Defining Hospitality

Dan Ryan: Hey everyone. Happy Thanksgiving. Um, it is upon us. I just wanted to take a few minutes to do a little recap of some really great people that I interviewed at BDNY last week. And BDNY from my perspective was just buzzing. There was so much foot traffic. Um, looks like it's going to be a busy 2024 for all of us and It was a busy 2023 as it continues to be.

So let's just be grateful and thankful as we go into the holiday season and have a happy and restorative Thanksgiving. Thanks everyone.

Hello, here with Shalia Sullivan from Vanguard Theory all the way out from Honolulu.

Shaleah Soliven: Hi, good to see you again. It's

Dan Ryan: wonderful to see you. So, I'm just amazed by, there's a strong but mighty contingent who flies halfway around the world from Honolulu to New York City for BDNY. Why do you do it every year and how does this help you be better at hospitality design?

Yeah,

Shaleah Soliven: that's a good question. I think for me, when I first started out, and you were one of the first reps that I met, I really learned early on that the relationships are so important. So for me, starting when I was really young, getting to know the industry, getting to know the people, as a designer, as, purchasers, vendors, we're all on the team together, and we need each other and support each other.

And it's even more important after COVID. Because we didn't see each other for so long, and then a lot of us moved around. So, I was in Honolulu, now I'm in the Seattle area, but still working with the team in Honolulu. And then we don't get to see everybody all the time. So, this is important that we like reconnect, and catch up, and keep our relationships going.

Dan Ryan: Awesome, and then of all the events that are out there, um, what do you like most about making the trip

Shaleah Soliven: to here? Gosh, I like that it feels smaller. It feels more intimate. I feel like I get to see, you know, great product and, and all of that. But I feel like I get to go around and catch up with people that I haven't seen in a while, you know?

Yeah.

Dan Ryan: And I was one of the first projects you ever worked on in hospitality. I don't remember what it was. You were at Gensler. And what project was it? That

Shaleah Soliven: was the Shore Hotel in Santa Monica. Wow. That was a long time ago. What year was that? Maybe 07? 07, 08? Wow.

Dan Ryan: That's almost 20 years. Yeah. 15? 15? Yeah.

Thank you so much,

Shaleah Soliven: Shalia. Thank you. Thank you.

Dan Ryan: Hello, welcome, welcome. So, uh, you've flown halfway around the world, and I've seen you here numerous times over the years to always come to this event and support this event at BDNY. What is it that draws you here, and like, how does this make your life better, coming halfway around the world?

Michelle Jaime: This is the best show. So, I think it's It's small enough where you get to see people and talk to people, but then, you know, we have like our investors that we see here, our clients are different, our vendors are all here. So we come here because we get to connect with people and then you get inspired by New York.

So you get to go out to the restaurants, to new hotels and you know, coming from Hawaii, it's we don't have a lot of those things. So coming here, you can see all of your people and get a lot of inspiration.

Dan Ryan: From all the different shows and events that happen everywhere, um, from a hospitality perspective, how does this help you learn more about hospitality?

Michelle Jaime: Well, you're in it with everybody, so we had a couple dinners, you know, in a row, and you get to see what other people are working on, and, you know, trade secrets.

So there was a woman last night that I had dinner with, and she's from, she owns a company in Portland. And we were just, you know, talking about software that we use, logistics companies that we use, vendors that we use. We're not in the competing markets, but it was really nice to kind of have that camaraderie.

And I think, you know, coming from Hawaii, we don't have a huge design community, so it's really nice to be a part of something outside of the island.

Dan Ryan: Well, thank you. And, but it's not a huge one, but it's a small, but mighty community in Hawaii. Well, mahalo for your time and I will let you know when this pops out.

Okay. Thanks, Dan. standing here with Julie Frank, vice president of design for Aspen hospitality. She's based here in New York. Long time friend.

Um. So as it relates to hospitality, Julie, and you accomplishing your ends of hospitality design, what do you love the most about coming to this BDNY show? I think it's

Julie Frank: twofold. It's really good to see what's new and current. I mean, hospitality, you gotta be, you know, abreast with the trends and ahead of them, but it's also good to reconnect with vendors that we're working with that we talk to on the phone and email and just see them in person, strengthen relationships and, you know, keep that.

Dan Ryan: And I know that you're very, very busy. And you're working on a lot of projects. What's exciting you the most as you look into 2024? I think

Julie Frank: the project in New York. We're the first group to do the special use re permitting of an office into a hotel. And as an architect, getting to build a hotel inside the iconic Rockefeller Center is a really amazing opportunity and very exciting.

Dan Ryan: Which, what side of Rockefeller Center is it on? It's going to be

Julie Frank: inside Ten Rock. No way! Yes, so you know that exit where you see all the celebrities leaving the Today Show? They're gonna have to find a new exit in two years time, but it's the really fun part is site visits You just never know like which screaming celebrity, you know, like which celebrity you're gonna cross paths with a group of screaming kids outside But yeah, it's really

Dan Ryan: exciting.

Awesome. Well, we're gonna have to do a longer format recording to learn more about that project. Love that Thank you

Standing here with Drew Stewart, founding partner at Incorporated Architecture and Design at BDNY. Um, Drew, you work on some amazing projects all over the world. Um, why do you like coming to this BDNY show and how does it help you achieve your... Intended outcomes of hospitality designs on the projects

Drew Stuart: that you're working on.

Well first, Dan, I gotta say, I get to do a lot of those amazing projects with you. Um, but you know, you're, you're always walking around with a set of puzzles in your head that you're trying to solve. And getting to take all this in, you know, you get to start fitting those pieces together and hopefully solve some of the challenges you're facing on any number of projects.

Dan Ryan: Do you have a good example, it doesn't have to be related to me, but like, in one of the Shows that you've come here when you're doing the Rubik's Cube in your head and you have that eureka moment of, oh my god, this solves everything.

Drew Stuart: All the time. I mean, you know, you're walking down the aisle, you're thinking you need a new vendor of wood flooring, you might spot those, you know, that new vendor.

Or a new concrete supplier who can make cast concrete sinks. It's, it's all, there's always like a solution here that you just can't find when you're searching on the internet.

Dan Ryan: And what puzzle is racing around your mind right now that you're trying to solve?

Drew Stuart: Uh, today it's been about, I don't know, that's a tough one.

I think it's just, today's really been about seeing people who I haven't seen in a long time, to be really honest, which has been great.

Dan Ryan: Reconnecting. Well, it's great to reconnect with you and I hope to do a longer format of this

Drew Stuart: in the future. We definitely will.

Dan Ryan: Standing here with Paul Binkowski, the publisher of Hospitality Design and Boutique Design, um, at the, on the show floor for BDNY 2023.

Paul, welcome. Thank you, Dan. Nice to be here. Yeah, well, we've known each other for a super duper long time, and I really enjoy and have always enjoyed this show, BDNY. It's just smaller, it's more accessible. Two questions. One, what's exciting you and what's... Actually, first question, what's exciting you most about this year's BDNY?

And then, how do you incorporate hospitality? into all aspects of all of the shows

Paul Bienkowski: and events that you do. Well, I would say that, you know, just a couple short years ago, we didn't have a BDNY. And, you know, seeing the show bounce back since 2021, and see the level of energy, the level of engagement, and seeing us be able to bring this hospitality community together, meaningful, in a fun way, inspirational way.

It's just very rewarding for our team, our company, and hopefully our industry. Right, and you have an amazing team. We are blessed with an amazing team. We have, we're a lean team. Uh, we work really hard, but we also have to like, like to have a lot of fun.

Dan Ryan: Awesome. And then, so, uh, for hospitality design, like this is the super, this and, uh, HC Vegas are the Super Bowls, so to speak, of our industry.

In these events, like, how do you incorporate hospitality as your biggest priority as far as For the exhibitors, the attendees and just everything surrounding all of the events. How do, how do you weave hospitality into

Paul Bienkowski: it? Well, there's a, there's a lot of planning. There's a lot of crossing the T's and dotting the I's.

But to me, the biggest thing about hospitality, there's two things. One is the experience. Uh, our industry is all about the guest experience and delivering above and beyond just a hotel room. And we try and do that here. We try and deliver an experience not only for the attendees, but for our 650 exhibitors that support this show this year.

And, and, and make that, bring that hospitality experience, and telling also of the story of the kinds of amazing products that are available to them to make their experience that they deliver to their guest customers that much better. Wonderful. Thank you so much.