Hospitality Interiors — Storytelling Through Design

By
  • Mary Alice Palmer
  • Olga Acosta

How does interior design set the tone for a successful project? We offer holistic design services that turn our client’s vision into reality. HKS hospitality interior design studio is noted for a level of interior design that, from arrival to departure, offers guests an authentically transcendent destination experience; interior design that is informally luxurious, comfortable, yet sumptuous.

Our interior designs provide a myriad of avenues for work or escape including privacy and seclusion, solitude and relaxation, socialization and celebration, discovery and adventure. The interior spaces we create leave lasting impressions, which linger long after visits end and beckon guests to return. We are designers of places that enhance the human experience. Our studio is unique among interiors firms. We are a nimble boutique group, deeply rooted in creative concept with the foundation of an architectural giant with unparalleled technical capabilities. These qualities provide us with the ability to offer the most innovative thinking to achieve a unique approach to every project from idea to installation.

From the onset of project conceptualization, we holistically approach every design challenge with an aim to achieve what we call the “Five Cs” of successful hospitality interior design including convenience, comfort, connectivity, community, and cool.

Comfort 
We are committed to the resolve that every detail matters. By thoughtfully designing each aspect of the project, we are able to powerfully impact the way guests interact with their environment. These details engage all of the five senses and satisfy the most basic human need, Comfort.

Convenience
First and foremost, convenience is the key to capturing the loyalty of your guests. If not convenient, a destination is nothing. The ease with which guests move, play, relax, and rest in a space measures the success of the design. We believe that successful design fosters a level of convenience that is so seamlessly integrated into the guest experience that it becomes completely intuitive.

Connectivity
The notion that one feels connected culturally, personally, environmentally, and technologically is of great importance to us. As designers, we constantly adapt our creative process to the evolution of the way people relate to their surroundings.

Community
We know the importance of the relationship you build with your guests. When visitors arrive at your property, they must feel an instant sense of welcoming and belonging to a place and its culture. We design to their desire for acceptance, conversation, celebration, laughter, and interaction. It is through community that people form loyalties that keep them returning again and again.

Cool
Travelers select their destination with one simple thought in mind; they want to escape to a place that responds to their sense of cool. The design is in-definable. It is that elusive, mysterious, enticing, evocative “it” factor that pushes us forward. We live it, we love it, we create it!

From the initial concept to the tiniest most meaningful details, we find passion in telling the unique story of every space. All the components imaginatively and holistically designed to create experiential destinations that touch the soul of every guest.

Marfa’s Austere Beauty and Minimalism Define this Artistic Bastion

Hotel Saint George • Marfa, Texas, USA

The Hotel St. George is a vessel for up-and-coming artists as well as those who’ve already arrived; a place to ponder, enjoy and appreciate all forms of creativity. Located on the site of an original 1880s-era hotel, the HKS hospitality interiors studio completed interior design services for all spaces of the hotel including the Marfa Book Company space, lobby, guestrooms, LaVenture restaurant, Bar Saint George, and wine room. Artistic collaboration was the guiding principle of the hotel’s thoughtful design process. The project celebrates Marfa’s unique aesthetic, combined with minimalistic gestures and honest materials with genuine expressions, including repurposed local building materials and lumber, and bricks from the existing site.

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A Virtual Lakehouse Escape Where Tech, Nature & Nostalgia Merge

W Bellevue Hotel and Residences at Lincoln Square • Bellevue, Washington

The W Hotel Bellevue rose from the shores of Lake Washington with a design deeply rooted in memories of summers at the lake, local lore, historical reference, varied and legendary musical influences and a fashion culture all their own, all housed in a virtual lake house. The archetypal lake house serves as a framework for the many threads of the Bellevue narrative, a backdrop to display the stories, both personal and collective, some obvious, some inherent. The guest’s journey is a slow reveal, like tales told around the campfire, or memories captured in old family photos, nostalgic, ironic and sometimes irreverent.

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A Romantic Hideaway, Transformed

Esperanza, an Auberge Resort • Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

The intimate 51-room oceanfront resort was heavily damaged by Hurricane Odile in 2014 and reopened in 2015. The extensive redesign included thoughtfully curated guestrooms, a restaurant, pool and spa, and public spaces that exude barefoot elegance in a relaxed Mexican seaside setting. HKS’ contemporary and romantic redesign of the Esperanza, An Auberge Resort in Cabo San Lucas, received the prestigious Gold Key Award for Best Resort at the 2016 Gold Key Awards for Excellence in Hospitality Design.

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Leading with Talent

Our global team takes an inclusive, forward-thinking approach to create bespoke designs for our clients, their guests and communities. Curiosity, creativity and intelligence are the hallmarks of our design team who balance beauty and performance in each environment they create.

Meet The Team

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Mary Alice Palmer

Mary Alice Palmer is a Principal and Director of Hospitality Interiors at HKS. She has a unique understanding of the creative process, stemming from her experience designing handbags, luxury goods and Hollywood film sets. She is a recognized voice in the industry and was a college roommate of fashion icon Tom Ford.

Olga Acosta

Olga Acosta is a Principal and Interior Designer at HKS. Olga serves as the client’s primary point of contact and advocate. Olga participates in all key meetings as she works with clients to develop a project’s overall strategy throughout its design and construction.