Hospitality Style - Fall 2012 - 4

/ / / FROM THE EDITOR

US AND THEM
/ / / When I asked Cauhaus Design
co-founder Tobin Schermerhorn what she would have done differently if the Renaissance St. Louis Airport Hotel had been a boutique, she said, “Nothing.” As she sees it, “Achieving a boutique feel is all about the creation of intimate spaces. We love creating private lounges, private dining rooms, fire place nooks and furniture groups with the ability to define rooms within rooms. That’s true regardless of whether there’s a flag over the door.” Looking at the images in this issue’s special report (p. 18), it’s clear that hotel brands are no longer playing catch-up with their independent competitors. Firms such as Cauhaus Design, FRCH Design Worldwide and dash design are finding new solutions that leverage the broad canvas only big box hotels can provide. A boutique may be able to use its interiors concept to tell a great short story, but an atrium lobby can speak volumes about the variety of experiences that reflect all aspects of guests’ lifestyles. If anything, FRCH’s James Stapleton sees hotel chains like Hyatt as drivers for fresh design thinking. “Now, brand standards aren’t so much constraints as guideposts,” he says. “Companies such as Hyatt are less about delivering on the letter of their standards than the spirit, and that, in turn, means that chain hotels are no longer predictable but exciting.” Just as no one operational approach has a monopoly on good design, neither does budget. Tierra Patagonia Hotel & Spa (p. 36) points to a super-natural way of saying fivestar luxury in a national park setting in southern Chile. It is rich, exotic and beautiful. But less well-endowed projects as Paris’ Hôtel Original (p. 32) and Sabadell, Spain’s Fuuud restaurant (p. 26) prove once again that creativity can fill in any financing gaps in making a hotel or restaurant unforgettable. The battle lines that were once drawn between the big guys and the mavericks have disappeared. What remains is a new order of owners, operators and designers willing to take risks and reward guests with inventive environments they’ll want to explore again and again.

11262 Cornell Park Dr. Cincinnati, OH 45242 p: 513.421.2050 / f: 513.421.5144 www.HospitalityStyle.com

/ / / EDITORIAL
EDITOR

Mary Scoviak
SENIOR ART DIRECTOR

Kimberly Pegram
COPY EDITOR

Matthew Hall

/ / / SALES
PUBLISHER, HOSPITALITY PRODUCTS

Michael Schneider michael.schneider@stmediagroup.com p: 513.263.9379
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, WEST

Gerry Kreger gerry.kreger@stmediagroup.com p: 323.999.0991
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, SOUTHEAST

Scott Rickles scott.rickles@stmediagroup.com p: 770.664.4567
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, SOUTHWEST

Ben Skidmore ben@partnerspr.com p: 972.587.9064

/ / / CORPORATE
PRESIDENT

Wall art, Renaissance St. Louis Airport Hotel

Tedd Swormstedt
SENIOR VP HOSPITALITY

Michelle Finn

AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

Christine Baloga Keri Harper

PRODUCTION COORDINATOR DIRECTOR OF BOOK DIVISION

Mark Kissling

REPRINT INFORMATION

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EDITOR

P.O. Box 1060 / Skokie, IL 60076 P: (847) 763-4938 F: (847) 763-9030 HS@halldata.com

/ / / ADVISORY BOARD
MISHA BEDNER project director HBA/Hirsch Bedner Associates ALISA CHODOS principal and partner LaCour Chodos Interior Design RONEL CORBIN U.S. corporate director of spa operations ESPA International JAMES DILLEY associate director Jestico + Whiles JP FORD senior vice president Lodging Econometrics KELLY GONZALEZ associate vice president, newbuild design Royal Caribbean International ED GRUN principal and leader of hospitality practice Gensler JAMES HAMILTON design director Graven Images TED JACOBS vice president of luxury brands Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. JENNIFER JOHANSON president/ceo EDG HO KWONCJAN managing director, design services Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts GEORGE LAGUSIS senior vice president, design and construction Fairmont Hotels & Resorts WILLIAM LANGMADE president Purchasing Management International ALEJANDRA LILLO partner GRAFT RAMSEY MANKARIOUS chief executive officer Cedar Capital Partners LLC WENDY MENDES vice president RTKL Associates MAY POON senior project designer Wilson Associates ROBERT PUCCINI president/ceo Puccini Group CLAUS SENDLINGER president and ceo Design Hotels JAMES STAPLETON vice president/principal FRCH Design Worldwide DAVID SUSSMAN senior vice president, hotel development and design Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group ADAM TIHANY founder and principal Tihany Design SVEN VAN ASSCHE vice president of design MGM Mirage Design Group PATRICIA WALKER senior interior designer Studio GAIA GLENN WILSON vice president, international interior design Marriott International HOWARD J. WOLFF founder Full-Height Advice

HOSPITALITYSTYLE.COM / FALL 2012

Hospitality Style - Fall 2012

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