People

In part one of our Boutique 18 webinar series, we asked a range of 2020 honorees to share what they’re watching now. BD’s Boutique 18 class is a true showcase of design talent and leadership industry-wide. In this first of our three-part series, a handful of this year’s honorees discussed hospitality design shifts that deserve your attention.

The panel, which was moderated by Katie Kervin, senior managing editor of Boutique Design magazine, included the following lineup:

• Ali Bacon, senior project designer, The Gettys Group
• Caroline Brennan, lead design consultant, Silent Volume
• Valentina Castellon, senior associate, DLR Group
• Ben Straus, senior design manager, Marriott International

The content is now available to view on demand.

Check in with hotel owners and design leaders for the second in our series covering the state of the industry and its challenges and opportunities, design innovation and go-forward strategies in the wake of COVID-19. Get the hotelier perspective from AAHOA, the hospitality association encompassing nearly half of all US hotels, and brand and design consultant perspective on how they can deliver value.

The panel, moderated by Michelle Finn, Vice President, Boutique Design Group, Emerald, included the following speakers:

• David Ashen, Founder and Principal, Dash Design
• Vipul Dayal, President/CEO, VNR Management, Inc.
• Karin Harrington, Founder and Principal, Studio Partnership
• Dionne Jefferson, Vice President, Design + Project Management, Marriott International
• Chet Patel, Senior Vice President, Baywood Hotels
• Nimisha Patel, Partner, Vue Hotels, Female Director Western Region, AAHOA

(Note: this is part two of an exclusive two-part series from Boutique Design and AAHOA.)

To view the content on demand, click here.
To view Part 1, click here.

Get in the room with one of the biggest client markets—members of AAHOA, the hotel owners association encompassing nearly half of all U.S. hotels. Join their wide-ranging conversation with hospitality design veterans on the state of the industry, design challenges and opportunities, design solutions and concepts, and FF+E innovation for health and safety in the wake of the pandemic. Hear their unique perspectives for moving forward: Where do we go from here? How can design professionals add value? What obstacles can we overcome to accelerate travel and hotel occupancy given our new reality?

The panel, moderated by Michelle Finn, Vice President, Boutique Design Group, Emerald, included the following speakers:

• Amy Jakubowski, Principal, AEJ Collective
• Jim Looney, Owner, Looney & Associates
• Jagruti Panwala, President/CEO, Wealth Protection Strategies, AAHOA Chairwoman 2019-2020
• Hitesh (HP) Patel, Chief Operating Officer, Curve Hospitality, Immediate Past Chairman of AAHOA
• Nishant (Neal) Patel, Managing Partner, Blue Chip Hotels, AAHOA Secretary
• Meg Prendergast, Principal, The Gettys Group

(Note: this is part one of an exclusive two-part series from Boutique Design and AAHOA.)

To view the content on-demand, click here.
To view Part 2, click here.