January 8, 2009 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

With the advent of a new year, a dramatic change in U.S. political leadership and the volatile economic news published each day, you may be inspired more than ever to re-think initiatives and strategies. Often times external influences spur innovative and out of the box decision making. Conference center facilities historically have been an oasis for this type of think tank exercise. With demand decreasing and competition increasing within the hospitality business, how do we grow our market share for the conference center sector? What can the conference center developer/manager do to re-evaluate the “soul” of their property?

Simultaneously, the world has become more homogenized with regard to standardized brands and experiences, while information about varied countries and cultures flow freely to our computers, Blackberries and iPhones. ...Read More

December 29, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

Last week I began writing about how Gettys views and deploys the basics of project management. I’ve broken down the subject into three areas: project kick-off, project status meetings and project management tools. Last week I covered project kick-off and this week I’ll wrap up with the last two topics.

Project Status Meetings
Meetings are nearly universally despised and it’s no wonder given how poorly many meetings are run. Project status meetings are no exception and can waste valuable productive time and erode fees unnecessarily. Getting everyone together as a group and communications is vital for any team effort.

The key to making these regularly scheduled meetings (we schedule ours at least once a week) more productive is to treat them more like a huddle – as the term implies, keep it brief, lively a...Read More

December 23, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

In our business, we are constantly balancing the pragmatic with the frivolous, the enduring with the ephemeral, the ROI and the ROG (Return On Investment and the Return Of the Guest). Guests look forward to fresh, indulgent and thoughtful design and hotel operators and owners expect functional, sturdy and profitable assets.

A similar parallel can be drawn between this and how we deliver design projects. As hospitality designers, we would love the opportunity to dream and create without constraints but reality has a tendency to interfere: deadlines have to be met, budgets adhered to, standards complied with – the list goes on. And so project management becomes the key to creating a framework where the goals and objectives of both the process-driven linear thinkers and the creative non-linear thinkers can be achieved.

Tomes have be...Read More

December 17, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

The current state of the economy has had a profound effect on resorts in cold-weather destinations. Travelers have reduced their travel plans and are waiting longer to book their trips.  Resorts are seeing fewer foreign visitors due to the spread of a global recession and a stronger U.S. dollar. Airlines have reduced their capacity, which in turn has increased fares. Lift ticket sales are down and some resorts are reducing headcount to stay profitable.

Conversely, resorts on the East Coast are not being affected to the same extent as resorts in the Rocky Mountains. The low cost of gasoline and the proximity...Read More

December 10, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (1)

When designing for any application, whether it is automobiles, apparel or interiors, there is a certain pride taken into the execution of every detail. So as you probably already know, there is nothing worse than turning over a beautifully designed project and then having a procurement firm devalue it by purchasing alternative solutions for the original specified merchandise. 

Why does this happen? There are a multitude of reasons why this unfortunate event occurs but it usually boils down to three main points:

Cost. Beauty comes at a price! Many times designers formulate unbelievable designs that wow their clients; however, budgets and pricing are typically not considered as part of the selection process. After a client is “sold,” it is now time for the purchasing entity to work its m...Read More