Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 48

TOM ITO
Principal + Firmwide
Hospitality Leader
Gensler
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Tom Ito, a third-generation JapaneseAmerican,
was destined to be in the hospitality industry. He worked
at his grandparents' restaurant when he was young, and he was also
inspired by his parents-his father was a bartender-turned-restaurant
GM and his mother worked as a hostess.
At home, Ito was always drawing or writing books. " I felt a sense of
accomplishment of creating something, " he says. " My room was fi lled
with them. I learned that's what design is-creating something that's
meaningful and special to you. "
Ito joined Gensler nearly 40 years ago aſt er earning an architecture
degree from the University of Southern California. At the time, the
nascent fi rm founded by Art Gensler was known for its workplace
portfolio. Ito was integral in launching Gensler's hospitality practice in
the late 1990s with the renovation of the Beverly Hills Hotel.
The hotel was in disrepair and " desperately needed a remake, " Ito
says. " We talked about how to reposition the property by capturing
spaces that are underutilized for revenue potential, but also enhancing
the spirit of the hotel through other amenities. We [challenged] the
client to think diff erently about how we can make the hotel bett er. "
The project positioned Gensler as a serious player in the hospitality
arena, and things took off from there with more career-defi ning
work, including the Beverly Wilshire Hotel; the Ritz-Carlton Hotel &
Residences and JW Marriott at LA Live; and the Westin Denver, which
changed the perception of the airport hotel.
Ito has expanded the practice to an international scale with
upcoming projects including Nekajui, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve Resort &
Residences in Guanacaste, Costa Rica; the Six Senses Grand Bahama;
and the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Athens in Greece.
Now, as the fi rmwide leader of the hospitality practice and principal
in Gensler's Los Angeles offi ce, Ito is also central to the fi rm's climate
change initiative, which aims to make all Gensler projects carbon
neutral by 2030. " [Sustainability] is more important than ever, " he says.
" The world needs to address the notion of climate change and what's
happening to our planet. "
Indeed, Ito never backs down from a challenge. He's a competitive
skier, and he recently took up learning the tango. Much like the
Argentine dance, in design, Ito says, " You have to be a leader, but you have
to have a team that is willing to collaborate for a successful result. " hd
" You have to be a leader, but
you have to have a team that
is willing to collaborate for a
successful result. "
- Tom Ito

Hospitality Design - December 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Hospitality Design - December 2024

contents
from the editor
behind the design
people: nextgen forum
people: global hospitality talk
people: cityscene: new york
sketchbook
hdac spotligh: suchi reddy
products
profile sasha bikoff
art
fabrics + textiles
surfaces
window coverings
platinum circle
event photos
ave bradley
alan fuerstman
tom ito
liz lambert
best of 2024
best of: u.s.
best of: the americas
best of: asia-pacific
best of: europe
best of: middle east + africa
trendspotting
sports tourism
wellness real estate
restaurateurs-turned-hoteliers
superyachts
spacious suites
elevated airport lounges
boutique healthcare
ad index
back space: will beilharz
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - Intro
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - Cover1
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - Cover2
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 1
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 2
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 3
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 4
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - contents
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - from the editor
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 7
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - behind the design
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 9
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - people: nextgen forum
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 11
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - people: global hospitality talk
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 13
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 14
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - people: cityscene: new york
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 16
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - sketchbook
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 18
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 19
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 20
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 21
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 22
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - hdac spotligh: suchi reddy
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 24
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - products
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 26
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - profile sasha bikoff
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 28
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - art
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 30
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 31
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - fabrics + textiles
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 33
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 34
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - surfaces
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 36
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 37
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 38
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - window coverings
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 40
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - platinum circle
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - event photos
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 43
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - ave bradley
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 45
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - alan fuerstman
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 47
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - tom ito
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 49
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - liz lambert
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 51
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 52
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - best of 2024
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - best of: u.s.
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 55
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 56
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 57
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 58
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 59
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - best of: the americas
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 61
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 62
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - best of: asia-pacific
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 64
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 65
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - best of: europe
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 67
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 68
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 69
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - best of: middle east + africa
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 71
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 72
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 73
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 74
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 75
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 76
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - trendspotting
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - sports tourism
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 79
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 80
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 81
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - wellness real estate
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 83
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 84
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 85
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - restaurateurs-turned-hoteliers
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 87
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 88
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 89
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - superyachts
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 91
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 92
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 93
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - spacious suites
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 95
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 96
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 97
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - elevated airport lounges
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 99
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 100
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - boutique healthcare
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 102
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 103
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 104
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 105
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 106
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 107
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 108
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 109
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - 110
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - ad index
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - back space: will beilharz
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - Cover3
Hospitality Design - December 2024 - Cover4
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