Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts' founder and long-time ceo Isadore Sharp has always had an innate understanding of the importance of hotel design. Before he launched the luxury chain, most five-star hospitality interiors were stiff, stuffy, intimidating. Although he wasn't exactly the herald of in-your-face boutique design, he ushered in an approachable kind of elegance and good breeding that made for a kind of lifestyle hotel design many travelers wished they could live in permanently. He knew how to maintain consistent design standards without standardized design.
Sharp was very much about matching the vision to the project and the location--whether inviting
I.M. Pei to design the seminal Four Seasons Hotel New York, a project (much maligned for its budget) that really did deliver a new sophistication to urban hotel aesthetics or turning to hospitality industry veterans such as
HBA Design,
Cheryl Rowley Design,
Frank Nicholson and
Pierre-Yves Rochon to wow the world from Paris to Mumbai.
So, it was fitting that, when Sharp announced that he would transition out of the ceo's role and pass the reins to Kathleen Taylor, he emphasized that he would retain oversight and direction of the design and aesthetics of new and existing hotels "in the manner I have always done."
HBA Design's work on the
Qin Spa at the Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai is just one of the latest examples of what that "manner" is:
There's no question that Taylor gets his vision, thanks to 21 years with the company and the opportunity to work closely with him since being named president and coo in 2007. Hopefully, she'll have his eye for contemporary hotel design as well.
On most Mondays, Hospitality Style's managing editor Matt Hall and I are reporting on or blogging about hospitality design newsmakers around the world. Today, we just had to walk down the hall. Our parent company, ST Media Group, made headlines with this morning's announcement that it has acquired Boutique Media Group along with boutique DESIGN magazine and its ancillary events.
Why now? Simple. It's a matter of opportunity and synergy. Boutique DESIGN carved out its niche with innovative coverage of the people who create hospitality design 
trends. Hospitality Style is the idea book that shows how their ideas come to life with projects that wow. Each brand will continue to do what it does best, but the combination will give you access to information on the people, places and spaces that are changing what we expect when we travel, dine out or go to a spa.
Boutique Media Group president, Michael Schneider, has done a great job building the magazine and its brand into a leading industry force in just five years. We're looking forward to working with him in his new role as ST Media's Publisher of Hospitality Brands--and to talking about what's next while we're at HD Expo. Stop by the ST Media Group booth, #6728, to learn more.
Like it or loathe it, technology continues to change the look of hospitality interiors. Front desks are shrinking as guests not only accept but embrace kiosk check-in and smart key cards for their guestrooms. Restaurants glow with interactive table tops, and guestrooms have lots of in-room entertainment toys and gadgets.
But, how much automation do travelers really want and how should that influence hospitality design trends? Maria Vafiadis, managing director of London-based MKV Design, advises designers to match the tech treats to the guest profile. In other words, ask yourself what you'd want. The answer probably won't be one-solution-fits all since people's needs change depending on the purpose of the travel.
“In the course of an exhausting business trip, straightforward technology that smoothes my progress from boardroom to bed is welcome. But during a holiday, “unplugging” from technology gives me the freedom to slow down. Designers must get the balance right if the potential of automation is to be realized,” she says. “Parading the latest hi-tech in a hospitality environment doesn’t always improve the experience. Cutting-edge gadgetry might add to the sexiness of a trendy hotel, but in luxury resorts or in fine dining restaurants it’s concierge, not computer service, that guests expect.”
Having racked up more than her fair share of frequent flyer miles, Vafiadis shares ideas on how to wield technology as a design too and her vision for what's next with projects like the new villas at Crete's Blue Palace Resort and Spa.
The current issue of Fortune magazine contains a thought-provoking featured entitle
d, “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.
In its March issue, coming to newsstands this Friday,
Travel + Leisure presents its
Design Awards 2010, with some fun results. How nice to see Motel 6, honored as Best Large Hotel for its recent hotel renovation, alongside the highest of high concepts, such as Nomiya (Best Restaurant), a temporary glass box atop a Paris museum accommodating, apparently, exactly one party of twelve. It's a compelling look at the best of a wide swath of design industry work, including travel accessories (even a car). And in the midst of a winter like this one, just a glance at an award-winnning spa design in Miami Beach or resort design in Morocco is sure to give you the travel bug.
With nearly a month of 2010 behind us, the fog is lifting a bit and we're starting to get a clearer picture of what's ahead for the hospitality industry this year. The consensus from the hotel designers, restaurant designers and spa designers I'm talking to for the March Hospitality Style relaunch is that they're feeling the start of a turnaround. They're not exactly laying in a supply of Dom Perignon, but they are seeing some follow-ups from developers on RFPs.
What's more interesting is what those developers want. The hottest hospitality design trends for projects on firms' boards are about not being trendy at all.
Jim Stapleton, vice president, FRCH Design Worldwide, Cincinnati, predicts design will take a more conservative turn. His reasoning is that lenders and investors aren't going to turn over the mountains of capital needed to hire a Frank Gehry or Santiago Calatrava. Nor are they going to risk investing in a torquing tower that might turn into a money drain as R&D problems drive up the bills. "You're going to see a lot more boxes," he says. But, they'll be better boxes, in his view. New materials give the look for less, so why not apply a Topshop or H+M mentality to guestroom design, restaurant design, even spas?
For more inspiration on the latest, see the galleries on our site.
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