Designs on Profitability
In this blog, we will constantly be considering the business of design. We will be discussing ideas and issues that will help readers manage and maximize today’s current business climate to the benefit of their properties. Topics such as the economy, natural disasters, deal-making, going global, sustainability, design technology and more will be discussed, as these, among others, are the issues that affect us all as we try to maintain our designs on profitability.
Magic Carpet Ride: The Modern Wing
This past Saturday, May 16, the long-awaited, super-hyped new Renzo Piano Modern Wing opened at the Chicago Art Institute. It goes without saying that my love for Chicago’s architecture is what lured me to set up shop in Chicago with my three founding partners back in 1988 following graduation from Cornell. All these years later, it is endlessly inspirational to see our skyline co ...... Read More
Comments (0)The First 100 Days In Development
Recently, the news was full of reports on President Obama’s first 100 days in office. As could be expected, reviews were mixed. But, no matter what you think about the success of our new administration over the past three months, it occurred to me that so many of the strategies that Obama and his team have employed since taking the helm can be applied to developers in the hospitality i ...... Read More
Comments (0)Lessons From Detroit: Protecting Our Brands
We learned this week that Chrysler has filed for bankruptcy. The U.S. auto industry is, as we all know, struggling to balance its place in American history with the realities of its modern day balance sheets. When making the cuts that are so necessary to survive, who should go? Buick? Cadillac? Mustang? These are some of our country’s most iconic brands and it is painful to ...... Read More
Comments (1)In Honor Of Green Week
It started out as Earth Day way back in 1970 when U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson founded the holiday. But as this last full week in April comes to a close, we have all been inundated by green messages on our favorite news networks, through social media and by President Obama himself as he gave a press conference on Wednesday surrounding eco-responsibility and the value of wind power.&# ...... Read More
Comments (2)Ruppies Rule…Trends In Design For Seniors
A couple of weeks ago, I blogged about the continuing needs of baby boomers and the trends in design that they continue to drive. For the past couple of years, however, there has been a new boomer trend that has been consistently growing in Chicago and in cities around the United States – retired suburbanites have been downsizing – leaving their “empty nests” in the &# ...... Read More
Comments (3)Undertones At The G20 Summit
The G20 Summit is over. And, while most of the media couldn’t stop talking about what Michelle Obama wore and how she hugged the Queen, there is a bigger message in the media circus that ensued. A greater good, if you will. I, for one, was most pleased to see the U.S. talking with other nations and strategizing as to how we will pull together to rescue ourselves from the economic ...... Read More
Comments (1)Can Lobbies Become The New Destination?
In this week’s issue of The Week, there is a fascinating article entitled The Vanishing Shopping Mall, which piqued my interest. You may recall, not so long ago, we were blaming malls for killing Main Street. Now, malls are just as endangered a species. As department stores and other “anchor” tenants go under, malls are facing more challenges in retaining tenets and, th ...... Read More
Comments (4)Follow-Up: Decorating The White House
Back in January, fresh off of the excitement of the inauguration, I blogged about the challenges ahead for the Obamas and star-interior designer Michael S. Smith as they re-designed the White House living quarters on the oh-so-tight government-provided budget of $100,000. Well, today, New York Magazine takes up the story once again as more news comes to light – and I thought that it might ...... Read More
Comments (1)With Treasury Announcement, A Glimmer Of Hope?
I connected with the principals from Gettys’ offices in Miami and Irvine this week about new business opportunities. I was thrilled to hear them both report to hearing and seeing small glimmers of optimism surfacing in their most recent conversations. We know that it’s always darkest before the dawn… Is there a chance that the sun is starting to rise above the horizo ...... Read More
Comments (0)Stay The Course: Boomers Are Still Our Future
When developing my blog topic, I start to review the week’s news in my head to think of what’s new, what’s affecting our industry – and where the lines between are to be drawn. But, this week, as I was visiting www.cnn.com seeking inspiration, even I admit that I got a little discouraged. What more is there to say about AIG bonuses, Bernie Madoff and the ...... Read More
Comments (0)Twitter: A Tool For All Of Us
Is it me, or is the whole world atwitter? In the past two weeks, I have been asked by at least a dozen friends and colleagues to start twittering. In case you don’t know that Twitter is, start here. As I have learned in the past couple of weeks, as more and more people – of all ages, I might add, not just my kids – have been, well, twittering in my ear about Twitter, th ...... Read More
Comments (0)Security: A Part Of The Conversation
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a blog about the future of green in our industry… and it actually got me thinking on another bent. The trend of “green design” has affected the hospitality design industry strongly in the past couple of years. I said its popularity has reached near saturation from a marketing point of view and that it has truly “succeeded” ...... Read More
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