Hotels & Hospitality: A rapidly changing industry

The HIX exhibition took place over two days at London’s Business Design Centre, and showcased a vast array of products whilst highlighting the topical issues affecting the industry as a whole. Changes to the lives we live in the wake of the pandemic has resulted in guest experience being at the forefront of every hoteliers mindset in 2021. But how does one differentiate themselves from competitors in 2022? Siminetti’s range of luxury mother of pearl surfaces present a unique opportunity to attract the attention of the most discerning clientele.

Hygienic solutions

As the world of hoteliers set their minds upon reaffirming trust in the hotels experience, one focus driving change is the need for easily cleanable, hygienic surfaces. Our decorative surfaces are produced using the finest, sustainably sourced, freshwater and saltwater mother of pearl. The mother of pearl is inspected by our unparalleled artisans to remove any imperfections after which they then smooth the harsh outer surface of the shells and reveal the stunning nacre within. Taking this naturally beautiful material the team produce individual tesserae of impeccable quality and hand place each onto a lightweight aluminium honeycomb backing. The surface is then polished to a smooth mirror-like finish and resin sealed. The resin seal used has a number of benefits for hoteliers – In the context of sanitary surfaces – the decorative panels become non-porous trapping no dirt, bacteria or pathogens. This means that cleaning is fast and simple, a gentle wipe down with a cleaning solution is all that is required. No need for harsh cleaners and the time sapping process of scrubbing grouting in bathrooms and other highly demanding environments.

Natural beauty

Siminetti’s decorative panels most differentiating feature however, is not their sanitary credentials, but the exquisite, inspirational beauty possessed within every hand crafted tesserae. Siminetti’s range of mother of pearl surfaces possess jewel like features and have been described by interior designers as the jeweling feature of their specification. Mother of pearl posses a natural beauty unparalleled by other natural and man-made products, no two tesserae are ever the same, with each shell possessing unique markings similar to our finger prints.

The Environment

In the wake of COP26, we all have a responsibility to consider where the products we use come from, and the ways in which the business as a whole impacts the environment. Siminetti as mentioned sources only the finest, sustainable mother of pearl. But, what makes the mother of pearl sustainable? The Nacre (mother of pearl) is produced by a number of shellfish and crustaceans, each with their own unique characteristics. All of Siminetti’s freshwater and saltwater shells are sourced from farmed locations around the world. The farms in question grow the shellfish over a course of 10 years on average, during which every step is taken to ensure the welfare of the animals and environments in which they inhabit. They are predominantly grown for food, where the fish will be removed and the shell discarded. Siminetti take this jewel in the rough bi-product and transform it into stunning surfaces. Unless acquired for uses such as Siminetti’s, the shells would be sent to landfill or crushed and used for paint or reinforcement for road surfaces. The light weight nature of mother of pearl also means that large quantities can be moved via air or sea without making the craft/vessel overweight and needing to use excess fuel. When hoteliers wish to acquire and retain the most discerning clientele then, Siminetti’s luxury mother of pearl surfaces are an uncompromised, hygienic, sustainable, luxurious and elegant solution.

Siminetti; The Jeweling feature of the worlds most prestigious hotels

Over the two days of HIX 2021, our luxurious collections of mother of pearl surfaces were displayed on stand 54. Visitors to our stand could see examples from our Mosaics collection, Seasons collection (Britlist Eco award & SBID awards Finalist), Signature collection, and exclusive insight into the new collection – Siminetti Home, launching in 2022 featuring Siminetti’s renowned mother of pearl inlayed into exquisite furniture.

The HIX 2021 event saw a considerable number of visitors, all wishing to fully emerge themselves into an aspect of the industry which we have all missed in the last two years. A mix of premier suppliers to the industry created a visually enriching and exciting experience for all. Whilst the talks throughout highlighted mainly of the key issues facing hoteliers in 2021 and how they can be approached as opportunities to differentiate from competition through unique and memorable experiences.

The stands vision carried the theme of ‘Jeweling feature’, a prominent aspect of some feedback Siminetti received from a design studio following completion of their project during 2021. A jewellery display inspired black stand stood proudly in the main area, featuring LED strip lighting which highlighted the unique way mother of pearl interacts with light unlike any other natural or man made material. We would like to thank all of our visitors to the stand who made the exhibition one to remember, the feedback was fantastic. All requests made on the stand will now be actioned by our sales team to provide you with all the necessary information for your projects.

If you were unable to attend HIX 2021 we hope the images above will give insight into our display. The Siminetti team’s next event will be the Cruise Ship Interiors EXPO at Excel London. Make sure to register to meet with the team and experience our stunning mother of pearl surfaces.