CHANGE HAPPENS
TRENDING as
DESIGN
The Redbury Hollywood ( now closed ).
STRATEGY
From his days as MR : ( Projects ) are a photographer all different . With for Andy Warhol ’ s The Redbury , Sam Interview magazine Nazarian came to to his years on the me with nothing . He road as a music video didn ’ t even know the director , Matthew name . He brought Rolston is applying his the property and he experienced knack for wanted to open the finding what sparks hotel in six months . He pleasure in people on knew who he wanted projects including The to attract . He wanted Redbury Hotels , Highgate Hotels , and most into one of my videos .
it to be like walking
recently , the Virgin So I knew he wanted it Hotel San Francisco . to be theatrical .
HOTELS : How do The opposite of that you work with clients ? would be the Virgin
San Francisco . That ’ s a very defined brand . It wasn ’ t a branding exercise .
But whatever the extent , I ’ m not a designer . I want to be super clear about that . I ’ m a strategist and a problem solver . I am going to look at a design problem from a strategy standpoint . H : Is setting the tone for a hotel similar to films ?
MR : My work was more commercials
Courtesy Sbe than feature films . And that work was very atmospheric , but I approach hotels the same way . Instead of a set designer , I have an architect to work with and direct . Instead of a designer or wardrobe stylist , it ’ s a uniform company , and instead of a set dresser , it ’ s an interior design company . It ’ s really the same process . It transfers very comfortably to me … I want to feel a kind of cinematic progression that something happens when you walk in the door and then something happens when you get to the next doorway , or the next space . Each space progresses onto the next and has that cinematic quality to it .
H : What are the first questions you ask of a client ?
MR : Who is your audience ? Who is this for ? And are you competing with anybody for that idea ? And if so , who do you think they are ? So those are the strategic questions … The last question is : What is the feeling you want people to walk away with ? Can you describe how you want them to feel when they experience this new property ? That ’ s hard for developers to get because they are looking at a business proposition and it ’ s hard for them to get onto the aesthetic or emotional side .
— JULIANA SHALLCROSS
CHANGE HAPPENS
CLARIFICATION : In the July / August issue HOTELS 325 feature , TPG Hotels & Resorts , Cranston , Rhode Island , should have been included with 14,387 guest rooms and 56 hotels as of January 1 , 2019 . It would have ranked 98th .
Girish Jhunjhnuwala ’ s Ovolo Group is nothing if not flexible . The Hong Kong-based hotel company , with 11 properties in Hong Kong and Australia , introduced “ NFW ” in May . The cheeky acronym spells out a price-matching deal for guests who book direct : If the room price drops after the booking , they ’ ll receive the difference as a credit to spend at the hotel .
Along with other freebies like in-room minibar , WiFi , laundry and breakfast (“ you didn ’ t buy a room at a 7-Eleven , so you should be able to enjoy what there is ,” Jhunjhnuwala says ), it ’ s a way for the company , which doesn ’ t have a loyalty program , to encourage repeat customers .
“ The reason Ovolo came about with this whole all-inclusive thing is the idea of not nickel-and-diming our customer when they walk through the door ,” he says . That extends to booking a nonflexible rate — the company will make changes for an administration fee . “ It allows you to rebook , so you don ’ t have to make up an excuse .”
Jhunjhnuwala pegs return customer rates at about 20 % in Hong Kong and 30 % in the more domestic market of Australia .
“ We ’ re trying to define today ’ s modern traveler and what they ’ re looking for , and allowing the flexibility and liberty to be able to travel the way ( they ) want to … Things happen , right ?”
16 hotelsmag . com September 2019