The operating-space experience report: What we look at when a space is already open

Once a space has opened, everything can seem to have settled into place. Yet the areas where guests tire, disconnect or never go often remain unnoticed within the daily routine. In an operating hotel, restaurant or wellness space, the aim is not to tear down, but to make visible the potential the space already holds.

First, we spend time inside the space

The first reading is sensory and intuitive: the overall feeling, the moment of arrival, circulation and rhythm, and the areas that tire, disconnect or stand still. Hospitality components such as service experience, taste, texture and rituals are also part of this observation.

Then we look at the drawings and the reality together

Architectural plans, construction drawings, section, volume and scale relationships, function diagrams, and material and detail decisions are examined. Regulations, escape scenarios and technical requirements are also reviewed. The report covers not only the interior, but also the surroundings of the space, its urban context and regional potential.

What does the R2 report reveal?

• Experience breaking points and areas not using their potential
• Contradictions, and strong points that are not supported
• The gap between actual use and the intended experience; daily and time-based behaviour
• Existing but unused assets, non-radical opportunities, and areas where small interventions have high impact

From recommendations to a roadmap

After the diagnosis, an experience scenario and story framework are proposed; programmes that could be added to the space, object, art and narrative proposals, service experience, and activity and event ideas are considered. All recommendations are filtered through budget, operations, seasonality and the cost of interrupted use. The result is a roadmap that clarifies short-, medium- and long-term steps while balancing impact and cost.

We simplify the technical language

The report also works as a translation mechanism: revision alternatives expressed in technical drawings are turned into plain, clear language the project owner can understand. This allows the project owner to compare alternatives and make an informed decision. In Between does not decide on the project owner’s behalf; it clarifies the options, possible outcomes and risks.

How we work

Assessments are carried out with our own app and the 1,175-criterion In Between Checklist; a boutique hotel and a restaurant are not read with the same questions (Methodology). On request, we stay alongside the process after the report as an independent outside eye. For details, see the R2 report framework and Sample Projects pages.

If the project is still at the design stage

For projects at the draft stage we prepare the R1 report: The design-stage experience report: What we look at before a space opens

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