Boutique Design - January/February 2013 - 33

RE D S QU A RE PH OTOG RA P HY (5) ; M ITC HE LL Z A C K S ( M ENI N)

casing local landmarks points up
a new take on sense of place that
earned him the renovation assignment for the Hotel Monaco Portland,
Ore. “We look for people who can
bring fresh ideas to the table, but they
have to relate to the locale and to our
ethos. They have to blend form and
function in a way that resonates with
our guests and the property’s owner,”
says Sussman.
Designers need to take advantage
of every differentiator. For example,
McKinnon likes to see sketches.
“Hand-drawing brings a whole new
freedom to conceptual design. The
designer is no longer restricted by the
software program,” he says. Goddard
prefers super-real renderings. “The
designer has to show the look and feel
in a way that helps us visualize the
end result before we make a commitment,” he says. For Sussman, renderings are important, but so is getting

up-close with fabric and materials.
“Please don’t just glue them to a
board,” he says. “Show a sense of playfulness. Kimpton’s culture is about
taking risks. Firms should present
imaginative ideas that work.”
Overall, skills matter more than
size. Virgile and Stone had done only
five hotel projects, but the impact of
its work for five-stars such as Carlson’s Radisson Blu and India’s Oberoi
brands, as well as its red-hot retail
commissions, convinced McKinnon
it was the right firm to create the
new prototype Country Inns &
Suites by Carlson (CIS) for the Indian
market and, in March, for the U.S.
brand relaunch. Another British
firm, Graven Images, got the nod for
what would be the Gold Key-award
winning Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel,
Chicago (covered in the Winter 2012
issue of Hospitality Style, a sister
publication of Boutique Design).

One thing McKinnon liked about
both firms: what he calls a bull-terrier
attitude. “At some point in most
projects, we stop being the client.
The developer or owner becomes
the client. Since most budgets are
getting squeezed, the designer is
going to have to defend our corner
and theirs,” says McKinnon. “Often,
we identify four or five key points
in the design we and the designers
feel can’t be cut without losing the
hotel’s character. We want a designer
who will find ways to control costs
elsewhere in the project and not give
up. American firms need to be more
aggressive.”
Or as Menin puts it, “Do your
homework. Check every box.
Design for the guest. And don’t
make mistakes.” That’s a tall order.
But, for these clients, it’s business as
usual. In their world, the customer
is always right. 

Shelborne South Beach is
a recent addition to Menin
Hotels’ portfolio, where it will
soon be joined by properties
in Chicago, Miami, South
America and the Caribbean,
says Keith Menin (inset).

JANUARY + FEBRUARY 2013 boutiquedesign.com

http://www.boutiquedesign.com

Boutique Design - January/February 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Boutique Design - January/February 2013