Sharia compliant space planning for hotel room design

Abstract

Malaysia has billion of tourists visiting for business and recreational purposes where 23.6 % of the tourists are Muslims. Therefore, having a righteous hospitality environment that best suit the Muslim tourists are important for their convenience and comfort. There are sharia compliant hotels readily available nowadays however, the guidelines differ and there is a lot of ambiguity in the implementation. The main issue is the hotel room criteria that did not meet up to the sharia compliant specifications, especially rooms that are supposed to cater to two guests. Privacy, room size and furniture layout are the concerning factors that are the most apparent. This research aims to analyse the room space planning for hotel room mainly in the context of sharia compliant requirements. The first objective for this research is to define the criteria of sharia compliant space planning to meet both sharia and international standards. The second research objective is to critically asses the needed factors and components to provide a more conducive space planning option for hotel rooms. The final research objective is to make recommendations for effective hotel room design according to sharia. The research employs a few research methodologies one of which requires the researcher to study on previous researches; secondary data like journals, conference papers, websites and other reliable sources are collected and analysed based on its relevance to the topic. From the information gathered from secondary data which include al-Quran and al-Hadith, characteristics of a sharia compliant hotel room are then recognised. Analyses are conducted on selected samples of sharia compliant hotels in Klang Valley. The characteristics are tested on the chosen hotels and the rooms are analysed to assess if it fits the sharia compliant criteria. Interviews with experts were conducted to further strengthen the findings from previous methodologies and gather their opinions on the importance of the sharia compliant hotel room criteria. Questionnaires were also distributed to get public opinion on room preference and problem faced that may be resolved through sharia compliant concept adaptation. The outcome of the research proves that the existing hotels are not compatible to the sharia teaching. Rooms that are meant to be for two (2) guests cannot accommodate the guest to perform congregational prayer; some rooms do not meet the minimum requirement for hotel rooms as provided by the Tourism Licensing System, whilst some rooms do not protect the privacy of guests. This research covered the topic of space planning in hotel room design that is vital in creating a comfortable space for everyone according to sharia teachings. There are three levels according to maqasid sharia; darruriyat (necessities), hajiyyat (needs) and tahsiniyyat (luxuries), and discussion on the classifications of the sharia compliant characteristics according to the maqasids are recorded. In conclusion, these problems may be solved by increasing the room size for better circulation. The layout of the room should also be considered when planning the room to ensure that the space is optimized without jeopardising the ability of the guests to perform religious practices in the room. Buffer zones and efficient furniture arrangements needs to be implemented to protect the privacy of guests among each other and to the hotel staffs. Lastly, proper implementation of the sharia compliant rules and regulation in the governing or non-governing body may ensure that the idea is carried out responsibly in the hotel premises.