BOSTON and MUMBAI, India -- In his keynote address, Jeffrey Ornstein, founder of J/Brice Design International, urged international hotel owners, operators and commercial real estate developers at a recent hospitality industry conference in Mumbai to design for the "S-Factor" if they expect to create world-class luxury hotels that resonate with sophisticated travelers being drawn to India in record numbers.
In addition to delivering the keynote address, Ornstein was named Conference Chairman of the two-dayInterior Design and Construction India Symposium that recently examined India's $120 billion (USD) construction industry. For a link to the article please visit:
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Ornstein created "The S-Factor" to underscore "three fundamental criteria - Style, Setting and Story - that are essential to distinguish the great - even iconic - hotels of the world from their ordinary cousins."
His firm, headquartered in Boston with satellite offices in the Saudi
Kingdom, has had a profound influence on hospitality design internationally. J/Brice (www.jbricedesign.com) has become a leader in establishing a unique look and brand identity for the luxury hotel sector in the Arabian Peninsula where his firm has designed new properties in Qatar and Saudi Arabia. In the US, his emphasis on hotel "style" has reinforced the brand identity of The New York Helmsley and HMS Queen Mary - the 1934 luxury ocean liner berthed in Long Beach, California and one of the most successful destination hotels and social event venues in the US.
With India the third-fastest growing hotel market in the world - 15-20% annual growth rate - delegates were keen to hear Ornstein's call for building hotels with a sense of style that resonates with the international traveler and creates a distinct "India" guest experience. Explained Ornstein, "Too many of our colleagues design for the architectural space. We, instead, strive to create a sense of style that is guest-centric."
Ornstein even called for eliminating the term "hospitality design" and replacing it with "hospitality style" at the Heimtextil Trade Fair in Frankfurt, Germany a few years ago. When he also coined the now globally recognized term "cultural spy".
Ornstein said, "As a cultural spy I take into account everything about the guests - the world they live in and their interests including the visual arts, popular culture, the performing arts, new tastes in cuisine, shifting economic centers, political winds of change, social tensions and values. Even the current emphasis on clean energy and climate change impact contemporary style and must be considered from the guests' perspective."
With setting, the second S-Factor, Ornstein noted, "Setting encompasses everything the guest touches, smells, feels and sees within the property and in the surrounding environment. One of the best ways to establish a setting that is memorable and gives the guest a sense of place is with art that mirrors the regional culture and it's world view."
In addition to the visual, creating a sense of place requires the designer to excite all the senses, "the first smell as one enters the hotel, the sounds heard and the tastes one experience that reference the local destination and establish a relationship," said Ornstein. As an example he pointed to his award-winning Chicago Mart Plaza interior that keys off Chicago's character as a vibrant, sophisticated, energetic business center in America's heartland to create a relationship between the guest and the city.
Additionally, savvy hotel owners want guests to own the experience and share a positive story about the property - the third of the S-Factor criteria. "We must create an experience with memories worth talking about. This is inherent in every great hotel and is even more crucial today as social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, empower guests to communicate their experience - tell their story - to thousands of 'friends,'" said Ornstein.
He cited the Peninsula Hotels, where the world renowned Annie Liebowitz was hired to photograph realstaff members - rather than models - for a promotional campaign titled "Portraits of Peninsula." The campaign, with images of Peninsula's bell hops, butlers and classic Rolls Royce reminded guests of their own storied experiences at the Peninsula.
Ornstein added, "Story" need not stem from historical significance. With the Grand Heritage Doha, a unique ultra-luxury 139-room hotel J/Brice recently created for The Royal family of Qatar, the element of surprise gives guests something to talk about. For perhaps the first time in the Middle East, a hotel did not rely on sleek neo-modernist architecture that dominates the region but a provincial French architectural style. "In short, we broke the mold and created a story that launched word-of-mouth advertising so powerful that even before the official opening, the property is heavily booked and has become the talk of the town inDoha."
The S-Factor - Style, Setting and Story - compels the hotel designer to encompass everything from overall theme to creating a 
sense of place to giving guests an experience they can own and relate to their friends. "The S- Factor's holistic approach," says Ornstein, "eliminates conflict between design and operational imperatives, reinforces the brand and builds brand equity."
India's culture - a result of its booming economy, the setting for hugely successful motion pictures, educational system, technical leadership and growing popularity of its cuisine - is becoming mainstream in North America and Europe. Said Ornstein, "India is at a new frontier, with new design synergies, themes and strategies that are both locally inspired and impress the world traveler. It is our imperative that every hotel we create reinforces India's growing stature and India's impact on the hospitality industry worldwide."
Also speaking at the symposium was Param Vir Bedi, Senior Associate with Venkataramanan Associates who has more the 23 years of experience in commercial architecture and interiors and inspired the conference to think abstractly when designing commercially. Param was an adjunct professor In the Interior Design Program at the Corcoran School of Art and Design in Washington DC. Another featured Speaker, Kalhan Mattoo is Director of Planet 3 Studios Architecture a future-forward design firm in Indiawith a rapidly growing eclectic portfolio of projects comprising educational facilities, residential complexes, business centers, corporate offices, retail, spas, restaurants, lounges and nightclubs. His portfolio clearly demonstrated the strength of his firm's creativity and breadth of their ability to think far outside the box.
About J/Brice Design International
J/Brice Design International was founded by hospitality design authority, Jeffrey Ornstein and has become a leading global interior design firm since its founding in 1989.
In 2009, J/Brice ranked as one of the top ten design firms in New York / New England region and has twice been cited asone of the ten fastest growing design firms in the US - once in 2000 and once in 2008 by Interior Design Magazine. J/Brice has won awards in every major category of Hotel Design, including Best Upscale Design of The year, Renovation of the Year, Most Ambient Hotel Lobby, and Best Luxury Suite.
Its award winning staff has worked on over 200 hotel and restaurant projects, in addition to boasting a diverse portfolio of corporate and residential interiors. Its international experience lends great diversity to its design perspective and implementation with respect to regional, cultural, operational and brand parameters.
J/Brice is the preferred design group for Hilton Hotels: All Full Service Hiltons, Doubletree Hotel / Guest Suites, and Hampton Inn properties, Marriott International: All Full service Properties, Renaissance, and Courtyard properties, Starwood: All Full Service Sheraton, Westin, and 4-Points properties, Intercontinental Hotel Group: All full service Intercontinental Hotels, Crown Plaza, Holiday Inns Worldwide, Trump International Beach Resorts, Kempinski Hotels and Spas, Wyndham Properties, and Best Western. International credentials include work for TAJ Hotels in India and Dubai, The Al Thani Family in Qatar, The Al Othman Holding Company and YAJL in The Saudi Kingdom.
Recent US signature engagements include the fabled HMS Queen Mary - the 1934 luxury ocean liner, and The Helmsley Hotel - an urban landmark in New York City.
