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HI Connect Spotlight - American Hotel Register
Today we speak with designers from American Hotel Register as part of our series focusing on the hospitality designers, architects and purchasing pros that are part of HI Connect Design 2013.
Friday, March 15, 2013
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Today we speak with designers from American Hotel Register as part of our series focusing on the hospitality designers, architects and purchasing pros that are part of HI Connect Design 2013.
We’re getting ready for our BIG event HI Connect Design coming this April 10-12, 2013 at the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, TN and it promises to be the most exciting event ever to hit the hospitality industry.
We’ve got dozens of built out fully constructed out vignettes created by the vision of leading hospitality designers, architects and purchasing pros. And those in attendance will get to step into their master creations, get a tour and see products in the content in which they belong; in a real hotel environment!
HI Connect Design offers attendees an incredible opportunity to view, first hand, original concepts designed by industry designers and purchasing companies in collaboration with suppliers shown in context within a real environment of a guest room, bathroom, and public spaces such as Bar/Lounge, Spa/Fitness to name a few. This is a truly the most collaborative effort ever at any hospitality event.
As part of our countdown to HI Connect 2013 we’re interviewing the people that are bringing their creative vision to life. Read the story below, or for a more fully in-depth interview listen to their story below.
For today’s interview, Editor-In-Chief Glenn Haussman speaks with Melina Garza, manager of interior design; Jen Conley, FF&E designer; and Katie Popp, interior design coordinator from American Hotel Register who are creating an Extended Stay Guestroom during the three days of HI Connect Design.
Glenn Haussman: One of the things that I’ve really noticed in the last few years is extended stay has really become incredibly popular. I mean, when I go away with my family, I’m thinking more about staying in an extended-stay facility. Now it goes the rooms are bigger, and even if I’m not staying 5, 10, 30 days, I’m still liking it What are you seeing out there with the growth of extended stay?
Melina Garza: I would agree. Extended-stay brands have definitely catered to the needs of the guests. They’re more comfortable. They really are a home away from home, and there’s definitely a lot more that goes into furnishing the room, so it’s definitely a really interesting opportunity for us.
Glenn Haussman: That is so true, Melina, because when you’re coming to extended stay, I think you kind of have to approach it in a completely different way. Now, how long have you folks been creating your extended-stay rooms?
Melina Garza: Well, we’ve been supplying furnishings for the hospitality industry for many years, and I would say that in terms of extended-stay brand we work with all the major brands, for example, Mainstay Suites Choice or Candlewood Suites. I think we have a very good familiarity with what the requirements are out there and keeping up with the latest trends, customer feedback and what they want to see in the brand – so I think we’ve garnered a lot of experience in that regard and are a bit more sensitive to the feedback that’s out there and practiced it into design.
Glenn Haussman: That’s right, Melina, and I would argue, I guess, that when you approach an extended-stay project, it has to be a little bit differently, because the rooms are being used in a different kind of manner. So, what are some of the things that you’re thinking about when creating an extended-stay room as opposed to a more traditional guest room?
Melina Garza: Well, the guests, like you said, are staying there longer, so their room might not be touched up on a daily basis, so what kinds of items can you provide that are more low-maintenance but yet comfortable and easy for the guest to maintain on his own? The finishes as well, you want to make it seem more homey and not so generic, so they feel more comfortable when they’re staying there and don’t feel that they have to leave the room to get whatever it is that they need to get done, whether it’s work or play.
Glenn Haussman: So, Jen, how do you approach it when it comes to designing the SS&E component? What are some of the things that you’re looking for to create that experience that is memorable for the guest but is also functional for the hotel owner and operator?
Jen Conley: Well, some things that we’re going to try to bring in the space is definitely, number one, kitchenette, so little areas where the client can feel comfortable making their own food, having a little kitchen, stuff like that to get ready. The way we primarily focused in on it was we wanted to create more of a suite feel, give that guest – basically make them feel like they’re being treated special. Even, like you said, if they’re not staying for that long of a time, it gives them a more, I don’t know, personal, intimate –
Melina Garza: A home away from home.
Glenn Haussman: Katie, how do you bring all those components together to something that’s really seamless?
Katie Popp: Well, it’s a little bit more complicated with extended stay, because you’ll have a lot more finishes and areas to put wall vinyl or artwork, so you have to have a really solid concept from the beginning, I feel like, and kinda build off of it. But it’s fun. It’s more of a designer feel, maybe even a little more verging on residential, being able to pick a lot of different items for the space.
Glenn Haussman: And I agree. Residential seems to be a really big trend. People wanna have in the hotel room what they are experiencing at home, and I guess you could play a little bit more with that type of stuff when it comes to a larger space, ’cause you’re creating all of those different zones within the room, right?
Katie Popp: Yes.
Glenn Haussman: So, you three seem to work together, is my guess, on a lot of different projects, so what is one project that you’ve really all thought was just really cool and why?
Katie Popp: One of the independent projects we did was a small boutique hotel in Healdsburg, California. It’s literally four mini apartments. So, again, it’s kind of more similar to extended stay. They’re expecting people to stay over on weekends and there’s three or four bedrooms within each little apartment, so it’s almost like you’re doing a little house. The client was amazing to work with and we really got to design the spaces and kinda take off. We looked into the cultural aspect of the area and kind of built off of that a little bit, and it was a really fun project to work on.
Glenn Haussman: That’s pretty cool. Was there any elements that you put in there that you thought was really cool and really just defined the experience for the guest?
Katie Popp: Everything was custom, for the most part. There’s a lot of custom millwork that was done, so was the flooring, and we even put some flooring up the walls on the fireplace. There are some barn doors that kind of repeated that feeling. Literally when they’re walking in it feels like a home, so there’s a lotta elements that repeat themselves and there’s just a lotta good design elements, I think.
Jen Conley: Well, I think one of the things that we struggled with a little bit in that project was how small one of the bedrooms was, so that customer has at the end of the bed is this pop-up TV, in the chest. I think, was a really cool way to execute playing with that small space that we had.
Glenn Haussman: That’s really nice, and I find that very interesting, Jen, because what it does is with the TV popping up, it allows you the ability to save on all that space and allows the guest to have more control over their environment, right?
Jen Conley: Right. And also when the TV is down it can be used as a workspace too. They can set items there and it’s perfect and – it’s a surface as well, so it’s multifunctional.
Glenn Haussman: Extended stay’s been around for, oh, gosh, forever, but it’s only gained traction really in the last 10 or 15 years. How do you think the extended-stay hotels that you’ve worked on have really matured and changed over the last decade or so?
Melina Garza: I think the brands in particular being more sensitive to the feedback they’re getting from the guest, and they’ve come a long way in terms of design and they’re not these generic rooms anymore. I mean, they really stepped up the quality of the design to the details, having those spaces you need; your kitchen area or your living-room area, the bedroom, the bathroom. So, it really, truly does become a home away from home. You can build a theme or look around that. Depending on the region maybe where the hotel is located, the whole property has a certain look and it has all the spaces you would need to stay at for maybe a few days or longer and you feel totally comfortable doing that.
Jen Conley: I think that there’re a lot of younger business travelers that’re going on longer vacations especially with the economy how it is, but that’s where people spend their money. They spend their money on hotel rooms and traveling and they really want that experience. They want that unique feel.
Glenn Haussman: One of the things that I’ve noticed is that there seems to be a lot more focus on the experience outside the guestroom. We see that with the lobby experience in regular, traditional hotels. How is that changing in terms of extended-stay hotels, because people are there longer and I think they probably want to interact on some level a little bit more with the environment around them.
Melina Garza: I’d say in the past it’s been very minimal, where you have a lobby and a front desk, and now we’re seeing more areas like an exercise room, a larger breakfast cafeteria-style room, more lounge areas, communal areas where you could gather, get outside of your room for a little while if you want to, so definitely, I think, just a larger breadth of public areas, which, again the industry is responding to guest feedback.
Glenn Haussman: And I think we’re also going to see a lot more emphasis on the outdoor spaces as well, especially in nice climates, for example. I’m seeing a lot of brands now thinking about their extended-stay prototypes, adding that component to it as well. I can’t imagine anymore going to an extended-stay hotel without seeing a fire pit outside somewhere, right? So, what else do you think is coming down the road? What are your predictions for the world of extended stay coming up in the next few years?
Katie Popp: Well, we’re seeing a lot of mixing the work and night environment together as well, so the bars are intermixing with where you can actually put your laptop and plug in, and even coffee shops and stuff like that, too, are coming into the lobbies of hotels, so literally they don’t really have to leave if they don’t want to.
Glenn Haussman: That’s pretty cool, Katie, I think, ’cause you really are creating a home away from home with these people, and I just wish my apartment building would do something like this, because I’m getting tired of being trapped inside my little New York City space all the time. I’d love to go downstairs, comingle with some other people and hit that fire pit, which would probably be a safety hazard in Brooklyn, but that aside, who knows? What do you see going on with technology, then, in extended stay or in general, Melina?
Melina Garza: I’d say in the room people are tired of looking for outlets, so we have to find better ways to implement outlets into the furniture that we’re designing, whether it’s at the nightstand, a lamp at the desk. There’s some newer devices out there that you can install that charge multiple devices, different phones, gadgets and whatnot at the hotel. You use your TV to control the lighting in the room, and that’s really cool, too. People like Jen mentioned earlier, the younger, savvier business traveler, they’re looking for that, so we need to be able to address that as well and provide some options.
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