Boutique Design - October 2018 - 72

many of Jim's executive team and they consistently said he was
a genius maverick but also a genuine, upfront guy. If they were
going to bring that to the hotels, I wanted to be part of that.
Three years on, they keep proving they meant that. The five
hotels that we have under development right now are unique
from the market and each other.
DB: SO HOW WOULD YOU ANSWER THAT "HOW BIG" QUESTION?
SG: I built MADE hotel from the ground up, so I was intimately

involved in the construction process. Like you, I like to touch
everything, to be involved in every single detail. I do believe that
my process is scalable. It's obviously a real challenge to scale and
continue to maintain the integrity of a brand. It absolutely can be
done but you have to put in the work. I'm currently working on
something new. I've developed a hotel concept separate and apart
from the MADE brand. I can't disclose the details, but I'm very
much looking forward to seeing where the next few years take us.

4

5

SG: OBVIOUSLY, WE'RE IN THE HOSPITALITY BUSINESS, NOT
THE DESIGN BUSINESS-THOUGH TOO MANY HOTELIERS
SEEM TO FORGET THAT. SO WHAT'S DIFFERENT ABOUT YOUR
APPROACH ON THE DESIGN SIDE?

DB: HOW DO YOU USE DESIGN TO DRIVE EXPERIENCE?
SG: Some hotels focus on a few visual eureka moments and

call that design. I think the first principle of design, especially
localized design, is really a desire for community. I love what you
said about not having a doorman. Design needs to take away
barriers and pare away the layers that separate people from the
hotel environment and the people in and around it.
Most designers have good intentions, but many developers
aren't willing to commit to the costs or aren't willing to commit
totally to the vision. And that's why you end up with spaces that
feel half-baked and ones in which you'd hardly want to linger.
72

boutiquedesign.com OCTOBER 2018

And so, from my perspective, every detail in the hotel, from the
physical items to the staff 's actions, makes an impression on the
guest and determines how that guest feels in the space.
DB: SINCE YOU WERE SO INVOLVED IN ACTUALLY BUILDING
MADE, HOW DID YOU MAKE SURE THE FIRST IMPRESSION
WOULD BE THE RIGHT ONE?
SG: Every day during construction I would try to spend at least
half an hour in one of the guestrooms refining ideas and details,
or just sitting there and seeing how the space made me feel. That
was an important part of defining the design. MADE was not your
traditional hotel construction experience; it basically became a
design-build project. We were changing things on the fly.
As a case in point, there was supposed to be a valance
covering the lighting to create a certain mood, but it would have
made the room too dark. So we got an LED that runs the entire
length of the window. It provides the majority of the light for the

4 According to David
Bowd, the guestrooms
in west elm hotels are
the antidote to "hotels
as nightclubs" or "hotels
as design." Instead.
they're set up so that
guests can work, relax,
eat and do some retail
therapy (the items are
all from west elm's
furniture collections).
5 Although every room in
west elm hotels will be
heavily designed with
the brand's signature
FF&E, each location will
have a distinct look tied
to the local setting.

COUR TE S T Y OF WE S T ELM

DB: You've got to work with a really talented designer, and you
have to be prepared to take some risks. Some of the best risks turn
out to be the best hotels. Too many companies are risk averse.
Everybody says their hotel is design-led, but the fact that they
won't try something new means that's really not the case. Also,
there has to be a local connection that's expressed by tying every
element of the hotel back to the local culture and community.
For example, the flooring in The Asbury's guest bedrooms is a
vinyl tile. Our investors thought we were crazy. But, guests have
sand on their feet, so it's OK to have vinyl flooring because it's
functional. But that doesn't mean it has to be ugly. We said the
guestrooms had to be light and airy so we went with white vinyl
tiles-even though that didn't make housekeeping too happy. We
also have plastic rugs. They're comfortable, and unlike anything
guests see elsewhere. We didn't want it to be too polished and
frightening for the locals. We didn't want to put a doorman at the
front door, because we felt that would be a barrier and keep
people from coming into the hotel.
And then we came up with the giant emoji board for the lobby.
We use it to tell everybody what's going on in a fun and different
way, and it's probably the most Instagrammed thing in the hotel.
http://www.boutiquedesign.com
Boutique Design - October 2018

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