LAS VEGAS— Hotel company executives at a town hall session being held at HD here this week urged designers to be more cost-efficient, value-driven and market-savvy, plus more attuned to their clients various needs. By doing so designers and architects could truly create designs that fit their clients business models, solve specific design problems and improve the value of a hotel. Bill Reynolds of MeriStar Hotels & Resorts, Karen Rubin of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Luis Acosta of Regent Hotels International and Gary Stougaard of Sunstone Hotels all agreed that it was up to designers and architects to bring their knowledge and expertise to the table so that they can speak intelligently to their very different needs, which range from designing to brand standards to creating looks that help reposition, convert, build or refurbish a hotel. The panelists further noted that particularly in todays poor economic climate it was key for designers and architects to understand the financials of a project and work within what may be tighter budgets than those prior to the economic downturn and Sept. 11. According to Rubin, who does all of the underwriting at Starwood, designers and architects must start by understanding that any and all decisions to build, renovate or reposition a property is an investment decision. “Thats why sometimes your design budget may be X instead of Y,” she said. Rubin said that when Starwood looks at properties it is looking to reposition/renovate, everything “is an analytical decision, since a renovation can be a large investment for a hotel company. That’s why a good hotel investment— which includes your décor and design budget— are always market-based.” Designers and architects need to be aware of the process of what goes into evaluating a hotel for possible renovation, repositioning or building, noted Rubin. Reynolds, Acosta and Stougaard concurred, adding that it was also important for designers and architects to learn about what their clients’ long-term plans are for specific properties so they can devise solutions that fit with those plans. Both Stougaard and Reynolds noted it was imperative for designers and architects to discern what a management company, ownership/development company, a REIT and a brand are using to measure a good design that works for their properties. “There’s a big difference between what a REIT, an owner and a management company is looking to do with a property,” said Reynolds. There’s also a big difference between a client who’s looking to invest in a hotel and sell it within a short period of time and a client who’s looking to hang on to a property long-term, noted Stougaard. “Become experts, and understand what we do,” he urged. A key criteria Sunstone looks for in a designer/architect is the ability to confidently explain exactly what needs to be done and why it will increase value based on a clear assessment property. “We want you to come in and say, ‘If you do these things, you will get more value,’” said Stougaard. Indeed, designers and architects need “to bring their knowledge, experience and market innovation to the table,” noted Acosta. The Regent International executive added that designers and architects must understand the guest needs of their clients’ hotels. “Your design needs to be teamed with research you’ve done on customer needs. You need to invest in what customers value and tell us, [hotel companies], what drives value so you can justify your ideas,” said Acosta. Indeed, design that is cost-efficient and increases the bottom line is what hotel companies are always seeking, especially during the current downturn and post-Sept. 11. Because of the downturn and Sept. 11, said Reynolds, MeriStar, like many other hotel companies, is looking “to drive the cost out of the business.” Thus, he urged designers and architects to now be as cost-efficient, market-savvy and value-driven as possible when selling their design expertise and ideas to a client.
Karen Rubin