Hospitality Design Project

Interior Design by: Vessi Andreeva (owner of Umbria Design Studio, http://www.umbriadesign.com) and Holly Atwood (Spectrum Purchasing)

Architecture by: MCS Inc.

Embassy Suites Hotel Energy Corridor in the heard of Houston Texas is finally open for business! The Up-beat Urban Chic design style, and the exiting contemporary color scheme and furnishings, create comfort and luxury.  Strong emphases is placed on accommodating the upscale travelers visiting town for business or pleasure. The high tech conference facilities and well as the luxurious lodging accommodations are rating the hotel as one of the best in Houston.

At the far end of the hotel, near the trail that descents to the beach, Lawrence chose to put up a red security door as the sole entry point to his building.  A fortified red security door, ten sheets of metal plating thick. Natural wood and rock married with an industrial strength entrance, fire engine red.  A curious addition to Hotel Jarangwa that makes even the  artistically uninspired stop and ponder this door’s existence.  Form or function? Diversity or daring? I think of this door as the employee entrance. My way of avoiding guests, spontaneous conversation.

Any questions about the door are rarely answered with enough words to add up to a conversation.  More  hmmms and ahs than your average vague response. This is Oh’s territory. He’s charged with bolting the door nightly, releasing it at dawn; the only time impenetrable steel looks blue. 

Everything behind the door feels oddly placed. How can anything look comfortable behind something so imposing? It’s like putting humans behind King Kong. When will Kong notice? I’m starting to take notice of every detail behind Kong now. I have questions. But sentences that start with ‘why’, ‘what’, ‘when’ (those nasty ‘w’ – words) and I am denied entry faster than a red steel door locked at 23:00.

Denying my curiosity at Hotel Jarangwa.  Nothing new.  That much I know.

I know I said I would write about International Style but I think if you’re going to critique or even talk about Modernism you better come out with your guns blazing and have your shiz together.   And I just don’t have the energy for that right now so for a lighter post….

So a band that we played a show with at Spaceland called the Music Lovers were having their last show before an extended hiatus in the Mission.  Seemed like a lot of bands I know are taking a break, I wonder why? The place was pretty packed for the opening band, the Minks (an all girl Kinks cover band).  They played the songs great and brought a new female energy to the Davies catalog.  They mainly seemed to stick to the rockers like End of the Day but I wish they played my favorite Kinks song, Waterloo Sunset .  Mostly it was cool hearing the songs with female vocals.  Music Lovers had a good crowd and I’m glad to have caught them in their “element”.  Their stuff reminds me of solo Edwyn Collins (whom I love) but they have their own thing going on.  The guitar lines and tones were nice and classy with some slower stuff mixed in to keep the set moving.  The last song after two encores was a nice understated end to the night.

The place we stayed at was the W in SOMA.  Decent place but I feel like it needs an update.  It needs something to tie together the disparate elements of Asian, Futuristic, Kitsch and Plantation.  Also, it’s probably not that big a deal but somethings were unfinished like below:

Recession Chic

There was a good view of the Thom Mayne designed federal building and Libeskind’s Jewish Museum.

The forms were deconstructed cubes with a beautiful blue skin that was cut like snake skin.  That guy didn’t seem too impressed.

SFMOMA was free so it was pretty crowded.  I liked the new rooftop addition.  It was nice to take in some art, have a coffee and check out some more.  A lot of pieces stood out but I’ll stick to one.

It seemed to sum up the way I’ve been feeling lately….

]]> http://zmkstudio.wordpress.com/2009/10/04/famous-star-hotel/ Sat, 03 Oct 2009 20:23:15 +0000 zmkstudio http://zmkstudio.wordpress.com/2009/10/04/famous-star-hotel/

Famous Star Hotel – Freelance Project
Hip-lifestyle hotel 3dmodeling and rendering.
by zmkstudio

A perfect play on the Fire and Ice concept; the interiors at the W Hotel Lakeshore Drive in Chicago offer it’s guests a unique interior experience. The cool tones in the lobby and lounge areas are well mixed with the contemporary furnishings to create a modern vibe well maintaining a comfortable and friendly environment. The restaurant is the antithesis of bringing hot color and style into a dining atmosphere. The courageous use of color and technology in order to create a column of six foot tall fire is design genious.

Betsey and the City? Over the top fashion designer Betsey Johnson is set to leave her mark on New York’s premier Plaza Hotel.  For those who have not been graced by her presence, Betsey Johnson is a designer of whimsical, funky, and in your face fashions.

A 2- bedroom suite will soon drip with bold and chintzy decor. The suite will center around storybook character Eloise (Kay Thompson) and is sure to include pink and black furnishings.

The Johnson- Plaza pairing has left a few people in awe. The Plaza Hotel is known for its traditional look paired with elegance, sophistication, and modesty. Betsey Johnson is unconventional and free spirited. Many are excited to see this “Odd Couple” pairing. We look forward to this partnership as it will offer a fantastic update to the Plaza. Perhaps we can expect a cartwheel through the plaza once the project is complete?

HD Boutique Expo and Conference was held once again at the Miami Beach Convention Center. The show, which brings together vendors from all aspects of the hospitality design industry, was fairly good this year. There seemed to be a few less vendors then when I attended two years ago, but this allowed for the show to be covered in only one day instead of two.

As an exhibit designer I enjoy this show. It is geared more toward permanent installation and high volume sales, but the materials and design solutions that are presented carry over to sales centers, tradeshow exhibits, and live events quite beautifully. I always am interested in the wall covering companies, specifically Wolf Gordon and U.S. Vinyl. Both companies provide high quality vinyl coverings that can really punch up the design in a space. I was also happy to see that Applied Coatings was back with a full line of their Modono glass collection. Last time I saw this company they were making their debut and had a small line of products – not any more. If you need some cool glass tile, I suggest checking them out.

Speaking of wall coverings, The Gage Corporation had a nice showing of decorative metal architectural products. They have decorative, dimensional metal for vertical surfaces, ceilings, and floor systems, and best of all the rep’s business card was made out of aluminum flat stock! Concertex was making its first appearance in the show with “Nature Friendly Wallcoverings.” The company has been in the fabrics industry for years, but decided to expand into wallcoverings that are PVC free. Some of their product line include sparkling glass beads, natural fibers, and high performance fabrics. Maya Ramanoff came out with some incredible textures and materials for wall coverings – everything from paper to felt and glass beads.

We came across some unexpected, but really interesting products this year as well. ShimmerScreen is a neat product – think of a bead curtain with metal beads that you can use to define spaces, add character, project on, or have a logo made from. The Fire Company showed off their ecosmart fire collection, my favorite by far was the Zeta from their Designer Range series. This freestanding, portable piece of “fire furniture” has see through sides, a leather surround, and can spin!

Two of my favorite new lines who use recycled and repurposed elements were Meyda Custom Lighting with their family of lights made from reclaimed wine and olive oil bottles, and LumiVisions’ use of carbonate substrates as primary materials. The color combinations and textures achieved through their system is fantastic!

The show was a lot to take in over a few hours, but was well worth it. The new technologies and textures have already started to inspire my design metaphor within a few projects and I’m excited to see these new textures and materials within my designs. Their next show is in Las Vegas May 18 – 21, 2010.

Bars and clubs designed by Blacksheep have scooped an amazing four awards at this year’s London Club and Bar Awards, held at the Riverbank Plaza Hotel on May 26th. The new wins bring the design agency’s total tally to seven London Club & Bar project wins over a four-year period. ‘This achievement proves that our designs continue to hit the mark aesthetically, operationally and commercially’, commented Blacksheep director Tim Mutton. ‘We are delighted that so many of our projects continue to be favourites with London’s club-goers.’ Award-winning schemes at this year’s event included the super-glamorous Whisky Mist at Zeta bar and club in London’s Hilton Park Lane, named as both Best New Bar and Best Night (Tuesdays!); the Cuckoo Club, an enduring favourite with club-goers and critics alike and winner of the award for Best Boutique Club and, finally, recent opening Molton House, the new venture from former Cuckoo Club co-owner Nick Valentine, which was named Best Member’s Club. Blacksheep projects were also winners at the 2008, 2007 and 2006 Awards.

Hubby and I were in Chicagoland this past weekend visiting his family and a couple of our friends and having a grand ‘ole time. But when it came to Sunday, we were ready to come home and get our week started. Do you ever just feel like being home? Well, this week is like that for me. Unfortunately, our flight got cancelled due to weather issues, and we were not rebooked until the following day on an early evening flight. So what do you do? Not wanting to further impose on family or friends (and realizing how awesome it was to have an excusable day off work), we decided to leave the VERY looooooonnnnggggg line we were standing in at the American Airlines terminal and make the best of the situation. Luckily, Hubby had free points to spare on his Kimpton card and was able to secure us a lovely, el primo room at the Hotel Monaco in downtown Chicago. Imagine our surprise when we got to the hotel, and the registration dude (what do you call these guys?) told us that we were upgraded to a suite! I once wanted to quit my job to be an interior designer because of all the pretty things one gets to look at if one was an interior designer. But I never followed through with that dream (hence the blog). If I was though, I would love to work for Kimpton and design lovely hotels like this one:

Entre to our hotel suite.

Living area of our suite

Only at a Kimpton — funky patterns and splashes of color

Opposite of bed. Check out the window seat, which could double as another bed. The cushion is as big as a twin mattress! Great idea for small spaces in need of additional sleeping areas.

Outside our window. Umm… yeah, this is a nice view.

And of course, Pete, our adopted goldfish for the night. (Yes, at a Kimpton hotel, you can borrow the company of a goldfish if you get too lonely!)

Needless to say, we were able to have a little QT and enjoyed the sights of the city. So, next time you get stuck at an airport trying to rebook that cancelled flight — whip out your rewards credit card or hotel points card and just say — “to hell with it! I’m gonna have me a good time!”

Heading out on this overcast morning, but wonderful Father’s Day, to meet with the Home Owners Association of a 13 acre townhouse complex that would like their site signage to be enhanced.  Providing ideas and suggestions for the following systems: wayfinding, neighborhood block watch, NGPA, pet signs, mailbox signs, swimming pool, clubhouse, pool and spa rules, parking, adjusting entry monument and adding US flags.

By the way, if you are in need of excellent landscapers, then I recommend Angel’s Landscaping.  Their web site is http://www.angelslandscaping.com/.  This recommendation is based on seeing the outcome of many jobs that they have executed very successfully! Tell them that Signs Now Mill Creek sent you and I am sure that they will treat you extra well!

Who are we? The Mill Creek 425 Original so Click This Link to Find Out More!

For over twenty years, Gettys has been on the leading edge of hospitality design and interior decorating and architecture firm specializing in a “great design means good business,” philosophy.

Our hotel designers’ expert knowledge of the hospitality industry includes years of hands-on experience in hospitality operations giving them a unique insight into how their design will be used and operated.

Our extensive and vast portfolio of hundreds of design projects represents a diverse selection of scale, geography and style in the world of hospitality.

• Hotel Design
• Resort Design
• Boutique Hotel Design
• Spa Design
• Restaurant Design
• Casino Design
• Conference Center Design
• Condominium/Hotel Mixed-Use Design
• Vacation Ownership
• Clubhouses

Gettys embraces a right and left brained approach to design.

At Gettys our number one specialty is delivering quality hotel design solutions that drive long term revenue on behalf of our clients. We use the art of hotel design to optimize space and profits. We combine design talent with business acumen.

Inamo, a whole new concept in west end dining, opens this month in the heart of London’s Soho, with menus projected onto tabletops, allowing diners to order food and beverages interactively, to change the ambiance of their individual table, to play games and even to order up local information and services, such as booking a cab! The 310 sq m (gross), 62-cover Wardour Street restaurant and downstairs bar, designed by Blacksheep restaurant designers, is the brainchild of entrepreneurs Danny Potter and Noel Hunwick and will offer customers high-quality Asian fusion cuisine, under the guidance of leading Head Chef Anthony Sousa Tam, who comes to Inamo from superstar restaurants Atami, Chino Latinos, Nobu, Hakkasan and Ubon.

Blacksheep leisure designers also contributed to all the restaurant’s graphic applications, adapting the existing identity with new iconography for signage, menus and marketing materials as well as all environmental graphics, from graphic wallpaper to graphic tablecloths, shopfront etched patterns and illuminated screens, with all pattern work inspired by and adapted from traditional Asian print designs.

Este blog tem como principal objectivo dar a conhecer aos nossos visitantes tudo relacionado com Hotéis Luxuosos.
A partir dele poderá desfrutar de informação sobre os mais variados hotéis de charme, com o melhor design de sempre, tudo aqui em Portugal. Estes hotéis têm como objectivo fazer sentir-se satisfeito/a, com algum conforto e poder desfrutar de um merecido descanso, possuindo belas vistas sobre o mar e sobre a cidade, tudo a seu gosto, conforme preferir.

Também pode obter a possibilidade de praticar várias actividades relacionadas com a natureza, entre outras…

Estaremos abertos a novas sugestões para que possamos satisfazer todas as suas vontades.

Análises a Hotéis de Luxo

Vai encontrar aqui análises e sugestões sobre os mais luxuosos hotéis como o Ritz Four Seasons Hotel, Hotel Le Meridien Dona Filipa, Palácio Estoril Hotel & Golfe…

Aqui a sua opinião conta, trabalhamos para fazer dos nossos hotéis a sua casa.

Pack your bag Gansevoort lovers, the oh-so-hip design hotel started in NYC’s Meatpacking District has opened its second location in Miami Beach. Think larger and hipper; the Floridian flagship dwarfs its cozier NYC sibling with a structure that spans an entire city block containing 334 rooms and private residences. More Fontainebleau than Raleigh, the concept returns to the days of ’60s North Miami where larger hotels made their mark with splashy lobby lounges and self-contained resort areas. The two-story lobby features wood-paneled columns and larger-than-life shark tank containing over seventy types of exotic sharks, stingrays and cockle-face fish we hope never to see at the hotel’s beach club. Pretty-face staffers front an illuminated reception area opposite a large lobby lounge with oversize wingback chairs and ’50s inspired loungers. Since opening in early-February the crowd has included local celebrities like the Rubell family and Wilhelmina models strutting to their in-house office with look-books in hand. At times the hotel can feel like a cruise ship you never have to leave between dinner at either Philippe by Philippe Chow or STK by One Group and the morning workout at super-sexy David Barton Gym. But perhaps the most luxurious amenity of all, the infamous Gansevoort pool is a seafront infinity resort area with minimalist loungers and all-day tanning scene of Miami’s fittest and finest. There is little doubt it is the best pool in Miami for now, especially when it morphs into a hip lounge and nightclub scene anytime after sunset.

I found this review at jetsetreport.com and I have very little to disagree with. Except for one thing: I wouldn’t stay here. It was fun to visit for the day, drink by the pool and have an awesome dinner at Phillippe, but just not my style. Too hip for me, too big, too impersonal. I could see most singles or couples having a great weekend here: clubbing by night and lounging poolside by day. It’s a place to party, not relax.

Also, the decor: more fun than The Tides but less luxurious. The lobby boasts these gigantic white club chairs and sadly the leather  or vinyl has already begun to sag and ripple. The rooms were South Beach sleek, but a bit cold.

Phillippe was delicious and the bar area of the restaurant was chic (I’m a sucker for black & white decor) but the back of the restaurant seemed unfinished. Same menu as Phillippe in NYC, which I love. 

David Barton’s Gym is a wonder. How anyone could work out there is beyond me. It is a Moroccan night club/natural history museum with exersize equipment. Homophobes need not apply. The place is seething with men in bikinis sweating. See below:

We even checked out Louis, the brand new night joint inspired by 18th century Europe with its chic, opulent glamour and intriguing architectural solutions. However, the crowd was so lame it was scarier than the guillotine: totally un-chic crowd. Maybe thats how I got in…

No, I haven’t uncovered the identity of the malign texter. But there’s another person who seems fixated on me, and he was here, in this bizarre bubble, in this weird alternative reality . Before I was allocated my hotel room, as I sipped my pink and green Welcome Cocktail, I was alerted to his presence. David Cameron and family have been staying in the tourist complex that for the coming week will be my home.

It can’t be a coincidence. After all, this is hardly the sort of residence that the fastidious leader of the opposition and his even more fastidious – and, unlike DC, design-conscious – wife would deliberately choose. The hotel is new but ugly, unless, of course, fake bamboo and earthbound atriums (atria? Oh, if only I’d enjoyed a classical education a la Bojo I wouldn’t be asking) float your boat.

Anyway, the tour guide and a fluttery receptionist both confirmed. They saw the big DC, and the receptionist spoke to him. Apparently he checked out the morning after I arrived. His departure, unlike our near-meeting, must surely be coincidental. DC is clearly more fascinated by me than I am by him – which isn’t really a tall order, given my profound disinterest in party politics.

Still, whatever your ideological persuasion, you have to wish Cameron well, don’t you? His son Ivan’s life may have been exploited by the Tory machine, but the child’s death – that was genuine, and genuinely shocking. It’s one of those events that reminds you that Westminster, unlike this surreal tourist bubble, does contain real people, who really care. That’s a truth that Damian – and the pointless bloggers, and prancing advisers and their craven ministers – too easily forget.

I’m enjoying myself here, in spite of the best efforts of the idiot holidaymakers who surround me. But I admit, Smeargate has me hooked, even from a distance. I keep remembering rumours that circulated – there was that one about Nick, and another about James Purnell – and wondering if at one point or another we’ve all been McBrided.

If you are in the hospitality industry or know someone who is, please contact us at info@casa-diseno.com. Our company is currently in the process of expanding our services to the following areas:

-Hotels & Inns

-Bed & Breakfasts

- Bars & Lounges

-Restaurants

If you are based in the New York City metro area and would like a consultation, contact us!

Recientemente se está animando el interés por analizar y mostrar la arquitectura hotelera, coincidiendo estudios, publicaciones y exposiciones. El verano de 2008 tuve ocasión de visitar en Loulé, dentro de la programación de ALLGARVE 2008, la exposición “Reacçao em cadeia. Transformações na arquitectura do hotel” de la que ahora a través de una amiga he recibido el catálogo, editado por la Fundação Serralves. La exposición concebía el hotel como un crucial punto de encuentro en esta sociedad hipermóvil, caracterizada por ofrecer hoteles que más allá de lugares de acogida quieren ser espacios de experiencia y autenticidad. Como reacción a las prácticas estándar, los hoteles design en manos de arquitectos designers. Los hoteles seleccionados en la exposición respondían generalmente a creaciones realizadas en la última década e incluso en algunos casos en fase de proyecto. He hecho una criba de algunos que pueden resultar representativos para hacer un repaso por las distintas tendencias mostradas en torno a la “hospitalidad”:

Lloyd Hotel Amsterdam

Suitcase House Hotel Beijing

Radisson Sas Es Roma

Astor Place Hotel New York

Hotel Unique Sao Paulo

Hotel Q Berlin

Hotel Daniel Graz

Hotel Sixty Riccione

Hi Hotel Nice

Hotel Indigo Patagonia

Hotel Douro 41

Hotel Tapada da Mata

Hotel Vale d’Algares

Hotel Les Cols

Hotel Puerta América Madrid

Hotel The Mercer New York

Benesse House Oval Naoshima

Hasta el 15 de Abril permanecerá abierta en la sede del Colegio de Arquitectos de Cataluña, la exposición “La arquitectura del turismo”, enmarcada en un programa expositivo organizado por el Disseny Hub Barcelona que incluye la exposición “Turisme. Espais de Ficció”, abierta en la sede del DHUB hasta el 7 de junio y que culminará con otras dos exposiciones: “Efecte souvenir” y “Low cost”. La exposición dedicada a la arquitectura hotelera se centra en la arquitectura vacacional creada en la costa mediterránea, desde Marsella a Tarragona, Baleares incluidas, entre 1900 y 1965. Desde las primeras residencias de burgueses a hoteles significativos como el Negresco de Niza o las Ciudades de Reposo y Vacaciones levantadas para el turismo social emergente, creado para acoger a obreros en las primeras ciudades del ocio.

Lire l’article à Luxury Travel fr

Read the article at Luxury Travel en

Hotel Champs Elysees

Inspiring. Iconic. Innovative. – W website

The W Hoboken brings luxury and innovation to Hudson County.  The 26- story hotel offers over 225 guest rooms and 40 condominiums. As Hoboken’s finest luxury hotel, W Hoboken displays its dominance commanding all eyes to look across the Hudson.

W Hoboken offers an alternative to the New York life while maintaining its elegance and awe. Design by architect Greg Karn (Siegel & Associates), the W Hoboken has been crafted in such a way to offer a panoramic view of Manhattan’s iconic skyline. “The braided mesh screen changes colour according to mood and atmosphere and glowingly guides the way for visitors from the reception area through the hotel’s ‘living room’ (the main entry pavilion in every W hotel) to the bank of elevators beyond.” (Wallpaper.com)

W Hoboken represent the lifestyle of luxury and modern wonder. Its sleek design demonstrates a contemporary couture, and steel opulence.

For more info: To learn more about the W Hoboken, visit them on the web by clicking here