After a multimillion-dollar transformation, Haworth Hotel - the hotel on Hope College’s campus now boasts a modern European feel, with a luxe hospitality environment aimed at capturing the hearts of design-focused customers

Haworth headquarters draws people from around the country who come in search of inspiration and workplace solutions. Those visits are going to include a more immersive design experience as the company invites guests to stay in lodgings with the same aesthetics they’re seeking. They will find that in the Haworth Hotel, formerly the Haworth Inn and Conference Center. After a multimillion-dollar transformation, the hotel on Hope College’s campus now has a modern European feel. This luxury hospitality environment is meant to capture the hearts of design-focused customers. “This project really is a win-win-win for the college, community and Haworth,” says Kurt VanderSchuur, Haworth’s Global Brand Director. “We want this facility to serve the community and coordinate beautifully with a visit to our HQ. We are known for offices, and this provides an opportunity to engage our product solutions in a living hospitality environment.” 

Patricia Urquiola, Haworth’s design partner who lives and works in Milan, helped create the transformation with her Studio and the Haworth team. For years, the award-winning designer and architect has collaborated with Haworth on collections that transform spaces. Patricia brings a softer, warmer atmosphere into an environment with soothing colours and material palettes. Her reconfigurable pieces encourage creativity, flexibility and productivity. It’s not surprising that Urquiola has gained a following for her playful and poetic products and spaces which are as pragmatic and functional as they are beautiful. Besides her work with Haworth, this project at Hope is one of Urquiola’s first hotel installations in the United States. Some of her recent work includes Ferrari: Under the Skin at the London Design Museum, Progressive Luxury Meets Creative Excellence at the BMW showroom in Munich and the renovation of the historic Cassina showroom in Milan.

Under her directorship, the three-story conference centre’s 48 guest rooms have been completely renovated with custom millwork by Cassina Contract and Haworth materials and finishes. The lounge spaces feature the best Haworth has to offer, including global products from Cassina, Cappellini, Poltrona Frau and JANUS et Cie. Haworth’s global partner brands are also featured, with lighting by Pablo Designs, rugs by GAN and textiles by Kvadrat. Urquiola’s own designs - Immerse tables, Maari chairs and stools, Poppy chairs, Cabana Lounge and Chic poufs - also complement fabrics and carpets she designed.

The hospitality setting provides the ideal venue for a welcoming design that draws the comforts of home into a professional space. There are touchdown workspaces, as well as social spaces throughout the lobby. That includes a coffee shop intended not only for hotel and conference guests but for members of the community, as well as visitors to the area. The building continues to serve as a conference centre for the campus, community and organisations from around the country, with meeting and banquet facilities totaling more than 10,000 square feet and 13 conference rooms that can accommodate groups of up to 400. A new spiral staircase to the second floor provides access to a new meeting room and a new exercise room that looks over the lobby. The guest rooms, located on the building’s second and third floors, and the main-floor lobby reopened in June after the extensive renovation. Matthew A. Scogin, Hope College President, is looking forward to the facility playing an even greater role in bringing people together. The original Haworth Inn and Conference Center opened in 1997 to serve as a bridge between the campus and the downtown. Hope named the building after Haworth in honour of donations to the college’s endowment. “With this latest support from Haworth, this facility will be an even more inviting destination for guests and events, and will also serve as a welcome centre and a gathering space for Hope alumni,” Scogin says.

The layered audience that uses the facility provided unique opportunities in designing the renovated space. The goal was to create a setting that balances warmth, playfulness, sophistication and multiple brand experiences in an environment that will encourage interaction between college staff and students, community members and others. “This space has always been a focal point for mixing students, community residents, local organisations and businesses together. We are tremendously excited about this becoming an even more engaging place to share ideas and collaborate,” said Dick Haworth, Chairman Emeritus.

His late father, G.W. Haworth saw the potential for the Haworth Inn to bring together the community and the college. Located in a tulip-filled downtown with heated sidewalks, the Haworth Hotel is a destination for people visiting the college, the community, and Haworth. Holland, nestled along the shores of Lake Michigan, draws visitors from around the world who come to experience its Tulip Time festival and beautiful summers. Meanwhile, a hotel designed by Urquiola is expected to provide one more draw, especially for those who consider themselves aficionados of her work. Until now, the best opportunity to experience her designs in a hospitality setting meant flights to Europe or Asia, where Urquiola has created retreats such as Hotel Il Sereno overlooking Italy’s Lake Como, Mandarin Oriental in Barcelona, Room Mate Giulia in Milan and the Oasia Downtown Hotel in Singapore. Unsurprisingly therefore, this strong partnership - a Haworth and Urquiola collaboration is expected to create a design destination for locals and visitors alike.