Design
Talking through Marriott’s portfolio, Van Malder identified distinctiveness as a quality that runs throughout its brands, from ultra-luxury brands like Ritz Carlton and Bulgari, through its Collection brands like Luxury Collection or Autograph Collection. All are in some way perceived as lifestyle hotels. “In the Autograph Collection, you have to have hotels that have a story in them,” he remarked. “So, you can have an independent property owner who’s got a building with a history connected to it.” He noted that, in a similar way, Westin could be seen as a lifestyle brand, given that it is all about health and wellness. “The entire design package is based on biophilic
design, where you bring nature into the design of the public space, into the design of your artwork, everything,” he remarked. The WHotels brand, first developed around the
24/7 culture of New York City, certainly fits the bill. For twenty years, it has disrupted and redefined the hospitality scene – expanding to almost 60 hotels – by going against the norms of traditional luxury by fuelling guests’ lust for life. With a provocative design style, whatever/whenever service and buzzing social spaces, there is a unique and inspiring feel to each property. In a different way, the EDITION Hotels create a
similar effect. Van Malder notes that using a single designer – Ian Schrager – to create a distinctive look and feel makes it a lifestyle brand. “We call it distinctive because we work only with one interior designer,” he remarks. “It was a little bit of a reaction against the W brands, which was a little bit of a crazy idea that emerged in New York. What happens not only with W, but with other brands in our organisation is that, as these brands get popular, they get pushed to the next level, so W became a five-star brand.”
No time to sit still With experience across so many brands, Van Malder was able to hone in on the key element in keeping a lifestyle brand relevant – it must constantly adapt.
Hotel Management International /
www.hmi-online.com
“A problem that we have with lifestyle brands at this
level is that, for example, the design guidance we had for W at the time is very different to what it is now,” he adds. “I think the problem with some of the lifestyle properties is that their lifespan is limited, and they quickly outgrow their being.” “What typically happens is that there is a fantastic
idea that works really well, and everybody gets totally excited about it,” he adds. “Not only the guests, but also the owners, and then all of a sudden the buzz is gone, and the buzz can be gone because it’s outdated or there’s a new kid on the block.” W is now having to adapt in response to the
efforts of competitors like Rosewood, so Marriott is now starting to think about how to once again make W different and more attractive to both guests and owners. For James Dilley, director and head of hospitality and interior design at architecture firm Jestico + Whiles, the challenge of designing a lifestyle hotel comes back to defining the term. “This lifestyle thing is a bit of a clunky term,” he
remarked. “Everybody lives a lifestyle. There’s good or bad, rich and poor, active, passive, whatever it is, everybody has a style of life.”
“The entire design package is based on biophilic design, where you bring nature into the design of the public space, into the design of your artwork, everything.”
Koen Van Malder “When I go back 20 years to my first client,
who was a visionary, he said that every hotel should be a sanctuary or playground,” he added. “Decide which one is going to be and make it happen. I think we are trying to make something that is different from your normal way of life, taking people to new orders of fantasy and escapism just for a short period of time. That, I think, is the idea of what people refer to as ‘lifestyle’.”
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Above: Event founder Monica Palmas moderating the lively discussion. From left to right: Monica Palmas, Koen Van Malder and James Dilley
Opposite page: Infl uential members of the hospitality industry came together at the Hotel Management International
networking dinner to consider the issues facing lifestyle hotels and its future.
The Photo Team Photography
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