Q&A: Andrew Chiu, DiLeonardo International

by Mary Scoviak, Contributing Editor -- HOTELS Magazine, 11/1/2007

Andrew Chiu, DiLeonardo International

HOTELS: How did you get involved in hotel design in China?

Chiu: It happened by accident. The firm for which I was working in Beijing was doing mostly commercial real estate. Then, a client asked our opinion on a hotel project. I really ‘got the bug’ after that. Hotels offer so much scope and variety for interior design, from rooms to restaurants to pre-function and function space. I started in hotel design 10 years ago; the last six with DiLeonardo International.

HOTELS: What was the design climate like in China when you were there?

Chiu: There was so much development in China in the mid-1990s. It heated up even more after what was termed the Asian ‘financial crisis’ in 1997. China walled off its economy and continued to see more and more development. But the floodgates really opened in 2000 with the announcement that China had won its bid for the Olympics. Investment money was pouring in. Foreign designers were considered hot, but they were in short supply.

HOTELS: What are the biggest design challenges in China?

Chiu: Selection in terms of fabrics, furniture and carpets, especially given the budget constraints. Chinese manufacturers could produce goods of satisfactory quality, but the styles, patterns and colors were very limited. Some smaller manufacturers may make furniture with interesting forms, but the materials may not be of the best. That’s why architectural detail is a focal point in many Chinese hotels. Wood is cheap. Labor is cheap. So, designers create major statements on the walls because they know the furniture in front of that wall might not be so great. Hotels feature a great deal of beautiful, sophisticated wood work and millwork and an entire spectrum of intriguing built-ins. Chinese artists and sculptors are doing amazing work that combines traditional and modern influences. There is furniture created by minimally reworking giant tree roots. These factors have a lot to do with trends that define Chinese hotel design.

HOTELS: China’s luxury hotels used to be very predictable. What changed?

Chiu: Now, China’s hotel owners want fresh concepts. They’ve done their homework on what it takes to impress not only locals but international travelers. For example, the owner of the Sheraton Changsha is an experienced real estate investor. His goal for the firm’s first international hotel was to convey luxury but to retain a unique look. We had to deliver an identity that would say luxury and drama but still speak the Sheraton language—simple, modern, nothing too ornate. We did that with touches like the symmetrical entry. The desk sits dead center—very formal, as in a traditional palace. But, to create drama, we put a giant metallic screen with onyx behind it and installed LED lighting that changes color gradually. That’s visible from the porte cochère. It generates the right kind of excitement from outside and inside.

HOTELS: Is public space design generally moving more toward this kind of merchandising?

Chiu: Yes, and not just in China. A hotel is not just a place people go to sleep. The hotel itself is a destination. It is a food and entertainment facility. It has to project energy, and people need to be able to see that from the outside.

HOTELS: How is that impacting lobby design?

Chiu: We are seeing a lot of glass curtain walls that deliver that kind of visibility. Brands want lobbies to encourage guests to come out of their rooms and go to the lobby bar to chat, buy drinks, buy food and work. So the lobby lounge is changing. The mix of seating and tables in properties such as the Sheraton we’re working on near Seoul is much more like a restaurant in terms of the mix. But it is also grand, like the lobby. These spaces will feature elements such as very long sofas with cocktail tables or ottomans that can double as tables and seating. Overall, the barriers between the lobby and lobby bar are being broken down. The bar becomes part of the lobby without interrupting the space and cluttering it up.

HOTELS: How does that influence the choice of uniforms for the people who work in these visible spaces?

Chiu: Staff attire is still conservative, but it’s also more fashion conscious. Ten years ago, when the Grand Hyatt Shanghai opened, the staff all dressed in black. It gave the hotel a very design-y feel, very cool—like walking into a Prada store. Tapered uniforms still look good. We’ll also be seeing more reinterpretations of traditional attire. A hotel in Shanghai managed by Shangri-La (but not under its flag) has a lounge in which every server has a different outfit and the attire is indistinguishable from what the patrons are wearing. It’s a very attractive concept.

HOTELS: What’s on your CAD for the next generation of restaurants and bars?

Chiu: Especially in international work, the dining experience has to be a destination—not just an outlet supported by hotel guests. Food and beverage (F&B) is so important to a hotel. We’re teaming up with F&B consultants who work on ways to improve operations and profitability. They give us the opportunity to be creative based on their recommendations.

Open kitchens will continue to be popular. We might be able to push that concept further. I go to a paella restaurant when I’m in Barcelona in which patrons walk through a bit of the kitchen when they enter. That could pose some operational challenges, but it would add excitement.

We’ll also see designers using the mix of seating and tables to create different zones, different environments. It’s the same food if you’re eating lounging on a sofa with a cocktail and music or sitting at a high-top table, but the experience is very different. There also will be room for more private environments, maybe a table for six in a corner. What’s going away is the idea of one style of chair, one style of table and a large, featureless restaurant.

HOTELS: Does that openness translate to the guestroom?

Chiu: The idea of the open bathroom has peaked. Operationally, it was always a problem. Enclosing the bathroom in glass extends housekeeping time. That, combined with the fact that it is not something the majority of guests are looking for, makes it hard to make an argument for the concept. It may have had a wow factor at first, but most people in Asia stay two nights. They don’t have time to really enjoy the bath.

Our client at the Wyndham Shanghai said straight away, ‘No open bath.’ The trend now is toward larger showers with rainshower heads and lots of jets. That delivers the most bang for the buck. If there is a bathtub and space allows, we’re seeing the tub partitioned off from the vanity and toilet—not in a huge area but not in a little stall either. Use of local stone for cladding can make a strong luxury statement, especially by using small pieces in interesting ways—a technique that resolves the color variation issue.

For the Wyndham, we also created an amenity guests would appreciate: a walk-in closet with the luggage rack inside. If you’re only staying two nights, you’re not likely to unpack and put everything into the drawers. But, you don’t want to have to repack your suitcase every day to keep the contents from spilling over into the room. This way, guests’ belongings can stay behind closed doors.

HOTELS: What says luxury in suites?

Chiu: Breaking out of the cookie cutter of having a junior suite or two distinct bays. Basically, all suites used to be two bays with a connecting door. Design is opening that up. Space is the real luxury now.

I think glitz is still required, but not glitz as in gilded mirrors. It’s about wood or wood veneer wall paneling done in a modern style. In Asia, it’s about exquisite details—maybe a door that opens, then slides into the wall, a mini-bar concealed in interesting millwork, a section of paneling that opens to reveal something.

HOTELS: Luxury as defined in the Middle East has been about being superlatives and being over the top.  Is that changing as well?

Chiu: For projects such as the Ritz-Carlton Doha, yes. Offering something different was more important to the client than having the tallest, largest, most expensive hotel. That project was about achieving a look unlike any other hotel in the region. I think we’ll be seeing more of that approach in the Middle East.

HOTELS: Will we also be seeing more “green” building in these regions?

Chiu: The Seoul Sheraton is the first project we’ve worked on that is seeking LEED certification. We want to influence green decision-making with our selection of materials and by encouraging clients to become LEED certified. But, green design is not all that easy. Usually the issue with green products comes down to price point, and budgets are not getting any bigger.

HOTELS: How would you design your perfect hotel?

Chiu: A perfect hotel would be one in which I could go into my room ad understand exactly how to work everything in it. I don’t want to have to figure out how to turn on the lights. A room has to be user friendly. Beyond that, I would look for a brand new experience.