Boutique Design - December 2017 - 74

2017 gold key AwArds

beST emerGING HOTeL cONcePT
FINALIST

TrIbe HOTeL
PerTH, AuSTrALIA

DESIGN FIRM FOR INAUGURAL PROPERTY

Travis Walton Architecture,

South Yarra, Australia
THE SCRIPT Marry contemporary, design-driven interiors with an edited,
"new generation" service offer. Make it modular to increase efficiency and
control construction costs. Design for a brand that's part social club, part
decompression zone. Pay equal attention to the public areas and guest rooms.
Forget spas, four-poster beds and mints on the pillow and invest in bespoke
furniture and custom-designed art.
THE SHOOT Manufactured entirely offshore and shipped to its West Perth site,
the first Tribe hotel was the result of three years of design and concept development and just 12 months of construction. On the ground floor a flowing series of
spaces, including the reception area and open plan social/work zone, are separated only by subtle joinery (not edge-to-edge walls). Bar tables surround a nearly
20-ft.-long inlaid stone workbench and an all-day "necessity bar" that provides
guests with sandwiches and snacks. Objets d'art, high-style lighting and a plush,
pillowy oversized sofa set a sophisticated low-key lounge vibe.

THE HIGHLIGHT REEL Art is front and center. The focal point of the lobby is
an 8-ft.-high feature wall that showcases a changing collection of artworks from
Australian artists. "It works as an in-house gallery and a striking backdrop to a
function and event space," says Travis Walton, director of his eponymous firm.
Corridors carry on the art-smart theme with their custom digital print patterns.
THE TRAILER Learning to subtract can add up to a big wow. By leaving out
details contemporary guests don't want, the design team delivered 126 styleled rooms for just under $115,000 per key. What gave maximum bang for the
Australian buck? Inlaid stone finishes, floor-to-ceiling windows and Instagrammable features such as a pampering platform bed with built-in storage.

SOURCES
OWNER/OPERATOR: Tribe Hotel Group, Perth Australia; DESIGN FIRM: Travis Walton Architecture, South Yarra, Australia: Travis Walton, director; Kerli Valk and Marcia Liew, interior designers; ARCHITECT: Idle
Architecture Studio, Cremorne, Australia; PURCHASING COMPANY: Tribe Hotel Group, Perth, Australia; GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Probuild; ART & ACCESSORIES: Marsah Golmec; AUDIO/VISUAL & ELECTRONICS:
Wood & Grieve Engineers; FABRICS: Febrik Fabric; FLOORCOVERINGS: RC+D; FURNITURE: TWA; Hub Furniture; LIGHTING: DeDeCe; Euroluce; Giffin Design; SIGNAGE: 21:19; SURFACING MATERIALS: 21:19

FINALIST

Tru bY HILTON
mcLeAN, VIrGINIA

DESIGN FIRM FOR INAUGURAL PROPERTY

FRCH

Design Worldwide, Cincinnati
Jumpstart Hilton's re-entry into the
midscale hotel market with a 13th brand that's both styleand budget-conscious. Appeal to a generation-spanning
millennial mindset with open plan layouts and FF&E
that affords the opportunity to connect or work solo,
such as noise-cancelling furniture. Subdivide the 2,770sq.-ft. lobby into four distinct zones for lounging, working,
eating or gaming. Multitask whenever possible. The
Command Center, the centrally located, re-envisioned
front desk, doubles as a 24/7 market. Keep an eye on the
bottom line to make this scalable. Projected per-key costs
needed to come in around $86,000, excluding land.
THE SCRIPT

THE SHOOT FRCH had just seven months to research,
sketch and model the new flag. "That was a tight turnaround to bring to life a brand that was intended to
forever change how people think of budget-conscious
hotels," says Tom Horwitz, executive vice president,

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boutiquedesign.com december 2017

FRCH Design Worldwide. To stay on track with such a
firm deadline, the team rethought the work sessions.
All significant design meetings were held at FRCH's
Cincinnati office and included representatives from all
of the Hilton corporate team and its franchisee advisory
committee eliminating lengthy review times waiting for
feedback from multiple parties.
THE DIRECTOR'S CUT Don't cut corners in the guest
room. Not all of Tru's guests would trade a sexy, social
lobby for a bland, cramped room. FRCH kept the design
vibe humming with VSpace platform beds, large-screen
TVs, expansive windows maximizing natural light, access
to power everywhere and surprisingly spacious bathrooms.
THE TRAILER Even big-brand statements benefit
from attention to detail. "White bedding maintains the
promise that anything touching one's skin is laundered
before every guest stay," says Horwitz.-Mary Scoviak

OWNER/OPERATOR: Hilton, McLean, Virginia; DESIGN
FIRM: FRCH Design Worldwide, Cincinnati: Tom Horwitz,
executive vice president; Adrianne Korczynski, vice president,
creative director; Kelli Fellers, creative managing director; Paul
Karalambo, senior project coordinator; Meagan Barless, senior
interior designer; Kayla Malone, senior concept visualization
designer; PROTOTYPE ARCHITECT: FRCH Design Worldwide,
Cincinnati; PURCHASING COMPANIES: Carver & Associates,
Atlanta; Hilton Supply Management, McLean, Virginia; Hospitality
Furnishings & Design Inc., Zelienople, Pennsylvania; Innvision
Hospitality, Griffin, Georgia; Purchasing Mgmt. Intl., Dallas;
DESIGN CONSULTANTS: 37 Volts (lighting); Engineered
Building Systems, Inc. (mechanical); Thorson Baker & Associates
(structural); ARCHITECTURAL MATERIALS: Armstrong World
Industries; Benjamin Moore, Dryvit Systems Inc.; Formica
Corp.; Johnsonite; LG Hausys Ltd.; PermaTone Inc.; Wilsonart
Intl. Inc.; ART & ACCESSORIES: Artonomy; Electric Mirror;
Majestic Mirror; Erwyn Products Inc.; WINGITS; AUDIO/VISUAL
& ELECTRONICS: Conceptek; LG Corp.; Samsung Group;
Uniguest, Inc.; BATH & SPA: American Standard; Belstone;
Bobrick Washroom Equipment Inc.; Gatco; Gerber Plumbing
Fixtures LLC; Grohe; Kohler; Mincy Marble Inc.; Moen Inc.; MPL
Corp.; Speakman Co.; WINGITS; FABRICS: Architex Intl.; C.F.
Stinson; Designtex; Loomsource; Knoll Textiles; Momentum;
P/Kaufman Contract; Robert Allen Contract; Samelson
Chatelane; Ultrafabrics; Valley Forge Fabrics; Wolf-Gordon;
FLOORCOVERINGS: Armstrong Flooring; Ceramic Technics;
Daltile; Durkan Hospitality; EcoSurfaces; Interface Inc.; Shaw
Contract; FURNITURE: Allermuir; Allsteel; America's Cabinet
Co.; Ariston; BuzziSpace; CF Kent; Emeco; Foliot Furniture;
Grand Rapids Chair Co.; Hackney Furniture; Kimball; Knoll Inc.;
JLF Collections; MTS Seating; Sandler Seating; Shelby Williams;
LIGHTING: Aeris; Juno Lighting; Philips Lighting; Project Light;
Remington; Renwil; SIGNAGE: Harlan Graphics; Hotel Signs;
SURFACING MATERIALS: Formica; Koroseal; Lamin-Art;
Wilsonart Intl.; WALLCOVERINGS: Concertex; Doug Sneed;
Eykon; Koroseal; MDC Wallcoverings; WINDOW TREATMENTS:
County Drapery; Echota Fabrics Inc.; SK Textile

EARL CARTER (TRIBE); COURTESY OF HILTON (TRU BY HILTON)

SOURCES
http://www.boutiquedesign.com
Boutique Design - December 2017

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