Checking In: New Hotel Projects Blend the Best of Old and New
BY NORA BURBA TRULSSON
Hotel Indigo
Scottsdale, Arizona
Ron Hecht, AIA | DLR Group | Phoenix, Arizona
Sam Maxted, IIDA, NEWH | AusPod Design | Seattle, Washington
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARK BOISCLAIR
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A curved flooring pattern reiterates the curve of Hotel Indigo's front desk, which is inset with graphics. |
The five-story hotel with the copper-clad, barrel-vaulted roof in downtown Scottsdale started life in the mid-1990s as a Hampton Inn. The hotel, with a Y-shaped footprint, was a perfectly nice, perfectly functional place for business travelers.
But by the time Scottsdale-based Everest Holdings acquired the building several years ago, downtown Scottsdale had changed radically, becoming a hip destination teeming with nightclubs, restaurants and world-class shopping. A traditional business hotel wasn't going to make it in that locale. It was rebranded as a Hotel Indigo, a boutique chain appealing to youthful, urban and style-conscious business and pleasure travelers.
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The entry staircase leading up to Hotel Indigo's front desk was remodeled to create a nautilus effect and re-lit with a dramatic chandelier. |
The new owners knew that the building's existing beige design scheme had to go in favor of a more modern, edgy look. In 2006, they hired architect Ron Hecht of DLR Group and interior designer Sam Maxted, whose business was then located in Phoenix, to transform the hotel.
The Scottsdale site was Hotel Indigo's seventh North American locale, with the first opening in Atlanta in 2004. "The Indigo group did Atlanta with a kind of Cape Cod-ish look," explains Maxted, who had collaborated with DLR Group on a previous hospitality project. "We knew that wouldn't work in Scottsdale. They allowed us to throw out their previous prescriptions for Indigo and gear the design toward the local scene."
 A pivot door opens the Indigo's lounge to the balcony.
While budget constraints precluded a complete rebuilding, DLR Group's Hecht suggested adding some simple elements to upgrade and distinguish the 126-room hotel.
"The existing entrance to the building was through the ground-level parking garage," explains Hecht, "and from the street, you couldn't really even tell where it was." Hecht designed an angled balcony for the front of the building, which served to both expand the second-story restaurant and lounge with outdoor seating space and become the porte-cochère leading toward the entrance and the parking garage. Frosted-glass window walls were added under the balcony into the garage, leading visitors toward the entrance. Hecht also designed a new glass entry vestibule that pops out into the garage area, making the doorway more visible.
 Wood flooring, contemporary furnishings and a dramatic graphic wallcovering create a unique look in a guest room.
Inside, a plain steel and concrete staircase leading to the second-floor lobby was clad in drywall, creating a curving, nautilus-like effect. The hotel's second floor was also renovated. While the lobby and front desk remained in roughly the same spot, walls were removed from the adjacent dining area to create a more spacious bar and lounge that opens onto the new balcony. Toward the back of the lounge, two small meeting rooms were combined to create a fitness room. The hotel's three styles of guest rooms remained structurally the same, albeit with the addition of walk-in showers instead of bathtubs.
For the interior, Maxted interpreted Scottsdale through the use of natural materials and art. "We wanted to do a cool, contemporary hotel in a desert setting," says Maxted. "The look was to be clean, fresh and active."
 The hotel's exterior was updated with an angled balcony, which also marks the entry.
Wood, stone and pebble tile were used as flooring throughout much of the hotel, and honey-toned wood clads the curved reception desk and the bar in the lounge. Glass accent walls add a crisp element to the public spaces. In the lounge, a dramatic, overscale pivot door links the indoors with the balcony. Clean-lined, dark wood furniture was used in both public spaces as well as the rooms. Maxted kept the color palette neutral, with a few splashes of aqua and pale green to add spark to the settings.
With the owners, Maxted sought out the work of local photographers to display throughout the hotel — indoors and out. Two massive, 30-by-30-foot supergraphics — one a black-and-white desert landscape, the other a close-up of an agave — are displayed on the exterior wings of the hotel. Inside, each room features a wall clad in one of eight desert-oriented graphic wallcoverings, such as a close-up of a succulent plant or a detail of a wind-scored canyon wall. Images are also inset into the reception desk and the perimeter of the balcony. Additionally, framed photographs are displayed in the hotel corridors.
 A huge graphic on an exterior wall signals the hotel's commitment to art.
Maxted also incorporated a design element that's part of the Indigo philosophy: adherence to the golden mean and an interest in the Fibonacci sequence, a mathematical expression. "I took that concept and ran with it," explains Maxted. "It was fun. For example, we expressed the Fibonacci sequence in the grid pattern of the guest room headboards. The wall vinyl in the corridors is a hexagon pattern that divides into itself. The guest room bathrooms have vanities with that pattern also."
Outdoors, the hotel was repainted to accent existing architectural elements. New desert landscaping and a serpentine wall for the street-level pool add freshness to the exterior.
The hotel reopened as Hotel Indigo in early 2007, and has become a preferred destination for the style-conscious traveler visiting Scottsdale. Its renovation has also been recognized with numerous awards, including a 2008 Gold Nugget Award of Merit, bestowed at the recent Pacific Coast Builders Conference.
Architecture: DLR Group, 6225 N. 24th St., Suite 250, Phoenix, AZ 85016; (602) 381-8580 or www.dlrgroup.com.
Interior design: AusPod Design, 3744 SW Thistle St., Seattle, WA 98126; (206) 380-9153 or www.auspod.com.
Landscape architecture: Floor & Associates, 1425 N. First St., Phoenix, AZ 85004; (602) 462-1425 or www.floorassociates.com.
General contractor: Howard S. Wright Construction Company, 455 N. Third St., Suite 280, Phoenix, AZ 85004; (602) 258-5670 or www.hswcc.com.
Pebble and stone tile flooring: Arizona Tile, www.arizonatile.com.
Lounge carpeting: Masland Carpets, www.maslandcontract.com.
Lounge pivot door: NanaWall Systems, Inc., www.nanawall.com.
Guest room vanities: Mark David, www.markdavid.net.
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The Arrabelle at Vail Square
Vail, Colorado
Donna Figg, ASID, NEWH | Sarah Carr | Slifer Designs | Edwards, Colorado
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROBERT MILLER
 A limestone fireplace warms the lobby of The Arrabelle and invites lounging.
The 36-room Arrabelle at Vail Square is one of RockResorts' poshest ski destinations. Opened in early 2008, the European-style boutique hotel is just steps away from the ski mountain and coddles guests with cozy fireplaces, a gourmet restaurant, a soothing spa, plush rooms and special touches such as butler services and a ski nanny for youngsters.
Credit for the luxurious interiors goes to a team from Slifer Designs in nearby Edwards, spearheaded by interior designers Donna Figg and Sarah Carr. "This project was a redevelopment for Vail Resorts Development Company, for whom we've done work before," explains Figg. "They tore down an old lodge and replaced it with a 550,000-square-foot mixed-use project, where the hotel is the centerpiece. We did the hotel interiors, as well as its residential units, the meeting spaces, restaurant and spa."
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The hotel's alpine exterior includes a glockenspiel tower. |
Credit for the project's Bavarian/alpine architecture — complete with a glockenspiel tower — goes to 4240 Architecture of Denver. The firm's architects traveled with the developers to such cities as Salzburg, Austria and Prague in the Czech Republic to develop an alpine architectural concept that would translate into the vernacular of the Colorado Rockies.
The Slifer Designs team, which also included project managers Kim Toms and Lori Gleason, designers Brett Heikkila and Sandy Cochran, and project coordinator Cate Grasch, played off the architecture for the interior design theme.
"We wanted to simplify that alpine look for the interiors," says Figg, "to keep the public spaces 'Old World comfortable.' For the restaurant, we added a bit of French influence, while the concept for the hotel rooms was based on Biedermeier, the early-19th-century German architectural movement."
 The hotel's Centre V restaurant includes subtle French touches.
Guests entering the lobby are greeted by a custom-designed wood front desk, tucked into an arched soffit, outlined by a carved limestone surround. A nearby seating area cozies up to a grandly scaled, whitewashed limestone fireplace that reaches up to a detailed coffered ceiling.
A curved grand staircase leads up to another public space, called the Great Room. "The Great Room is like the hotel's living room," explains Figg. "It has fantastic views of the ski mountain and is a welcoming place for guests to hang out after a day of skiing or outdoor activity. They can have a glass of wine there, enjoy a conversation or read." The space, anchored by another limestone fireplace, is populated with comfortable leather chairs and numerous small tables that allow flexible arrangements.
 Dramatic red draperies and a bed canopy warm up the hotel's guest rooms.
The restaurant, Centre V, whose concept and menu were directed by Vail chef and restaurateur Thomas Salamunovich, was warmed with ochre-hued, integrally colored plaster walls, reclaimed brick from France, zinc and pewter accents on the bar, and carved limestone columns.
The conference spaces and ballroom received elegant touches such as custom French fabric wall upholstery, crystal chandeliers and wood-trimmed coffered ceilings. The spa, too, got the Slifer touch, and although the look is more contemporary, colors and materials echo the hotel's design.
Amidst creamy neutrals and honey-colored leather and woods, the guest rooms were energized with splashes of vibrant red in the form of lavish draperies, bed canopies, accent pillows, upholstery and accessories. "For the most part, Vail is a cold-weather destination," says Figg, "and the red really warms up the rooms." A corner fireplace in each room also helps, as do the traditional, Biedermeier-inspired lines of the furnishings. Additionally, each guest room is graced with three original paintings of the local flora and fauna, commissioned from Colorado artist Michael Gault, who also did paintings for the hotel's public spaces.
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Each of the guest rooms has a fireplace and a comfortable seating area. |
Guest bathrooms were also designed with luxury in mind. The five-fixture bathrooms include marble countertops and trim, and old-fashioned exposed plumbing.
The 66 residential condominium units were detailed with multiple fireplaces; marble, granite and onyx flooring, countertops and trim; and stainless-steel appliances for the kitchens.
While the look of the project is sumptuous, the designers took into account that the setting is just steps away from skiing and snowboarding heaven — meaning snow, mud, sports equipment and more would be daily factors at the property. The stone flooring throughout much of the hotel's main level can withstand weather and boot abuse, while leather and contract upholstery fabrics don't mind the occasional mogul-christened bottom. In the restaurants, the Slifer designers created custom metal table bases impervious to ski-boot scuffing, as well as low dividers to hold not only flowers and candles, but helmets, goggles and gloves as well.
Since its opening, The Arrabelle at Vail Square has welcomed the adventurous guest, who comes in winter for the snow and in summer for the hiking. At the end of the day, though, guests know they'll find a sumptuous sanctuary within the hotel's walls.
Interior design: Slifer Designs, 216 Main St., Suite C-100, Edwards, CO 81632; (970) 926-8200 or www.sliferdesigns.com.
Architecture: 4240 Architecture, 3003 Larimer St., Denver, CO 80205; (303) 292-3388 or www.4240architecture.com.
General contractor: Shaw Construction, 760 Horizon Drive, Suite 201, Grand Junction, CO 81506; (970) 242-9236 or www.shawconstruction.net.
Lobby plaster walls and ceiling, restaurant bar floor: Gallegos Corporation, 0100 Yacht Club Drive, Wolcott, CO 81655; (970) 926-3737 or www.gallegoscorp.com.
Lobby casegoods: Kouzouian's Fine Custom Furniture, Inc., www.kouzouian.com.
Restaurant lighting fixtures: Lamps by Hilliard, www.hilliardlamps.com.
Restaurant carpeting: Design Origins, www.shawhospitalitygroup.com.
Guest and conference room carpeting: Brintons Carpets, www.brintons.net.
Guest room bath fixtures: Kallista, www.kallista.com.
Guest room bathtubs: Porcher, www.porcher-us.com.
Original artwork: Michael Gault, (303) 647-1006 or www.michaelgaultstudio.com.
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The U.S. Grant
San Diego, California
Deniece Duscheone | S.K.I.N. (Sustainable Kinetic Integrated Nature) | San Diego, California
PHOTOGRAPHY BY EDWARD DUARTE
 New LED lighting adds a glow to the hotel's exterior.
Enter the U.S. Grant Hotel in downtown San Diego, and at once you'll feel its stately elegance. Crystal chandeliers glitter in the lobby, the marble staircase and its alabaster handrails glow, and guest rooms exude comfort and style. The look is timeless, yet with a fresh edge — thanks to a $56 million complete renovation spearheaded by local San Diego architectural and interior designer Deniece Duscheone.
"It was an honor to do the project," says Duscheone, who founded her design firm S.K.I.N. with partner Christopher Maresca in 2004. "Like a lot of native San Diegans, I have many personal connections with the hotel."
Indeed, the landmark hotel has been the hub of San Diego's social and political life since it opened its doors in 1910. The 11-story hotel was conceived of by Ulysses S. Grant, Jr. to honor his father, the 18th president of the United States and a Civil War hero, and was designed by architect Harrison Albright. Over the years, the hotel hosted numerous visiting presidents and other dignitaries, and was the place for balls, weddings and other events. In the late 1970s, though, downtown San Diego's glory had faded, and wrecking balls were threatening the hotel. New ownership, a spot on the National Register of Historic Places, an $80-plus-million renovation and downtown San Diego's rebirth saved the hotel, and it reopened in 1985, stylish once again.
In 2003, the hotel was sold to the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Indians — fitting ownership, as the band members are descendants of the native peoples who originally occupied downtown San Diego. With the prospect of a debut in the Starwood Hotels Luxury Collection, the new owners decided a top-to-bottom renovation was once again in order.
When Duscheone stepped into the project, the hotel had been shut down for almost a year and several redesign schemes had been considered and rejected. "I was asked to be the project manager," explains Duscheone, "and I walked in and realized that the client was losing money every day the hotel was closed. We came in, cleaned it up, got it going and finished it in one year."
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A stately blue was used as the redesigned hotel's primary accent color. The lobby's pillars were capped with blue and white gold-tinted capitals. |
Not intimidated by the hotel's iconic status in the city — as well as unhampered by her own happy memories of the hotel — the designer opted to meld old and new, honoring the building's Beaux Arts style, yet adding distinct 21st-century touches. She also chose to weave in Native American elements, to tell the tale of the current ownership as well as the land's original occupants.
On the exterior, the hotel, which occupies nearly a full city block, was updated with new sidewalks and awnings, and its main entrance was moved from Broadway to Fourth Avenue, the original location. "The hotel is on the historic register, so we didn't touch the exterior of the building itself," says Duscheone. "We discovered that the building had never really been lit, so we did light the exterior with LED lighting."
In the lobby, Duscheone and her team uncovered the lobby's original marble staircase and alabaster handrails. "There were like 19 layers of paint and carpet on the staircase, which really preserved it," she says. Antique terrazzo flooring, chandeliers and coffered ceilings were also painstakingly restored. The lobby's pillars were refreshed with blue- and white gold-tinted capitals.
Duscheone also established the hotel's color and design scheme in the lobby, choosing a distinct French blue as the accent color against a neutral palette of white, cream and dark woods. "I chose the blue because it's presidential, honoring the hotel's history," the designer says. "It also brings in the color of the ocean, which is just a few blocks away, and it happens to be part of the owners' tribal colors."
Duscheone designed a custom 50-by-50-foot wool carpet to anchor the lobby, embellished with an evening primrose pattern, the Sycuan Band's tribal flower, as well as being similar to a flower motif on the hotel's original staircase handrail. Plush blue velvet tufted sofas and brown slipper chairs invite lounging.
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A custom wool carpet anchors the lobby. The pattern was inspired by the owners' tribal flower as well as a pattern found in the hotel's original staircase handrail. |
Ballrooms and meeting rooms were also updated, including the Celestial Ballroom, once a speakeasy during Prohibition. Duscheone reclad the room's columns in wood, as they were originally, and painted the groin-vaulted ceilings a metallic blue, giving the effect of the sky.
The designer also redesigned all of the hotel's 270 guest rooms, including its 47 suites — no easy task. "The suites are on floors 8 through 11," says Duscheone, "and between the history and all the remodelings, every single room is different. It was like designing 47 different apartments."
The standard guest rooms on the lower floors were upgraded with luxurious touches, such as wood floor entries and wool carpeting, crown moulding, and walk-in showers with glass doors. The furniture chosen exhibits traditional roots, but has cleaner lines.
The suites are highlighted by three large presidential suites, including the Penthouse Presidential Suite, which was once a radio station where President Franklin D. Roosevelt broadcast an address to the nation during the opening of the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition. Duscheone transformed the 1,100-square-foot space with edgy furniture and accessories, such as an electric-blue sofa, a pony-hair headboard and large multimedia artwork by a local artist. The suite's bathroom includes a color therapy infinity bathtub that fills from a deluge showerhead in the ceiling.
 Dark wood furnishings, pale upholstery and a splash of blue mark one of the hotel's guest suites.
Working nonstop for nearly a year, Duscheone finished the project in late 2006, allowing the U.S. Grant to reopen in time for the holiday season. The hotel has reclaimed its position as the hub of downtown San Diego, and Duscheone has gone on to receive numerous accolades and awards for her renovation, including the 2008 HotelWorld award for Best Luxury Guestroom Design.
"I love San Diego," says Duscheone. "I have ties here. That's why this project was so important to me. The U.S. Grant is everyone's hotel."
Project management and design: S.K.I.N. Design, San Diego, CA; (619) 238-0661 or www.skin-design.net.
General contractor: Swinerton Builders, 17140 Bernardo Centre Drive, Suite 216, San Diego, CA 92128; (858) 622-4040 or www.swinerton.com.
Custom lighting: Kinetic Lighting, 2206 Albatross St., San Diego, CA 92101; (619) 238-0661.
Lobby and public spaces rugs and carpets: Decorative Carpets, Inc., 8900 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, CA 90069; (310) 859-6333 or www.decorativecarpets.com.
Guest room carpet: Aja Rugs, 955 Prospect Ave., La Jolla, CA 92037; (858) 459-0333 or www.ajadesign.com.
Custom furniture: NLP Furniture Industries, 1425 Corporate Center Drive, Suite 200, San Diego, CA 92154; (800) 811-4220 or www.nlpfurniture.com.
Guest room fabrics: Thomas Lavin, 8687 Melrose Ave., Suite B310, West Hollywood, CA 90069; (310) 278-2456 or www.thomaslavin.com.
Public space and presidential suites fabrics: Kneedler-Fauchere, 8687 Melrose Ave., Suite B600, West Hollywood, CA 90069; (310) 855-0935 or www.kneedlerfauchere.com.
Leather: Edelman Leather, 8687 Melrose Ave., Suite G158, West Hollywood, CA 90069; (310) 855-9355 or www.edelmanleather.com.
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