Hospitality Design - May/June 2012 - 56

perspectives
even minded

sketchbook

Based on the statistic that there are 17 million healthier-minded travelers in the U.S. who nd it hard to stay active and eat right when they are on the road, as well as insight from more than 4,000 customers who stressed how hard it is to maintain a routine while traveling, InterContinental created a brand to help solve those problems: Even Hotels. Guestrooms will boast in-room workout spaces (and of course the hotels will include best-in-class gyms), and guests can enjoy healthier food and

drink options and free ltered drinking water. To capture the brand ethos, Amsterdam-based UXUS created spaces that are calming yet energetic, infused with natural materials, clean lines, a fresh color palette with pops of green, yellow, and blue, and fun graphics. IHG estimates that 100 Even Hotels will be signed in the next ve years throughout the U.S., with the rst to open sometime next year.

fashion show
Trina Turk is the latest fashion icon to try her hand at hospitality. She recently crafted a beach cabana at the St. Regis Princeville Resort in Kauai, appropriately done in her bold, signature fabrics. “With its beautiful beach and extraordinary views, it is the perfect setting for my California-style patterns, bright colors, and sophisticated beach style,” says the designer. “The spectacular natural beauty of Kauai was a main source of inspiration, from the colors of the ocean and vivid sunsets, to the majestic Makana Mountain and stunning Napali coast.”

don draper’s ﬂorida
Walk into the newly renovated Club Lounge at the Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach, and it’s clear from the Sputnik lights, custom Carrera marble and tufted leather bar, and ceramic tile meandering its way from the elevator outside to the terrace, that Mad Men fueled New York designer Eric Villency’s inspiration. While part of his mission was to elicit a relaxing but posh mid-century atmosphere for guests to celebrate cocktail culture, Villency also wanted to create a transporting experience, one with an element of fantasy re ective of Palm Beach’s quirky heritage. “One of the most powerful and evocative forces” in a room, says Villency, is wallpaper, and at the Club Lounge, the custom version on display is a striking example. A collaboration with textile designer Wook Kim, the panels feature Kim’s hand-sketched murals of monkeys (a nod to Johnnie Brown, an actual circa 1920s spider monkey owned by an eccentric local architect) in the midst of playful scenarios—imagine cocktails and parasols—surrounded by palm trees against a vibrant kelly green and light aqua-hued background. Another pattern, a trellis of Palm Beach maps, calls to mind locales like 1930s Worth Avenue through its historic vignettes.

Besides donning her signature look, Turk also personalized the amenities: there’s an iPad pre-loaded with her favorite magazines, games, applications, and websites; guests have access to a Turk-inspired cocktail and lunch menu; and the cabana comes with retro board games for children and adults alike, as well as a camera for impromptu photo-ops.

56

hospitalitydesign

www.hospitalitydesign.com
http://www.hospitalitydesign.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Hospitality Design - May/June 2012
