Boutique Design - December 2018 - 4

BY MARY SCOVIAK, EDITOR

EDITORIAL
Editor
Mary Scoviak
mary.scoviak@stmediagroup.com

MORE THAN A PRETTY SPACE
BOUTIQUE DESIGN'S (BD's) December issue is a

celebration of the Gold Key Awards for Excellence in
Hospitality Design. Now in its 38th year, this honor
recognizes best-in-class hospitality design work
across 21 categories. More than 400 entries were
reviewed by this year's prestigious panel of judges:
* Gary Dollens, global head-design/product
and brand development, Hyatt Hotels Corp.
* Nigel Hatcher, vice president, design & project
management, luxury brands, Marriott Intl.
* Lori Horvath, managing director, project &
development services, Jones Lang LaSalle
* Daniel Hyde, president, Artist Guild Hotels
* Matoula Karagiannis, vice president, design,
Sydell Group
* Michael Kitchen, vice president of acquisitions & development, Aparium Hotel Group
* David McCaslin, executive vice president,
Hersha Hospitality Management
* Michael Medzigian, chairman and managing
partner, Watermark Capital Partners, LLC
* Jagruti Panwala, president and ceo, Wealth
Protection Strategies; vice chairwoman,
AAHOA, 2018-2019
* Thomas Prins, principal, TQP Capital Partners, LLC
* Shirli Sensenbrenner, senior vice president,
design + development services, Two Roads
Hospitality
* Larry Traxler, senior vice president - global
design, Hilton
Not even Dylan Lauren's New York Candy Bar
(which claims to be the largest of its kind in the
world) could put this much eye candy on display!
But, as this year's Gold Key judges pointed out,
excellence in design isn't just about the publicfacing beauty of hospitality interiors. More and
more, design is crossing a line from conveying
brand DNA within a hotel's walls or convincing

4

boutiquedesign.com DECEMBER 2018

visitors to linger (and spend up) in a restaurant to
being a transformative force in guests' lives and
the communities around the project.
That may sound "bleeding heart," but the briefs
for the winners and finalists featured in this issue
prove just how real that directive is. Buildings that
have been part of the fabric of their cities-from
warehouses to bowling alleys to facilities for those
in treatment for mental illnesses-have been
saved because hoteliers and designers found ways
to breathe new life into them. Neighborhoods
that were on the rough edge of gentrification have
gotten some aspirational polish (and often infrastructure) as hotels and restaurants attract attention from travelers and locals. Hotel companies
and designers are also moving to the forefront of
health consciousness, from air quality and ethically sourced materials to overall sustainability
and in-room workout space.
Hotel owners, operators and designers are also
agents of change at a more personal level. During
the Gold Key gala, Irina and Olga Sundukova,
the founders of this year's Designer of the Yearwinning firm, Sundukovy Sisters, talked about the
fact that design starts with people. In their view,
lobbies and restaurants should be places where
people don't just work; they should be places to
watch a film, listen to music, eat and maybe even
take a class. They also talked about the need to
keep playfulness in hotel spaces and encourage
guests to power down from a business-only
mindset-which is something that translates to
travelers from everywhere in the world.

Art Director
Kelly Farrar
kelly.farrar@stmediagroup.com
Senior Editor
Christina Green
christina.green@stmediagroup.com
Special Projects Editor
Oriana Lerner
oriana.lerner@stmediagroup.com
Contributing Editors
Alicia Hoisington
Alicia Sheber
AnnMarie Martin
Editorial Intern
Elizabeth Duccilli
liz.duccilli@stmediagroup.com

SALES
Associate Publisher/
Business Development Manager,
Midwest/West
Melani Beattie
melani.beattie@stmediagroup.com
(312) 218-5691
Business Development Manager,
Northeast
Michael Schneider
michael.schneider@stmediagroup.com
(212) 404-6936
Business Development Manager,
Southeast
Scott Rickles
scott.rickles@stmediagroup.com
(770) 664-4567

CORPORATE
President
Tedd Swormstedt
Senior VP, Boutique Design
Group, ST Media Group/President,
Hospitality Media Group
Michelle Finn
michelle.finn@stmediagroup.com
(312) 961-2772
Audience Development Director
Christine Baloga
Book Division Director
Mark Kissling
Production Coordinator
Linda Volz
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Boutique Design - December 2018

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