Boutique Design - July/August 2016 - 12

THE BUZZ

BOUTIQUE
18 UPDATE
ENRIQUE VELA
CLASS OF 2014
THEN: Rottet Studio, senior associate,

New York
NOW: Rottet Studio, associate
principal, Los Angeles

About a year after being honored as one of the Boutique 18, I was promoted
to associate principal at Rottet Studio. That title brought new and welcome
challenges, exposing me to not only a higher level of responsibility but also
allowing me to be even more active in the field by doing speaking engagements
and industry panel discussions. As for the change in location, after 15 years
in New York, my family and I realized that we longed for an environment that
would provide us with a lifestyle similar to the one we had growing up in
Puerto Rico. So we packed our bags and moved to Los Angeles, thanks to a
job opportunity from Wilson Associates to become design director for its Los
Angeles office. After some months there, I realized it was simply not the right
fit for me. Thanks to my great relationship with [Rottet Studio president and
founding principal] Lauren Rottet, I was able to return to her studio, this time
in its Los Angeles office. I'm looking to continue expanding my horizons, as
well as boost the hospitality portfolio for our West Coast office.
WHAT MAJOR CHANGES HAVE YOU SEEN IN THE DESIGN FIELD SINCE
BEING NAMED TO THE B18?

It's certainly been a very interesting couple of years to be a hospitality
designer. The biggest change I've seen is brands wanting to evolve to appeal
to younger, yet highly affluent clients, who are not easily impressed by nice

finishes and good service. This new clientele looks for true authenticity as an
experience and completely seamless service that's attentive but not intrusive.
Many of the larger brands have reinvented themselves again simply to satisfy
this new challenge. In addition, the push from sharing-economy companies
such as Airbnb has forced the hospitality industry to rethink what it means to
be a hotel now, as well as 10 or 20 years from now.
HOW DID BECOMING PART OF THE B18 IMPACT YOUR CAREER?

It augmented my exposure to many other aspects of the industry, and also
provided a platform for me to be able to be more open and vocal about my
industry perspective.
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW?

My recently completed projects include Target's PR and marketing office
in New York, and some luxury residences by Naftali Group (shown), also in
New York. As for what I'm working on now: Shhh!..... It's top secret! All I can
say right now is I'm looking to infuse some of my residential and hospitality
experience into proposals for some very open-minded corporate clients who
are looking to expand their companies into new markets. Also, together with
the rest of the Rottet team, we're exploring ways to turn this industry upside
down and evolve our practice into its next phase. Exciting times ahead!

BOUTIQUE DESIGN NABS
TWO JOURNALISM AWARDS
Boutique Design (BD) magazine won two honors in the 2016
Ohio Excellence in Journalism competition: first place,
Best Trade Publication in Ohio; and second place, headline
writing, for "Isle of White," which accompanied a feature on
the design of a boutique hotel on Nantucket, Massachusetts.
The top trade publication award was based on the
submission of two editions of the Cincinnati-based
magazine: July/August 2015 and November 2015. The
headline, by BD editor Matthew Hall, introduced the story
he wrote on the design of the 21 Broad Hotel (that's also
mentioned in the Lark Hotels story on page 10) in the
October 2015 edition.
The 38th annual statewide competition-which drew
nearly 800 submissions-is run by the Press Club of Cleveland.
12

boutiquedesign.com JULY + AUGUST 2016

1.9%
Projected growth rate of
both supply and demand for
the U.S. hotel market in 2017
SOURCE: STR AND TOURISM ECONOMICS

M E I R A M W U N D E R ( V E L A ) ; E R I C L A I G N E L ( N A F TA L I G R O U P R E S I D E N C E )

WHEN AND WHY DID YOU CHANGE JOBS?

http://www.boutiquedesign.com

Boutique Design - July/August 2016

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