Joel Derksen's Poetic Hotel: A New Standard in Luxury Packaging

Derksen's Award-Winning Design Elevates Hotel Amenities to an Art Form

Joel Derksen, a renowned designer and writer, was tasked with redesigning in-room amenities for an international boutique hotel. The challenge was to create a design that would appeal to the 'Instagram' generation, a demographic known for its appreciation of aesthetics and its desire to share unique experiences on social media. The result was the Poetic Hotel, a design that goes beyond branding to offer a luxury experience.

The Poetic Hotel design is unique in its approach to hotel amenities. Instead of focusing on branding, Derksen chose to tap into the intimate experience of travel. The packaging of each item - shower cap, nail kit, shaving kit, and dental kit - features evocative writing about travel, discovery, and escape. The poems are presented in three languages: Chinese, Arabic, and English, reflecting the international nature of the hotel's clientele.

The design process involved meticulous attention to detail, with a focus on paper types, embossing types, and type sizes. The final products are blind debossed on all packaging, adding a touch of sophistication and luxury. The design pieces act like the diary of a traveler, enhancing the overall hotel experience.

Derksen's design was not without its challenges. Finding the right poetic approach and production partners took time, as did securing buy-in from franchise members. However, the end result was a design that not only met the client's needs but also won the Silver A' Packaging Design Award in 2018. This award is given to designs that demonstrate outstanding expertise and innovation, and that introduce positive feelings, amazement, and wonder.

Joel Derksen's Poetic Hotel design sets a new standard in luxury packaging. It shows how design can transform the mundane into the extraordinary, turning a simple hotel stay into a memorable, romantic journey. As Derksen's work demonstrates, good design is not just about aesthetics; it's about creating an experience that resonates with the user.