Designing New Ways To Do It All

By Monica Rogers, contributing editor -- Hotels, 4/29/2008 1:03:00 PM

At the same time that many leading hotel companies are reimaging their products, world hospitality design leader HBA/Hirsch Bedner Associates is in the midst of its own rebranding efforts. Headquartered in Los Angeles and with 12 offices around the globe, HBA just added a new Restaurants & Lounges division and a Spa division. Thomas Johnson, director of marketing and business development for HBA/ Hirsch Bedner Associates, is spearheading the rebranding effort and spoke with HOTELS magazine about the related strategies.

HOTELS: HBA tops the list of large design consultancies specializing in hospitality projects. Since you are "king of the hill" so to speak, why is now the time to rebrand?

Johnson: Design firms must continually refresh with new ideas, new staff, new projects and a new direction every few years. As a famous business guru once stated, ‘repot’ yourself every five to 10 years. Sitting still leads to complacency, design firms need to position their brand and their design efforts to best promote the direction of the industry and their own talents.

HOTELS: What will HBA's rebranding involve?

Johnson: The initial emphasis will be toward an infusion of new design talent that has been developed at HBA over the past few years. These designers are entering the most creative part of their respective careers and HBA can showcase their talents and projects through a concerted branding and public relations effort.

HOTELS: When did you start this process and how long do you anticipate it will take to phase in the various changes?

Johnson: We began in 2007 with a new emphasis on public relations to the media in North America and Asia. This led HBA to reflect on the image it currently projects and, in turn, to strategically unveil the true avant-garde design house that it is. To fully implement the re-branding process, we anticipate up to three years of coordinated effort among our operations, public relations, marketing, and design personnel.

HOTELS: Reinventing HBA to become less the "traditional" go-to for solid design, more the leader in cutting-edge design must mean shifting quite a few paradigms internally. Can you comment on this?

Johnson: HBA is often earmarked by our size (450 global employees) and our age (45 years in hospitality design). We see both of these as assets. Our size gives us the flexibility to tackle a variety of design projects on a global arena. Our age and experience allows us to touch base with projects done decades ago and then re-invent the design process to modern day market needs. Although traditional design is still in demand for a niche of luxury properties, the highest percentage of our current workload fits into urban contemporary and much a more modern design direction.

HOTELS: I understand that part of the revitalization of the HBA brand includes adding a Restaurants & Lounges division and a Spa division. Is this correct? Please give a few of the details of what this will mean.

Johnson: Yes, HBA will embark on a resurgent marketing effort toward the food & beverage areas of hotel projects along with the spa element of hotels. Almost all of the hotels that HBA is involved within the luxury category have several F&B restaurants/lounges/bars. We have designed numerous restaurants over our history, however, we are usually known for our hotel expertise in design. Same story with spas: HBA has designed several award-winning spas. However, the notoriety of our design often is lost in the larger scope of the hotel itself. By focusing on new photography of recent projects, then implementing this photography into marketing materials, HBA will have the tools to reintroduce our design talents to hotel developers for the entire hotel property, including F&B and Spas.

HOTELS: Typically, large design consultancies farm out the restaurant and spa portion of a hotel project. What do you see as the benefits to keeping it all in house?

Johnson: We deter this approach as large projects can lose continuity in their design direction with too many design consultants on a single project. F&B and spas are often the most interesting design aspect of a hotel and HBA likes to provide the full package of design to a marquis project.

HOTELS: What are some of the challenges?

Johnson: For our re-branding efforts, we have a myriad of tasks at hand. The global hospitality industry is far-reaching with operators located from Hong Kong to Chicago and London to Dubai. To properly position ourselves in front of each operator will take an integrated effort among our staff, a determined public relations effort and continual follow up with our industry contacts.

HOTELS: Is it true you have a new Restaurants & Lounges office in Melbourne?

Johnson: Our new Melbourne office is the location of a design team that was assembled from local talent in Melbourne. Although this office will be involved in restaurant design in Asia and Australia, the majority of our F&B outlets will be done by experienced design staff in our 12 offices throughout the world.

HOTELS: Where will the new Spa division be based?

Johnson: HBA has a core of spa designers based in Los Angeles, Atlanta, London, Hong Kong and Singapore. Each individual group will be cohesively brought together each year for educational conferences to keep up with the latest in spa treatments and technology.

HOTELS: What is one of the new design efforts you are focusing on in the spa area?

Johnson: Thalassotherapy is a design effort that HBA is involved with in our hotels and resorts, mostly in Europe, and we see the trend headed more to the United States and Asia. Thalassotherapy projects are much larger, more expensive, water-based spa systems than we are accustomed to in the United States.

HOTELS: I understand the first restaurant project from HBA since the new division was added is CRU at the JW Marriott Beijing. Can you talk a bit about this project?

Johnson: CRU is one of the newest and most modern offerings in Beijing’s changing culinary scene. This is a world-class destination restaurant designed to attract the travelers descending on the city for the upcoming 2008 Olympics and for the many future business and cultural visitors to Beijing. Situated in a high profile area on the mezzanine level, the décor is the appeal. Rotating wine displays, a seafood bar and an exposed meat aging room offered many opportunities for the interior design to enhance the dining experience. In the open kitchen, flames from the traditional rotisserie grill are reflected in flat copper paneled ceilings and traditionally rich hues of red and gold tapestries add warmth to the interiors to contrast with the cooler and more minimalist lobby space adjacent to the restaurant. An undulating timber slat wall added to create more privacy as well as to minimize exposure to the daylight glare has enhanced the ambiance of the space. The attached Loong Bar, with a dramatically lit dragon shaped chandelier above the bar, is a hot spot for diners to enjoy before or after dinner drinks. 

HOTELS:  The first lounge project since the new division was added is the lounge at Hotel Europe in Kilarney, Ireland. Can you tell us a bit about that project?

Johnson: Separated from Hotel Europe’s Brasserie Restaurant by fine metal mesh, the contemporary Crystal Bar setting is an alluring combination of red with grey and silver tones. A metallic, white-fronted bar, which reflects the red light fixtures via a lighted ceiling panel, is lined with modern, yet retro-looking red-seated barstools of shiny metal. Behind the round-backed stools, a rectangular pillar with mirrored inlay features a sconce combined with selective down lighting, is a truly chic and stylish bar scene. 

HOTELS: What will be the first spa project you complete?

Johnson: The ESPA at the Hotel Europe, Killarney, Ireland. Details to be announced.

HOTELS: Do you foresee other special design divisions?

Johnson: Casino and gaming design has been a large portion of our efforts over the past five years. The gaming projects are enormous in size so there are challenges not only in design but also in design team management and project management. One example here: We just finished the Wynn Resort in Macau. Casinos can be massive, big box rooms—but getting away from that, we dropped ceilings, added special lighting and other finishes and amenities to transform one huge space into many smaller spaces in a more intimate scale. Another challenge at Wynn was that because everything was so new from a branding standpoint, how can you be different? The answer we arrived at was to design with a higher level of elegance and opulence. As a result, the Wynn Resort is not the biggest casino, but it is the most elegant. 

HOTELS: HBA's rebranding comes at an interesting time in the hotel industry. Looking at your own project list, for example, which includes 60 hotels in China. It seems brand differentiation couldn't be more crucial. Can you offer your thoughts on this?

Johnson: Our re-branding is based on the emphasis on new design ideas created in the global environment in which HBA has placed its design offices. We are able to move staff around the globe from office to office that infuses each office with a cross-pollination of new talent and ideology. Conveying that new infusion of design awareness to the industry is the challenge of the re-branding of HBA.

HOTELS: What are a few of the key ways you help your clients differentiate their brands through design?

Johnson: HBA has always offered the best in spatial planning that allows the operator of an existing hotel brand or a new brand to set the ‘bones’ or structure for their hotel for decades. FF&E styles change with time, so HBA does extensive research into the expectations of patrons of our clients’ hotels to best understand their desires, needs, and expectations.

HOTELS: How important are elements such as uniform design, bedding and bath linens in the brand differentiation scheme?

Johnson: Extremely important, especially at the higher end of the luxury market. The details of the integrated design of a hotel are very noticeable to the sophisticated global traveler. For the Cove at Atlantis in the Bahamas, for example, we consulted on uniform design. We avoided making it gimmicky, but had the staff dress more like the clientele might dress at the resort—white linen slacks with button down white linen shirts.  This actually worked very well and has elevated the guest experience and the luxury feel of the resort.