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June 2007 |
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Thayer Acquires Three Marriott-branded Hotels at Miami Airport |
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Thayer Lodging Group today announced that it has acquired a complex of
three Marriott-branded hotels at Miami International Airport from Marriott International,
Inc. (NYSE: MAR) for $57.5 million. Thayer said it plans to invest an additional $65 million
to totally makeover the complex. The renovation/construction will take place in phases, with
a final completion date planned for early 2009 to coincide with completion of a major expansion
of the airport and regional transportation hub. Marriott will continue to manage the hotels
and oversee all construction and renovation projects......
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Flights of Fancy
Comprehensive redesign results in a smooth landing for the Wyndham Miami Airport Hotel and Executive
Meeting Center
Original design plans often go through a bit of tweaking before getting off the ground. Some just end
up taking a completely different route altogether.
Carole Hochheiser Ross, principle for Richmond, Va.-based Baskervill, says the latter was the case when
it came to the renovation of the Wyndham Miami Airport Hotel and Executive Meeting Center.
“We started the project on a whole different note,” she says. “We went off on the romance/Mediterranean
theme.”
The property owner (Thayer Lodging Group) however, had a different vision. Lee Pillsbury, Thayer’s
co-chairman and c.e.o., sat down with the design team and stressed the importance of celebrating the
area’s unique attributes, in particularly the Art Deco stylings of South Beach and Miami’s rich history
of aviation.
With that, Hochheiser Ross says, the new design-theme plans took off destined for arrival in the ‘Golden
Era of Aviation in Miami.”
“We were on the wrong page,” she says. “The owner had fabulous ideas that you can carry throughout the
property.”
Getting on board with the project’s new direction wasn’t a problem, Hochheiser Ross says, especially with
the help of Pillsbury and Selim Soliman, the hotel’s g.m. Once armed with useful demographic information
and confident of a desired look, Hochheiser Ross says the team was ready for the official presentation to
the clients.
“We literally dressed up as pilots and passed out peanuts,” she says. “It was cool the way the project
evolved.”
Transporting each space from one era to another was a challenge.
“[The property] was drenched in terra cotta tiles of the ‘70s,” Hochheiser Ross says.
Embracing these types of issues helped lead to design inspiration and execution. For example, although
the building’s bulky exterior smacked of ‘80s modernism, it also laid a foundation for what’s inside.
“We worked with that and did make the exterior speak better when you walk in the doors,” she says. “It
gave us a canvas to work on.”
The aviation motif is especially prevalent in the public spaces on a form-and-function level. From the
subtle touch of ceiling fans that resemble noses of airplanes, to the traveler-friendly wall displays
in the lobby electronically connected to the airport listing real-time flight information, the theme is
obvious.
Guestrooms convey boutique chic with tall leather headboards, spa vanities, black-and-white vintage
aviation artwork and a color palette with an Art-Deco flavor.
“The colors are fresh, crisp, white … it’s hot,” Hochheiser Ross says.
In addition to the hotel, the property’s meeting facilities received a modern facelift as well. The
remodel of the ballroom, 15 meeting rooms, plus the construction of two new meeting rooms and several
break areas resulted in a fresh look that meets approval from the International Associate of Conference
Centers.
Overcoming challenges like mechanical issues and even power failure from a passing hurricane is all part
of a renovation such as this, Hochheiser Ross says.
“No matter how many issues we encountered, we didn’t lose design intent.”
-Paul Rusnak
Click here to view the full article
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