Hospitality Design - October 2014 - 46

perspectives

sketchbook

graduate hotels
> There is a new brand of hotel for those who want to relive their
college years: AJ Capital Partners' recently launched Graduate Hotels,
locally inspired and carefully crafted for the university towns they
call home. "There was a huge disconnect between the passion people
have for these incredible towns and the lack of passion that hotel
brands put into designing hotels in these markets," says the brand's
president, Christian Strobel. "These towns were missing a perspective
that was less about demographics of the place and more about the
psychographics of the people who travel there-to tell a uniquely
American story about the rich culture and heritage that surrounds our
educational institutions."
For each property "we strive to get into the communities and get to
know them beyond the obvious stories of famous landmarks, geography,
and widely known facts," explains Graduate's chief creative officer,
Andrew Alford. "We try to research the hidden stories, folklore, and
traditions and then manifest those elements into the DNA of the
design." For instance, in Athens, Georgia (opening this month along
with a location in Tempe, Arizona) there's a piece of art that features
the chemical equation for sweet tea-a staple in the South-which
subtlety references Charles Herty, a chemistry professor who first
brought football to the University of Georgia in 1892. In Tempe, the
restaurant's bartops are made out of 38,000 Mexican pesos.

Because there will be a broad range of guests staying at these
hotels-from alumni to visiting parents and professors-one of the
staples is what Alford refers to as a "greatest hits radio station, curating
aesthetics from every era between the 1930s and today. The result is
that whether a guest is 20 or 90, they will see, touch, or feel something
that resonates with their life experiences." Much of that equates to
nostalgic vintage art he acquires scouring rural antique malls.
And of course, the hotels will be swathed in what Alford
calls "collegiate eccentric preppy" accents-patterns such plaids,
houndstooth, and polka dots in bold colors and unexpected applications.

cluny
> The design brief provided to Toronto-based firm Munge Leung
when it was tagged by Cityscape Development Corporation to create
the interiors of the city's Cluny Bistro & Boulangerie was a surprising
one-none. The firm had collaborated with the owners on a previous
restaurant, El Catrin, which is also located in Toronto's Distillery
District, and firm principal Alessandro Munge explains that they
"had the freedom to art direct Cluny's overall design-right down to
tableware and signage-to ensure all design elements were on brand
and customers would get a holistic experience."
Housed in a former distillery building, the French bistro is
inspired by ornate Parisian dining rooms but departs from typical
interpretations of French design. "We were
cautious not to make Cluny predictable,"
says Munge, with standard dark woods and
bright brass finishes. Instead, soft, feminine
elements, including blond woods with a
slight whitewash applied, patterned cement
floor tiles, and a raw wood open coffered
ceiling modernize a French country style.
Munge Leung worked with locally based
graphic design firm Biography on the FrenchMoroccan-inspired graphics that adorn the
ceiling's inset plaster medallions, illuminated
by cove lighting. Traditional bistro chairs are

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October 2014 hospitalitydesign.com

painted in various colors-and sometimes
left as raw wood-then upholstered in several
different fabrics.
While unable to modify any of the
building's shell because of the area's
protected status, designers still managed
to "complement the heritage building with
appropriate custom signage and rustic
materials, accented by contemporary finishes
that inject a sense of modernism into the
space while preserving the historic character
of the building," Munge explains.
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