Hospitality Design - July 2010 - 86

Women of Influence

has led her to have a major hand in such projects as the awardwinning Four Seasons Resort Seychelles, the JW Marriott Beijing, the Regent Kuala Lumpur, and the Westin Golden Bund Shanghai. She is now working on the Waldorf Astoria Shanghai (shown), the brand’s first Asian property, among others. “I’ve had the opportunity to work with Connie on several Four Seasons Hotels in Asia,” says Neil Jacobs, president, global hotel operations, Starwood Capital Group. “She is a consummate professional and unlike many, can work smoothly and with purpose in all design vernaculars and produce innovative, market-driven design that excites and delights. Connie leads her teams with precision, speed, and effectiveness and instills a perfect balance of aesthetic, budget, and schedule awareness.”

destinations. Says Michael Achenbaum, president of Gansevoort Hotel Group, “Andi has an innate ability to balance form and function. Her guestrooms are, in our opinion, the most comfortable and aesthetically pleasing in the industry. She never forgets who her customer is, and truly designs with the hotel guest in mind.”

Monaco and Palomar brands for Kimpton Hotels designing a total of 15 hotels for the brand, as well as the new Epic in Miami (shown). This year, she also lent her style to the Wit Hotel, which is helping to revitalize Chicago’s North Loop. At the same time, her 24-year-old company’s client list includes Four Seasons, St. Regis, Rosewood, Renaissance, Ritz-Carlton, and Mandarin Oriental. Current projects include a 5-Star boutique hotel outside of Hangzhou, China, and a new Four Seasons Hotel in a renovated old palace in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Biltmore. Cole, also an author, has won numerous awards and has taught at UCLA. (Doubletree Chicago City Centre shown.) “Jill is a world-class leader in the hospitality design industry,” says Doris Parker-Grossman, president, CHIC Advisors. “She is well respected by her peers, brands, and owners for being creative and understanding the importance of timing and designing to meet a budget. She has made major contributions to the successes of some of the bestknown projects in the U.S. and international markets.”

Deborah Lloyd Forrest
Principal ForrestPerkins Dallas
With three decades dedicated to the design industry and a passion for the restoration and renovation of luxury hotels, Deborah Lloyd Forrest has built an extensive portfolio. Forrest has had two successful firms: first, her own, which she founded in 1986, and ForrestPerkins, a firm she started with longtime collaborator Stephen Perkins 12 years ago. Her mark is long-lasting, as some of her most notable projects completed at the very beginning of her career such as the Eola Hotel in Natchez, Mississippi, are still highly regarded today. (The Jefferson in Washington, DC, shown.) “Deborah and I designed our first hotel 30 years ago,” explains Perkins. “Little did I appreciate in that youthful time what her passion for design would produce! In that first hotel, one can see the germ of talent that traces full-grown to truly original and creative dimension.” “We can always count on her to identify a central guiding idea or story that evokes a true sense of place and belonging,” says David Sussman, Kimpton’s senior vice president of hotel development and design. “Cheryl is a major part of why our guests feel both comfortable and stylish while traveling.”

Pamela Babey
Co-Founder/Senior Principal BAMO San Francisco
With David Mouton, Gerry Jue, and Michael Booth, Pamela Babey founded BAMO in 1991 after previous employment at Skidmore Owings & Merrill and the Pfister Partnership. In the past two decades, the firm has been the award-winning designer of a host of luxury properties, including the Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora, Four Seasons Hotel Boston, Peninsula Chicago, and Rosewood Sand Hill (shown). According to Richard Beard, president and CEO of BAR Architects, “It has been my pleasure to know and frequently work with Pamela [and the BAMO team]. The talent is as personally enriching as it is refreshing. And it sure looks great!” Adds Four Seasons’ Dana Kalczak, “[For Four Seasons Bora Bora], she immersed herself in Tahitian culture and scoured the islands for inspiration. The result is fresh and innovative design with a liberal sprinkling of the unexpected.”

Andi Pepper
Principal Andi Pepper Interior Design New York
Since 1982, Andi Pepper, along with her husband and business partner Stephen B. Jacobs, has been creating contemporary restaurant and hotel interiors. Her designs can be found at noteworthy New York properties like the Hotel Giraffe, Library Hotel, and the Mansfield. She is perhaps best well known for her work on the sleek Gansevoort properties—New York’s original Meatpacking District location and the soon-to-open property on Park Avenue (shown), as well as the Gansevoort Miami—where she helped redefine hotel rooftops as

Jill Cole
Managing Principal Cole Martinez Curtis and Associates Marina Del Rey, California
Jill Cole’s devotion to hotel, resort, club, and spa design over the past 43 years speaks to her success. Her rich background in history, language, and design translates through her work—everything from the Lodge at Sea Island Golf Club in Georgia to the Arizona

Cheryl Rowley
Principal Cheryl Rowley Design Beverly Hills, California
A pioneer in boutique hotel design, Rowley helped define the

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Hospitality Design - July 2010