Now rising in the Big Apple, the 70-story Central Park Marriott will be the tallest hotel in the Western Hemisphere when completed by CNY Group. The $200 million project, with structural engineering by WSP, reflects the generally upbeat mood in the hospitality market.
“Globally, hotel operating fundamentals are poised to remain strong in 2013,” says Mark Wynne-Smith, Global CEO of Jones Lang LaSalle’s Hotels and Hospitality Group. Despite some economic stressors, JLL believes supply and demand, availability of investment capital (especially from private equity funds), and REIT stock prices all point to “an attractive environment” for hotel business worldwide.
TOP HOTEL ARCHITECTURE FIRMS
2012 Hospitality Revenue ($)1 Gensler $69,090,0002 WATG / Wimberly Interiors $54,713,0003 HKS $32,000,0004 Leo A Daly $19,999,6215 RTKL Associates $19,730,0006 Hnedak Bobo Group $17,425,0007 Perkins Eastman $11,600,0008 Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates $11,251,8009 Cuningham Group Architecture $10,019,86510 HOK $10,011,000
TOP HOTEL ENGINEERING FIRMS
2012 Hospitality Revenue ($)1 AECOM Technology Corp. $100,190,0002 Parsons Brinckerhoff $28,900,0003 Buro Happold Consulting Engineers $16,165,0004 Rolf Jensen & Associates $7,600,0005 Thornton Tomasetti $7,218,7316 KPFF Consulting Engineers $6,000,0007 Arup $5,527,3718 Michael Baker Jr. $4,340,0009 Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates $2,880,00010 WSP USA $2,696,642
TOP HOTEL CONSTRUCTION FIRMS
2012 Hospitality Revenue ($)1 Manhattan Construction $290,769,0002 Structure Tone $250,908,0003 Lend Lease $234,975,0004 Swinerton Builders $227,431,9505 Mortenson Construction $209,550,0006 Tutor Perini Corporation $209,216,1267 Brasfield & Gorrie $163,774,5588 Flintco $155,600,0009 Messer Construction $147,695,12810 Yates Cos., The $144,700,000
San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, New York City, Hawaii, and Washington, D.C., are pinpointed as strong markets in the Americas (http://bit.ly/JLLHotels).
Adaptive reuse for hospitality is producing some particularly interesting remakes of historic properties. The strategy dovetails with travelers’ growing taste for local authenticity—a particular interest of Millennials, according to Tom Ito, Principal and leader for Gensler’s global hospitality practice. “For this generation, avoiding the norm is all about being true to yourself,” says Ito. “As this consumer group grows in spending power, hoteliers will need to provide personalized experiences that reflect the spirit of this demographic.”
Related Stories
| Apr 5, 2013
Snøhetta design creates groundbreaking high-tech library for NCSU
The new Hunt Library at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, incorporates advanced building features, including a five-story robotic bookBot automatic retrieval system that holds 2 million volumes in reduced space.
| Apr 5, 2013
'My BIM journey' – 6 lessons from a BIM/VDC expert
Gensler's Jared Krieger offers important tips and advice for managing complex BIM/VDC-driven projects.
| Apr 5, 2013
Commercial greenhouse will top new Whole Foods store in Brooklyn
Whole Foods and partner Gotham Greens will create a 20,000-sf greenhouse atop one of the retailer's Brooklyn supermarkets. Expected to open this fall, the facility will supply produce to nine Whole Foods stores in metro New York City.
| Apr 5, 2013
Projected cost for Apple's Campus 2 balloons to $5 billion
Campus 2, Apple Inc.'s proposed ring-shaped office facility in Cupertino, Calif., could cost $5 billion to build, according to a report by Bloomberg.
| Apr 5, 2013
Extreme LEGO: Wondrous micro city built out of 200,000 blocks
Master LEGO builder Mike Doyle unveils his latest creation, an out-of-this-world micro city that celebrates peaceful alien contact.
| Apr 3, 2013
AIA CES class: Sealant repairs that last – hybrid sealants for building restoration
It is hard to talk about restoration without talking about sustainability. This two-hour interactive online course discusses the role that restoration can and does play in the arena of sustainability, and specifically the role that sealants play in sustainable design and repair.
| Apr 3, 2013
Construction spending up 20% since 2011, growth will continue, says Gilbane report
The monthly rate of construction spending is up 20% in 24 months and increased in 18 of the last 24 months, which is a good leading indicator for new construction work in Q3-Q4 2013, according to Gilbane's latest Market Conditions in Construction report.
| Apr 3, 2013
5 award-winning modular buildings
The Modular Building Institute recently revealed the winners of its annual Awards of Distinction contest. There were 42 winners in all across six categories. Here are five projects that caught our eye.
| Apr 2, 2013
6 lobby design tips
If you do hotels, schools, student unions, office buildings, performing arts centers, transportation facilities, or any structure with a lobby, here are six principles from healthcare lobby design that make for happier users—and more satisfied owners.
| Apr 2, 2013
4 hospital lobbies provide a healthy perspective
A carefully considered entry zone can put patients at ease while sending a powerful branding message for your healthcare client. Our experts show how to do it through four project case studies.