October 7, 2010— MIAMI—The hospitality design industry reconvened here at the Miami Beach Convention Center for the annual HD Boutique Conference last month. Along with a broad spectrum of new products for owners and operators of boutique properties to view and purchase, the conference also offered multiple educational sessions and networking opportunities.

This year's conference marked the first annual Boutique and Lifestyle Association (BLLA) Hotel of the Year awards. The lunch event was broken into two parts. First, a panel of executives from boutique and lifestyle companies, moderated by NYLO CEO John Russell, looked at some of the things they believe makes for a successful property. Michael Depatie, CEO, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, summed up the current climate as, "We went from, a year ago, panic, to fear. We haven't moved to euphoria yet."

The panel went on to note that while the terms boutique and lifestyle are overused in today's hospitality climate, they believe the objective is to obtain individuality of an asset. "The goal," said Raul Leal, formerly a partner at Desires Hotels, and now president/COO of Virgin Hotels, "is to be more personalized with better service…The devil is in the details. The vibe has to be very deliberate and very well-intended." He noted that if a concept feels contrived or not embraced by the hotel staff, guests will pick up on it and, next time, they might choose another property.

When it comes to global hotel companies launching brands labeled boutique, Janis Cannon, vp, global brand management, Hotel Indigo, noted that it can be done as long as in addition to basic brand standards, each property is unique. Picking up on local themes or playing off of location are two ways to give a property that individuality, the panel noted.

In the second part of the luncheon, the inaugural awards were given out in three categories. The Iron Horse Hotel, in Milwaukee, WI was awarded Boutique Hotel of the Year. The Hotel Andaluz, Albuquerque, NM won Lifestyle Hotel of the Year; and Boutique and Lifestyle Hotelier of the Year went to Fred Kleisner, Morgans Hotel Group.

During the conference, Carlson Hotels Worldwide took the opportunity to discuss the design changes in store for its Radisson brand in the U.S. Tom Trout, vp, architecture and planning for Carlson, presented the new design concepts for Radisson Blu during an educational session.

From the start, he acknowledged that in the U.S., Radisson has lagged behind the other upscale brands when it comes to innovation. "In the Americas, Radisson has been late to the table, but overseas, the brand has been moving to the forefront of design. Now, we're bringing that design aesthetic here," he said.

Radisson Blu (formerly Radisson SAS) has grown to become the largest upscale hotel chain in Europe and is prevalent in the Middle East, Africa and Asia as well.

After showcasing to the audience some of the Radisson Blu brand's signature designs at properties located in Europe, Trout described Carlson's goals for the new design of the brand in the U.S. "Our focus is contemplative design with splashes of color, dramatic lighting, attention to detail, thoughtfully designed guestrooms, stylish public spaces and unexpected focal points," he said. "Blu is positioned as an upper-upscale brand around the world, but that is not true here. Over the last two to three years, we realized we needed to clean up Radisson and position it as more of an upper-upscale brand in the U.S."

Radisson Blu currently has five new room prototypes designed by Swedish firm LWA Architecture: New York Mansion House, And Relax, Ocean, Urban and Naturally Cool. "All of the designs are fashion inspired and emphasize attention to detail. That says to the guest 'you are being thought of' when they enter the room," Trout said.

Radisson Blu will debut in the U.S. at the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel in Chicago, an 82-story tower that is slated to open in November 2011. The brand also is introducing three distinct new food and beverage concepts for the brand, including a grill restaurant, an italian restaurant and a French brasserie.

With the changes, Trout expressed optimism that the Radisson Blu brand will soon become more prevalent and earn a trademark for unique, thoughtful design in the coming years. "Design speaks to everyone. It can change your outlook and change your mood. Our goal is to become the most modern, exciting and consistent hotel brand in the world," he said.

New product showcase

There were was a variety of new products exhibited during the show ranging from textiles to new technology.

Standard Textile debuted a new towel collection called Yin Yang. The product is a dual-tone, dual-sided towel with one side softer and one firmer.

"We wanted to give hotel guests a unique option," said Greg Eubanks, group vp, hospitality, sales & marketing. "The market is already saturated with products touting softness, but not every hotel guest wants a super soft towel."

Andrew Morgan Collection was also showing new textiles, with a series of products now available in white. The line is made from the same high-quality materials made to resist stains and be highly washable, but in a color many in the industry associate with a high degree of luxury.

Pacific Coast Contract Lighting was highlighting a new Design Your Own program it recently launched. The interactive tool allows designers to log on to create a completely custom product.

"Pacific Coast Contract Lighting is excited to introduce this user-friendly customizing tool to the hospitality industry, which enables design professionals to create a signature style product, tailored to each space in the built environment," said Christopher Bryan, vp, sales. "These lamps are produced in the U.S. to the utmost quality. Short lead-times and volume pricing that make this an ideal program for the industry."