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Marriott's Phuket Sales Center
Sales Center Redesign & Renovation
A Human Centered Design approach to an Interior Design Project
Project Overview
By increasing meeting spaces and communicating the brand essence, the solution I presented, utilizing 360 degree/VR technology, improved company sales and serves as a prototype for all Marriott Vacations sales center interiors.
Roles & Responsibilities
As Lead Interior Designer and Researcher, I conducted the following:
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Project managed, ideated, and developed deliverables
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Conducted code and cultural research
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Developed initial concepts, floor plans, and Furniture/finish selections
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Modeled and rendered high-fidelity, photorealistic 360 degree renderings (Modeled in Revit and 3D Studio Max, Rendered with VRay)
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Prepared and presented to Executive stakeholders
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Overview
Located in Phuket, Thailand, the Phuket Beach Club Sales Center has the perfect shell to create a Sales Gallery Experience. However after being open for nearly 2 decades, it simply just needed an update.
The design addresses the spacing of the sales rooms and updated accessibility requirements. A new ADA compliant Reception desk, along with new gallery displays, furnishings, and finishes help provide a modern space, while still maintaining nods to traditional Thai motifs and the richness of the Thai culture. This project was completed in 2020.​
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Team
Professional Project, done in association with Marriott Vacations Worldwide Architecture + Design Department.
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Deliverables
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Hi-Fi 360 Degree Photorealistic Renderings - viewed via VR Goggles
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Polished presentation
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Floor Plans (Furnishings/Partitioning and Carpet Layouts)
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Preliminary Material and Furniture Selections
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Tools & Software
3D Studio Max, Revit, VRay, Adobe Indesign, Adobe Photoshop, Momento360
Design Process
The Problem
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The interior space was outdated and not compliant with accessibility codes.
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The business is in need of attracting new and younger customers.
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Space is limited and a need for additional seating groups and partition rooms is necessary to conduct the required sales meetings and transactions.
The Goals & Objective
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​Increase the amount of spaces where sales transactions can take place, while still providing customers with a sense of privacy.
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Ensure all components are up to code and meet accessibility requirements.
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Create a memorable and modern space that feels place centric and gives prospective customers a taste of the residential style of the Marriott Vacation Club product.
Research​​
Stakeholders Needs
The sales team at the Phuket Beach Club Sales Center was growing and in need of additional spaces to conduct meeting with both existing and new customers. Along with meeting with stakeholders and understanding their requests, I also conducted an analysis of the existing sales center spaces.
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Click and drag the image below to view the 360 degree photo of the existing Sales Gallery
Style Change
After assessing the existing sales center, our team collaborated with the sales and project management team located in the Asia-Pacific markets to determine what finishes could be kept and what required replacement due to wear and tear. From there, I did research of materials readily available in Thailand and traditional styles that would give the design a sense of place, ensuring the design stayed local and sustainable.​
Define
Meet the Users
I created 2 personas, The Prospective Travelers and The Seasoned Vacationers , to determine each user's goals and frustrations. Personas are based on research, stakeholder insights, and target users identified by the Marriott Vacation Club brand.
Leah & James, The Prospective Travelers
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Age: 35 & 37
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Profession: Software Developer and Designer
Bio: Leah and James are newly weds and professionals who enjoy traveling in their free time. They hope to start a family in a few years, but for now, want to enjoying exploring the world! They are considering purchasing a Marriott Vacations Ownership so that they can have flexibility with places to visit now and then have the investment for later in life when they can travel with their future family.
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Goals:
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Be able to have a full understanding of the different places they can travel to and perks after their tour through the Sales Gallery. ​
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Find inspiration from the Sales Gallery and a sense of discovery of what being a Marriott Vacation Owner can provide.
Frustrations:
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At times, they are skeptical of Vacation Ownership and are worried that the Sales tour experience will not be fully transparent with the programs.
Maisie & Henry, The Seasoned Vacationers
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Age: 56 & 59
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Profession: Real Estate Agent and Lawyer
Bio: Maisie and Henry have been Marriott Vacation Owners since the 1990s when their children were young. They have traveled to all of the Europe and Caribbean properties and are now starting to travel more to the Asia-Pacific locations, now that their children are grown and doing their own vacations. They are vacationing in Phuket and have fallen in love with the vibrancy and lushness of this part of the world.
Goals:
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Ensure that they can travel to Phuket and other areas in and around Thailand whenever they want.
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Find consistency in the sales process, while also wanting to learn of what is new in the system.
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Continue vacationing with a recognizable brand that they have come to trust.
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Frustrations:
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With their current point total, they find it very difficult to book locations that they want to travel to.
Key Insights
The design needs to stand out among competitors and be memorable for prospective customers.
The design needs to make customers feel comfortable and secure, as customers will be discussing finances in order to proceed with transactions.
The experience needs to be transformational with a strong sense of place and local flair.
How might we...
provide a culturally curated experience with residential touches, while ensuring guests with a sense of privacy and comfort in conducting transactions?
Ideation and Design Development
Defining a New Prototype
We explored various solutions that optimizes the existing footprint of the sales center to fit the maximum amount of sales rooms, without compromising privacy. In defining a new prototype for sales center, the following items were determined and is intended to be guiding principals for not only the Phuket Sales Center, but also all renovation and new build sales centers to come. ​
An open Gallery space that provides for additional seating and pushes displays to the perimeter.
Gallery Displays that serve as sales room dividers
Modern and Vibrant furniture and finishes that are place centric, local, and sustainable
Solution
Proposed Design Presentation
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To convey the design intent and show the distinct difference between the existing and proposed design to Executive Stakeholders, I developed, modeled, and rendered 360 degree photo-realistic renderings to view using VR goggles.
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Below is a 360 degree photo-realistic rendering that had been presented and approved by Stakeholders.
Click and drag the image below to view the 360 degree rendering of the proposed Sales Gallery
Final Design After Renovation
Potential Metrics
Competitive
in Current
Market
Experience
SUCCESS
New Customer Acquisition
Revenue
Cultural Ties
Takeaways
The design solution presented me with opportunities to collaborate with various departments and to develop a new prototype that can benefit customers, internal users, and the overall business. Our target customers need a sense of security when making a significant purchase, and the design is bright and reassuring that the product they are inquiring about is intended to give them endless opportunities to experience and make memories with their families. The solution was rewarding, as we were able to implement a successful design that in turn increased sales at the Phuklet Beach Club Sales Center since its completion in 2020. ​