Biophilic Design and Stress Reduction for Guests in a Post-Covid World

The Emory Conference Center Hotel, located just six miles from downtown Atlanta and nestled within a 26-acre forest preserve, recently underwent a $20 million re-imagining that leaned heavily into its idyllic natural setting.

While the past couple years of shutdowns and slowdowns greatly disrupted the hospitality industry, the Emory Conference Center Hotel used the lull in conferences and events as an opportunity to give to the 27-year-old facility a complete makeover that enhanced its features and biophilic design, ultimately benefiting the serenity and wellness of its future guests and event attendees.

The Emory Conference Center Hotel took advantage of the past two years' pause of in-person meetings and conferences to study what changes would be most popular when people were ready to return to physical versus virtual events. The renovation has been comprehensive – beginning with a desire to use local designers and as many local materials as possible throughout the hotel facility.

The redesign has completely renovated the meetings and conference spaces, breakout spaces, amphitheaters, lobby, communal space, bar and hotel rooms.

The team managing the renovation included myself, the facility's General Manager, and Guido Brun, Director of Sales & Marketing. We worked with a local Atlanta designer and decided to increase the collaborative spaces throughout the lobby with modern and comfortable soft seating and a variety of places to plug in and charge devices. The lobby also features floor-to-ceiling windows that let light pour in and give the space the feeling of being outdoors, within the comfort of a climate-controlled environment.

Most importantly though, this re-imagining included an effort to bring the outdoors in to promote wellness in a post-COVID world. This emphasis on merging the outdoors with the indoors is called biophilic design – the latest trend to hit the hospitality industry – and is thought to improve human health and wellness along with improving the health of an urban environment. In addition to that, the conference center hotel has embraced other strategies to reduce stress on its guests, meeting planners and conference-goers.

What is Biophilic Design?

The word biophilic comes from the term biophilia and is described as a human tendency to interact with and be drawn toward forms of life in nature. A connection with nature can reduce stress – something that all of us could use in these uncertain times – as well as improve psychological, physical and emotional well-being.

Elements of biophilic design include prioritizing natural light and experiencing the weather through atriums and large windows, increasing vegetation in both interiors and exteriors, using natural colors, and incorporating elements of fire, water and natural materials. Biophilic design also tends to make use of transitional spaces that connect the interior with the outdoors, like patios and decks.

Here are a few ways the Emory Conference Center Hotel incorporated biophilic design and emphasized stress reduction in its recent updates:

1. Embrace Natural Light

We've all experienced windowless conferences or meeting rooms where it is impossible to keep track of the time of day or weather conditions – be it sunny or storming. It can be very disorienting. And anyone who has experienced a long winter knows that lack of natural light can dampen a person's mood too.

Even prior to renovations, nearly every meeting room in the Emory Conference Center Hotel had floor-to-ceiling windows, which allow guests to experience the outdoors and enjoy natural light no matter the weather conditions or time of year. In addition, these meeting rooms now feature softer, updated lighting have easy access to balconies where attendees can access fresh air, take a quick break or let their imagination flow as they gaze into the woods. The Center's upgrades removed window dressings to ensure maximum natural light in the meeting rooms, as well as showcase the natural, wooded setting all around the facility. It is our thought that the access to natural sunlight, when one would normally be exposed to only artificial light, will improve the mood and emotional well-being of meeting and conference-goers at our conference center hotel.

The old country club feeling bar and lounge, just off the lobby, now reveals a bright and inviting area to casually gather. Break-out areas have more self-serve features and again are light and bright with comfortable seating to encourage conversations. One of the largest investments focused on a $1 million upgrade in technology to better connect attendees in-person with those who may still have to be remote. All of these updates have set the conference center apart from others in the southeast – both in terms of location and amenities.

2. Easy Access to Fresh Air

Despite being just a few miles from Downtown Atlanta, the Emory Conference Center Hotel has an unparalleled natural setting that helps it capitalize on the biophilic design trend by allowing people to easily commune with nature – even while working. Multiple outdoor spaces allow for fresh air and relaxation. With our renovations, we have updated the furniture in these spaces to accommodate small groups for breakout sessions so meetings can have a change of pace and easily access the fresh air and beautiful scenery. Not only that, but the conference center hotel has direct access to nearby nature trails for hiking, biking, jogging or just a short stroll in nature to break up the day and re-energize one's creativity.

3. Eco-Friendly Updates

A focus on the environment is another way Emory Conference Center Hotel embraced biophilic design by ensuring updates were eco-friendly. We placed an emphasis on green initiatives when we created a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver-certified South Wing. LEED certification is a globally recognized green building rating system created by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The new renovations also sourced materials from local businesses and providers from across Georgia, rather than global suppliers. This led to a reduced carbon footprint from shortened transportation distances along with the bonus of increasing the speed of renovation despite ongoing supply chain issues resulting from the pandemic. Other eco-friendly updates included LED lighting throughout the facility plus embracing more natural light to decrease the need for artificial lighting.

4. Technological Efficiency Creates Time for Outdoor Leisure

The natural and the high-tech seamlessly merge at the Emory Conference Center Hotel. We know that a more efficient meeting with state-of-the-art conference technology means that attendees and guests can have more time to experience the beauty of the conference center hotel's natural setting.

The Emory Conference Center Hotel's renovation includes advanced AV and technology upgrades to provide guests with the modern amenities they demand for both in-person and hybrid events. Upgrades consist of 10K Panasonic projection systems with 189" drop-down screens in the ballroom with wireless presentation capabilities; a Vaddio Video Conferencing system with built-in cameras for the amphitheaters and meeting rooms; the ability to send and receive presentations from any meeting room and stream it to any other meeting room in the North Tower; improved high-speed internet with complimentary WiFi throughout the facility and hotel rooms and hardwire capabilities in the meeting spaces; and new lighting, video and audio systems in the facility's unique six-lane bowling alley that is the perfect setting for team building or just relaxing.

Apart from the conference spaces, high-tech touches have been spread throughout the entire facility, from portals and connectivity in communal break spaces to a new house sound system throughout the North and South Towers that can help to set a more relaxed atmosphere. In addition, the facility is in the process of updating its website to reflect the changes from our original Mission-style design to our fresh and modern new look, further showcasing our state-of-the-art technology to meet every guest's needs.

5. Unique Spaces for Social Gatherings

A recent study published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships suggests that "increasing social interaction, something that has been difficult through the coronavirus pandemic, can lead to lower rates of loneliness and depression." One thing we really missed out on during the pandemic was face-to-face social gatherings. We all know laughter and community can help cut through the stress of everyday life and nothing beats the opportunity to get to know colleagues and peers in person. The Emory Conference Center Hotel emphasizes special communal spaces like Wisteria Lanes - our six-lane bowling alley - that provides an opportunity for unique social gatherings on property. The conference center hotel also includes two restaurants, a cafe and special meeting breakout areas for alternative gathering spaces.

Apart from the bowling alley and spaces inside the conference center hotel, there is an outdoor fire pit accessible to all guests where they can take a break and enjoy the gorgeous natural setting surrounding them. Other rentable buildings on the property include the historic Houston Mill House, built in the 1920s and surrounded with lush landscapes and a charming outdoor terrace. The Silverbell Pavilion provides another option enveloped by glass walls and an outdoor patio featuring an indoor/outdoor fireplace to continue the biophilic design goal of bringing the outdoors in.

6. All-Inclusive Packages Reduce Stress

Another stress-reducing feature that is unlike most conference centers is the fact that Emory Conference Center Hotel offers all-inclusive packages that minimize decision-making anxiety and help guests and groups escape to an environment specifically designed for relaxation, gathering and enjoyment. Rather than wasting time making decisions about how many coffee breaks to plan, the exact timing of your conference and creating specific meal menus, our all-inclusive packages make it easy to be flexible. This means a group can pause for a coffee break outdoors before a downpour is expected or take an impromptu walk through the nature trails after lunch. Allowing for maximum flexibility is key and the conference center has over 30,000 sq. ft. of meeting and event space to accommodate as few as 10 guests up to 400.

We're excited about the changes made to improve guest comfort, mental health and well-being at the Emory Conference Center Hotel through elements of biophilic design. Along with complete interior design updates and a focus on embracing the hotel's natural setting, the re-imagining of the facility aimed to modernize and enhance the conference center hotel in time for a reopening surge of business conferences and events including weddings and reunions.

While other hotels may have missed the opportunity to make large physical updates during pandemic shutdowns, we believe there are elements of what Emory Conference Center Hotel has done that can be replicated across other hotel properties, from maximizing the use of outdoor areas to creating unique spaces for in-person gatherings. Basic elements of biophilic design and stress-reducing tactics are accessible to most any hotel or conference center. Ultimately, we think the updates made to the Emory Conference Center Hotel are a giant leap forward in promoting guest wellness and making a stay here – be it for a meeting or weekend reunion - feel like a true getaway. These detailed touches to improve relaxation and psychological health will be increasingly important to guests that are now more focused on their personal well-being than ever before.

We like to think that the Emory Conference Center Hotel has made lemonade out of lemons - making the most of a pandemic that suddenly and dramatically impacted the entire hospitality industry. Guests have commented that they love the stress-reducing offerings and the facility is already seeing an increase in bookings based on the new design.

Reprinted from the Hotel Business Review with permission from http://www.hotelexecutive.com/.