KEY WEST, FL— The Radisson Key West, here, has undergone a metamorphosis that upgraded it from an Econo Lodge hotel. “I purchased the property in bankruptcy back in 1984, and operated it as an Econo Lodge for 15 years,” said New York-based Barry Cooper, president of Sewaca, the sole owner and operator of the property. “Now it’s a franchised Radisson.” But how does a property go from catering to the economy segment to catering to “the mid- to upscale leisure market?” Cooper answered, “I felt there was an opportunity for a Radisson in this market.” He added that though there are quite a few hotels represented in Key West, Radisson wasn’t among them. Even so, this was a massive undertaking, with 138 guestrooms; an existing Denny’s restaurant, which Cooper also owns/operates; and 10,000 square feet of public space redesigned to include a lobby, lobby lounge, meeting rooms, exercise room and management offices. Cooper had to convince not only Radisson that such a transformation could be done, but also the general public and the local Key West residents. “I had to show Radisson that the property could do well for the chain. Public satisfaction was another priority. [And] the local residents had to feel that this would be a positive addition to the island,” explained Cooper. To do this, Cooper enlisted the help of David Matthews, associate/project manager, VOA, Orlando. With Matthews’ help, he was able to play to the concerns of all three constituencies. “There were issues in David’s design that addressed all three constituencies. There was also a lot of give and take, with [Key West] officials [about]different local variances. Radisson also had to bend some rules, which they did,” noted Cooper. In addition, this project “was a massive undertaking on a small island in an area of critical environmental concern,” noted Cooper, which made planning a little tricky. Millennium Makeover: Because the property was dated— originally built 40 years ago— Cooper wanted to start from scratch. He said the entire upgrade cost “several million dollars. It was a total rehab of the hotel.” However, cost was still a factor. Cooper wanted Matthews to work within the parameters of the property, which proved to be somewhat challenging. “What we were facing was an old Econo Lodge. The ground floor, the public spaces were what we classify as [having]one to two bays for the hotel lobby and the back-office space. A radio station and a real estate group also leased space there,” explained Matthews. Matthews gutted the ground floor, reclaimed the leased space and removed the original on-site laundry room to allow for meeting space. He then designed around “existing mechanical rooms and plumbing chases which were too costly to move,” and rebuilt a little laundry room on the back of the property. The ground floor design also included a bar and the Denny’s restaurant; Matthews also designed a poolside bar/kitchen, meeting/banquet space and an exercise room. Soft, British Style: Matthews then turned his attention to the interior design. He said he was inspired by a conversation that he had with Cooper. Out of that came “the flavor of the British West Indies, which is still somewhat indicative to the [Key West] area,” said Matthews. That flavor lent the property a soft, traditional feel, which Matthews believes is very relaxing and familiar to guests. “Our objective was to create a new and different experience for guests, yet still maintain the Caribbean flavor so prevalent in Key West,” noted Matthews. Cooper added that there’s no real Key West furniture style, like there is a distinctive Key West exterior style— which is expressed on the hotel’s exterior, and was designed by the architect firm of Thomas Pope. As a result, Matthews was free to create a warmer design throughout the hotel, as the idea was to make guests feel very comfortable. However, some of the cooler Key West colors from the exterior design— which, said Cooper, were inspired,
