Designer Bill Bensley captures this look at a new Thai resort. Expect to see maximalism at more hotels.
Future of Hotel Design
What you need to know about the look, feel, and functionality of experiential innovation at cutting-edge properties. (See our past stories.)Bill Bensley strives to press all the right buttons when designing hotels and resorts. The New York-based architect, landscape architect, and interior designer is well known for being a "maximalist" — or "more is more" — aesthetic. The "Bensley look" for hotels sits in the sweet spot of what many guests say they crave today.
Social media giant TikTok recently worked with Airbnb to create a design trends report highlighting the emergence of a "maximalist" aesthetic. The report noted that interior design trends have notably shifted in emphasis from minimalism, which had been hip for more than a decade, to maximalist styles, which have drawn 693 million views on TikTok to date.
"Hanging tables" feature a maximalist design at The L-o-n-g Bar at InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula. Source: IHG.Many independent hotels and brands have been experimenting with maximalism. Designer Natalia Miyar has imbued The Twenty-Two hotel in London with a t
