Earlier this month, manufacturers and designers in the hospitality industry all descended upon Miami Beach for this year’s HD Boutique. The event featured more than 3,500 registered attendees who all had the chance to peruse and discuss the hottest new designs — including fabrics and textiles, furniture, accessories, lighting, flooring, artwork, bath fixtures, window treatments, and many more hospitality-related products — from more than 375 industry producers, artisans, and craftsmen.
The guests were a creative and dynamic mix of designers, architects, and hotel and restaurant owners from across the globe who browsed the hottest trends and participated in seminars.
“We were thrilled with the energy leading up to HD Boutique, and the positive turnout exceeded our expectations. Industry leaders, designers, and buyers are positioned now with the materials and relationships to see them into a profitable 2012 and beyond,” said Liz Sommerville, director of the show.
Boutique Lifestyle Lodging Association (BLLA) hosted its annual Boutique Lifestyle Hospitality Awards. This year, the Iron Horse Hotel won Boutique Hotel of the Year Award for the second year in a row. The W Hotel and Residences in Hollywood was awarded the Lifestyle Hotel of the Year Award. Tim Dixon of the Iron Horse Hotel won the Boutique and Lifestyle Hotelier of the Year Award.
In addition to the latest designs on the show floor, HD Boutique offered attendees informative conference sessions and discussions on the industry’s most pertinent topics. This year, HD Boutique was delighted to host celebrated designer Tony Chi, founder of tonychi and associates, as the keynote speaker. Chi engaged in a keynote discussion on his life, work, and inspiration with Hospitality Design magazine Editor in Chief Michael Adams.
Another highlight of the event was “Latin America Update: Boutique Hotels and Beyond,” a collection of panelists who presented the diverse opportunities and strengths of the Latin American hospitality market. With the upcoming Brazil Olympics and World Cup, this region is a perfect frontier for emerging hospitality industry leaders and an on-point discussion topic.
“The HD Boutique show is a great way for Kohler to connect with the design community, particularly designers who attend from the Southeast United States, as well as the Latin and South American regions,” said Lindsey Hunt, marketing analyst for Kohler, an HD Boutique exhibitor. “They bring a unique flair and design style to the hospitality market.”
The two-day event also offered designers, restaurateurs, and hoteliers a chance to mingle and network. One of the evening highlights was the Party at the Palms at the W South Beach, during which industry insiders met and relaxed over hors d’oeuvres and cocktails. The seminal 10th Anniversary Wave of the Future seminar brought current and past year’s honorees together to discuss design trends and industry outlook in a relaxed but informative environment with a complimentary mimosa party. Lucia Gonzales, marketing coordinator of exhibitor Adriana Hoyos Hospitality, said of the event, “It was the perfect atmosphere to build stronger relationships and present our furnishings. As an important resource and solution for designers, procurement firms, architects, and product developers, we understand the needs of the hospitality industry, and HD Boutique was the ideal event to demonstrate this.”
Hospitality Design magazine and the Hospitality Design Group are now looking towards HD Summit, the industry’s only networking conference focused on fresh thinking and new sources of inspiration from outside the industry. HD Summit 2012 will be held at The Breakers in Palm Beach, Fl., from February 29 to March 2, 2012. For more information on attending or sponsoring contact Paul Bienkowski, Hospitality Design Publisher, at 860.644.3861.
