Hospitality Design - June/July 2021 - 55

Designed by NELSON Worldwide, the
Bellyard in West Midtown Atlanta dons
blonde wood walls and leather accents
Cortney Bishop led the design
of the light and airy Ryder Hotel
in Charleston, South Carolina
Earth tones and bright white hues
mark a terrace at the Ryder Hotel
Tell us about some recent projects.
We most notably opened four new hotels in
the past six months, each with a diff erent
owner and design fi rm. The Bellyard, West
Midtown Atlanta, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel
was a new build; Kimpton Harper in Fort
Worth, Texas and Kimpton Cott onwood in
Omaha, Nebraska were change-in-use of
historic buildings with a ton of architectural
character; and the Ryder Hotel in Charleston,
South Carolina was a reconcept of a former
motel into a new lifestyle property. The
similarity is that our owners took an active
role and participated heavily in the design and
story of these hotels.
A private space in Refinery 714 lounge in the Kimpton Harper Hotel
in Fort Worth, Texas, designed by Forchielli Glynn Interior Design
support the property teams and owners at a
time when they needed us most. " It's paid off ,
as Davidson has added four properties to its
portfolio in the last six months. " The owners,
designers, and the Davidson team worked
together to curate incredibly unique properties
that we are all very proud of, " he says.
Why has Davidson Hospitality Group
been so successful over the last 50
years?
We approach everything we do with high
character and integrity. We have a passionate
and competitive team that doesn't like to lose.
Our core values in business align with the
core values in my personal life, so work is an
extension of who I am. That makes Davidson
feel like home.
How has the company weathered the
COVID-19 pandemic?
I don't fault anyone for cutt ing overheard
and laying off staff . Every company had
to do what they needed to survive. But
with the on-property teams being down to
skeleton staffi ng, and many public brand
companies reducing staff by up to 50
percent, we felt like we needed to keep our
team at full force to assess and create new
standard operating procedures, to support
property staff , and to help our owners
navigate the nearly daily updates. Within
30 days of the national shutdown, we had
designed customized relaunch plans for
each hotel, detailing the steps along the
employee and guest journey and how to
keep everyone safe.
What's next for you and for Davidson
Hospitality Group?
The successful launch of our resort division
earlier this year, and the addition of Steve
Contos-a known luxury resort industry
expert-allows us to expand our resort
collection and services with confi dence. The
future is bright for Davidson. Our goal has
never been to be the biggest, only the best.
After three decades in the industry,
what have you learned about
hospitality?
Be empathetic and honest in your
communication with guests. We work in an
imperfect world and industry where we rely
on our team members to make decisions and
execute services on behalf of our guests. With
so much human interaction, there are bound
to be missteps. That's okay-it's how you
recover from them that matt ers.
HD/ISHP Town Hall: Owners' Talk Part I
August 24th
8:45 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
Location: South Pacifi c Ballroom E
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Hospitality Design - June/July 2021

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