Boutique Design - March/April 2009 - (Page 18)

BUSINESS SENSE Facebook Blogging Frenzies Design Professionals: It’s Time for a New (Social) Media N ew media in the form of blogs, networking sites, RSS feeds and online photo sharing have often been regarded as purely entertainment — distrac- tions from the sometimes-mundane doings of the daily grind. Not anymore. In the past few years (perhaps 2008 in particular), the importance and legitimacy of these mediums has grown. Having a website for your business is now a basic requirement; blogs a welcomed addition. A LinkedIn account means you’re interested in information gathering and business networking. A Facebook profile or group says you’re willing to accept the revolution. And if you’re on Twitter, you’ve truly consented to transparency. The questions remain, and many are asking them: What’s the point? Which are worth my time? Most importantly, how might they help my career or my business? Articles addressing these quandaries have dotted pages in hefty pubs like New York Magazine and USA Today — one feature about travel blogging on MSNBC.com even quoted boutique DESIGN’s own Rebecca Goldberg. But the hospitality design world has its own sphere and we aim to interpret this phenomenon through our industry’s eyes. >>Screen shot of Marriott’s Facebook page and a Twitter application called TweetDeck, designed to make updating even simpler In speaking to social media creators on the other side of the screen, as well as designers and hotel companies on this side, we’ve come to understand that we’re not sure where this will lead, but we know it’s got legs. The idea of social media is still new, but spreading the word about a hotel via the web has been common since the advent of blogs and sites like TripAdvisor. Adele Gutman, vice president of sales and marketing for HKHotels, a brand of four luxury hotels that will be opening its first restaurant in New York City soon, has made it a company priority to move the brand’s properties to the top 32 of TripAdvisor’s list of recommended hotels. Since that was made a corporate goal (hotel employees must read TripAdvisor comments daily), each of HK’s four boutique properties have now moved into the top seven, and the site’s reviews recently brought The Library Hotel to the top spot as the best luxury hotel in New York. Between the four hotels, HK has about 600 Facebook fans and sites like TripAdvisor with their microcosmic blogs have noticeably helped business. “Life is so beautiful and fair for small hotels like ours,” said Gutman. “There’s nothing more beautiful for us than for everything to be public so everyone gets a clear idea of exactly what we have to offer. Before, people could only tell their neighbor, but now, one person can tell the world. Every single guest has the power of a New York Times editor.” Forget having the power, according to Gutman and others, Internet bloggers and new media users have more power. The reason is because these opinions are shared, sometimes among thousands of people — and instantaneously. Not only do we see the blog, the Facebook wall or the “tweet” (as a Twitter update is called), we also see all the subsequent responses to it. Another firm that has embraced new online technologies is global design giant, WATG. “I can say that part of why we’re interested in these things is that our corporate blog is more of our corporate message and what differentiates us from our competitors,” said Robin Clewley, public relations manager for WATG. “These [sites] give a better sense of the corporate culture. People are interested in knowing the inner workings of our organization. It will give a very intimate snapshot. But again, we’re very new at this.” This is the problem for everyone — this whole 18 • boutique DESIGN march/april 2009 http://www.MSNBC.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Boutique Design - March/April 2009

Boutique Design - March/April 2009
Contents
Boutique Buzz
Marie Coleman, USGBC Communications Coordinator, on Green Building in Today’s Economy
Designer/ Philosopher Karim Rashid - In Profile
Business Sense: Social Networking for the Design Community
How the Merging Worlds of Eco-Consciousness and Wellness Affect Design
Looney & Associates Creates a Sustainable, One of a Kind Mountain Chic Hotel
Leading Hotel Companies, Including Kimpton, IHG, Wyndham and Best Western Talk Green
Antonio Di Oronzo, Bluarch Architecture + Interiors, on the Firm’s Sustainable Portfolio, Including Greenhouse, a LEED Certified Nightclub
How Art is Re-Shaping Hotel Design
PowerStrip Studio Designs Hutton Hotel, Nashville’s First Green Luxury Boutique
Shopping the Market: 12 Pages of Green Textiles, Bedding, Bath, Furniture, Wallcovering, Surfaces, Flooring, Lighting and Seating
Wanda Jankowski Shares Planet-Saving Bath Options
Calendar/Advertisers Index

Boutique Design - March/April 2009