Casino Design

Do the hospitality market and design industry need yet another themed restaurant/ entertainment concept? Mark Advent, the guy behind the New York New York Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, thinks so. For that reason, Advent’s company has acquired the exclusive international licensing rights to develop, own and operate Orange County Choppers Roadhouse, a full-service restaurant/ bar/microbrewery/gaming/hospitality/ retail/entertainment experience.

The venue takes its name from the custom motorcycle brand that’s featured in the reality cable TV show, “American Chopper.” The restaurant design for the first outlet, an 8,500-sq.-ft. creation of Washington, D.C.-based CORE architecture + design, will feature a hospitality interior with a center bar and keg room, along with indoor/outdoor seating. That flagship will open this summer in Orange County Choppers’ hometown of Newburgh, N.Y. After that, locales are planned for Miami, Orlando, Las Vegas and Dubai. And how’s this for free advertising -- the construction, opening and ongoing business of Orange County Choppers Roadhouse will be highlighted in “American Chopper,” beginning in the show’s 2010-2011 season.

For a look at other new hospitality design concepts, visit Hospitality Style and check out its quarterly print edition.

The current issue of Fortune magazine contains a thought-provoking featured entitled, “25 Green Myths Debunked.” Some samples: “Myth: Fluorescent bulbs are bad because they contain mercury/Reality: Yes, but not using them will pour even more mercury into our ecosystem”; and “Myth: Paper grocery bags are better than plastic bags/Reality: Plastics, young man, plastics... paper bags require four times more energy to manufacture than plastic ones.”

In honor of Earth Day’s 40th anniversary, we want to hear from the design industry about the common myths surrounding the incorporation of eco-friendly features into projects across the hospitality spectrum, including boutique design, casino design, cruise ship design, contemporary hotel design, restaurant design and spa design. For instance, is local sourcing of materials really as earth-friendly as thought, or does it have some unforeseen environmental consequences? And is it true that green design and luxe environments don’t mix? We want to hear from you – share your insights by clicking on the comments button below.

And to see some examples of cutting-edge sustainable hospitality designs, go to Hospitality Style’s Green Spotlight. Also, be sure to check out our upcoming Fall 2010 print issue, which will include a Green Guide.
 

Watch for hospitality design to take a conservative turn this year as owners and lenders look for concepts that play it safe.

By Mary Scoviak

I had a chance to catch up with Jim Stapleton, FRCH Design Worldwide’s vice president, last week over lunch. The conversation started with the usual questions—how’s business (beginning to improve); what’s new (the recent debut of FRCH’s design for Home2 Suites by Hilton); what’s on the boards (a wide range of hotel projects and, maybe, a casino). But, when I asked Jim about what’s next in terms of hospitality design trends, he offered some surprising food for thought. 2010 isn’t going to be the year of Frank Gehry and Santiago Calatrava in the hotel industry, he predicts. “We’re going to see a lot more boxes,” he says. “They’ll be good boxes, but boxes nonetheless.”

The news about what constitutes modern hotel design is about what’s going on inside that box, says Stapleton. Watch for some fresh thinking on layout and space flow as franchisors shrink hotels’ footprints. Generally, you wouldn’t head to the hotel’s laundry room in hopes of finding the next hot trend—unless you were checking out a Home2 extended stay hotel. FRCH integrated the fitness center into the laundry area, giving people a reason to stay in the space rather than leaving their laundry unattended and a backlog of angry guests waiting hours for a washing machine.

Raw public space may be contracting, but Stapleton points out every square inch is going to have to multi-task. Guests will see a greater variety of destinations, even in smaller lobbies. He predicts more solutions like Home2’s “breakfast pantry.” Instead of being on display, guests can eat in this secluded, homey area just off the central portion of the lobby. Gathering spaces will be more defined, but by subtle changes in colors and textures or maybe the angle of the furniture rather than costly infrastructure.

When it comes to aesthetics, designers may not be walking on the wild side this year but they shouldn’t be using a conservative mood as an excuse to be boring. “You don’t have to put up bead board because it’s the only thing the budget allows. With all of the new surfacing materials, new lighting solutions, new fabrics out there, you can be really creative and still make the numbers work,” says Stapleton.