Subscription travel services are growing in popularity, Terra Carta Design Lab names four winning teams, and HD offers a backstage look at new hotels with the HDTV video series. All that and more in this week’s Five on Friday.
RH forays into private jet and yacht design
RH One; photo by Greg Wilson
Furniture manufacturer RH has curated experiences at its galleries, several restaurants, and the forthcoming RH Guesthouse New York. Next up, RH will make its way into the aviation and marine sectors, according to Robb Report. RH One is the brand’s 12-passenger Gulfstream G650 private jet, which is available for charter and boasts a rift-sawn European white oak cabin and handtufted wool, silk, and cashmere lining the floors. The 127-foot RH Three yacht, originally designed by Turkish builder RMK Marine in 2003 and renovated by Belgian architect Vincent Van Duysen in 2016, will incorporate Carrara marble, Italian leather, wire-brushed European oak, lacquer, and stainless steel finishes in the cabin and staterooms.
Are celebrities saturating the restaurant world?
Last year, Justin Timberlake and restaurateur Sam Fox unveiled the AvroKO-designed Twelve Thirty Club in Nashville; photo by Seth Parker
A recent Eater article dives into just how many celebrities have added restaurateur to their résumé in recent years. The celebrity-owned businesses range from blatantly branded, like Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row, to associations that are more inconspicuous, like actor Ryan Gosling’s involvement with Moroccan eatery Tagine Beverly Hills. (A rep for Gosling told Eater that Gosling is no longer an owner, although the restaurant’s website says otherwise.) Overall, it’s a potentially fruitful opportunity: “The famous person gets to expand their brand and the restaurant benefits from the publicity that celebrity naturally draws in,” Madeleine Davies writes. “If the restaurant is a success, the celebrity can take some credit. If it fails, they can—if they so choose—deny any involvement in the restaurant’s operations and move on.”
Terra Carta Design Lab winners announced
The Terra Carta Design Lab winners
The Terra Carta Design Lab has named four winners of its inaugural design competition. The organization—which was launched last year by former Apple chief design officer Jony Ive, Prince Charles, and London’s Royal College of Art—tasked more than 2,300 RCA students and alumni to come up with solutions to the current climate crisis, according to Fast Company. Chosen from 125 submissions, the winning teams will receive funding to further develop their ideas and mentorship by Ive. Designs included a wearable harness that could reduce methane emissions from cattle by approximately 60 percent, as well as a fully recyclable outdoor performance fabric.
Subscription-based travel services are on the rise
With endless subscription services out there for everything from movies and music to clothing rentals and meals, it comes as no surprise that the travel industry is also tapping into the model. Subscription travel services offer discounts, special access, and streamlined planning, reports the New York Times. While airline credit cards with travel perks have long existed, now programs like Tripadvisor’s Tripadvisor Plus, CitizenM’s mycitizenM+, and Alaska Airlines’ Flight Pass are getting into the subscription business. Inspirato, for example, caters to the luxury market with a $2,500 monthly free that offers access to vacation homes and hotels. Meanwhile, Selina launched CoLive to appeal to digital nomads with a $450-per-month plan that allows guests to stay for 30 days at up to three locations.
Hospitality Design launches HDTV video series
For our latest digital endeavor, we present HDTV, a video series where HD goes on location with designers and owners to offer a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into creating and developing a hotel. The first episode kicks off with a tour of the CIVILIAN Hotel in New York with designer David Rockwell. Opened in fall 2021, the 203-room hotel from hotelier Jason Pomeranc draws from beloved, long gone Theater District hangouts, as well as Rockwell’s own deep relationship with theater—as both a fan and set designer for hit shows like Hairspray and Kinky Boots.
