Hospitality Design - July 2010 - 82

Women of Influence

award-winning property in Bora Bora (shown). “Throughout Dana’s 12 years with Four Seasons, she has played a vital role in developing the design ethos that continues to distinguish our hotels,” says Kathleen Taylor, president and COO of Four Seasons (CEO as of August 1st). “Her masterful ability to elegantly evoke the flavor of a property’s destination in a refined setting has made her instrumental to our growth and success.”

for the guest experiences. This concern is incorporated in her designs and construction, making her a leader in her field.”

sense on Six Senses, overseeing the design process for each of the company’s unique resorts and spas. (Porto Elounda shown.) In just 15 years, she has worked to build a brand (now nearly 30 resorts and more than 40 spas) pioneering luxurious design with a minimal footprint.

Mari Balestrazzi
Senior Vice President of Design Morgans Hotel Group New York
After stints as studio director for Aero Studios Limited working on such projects as the 60 Thompson Hotel, and as director of design for the St. Regis brand, Mari Balestrazzi brought her impeccable taste and knack for custom, site-specific spaces to the venerable Morgans Hotel Group as senior vice president of design in 2006. She has since led design teams on the renovations of iconic properties such as Morgans, the Royalton, and the Mondrian Los Angeles, as well as creating the company’s newest, Mondrian Miami and the Ames in Boston. Still to come: Mondrian Soho (shown). “Having a team crafted and driven by Mari Balestrazzi is a very significant asset to Morgans Hotel Group,” says Marc Gordon, president of Morgans Hotel Group. “She is genuinely respected and accomplished within our industry. Mari is a leader with true passion and an inspiring vision. She is authentic with tireless curiosity and thoughtfulness.”

Maison 140, both in Beverly Hills. “Before Kelly, all the design-y boutique hotels were quite masculine and austere—think Philippe Starck,” says Jonathan Adler, her former co-judge on Bravo’s Top Design. “Kelly brought a feminine edge and a luxurious sense of glamour to the boutique hotel.” Adds architect Zach Adams, “Her interiors offer exactly what the industry seeks to provide: a sense of surprise, excitement, fantasy, and in some cases, wonder. She expertly mixes colors, patterns, textures, shapes, and scales, to create interior environments which are as sublime as they are beautiful.”

Liselotte (Lisa) Anke
Senior Vice President, Architecture and Design – North American, Canada, Caribbean Hyatt Hotels Corporation Chicago
With a career spanning 24 years, 15 countries, and a total construction value exceeding $1.6 billion, Lisa Anke’s resume literally reads like a novel. She founded her San Francisco-based firm, ANKE design Corporation, in 1996, and for the past four years she’s been with LXR Luxury Resorts & Hotels working on projects such as the London West Hollywood and developing the brand’s design guidelines and standards. Most recently, Anke landed in her new role heading up design at Hyatt. (Grand Hyatt San Francisco shown.) “With her eye for details and thorough understanding and management of budgets— she provides a steady and outstanding influence on the design and construction on all her work,” says Steve Harbin, senior vice president, design and construction, LXR. “Lisa brings a dimension to our industry that is not just highly professional but also includes a rare and valuable attribute—a sincere concern

“As a Swedish native, Eva always values and has passion for the simplicity and environmentally friendly concept,” says Supicha Puthapinyo, manager of Six Senses’ creative department. “She is always constantly trying to do everything a little better, and a little simpler. Her passion and belief has created our philosophy, ‘SLOWLIFE’ (sustainable, local, organic, wholesome, learning, inspiring, fun, and experience), which has massively influenced the business.”

Anda Andrei
Partner and Director of Design and Architecture Ian Schrager Company New York
For the past 25 years, Anda Andrei has been Ian Schrager’s right-hand woman, playing an integral part in the design and architecture of all of his properties—from his Morgans Hotel Group portfolio (starting with the Royalton) to the redesign of the Gramercy Park Hotel (shown). Currently she’s concentrating on the Edition brand, a partnership between Schrager and Marriott, and the Ambassador East hotel opening next year in Chicago. “With all the incredibly smart, creative, and talented people I’ve had the good fortune to work with, Anda is the smartest, most talented, and most creative; I trust her judgment more then anyone in the world,” says Schrager. “Before Anda, hotel design was institutional, uniform, and monotonously similar. Now her work has opened up a whole new world, changed

Kelly Wearstler
Founder kwid Los Angeles
Designer Kelly Wearstler has put her signature style—a twist on mid century modernism with a 1930s glam—on everything from residences and products to TV shows and books. Her hospitality work is best admired in the hotels she has done for the Viceroy Hotel Group (formerly Kor), run by her husband Brad Korzen, such as the Viceroy properties and the redo of the Tides in Miami Beach (shown), and the Avalon and

Eva Malmström Shivdasani
Creative Director Six Senses Bangkok
From being a top fashion model in the ’70s and ’80s, and launching successful clothing company in Paris, L’Eva, Eva Malmström Shivdasani has put her fashionable

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Hospitality Design - July 2010
