Boutique Design - March 2017 - 26

Jon: Art has to be the heart of the story; it has to be in the budget from the

beginning. And it can't be cut when you run out of money at the end. A signature
piece becomes the hotel's Kodak moment-okay, Instagram moment. People want
to get their picture taken next to the 8-ft. recycled metal guitar in the Union Station
Hotel in Nashville or the 10-ft. seagull in the Hotel Zephyr Fisherman's Wharf in
San Francisco. And, the best part for the hotel is that people want to share these
photos all over social media. I'm strongly in favor of pieces with environmental
undertones: recycled/reused furniture; or a sculpture of a crouching person made
out of metal parts, golf club heads and other found objects, the chandelier at Zetta
that's made out of discarded eyeglass frames or the mobile made from 500 antique
lanterns you commissioned from steampunk sculptor Bruce Rosenbaum (the
head of ModVic LLC who was profiled in the April 2016 issue of Boutique Design)
for the renovation of the Revere Hotel in Boston.
anDrea: What's your forecast for the hospitality industry?

DIRT Y HABIT, WASHINGTON D.C.

Jon: The industry's a little soft. Business travel started to cut back 18-24 months
ago. We're in a profits recession here and around the globe. Because of that,
Pebblebrook has been risk averse in terms of acquisitions. Our last purchase was
in 2015, and we're not buying any hotels this year. We want to wait and see how
things play out. We're doing portfolio reviews to look at refresh opportunities. The
W Boston had upside in terms of incremental revenue drivers and efficiencies.
Reworking some space usage created three more keys, which are worth $1
million in Boston. As we discussed, we're looking for way to incorporate more
multi-functional restaurant/event destinations in our assets. Fortunately for you
and other designers, some of our peers are still buying hotels.
anDrea: It's kind of scary out there right now. Most of the work in our pipeline

is more in the cap ex category, the type we see in a recession. The large scale
renovation projects like the public space gut in the Palomar in Los Angeles or
the top-to-bottom renovation of Nashville's Union Station Hotel seem to be
wrapping up. Clients seem to be holding. We do have a couple of big projects
on the boards, but we are now seeing more requests for guestroom renovations
and public space refreshes instead.
anDrea: Has the political climate impacted your business?
HOTEL ZETTA, SAN FRANCISCO

with congressmen and senators to educate them about the ripple effect of
regulations such as the travel ban-even though the Senate didn't enact this.
The travel ban affects much more than the seven countries on the list. Among
international travelers, the perception is that the U.S. doesn't want people to
come here. It may be just their perception, but it matters and they're acting on
it. We need to be seen as a country that welcomes everyone. Quiet security is
fine. But it's definitely a risk that we have an administration that could set back
all the progress we made since the country shut down after 9/11.
anDrea: I have so many international staff members in Seattle and in our London

offices. They're asking a lot of questions about what's going to happen with their
visas and what happens if they try to leave or need to come and work in Seattle.
Some of them feel uncomfortable because of those who see them as "foreigners"
who are creating problems. Americans are supposed to be the good guys.

REVERE HOTEL, BOSTON

boutiquedesign.com march 2017

Jon: The wave of nationalism around the world is bad for everyone. As in the

1930s and '40s, people are looking for scapegoats. Fear is never good. 

C h r i s t i a n h o r a n ( Z e t ta ) ; DaV i D P h e L P s ( D i r t Y h a B i t, r e V e r e )

Jon: I just spent a day on Capitol Hill representing AH&LA at a meeting

http://www.boutiquedesign.com

Boutique Design - March 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Boutique Design - March 2017