Chronicling a Re-Birth, July 2011

What's in a name??

Most of you will know me from StudioBG, the hotel design practice, the concept which I created two and a half years ago. Sadly, StudioBG is no more. It was demised recently and the business association between me and my ex-partner was terminated along with it. It's unfortunate, but given the people we are, perhaps inevitable. Interestingly, most people who know me and have worked with me weren't surprised. In a strange way, that gave me comfort. And conviction that this was the right move.

'For the avoidance of doubt' (a new phrase I picked up from my legal team), I AM carrying on with business as usual. This blog is intended to chronicle the re-birth of my new practice and the new brand.

I began with the task of a new name. The original working title was ProjectB - but it was too much a growth out of StudioBG. The new name needed to not carry baggage, a fresh start with a new look and feel. In the course of a conversation with a friend, I used the word 'beeline' in re-telling an anecdote. A second later, it dawned on both of us and B-Line Architecture was born!

The tenets of the new practice are the same - architecture and design for the tourism sector. Focused, dynamic and imbued with years of experience in the hotel industry, the practice will provide planning, architectural and interior design services to hotel owners, developers and operators.

A dark art, common sense or specialist experience?’

Designing a hotel isn’t a dark art. But it is more complex than most people imagine.

Hilton Hotel, Schipol Airport, Amsterdam

It’s not just a building. A hotel is a series of spaces with different characters offering different experiences. A successful hotel should touch on our full range of emotions from excitement in active, buzzy spaces to quiet restful pleasure in intimate, private places.

Beyond the emotions and experiences, a hotel should be commercially grounded – providing efficient, well allocated, revenue-generating spaces which aren’t wasteful. It should allow operations to run smoothly, efficiently and seamlessly without jarring the guest experience. Hotel design can and should be measured – costs against potential revenues, market profile, operator brand compliance, efficiencies, target market.

It’s definitely not rocket science but you’ve got to have done it a few times to know your way around…..

‘Keeping your options open’

Can you design a generic hotel, brand-less but still suited to the right market segment?

 

Our clients always come to us with a vision for their project. They are entrepreneurial, well-travelled people with a desire to build a hotel project for profit or posterity, sometimes both.  Often, the projects come without a pre-assigned operator or a brief. How can we, as designers, keep their options open, allowing them to maximise their opportunities with potential operators?



Designing a brand-less hotel relies on knowing your market.

At B-Line, we have been designing hotels across the board for years and we know how to put together a design proposal aimed at the appropriate market segment - a generic design which will suit any operator and any brand within its segment - ultimately, of course, opening up opportunities for the owner to win the best deal.



Design for a Hotel Tower,

Jeddah, KSA







‘Where do you fit in?’

Are you a hotel owner, a developer or an operator? Does a hotel mean the same thing to all 3?

Hotel Tower, Sowwah Island, Abu Dhabi

 

The owner wants an asset (and that can have an emotional value as well) – but is what the owner wants within his budget?

The developer aspires to build the best project for the least investment – but will he cut too many costs along the way?

Perhaps the most complex of the stakeholders, the Operator demands an innovative product which upholds the value of his brand and is designed with the best opportunities to succeed in an extremely competitive environment

At B-Line, we know how to smooth out the tensions, communicating constantly with all 3, listening to and understanding their individual needs and making sure the design addresses their issues. It’s a fascinating, challenging role and getting the balance right often leads to the most successful projects.