Boutique Design - October 2014 - 8

SINATRA WAS RIGHT
BACK IN JULY, I came across this quote from

the president and ceo of Marshall Hotels &
Resorts in an announcement about his firm
being selected to manage a new-build Hotel
Indigo that's slated to open in Manhattan's
Financial District in 2016. "Manhattan is a oneof-a-kind market with numerous idiosyncrasies
and demand generators," said Mike Marshall.
"The city has seen a significant amount of new
construction in this segment in the past few
years which requires creative marketing and
operating strategies to succeed."
It also takes creative design to help a
hotel make its mark in the Big Apple. That's
why the upcoming "New in New York" panel
discussion that I'll be moderating at this year's
Boutique Design New York (BDNY) trade fair
will focus on design as a key differentiator
for three just-opened and one soon-to-open
hospitality spaces in the market. Those properties, and the designers behind them, are:
* Commune Hotels & Resorts' ﬁrst tommie
hotel, which is slated to open next year
on Hudson Square. This "little brother" to
the Thompson brand will feature interiors
created by AvroKO, and design director
Matthew Goodrich will talk about how
"purposeful efficiency" will be central to this
new flag's design ethos.
* Archer New York, by Glen & Co. Architecture.
Firm founder Glen Coben will discuss how
his firm integrated industrial elements and
tailored touches into this new-build property
in the city's fabled Garment District.
* The NoMad Bar, adjacent to the NoMad
Hotel. This elegant drinking destination was
created by Stonehill & Taylor, and president
Paul Taylor will detail how designers skillfully intermingled French and British motifs
throughout it.
* The WestHouse New York, designed by
Jeffrey Beers Intl. Firm founder Jeffrey Beers
will walk us through the process of creating
an opulent "house away from home" environ-

boutiquedesign.com OCTOBER 2014

ment at this hotel-within-a-hotel.
In addition to those designers, the panel
will provide some perspective from the ownership side of things, with Lam Group's Hung Luk
offering insights into what his firm asks and
expects of designers. For a sneak peek at the
projects mentioned above, turn to page 48.
After assembling the above lineup of
notable destinations for the BDNY panel-
which will take place at 11:30 am on Nov. 9 at
the Javits Convention Center-it occurred to
me that what's at work here is a twist on that
line belted out by Sinatra: If a hotel concept can
make it in New York, it can make it anywhere.
Indeed, a few days after I'd written the
preceding sentence, Rob Wagemans, founder
of this year's Gold Key Designer of the Year,
Concrete Architectural Associates, invoked
the same phrase from The Chairman in talking
about his firm's work at the citizenM Times
Square being named a finalist in the Best Lobby
Luxury category in this year's Gold Key Awards.
(Concrete is also a ﬁnalist in the same category
for the W Hotel Verbier in Switzerland.)
Wagemans' ﬁrm will be honored-and
the Gold Key winners will be unveiled-at
the 34th annual Gold Key Awards Gala slated
for 6:30 - 10 pm on Monday, Nov. 10, at the
Mandarin Oriental, New York. For more information on that event, and a sampling of the
other networking opportunities and educational sessions at this year's BDNY, turn to
page 56.
All this food for thought should whet your
appetite for attending BDNY-hope to see
you there!

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