Royal Caribbean debuts the world’s largest cruise liner, HD Awards submissions close in one week, and LaGuardia’s Terminal C will soon feature six site-specific works by local artists. All that and more in this week’s Five on Friday.
New York artists to animate revamped LaGuardia terminal
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Travelers to Delta Air Lines’ reconstructed Terminal C at New York’s LaGuardia Airport will soon be able to enjoy six new large-scale artworks. The site-specific, permanent artworks will be crafted by locally based artists including Mariam Ghani, Rashid Johnson, Aliza Nisenbaum, Virginia Overton, Ronny Quevedo, and Fred Wilson. The New York Times reports that the $12 million art program, developed in partnership between the Port Authority and the Queens Museum, will go toward the installation of two large sculptures realized by Wilson and Overton in the atrium, while Ghani will reference more than 80 languages spoken in the tristate area as part of tiled wall piece. Nisebaum will paint group portraits of Delta employees that will then be transformed into a mosaic. Johnson will also work in mosaic, developing his largest entry in his Anxious Men grid series to date. Finally, Quevedo will reimagine and transpose a gymnasium floor and vibrant games onto a wall.
World’s biggest cruise ship is ready to set sail
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Blue whales will soon be dethroned as the largest entities on the high seas thanks to a new vessel from Royal Caribbean. Wonder of the Seas is set to embark as the world’s largest ocean liner on March 4th when it departs from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to the Caribbean. Measuring a whopping 1,188 feet in length and equipped to accommodate 6,988 guests and 2,300 crew members, the behemoth will also kick off Western Mediterranean cruises from Barcelona and Rome in May 2022. According to CNN Travel, Wonder of the Seas will be home to 18 decks and eight neighborhoods enriched with more than 20,000 real plants, while amenities like a 10-deck-high zipline, poolside movie screen, and the tallest slide at sea will keep guests occupied.
James Turrell to launch alpine experience in Colorado
A rendering of Skyspace for Green Mountain Falls, courtesy of HSE Architects of Oklahoma City
Light artist James Turrell has set his sights on Pikes Peak in Colorado to accommodate his next Skyspace installation. Developed as part of the Green Box Arts Festival, the upcoming iteration brings Turrell closer to his goal of creating 85 Skyspaces worldwide; so far, more than 79 have been completed, Archinect reports. Each Skyspace comprises a “specifically proportioned chamber with an aperature in the ceiling open to the sky,” according to the artist. Accessible by hiking, the Green Box Skyspace will be installed at an elevation of 7,800 feet and feature a retractable roof for temporal and weather-dependent observation. Construction will require 1.2 million pounds of concrete and 100,000 pounds of steel in a series of six concrete pours.
Arlo Hotels sets out to help small businesses
Photo courtesy of Arlo Hotels
Independent lifestyle brand Arlo Hotels has revealed plans to launch its proprietary program Arlo Means Business, which will provide small businesses with preferred access to Arlo’s best corporate rates in addition to other perks. Applications are now open for businesses interested in receiving up to 40 percent off Arlo’s best available rates across its hotels in New York and Miami. Urban Fees will be waived, Bodega vouchers provided, and late check-out offered as well. “Our society has always been shaped by small businesses, some of which grow into Fortune 500 companies, and some that remain the small-scale backbone of the American economy. With Arlo Means Business, our goal is to democratize value and empower those small businesses that have been left behind by traditional hotel sales models,” says Arlo chief commercial officer Jimmy Suh. “Arlo is a company founded in community and accessibility, so it only makes sense that we build our sales program with similar intentions.”
Mark your calendars: One week left for HD Awards submissions
The Ruralation Museum Hotel in Tangshan, China; winner in the Luxury Hotel category at the 17th annual HD Awards
Project and product submissions for the 18th annual HD Awards are due next Friday, March 4th. Don’t miss your chance to be recognized in both the pages of Hospitality Design and during an awards ceremony on June 7th in New York.
HD is also joining forces once again with West Elm for the fourth annual HD/West Elm Student Product Design Competition, which this year tasks student designers with crafting a statement upholstered occasional chair intended for hospitality and commercial spaces. The winning designer will receive a $5,000 prize and have their product produced by West Elm. The deadline to enter is Friday, April 8th.
Submissions are also open for the Hospitality Diversity Action Council‘s (HDAC) second annual Awards of Excellence program. Honoring exemplary work in the hospitality industry, the award(s) will be granted to individuals and companies in multiple categories—including ownership/management, architecture/design/landscape, branding, and vendor/product—that are working to advance our industry through the promotion of diversity, inclusion, and equity. The submission deadline is Friday, April 15th.
