Design &
Construction

we design to make the most 
of each location according to
the way people actually live

CANOPY CENTRAL

The Canopy design strategy is simple:
Begin with core design principles that reflect our
brand pillars and apply to all properties then
make the most of the chosen location

Design + Construction

Architectural
Design Strategy

No two Canopy hotels are the same. Each one begins on a fresh page with a dedicated design team tasked with using the framework of our brand pillars to create something new and distinct. It’s the shared approach that makes it a Canopy: We design to make the most of each location according to the way people actually live. 

When you put the guests first, and think about what they really want from a hotel, all the details of a positive stay fall into place. 

Design + Construction

Public Space Planning

The Public Spaces at Canopy are all designed to work in concert. Each zone is distinct, but all together feel cohesive and complementary. A place to converge, Canopy Central is active, lively and full of personality as the main center of energy within each hotel. Food + Drink plays a key role in supporting Canopy Central’s position as the streetlamp of the neighborhood, it can be broken into a number of core zones:

All Day Café: Hearth oven, open counter, communal table 

Espresso Counter / Barista: Active from early morning to the evening

Bar: Transitional. Activated in the morning to support breakfast staging; lively in the evening as a great bar

Seating: Varied clusters. Unique. Conducive to work, dining, connectivity, and engagement


EXPLORE CANOPY PUBLIC SPACE >

Core Food + Drink Zones

CANOPY CENTRAL

Welcome to Canopy Central, the Streetlamp of the Neighborhood.

Canopy Central is the hub of the public areas within each hotel.

From the café and bar to reception, retail, and the Retreat, each Canopy Central zone layers naturally over the next.

The Canopy Central plan and layout is intentionally-flexible, adapting to meet guest needs during their stay and providing a grounded, comfortable place for locals and visitors that becomes a pre-eminent third space.

THE CAFÉ

The Café is a casual, open area where guests stop to eat, work, or relax day and night.

There is always a comfortable seat waiting at the large communal dining table or in a more intimate seating cluster scattered throughout.

The menu encourages grazing or on-the-go counter ordering from early morning until late evening.

From a quick cappuccino to go or a full breakfast, The Café menu is designed to meet a wide range of guest needs at each meal — something for everyone.

THE BAR

Feels alive and active throughout the day. Coffee, tea, and fresh juices might be staged on the bar in the morning.

Guests might be inclined to hold a morning meeting or enjoy lunch at the bar counter. Some might let loose over a great glass of white wine; others will stick to steeped tea and other revitalizing infusions. As afternoon fades into evening, the entire bar area comes alive for happy hour, anchored by the local evening tasting.

Guests and locals stay at the bar through the evening enjoying unique cocktails and creative small plates facilitated from the main Canopy Central kitchen / BOH area.

RECEPTION + RETAIL

As guests enter Canopy, they naturally arrive at the reception table and are greeted by a Welcome Enthusiast.

Situated just behind is the Retail Wall, a purposefully-chosen display of local products, unique snacks, and helpful sundries.

Always inviting and well-merchandised, guests should be encouraged to explore the Retail Wall to rehydrate having just arrived from a long day of travel and throughout their stay.

JUST RIGHT ROOM

Canopy’s inclusive breakfast in a bag is delivered to a hook outside the guest’s door between 6:00-9:00 AM.

For a guest on the go, it consists of a piece of fruit, yogurt, and fresh juice.

Nespresso coffee and a tea kettle in the bar chest complement this compact, yet satisfying in-room breakfast.

There is no requirement for traditional in-room dining for lunch. However, hotels may choose to offer this amenity based on market demand.

HEART OF HOUSE

Enthusiasts need a quiet space where they can relax and refresh in order to provide a positive stay experience for guests.

This place is called the Enthusiast Retreat—a communication hub, common room, and quiet space.

There is a refrigerator and microwave to prepare meals and recharge.

Design + Construction

Café Atmosphere

The All Day Café at Canopy Central is designed to be welcoming, transient, satisfying, and efficient to operate. Everything revolves around a central oven with made-to-order items like flatbreads and baked quiches, along with ready-to-serve items like pastries, sandwiches, and salads.

A barista operates the espresso machine throughout the day, taking drink orders, warming pastries that are staged in a small jewelbox case, and facilitating payment.

Cafè Components

Espresso

The espresso machine should feel like a central element of Canopy Central. it is best-positioned on a guest-facing front counter so that the barista can interact with guests while making their drinks. Consider key adjacencies—jewelbox pastry display, POS, refrigeration—when determining ideal positioning.

Café Counter

The café counter should feel expansive and approachable. It should be equipped with sufficient work space, ample refrigeration, and intuitive circulation so that enthusiasts can manage the oven and easily execute dishes for guests in Canopy Central 

Payment

Strategically place POS machines near the barista area and in a clear zone for guests interested in counter service or takeaway. A POS-equipped service station located within the dining room will be an important Enthusiast hub and will help deliver memorable service for guests.

Retail Case / Jewelbox

Ideally located near the espresso machine, a small footprint glass jewelbox case is the perfect way to stage pastries in the morning and through the day. This is not intended to be self-service, but rather should trigger an interaction between guest and enthusiast. See the tools and resources section for example cases and best practices.

Design + Equipment

Key operational needs like service stations, ample refrigeration, storage, and a host stand will all aid enthusiasts in delivering an unparalleled experience for each guest who spends time in Canopy Central.

Seating

Seating clusters should be of varied heights and configurations to naturally create distinct zones within Canopy Central. Tables should be easy to eat from, while seating should encourage work, lounging, and sociality.

BOH / Pantry

There should be easy connection between Canopy Central and the BOH. This will make the morning breakfast offering easy to manage and restock. Through the rest of the day, the pantry should support finishing and plating that ideally happens on the front counter around the oven.

Design + Construction

Bar Atmosphere

The bar takes center stage as the evening deepens, serving small bites and creative cocktails. Warm lighting, good music, laughter, and conversation all make the atmosphere. Guests can join the hum or slip into a quiet corner to let the night unfold.


INFRASTRUCTURE DOC >

Bar Components

Bar Counter

Consider the relationship between the bar counter and the café. While they do not necessarily have to be next to each other, there are natural synergies that come with doing so.

Payment

POS machines placed on the front bar counter make service smoother and easier to execute. Study ways to conceal POS on the front of the bar where possible.

Cocktail Stations

At a minimum, two cocktail stations are required to successfully execute the bar program at Canopy. One station places an upper limit on productivity, diminishes the guest experience, and leaves profits on the table.

Taps

Brand standards note that a minimum of 4 draft beers are required to be on offer at Canopy Central. Of course, add beer taps based on individual program specifics and market conditions.

Service

Consider where used glassware is stored before being bussed or washed. Bartenders should feel at home behind their bar, with enough glass storage, refrigeration, and work space to execute great service and achieve a sense of genuine connection with anyone who takes a seat and asks for a drink menu.

Design + Equipment

See Proprietors LLC bar infrastructure document for ideal layout and equipment best practices.

Seating

Bar stools with ample hooks for handbags will give bartenders a comfortable and captive audience to watch them show off their craft. Stools should be easy to move and have a designated storage location during breakfast so that the bar counter can be staged and activated.

BOH / Pantry

Ideally, the bar has its own small pantry space to store backups and help support service. Ensure that the bar has ample storage, refrigeration, and a designated area of the BOH for support.

Design + Construction

Market-Driven Additions

Each Canopy is unique and must adapt to the neighborhood and market in which it lives. This adaptation can manifest in a number of different ancillary zones within the public areas. Some common examples are explained in further detail below.

Market-Driven Additions

MEETING + PANTRY SPACE

Part of serving our business travelers is supporting their business, whether it’s high finance or a high-tech startup.

We provide quiet areas, breakout spaces, and incubator work zones that encourage collaboration, productivity, and comfort.

Nearby might be a residential-inspired pantry that reimagines F+D for meeting breakouts.

Staged organically with hot and cold beverages, light snacks, or a more complete meal driven by the Canopy Central Café menu, the pantry should encourage guests and meeting participants to help themselves.

ROOFTOP + BAR

A destination restaurant, rooftop bar, or pool can attract locals and entertain guests.

In the right place, these are the assets that can make a name for a hotel and create more meaningful relationships with the neighborhood.

The most successful of these spaces generally have their own distinct identity that is complemented with unique branding and an outside web presence.

SOCIAL + EVENT SPACES

Canopy is defined in large part by its social spaces.

Whether for a large gathering in a dedicated space or a more intimate affair in the garden, our doors are always open for bringing people together.

RESORT ADAPTATION

Resort locations, whether beach or mountain or desert, are simply special types of neighborhoods, each with its own distinct cultural fabric.

Canopy should always be an authentic reflection of—and passport to—the culture and energy of such destinations.

Enhanced F+D programming might be required in these environments, but should always remain driven by locality and inspired by a clear connection to place.

Efficiencies + Relationships

A Space for Everything

The Canopy Central F+D zones are designed as a kit of complementary elements. Each layout is unique, but the zones flow easily from one to the next. The Café and Bar areas have distinct energies at different times throughout the day, but play off each other by nature of their adjacency. Shared BOH space and transient seating clusters bring Canopy Central together as a cohesive, yet divisible core of each hotel.

taking cues

Without a cookie-cutter prototype, a
Canopy hotel can emerge from a historic property,
hotel conversion, or ground-up construction

Floor Plans

Floor Plan I
Floor Plan II
Equipment Schedule
Bar Infrastructure