Boutique Design - December 2018 - 19

2018 GOLD KEY
JUDGES

rated hues erase any sense of anonymity. And the best part? The
right shade of green or a blue-and-white stripe can't be value-engineered out.
* Don't expect guests to guess at the backstory. While a property
with a future-vision water reclamation or energy-saving system
might win sustainability awards, it won't resonate with ecoconscious travelers if the FF&E and design concept don't speak
"green" with the same level of innovation.
* Tell a consistent story, or at least speak in discrete chapters.
Projects came under fire for confusing layouts, disjointed design
approaches or just being "too much." One judge's comment about
making guests feel they were in the middle of a kaleidoscope says
it all. However, that didn't mean projects had to be one-note. As
shown on the following pages, a number of winners and finalists
built out a central theme into distinctive destinations with highly
individualized elements without losing the central design thread.
* Do layer. Don't fill all the gaps. Layering, from lighting programs to
floor-to-ceiling display cases, means designers can and should give
guests a reason to look everywhere in their surroundings. With so
much potential, curation gets harder. Not every shelf in an etagere
has to be filled. Play up items that do have a reason to be on display
to draw the guests' eyes, then use the open areas to encourage

them to look at what lies beyond.
* Embrace negative space. Slatted partitions, intricate screens and
sculptural dividers intertwined with living greenery give guests a
glimpse of a new experience without revealing too much.
* Make spaces multifunctional by specifying FF&E that can morph
throughout the day. This year's judges predicted the need for ever
more flexible public space-including the possibilities of features
that pop up or down as needed and pods that can be relocated to
create an insta-meeting room or just a retreat for a private call.
* There are no small design elements. More than a few projects got a
favorable nod because of an interesting detail on a chair arm or a
provocative abstract floral wallpaper.
* Balance the scales. Failure to understand scale and volume sunk
any number of submissions. So did a lack of sensitivity to lighting
and sightlines.
Turn the page to find out more inspiration. And watch for the call
for entries for the 39th annual Gold Key Awards for Excellence in
Hospitality Design next spring.
-By Mary Scoviak, Christina Green, Oriana Lerner, Alicia Sheber and
AnnMarie Martin

GARY
DOLLENS
HYATT HOTELS
CORP.

NIGEL
HATCHER
MARRIOTT
INTL.

LORI HORVATH
JONES LANG
LASALLE

DANIEL HYDE
ARTIST GUILD
HOTELS

MATOULA
KARAGIANNIS
SYDELL GROUP

MICHAEL
KITCHEN
APARIUM HOTEL
GROUP

DAVID
MCCASLIN
HERSHA
HOSPITALITY
MANAGEMENT

MICHAEL
MEDZIGIAN
WATERMARK
CAPITAL
PARTNERS, LLC

JAGRUTI
PANWALA
WEALTH
PROTECTION
STRATEGIES;
AAHOA

THOMAS PRINS
TQP CAPITAL
PARTNERS, LLC

SHIRLI SENSENBRENNER
TWO ROADS
HOSPITALITY

LARRY
TRAXLER
HILTON

AUBRIE PICK (CALISTOGA MOTOR
LODGE & SPA); COURTESY OF
HYATT HOTELS CORP. (DOLLENS);
COURTESY OF MARRIOTT INTL.
(HATCHER); COURTESY OF JONES
LANG LASALLE (HORVATH);
COURTESY OF ARTIST GUILD
HOTELS (HYDE); KERRY GILES
(KARAGIANNIS); APARIUM HOTELS
GROUP (KITCHEN); COURTESY OF
HERSHA HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT (MCCASLIN); COURTESY OF
WATERMARK CAPITAL PARTNERS
(MEDZIGIAN); COURTESY OF
AAHOA (PANWALA); COURTESY OF
TQP CAPITAL PARTNERS (PRINS);
COURTESY OF TWO ROADS HOSPITALITY (SENSENBRENNER); COURTESY OF HILTON (TRAXLER)

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Boutique Design - December 2018

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