Building your international reputation

On July 2, Design Hotels will be giving the keynote address at Efactor´s first official Berlin event at the Münzsalon. The panel discussion will include a number of Berlin-based creative companies including Gravity-Europe, Independent Fashion Bloggers, and Jovoto and the topic for the evening will be “Beyond Boundaries- Building your International Reputation” with a focus on the Berlin creative scene.

Anybody interested in hearing what these titans of creative industry have to say about international growth should tune into the live online stream of the event which will take place at 8:30 PM Berlin time.

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Modo Chandelier, by Jason Miller

Brooklyn-based designer and Future Forum 08 speaker, Jason Miller´s Modo Chandelier has been seen around the blogosphere lately- most notably on Kanye West´s blog.  The lamp is pretty cool and features a spoke-and-hub system allows it to be configured in dozens of different ways.  All the parts are custom cnc-milled from solid aluminum and the modo chandelier and other items are available online on Jason´s website.

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Jason Miller and his Woolly Chair

No, this is not a prop from the Where the Wild Things Are movie… Brooklyn based designer and 2008 Future Forum speaker, Jason Miller, rose to fame last fall with his antler lamps which have graced the ceilings of classic and hipster joints alike. His latest design is the Woolly Chair which features a sitting surface made from Bison pelts.

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Arne Quinze at Art Basel Miami

Design extroadinaire and former Future Forum Barcelona speaker, Arne Quinze, had his latest work unveiled at this years Art Basel Miami. Simply called “Sculptures,” this exhibit was in conjunction with Wolfgang Roth & Partners. The pictures are from hypebeast.

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Sleep Event 2008

The Sleep Event is Europe´s only event devoted to hotel design, development, and architecture. It is sponsored by
Organized by Sleeper Magazine, the event attracts Europe’s leading hotel owners, operators, designers, architects, investors, developers, contractors and consultants, as well as those who service and supply the industry. CEO of Design Hotels, Claus Sendlinger, will participate as a judge for the “Best Interior Design (Bedrooms & Bathrooms)” category along with several other industry leaders.

This years award presentations will take place November 4-5 in London and many Design Hotels members have been nominated for these prestigious awards including the Carbon Hotel in Genk, Hospes Madrid, Ceres am Meer, and the Lanchid 19.

Along with the awards, an informative conference takes place that touches on all aspects relevant to hotel design and architecture. It is a must-visit for anyone interested or working in the hotel or design industry.

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Hotel Guests: Today & Tomorrow

Hotel Marketing recently released a story about the profile of the current incarnation of the “plugged-in” traveler. The statistics were not completely unsurprising, but
- Work/Life Blend: 90 percent say work overlaps with personal time; 73 percent take work home; and 46 percent admit to taking care of personal matters at work

- Multi-tasking: When working at home, they’re also watching TV (71 percent), surfing the Web (59 percent), eating (64 percent), and making calls (59 percent)

- Self-Service: 68 percent print their boarding passes before going to the airport; and 63 percent use an airport kiosk to check in

- On My Own: More than 60 percent agree that when they travel for business, they enjoy the time to themselves.

- Productivity: Half of travelers always look to maximize productivity on the road and 65 percent end up working more hours

- Comfort: 1 in 4 travelers would drive 20 miles out of their way for a hotel “dream” bed, and 62 percent are bothered when there is no place to sit and relax in the room.

- Food: Travelers are frustrated by limited choices (59 percent), availability of healthy choices (43 percent) and lack of 24/7 food access (43 percent) .

- Entertainment: Travelers resent outdated hotel entertainment systems (44 percent).

Last week, some colleagues and I traveled to Eindhoven, Holland to meet with some representatives from Philips about their recent entry into the hospitality market. I was unaware that Philips already are the industry leaders in hotel televisions commanding nearly 80% of the total market share. It was a very interesting visit as we were shown the process that both the technical members of the team and the design team go through when developing products specifically for hotels, restaurants, bars, and club; this includes lighting, ambient music, water, and what they call, “infotainment.” Unfortunately I was unable to take any photos, but I have included a few products that are particularly interesting in the design world.

Also, we heard from Modular, the daughter company of Philips specializing in design lighting fixtures. Modular works with many retailers and hospitality concepts around the world including Lamborghini and Diesel (the picture below is from Lamborghinis new $30,000,000 showroom in Las Vegas)

Jos Stuyfzand, Philips Design Director Ambient Experiences, will be speaking at Future Forum 08 about integration and technology to enhance user experiences.

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