Westar Architects: Beauty and Funcationality
Hospitality Solutions
Written by Meghan Flynn   
Monday, 01 June 2009
Westar Architects: Beauty and Funcationality
This young hospitality division has risen to the top because of a unique internal organization that puts the design process first.
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From the beginning, the hospitality division of Las Vegas-based Westar Architects never conceded the advantage to larger design firms. Paul Heretakis, principal, said the company launched its hospitality just as the market started to expand rapidly, and it quickly established a niche: limited expansion and renovation projects.

In just a few years, Westar became one of the top 30 largest interior design companies in the US, with a staff of just 25 people. Heretakis explained the key is his team never worried about catching up with the big firms.

Westar Architects: Beauty and Funcationality
Paul Heretakis, hospitality principal
“If we had adopted that small-firm mindset, we never would have been able to shake it. We have the talent of any larger firm and have competed with and are beating them consistently,” he said.

Westar has worked hard to differentiate itself from other full-service design firms through a unique internal organization. Rather than break the division into geographic or project-oriented studios, Westar’s architects operate within four fluid, process-oriented studios. New clients start a project in the client-driven vision studio, where they and the designers establish the project’s requirements in terms of style and budget. Heretakis said the results of those discussions serve as touch points throughout the process to keep things on track.

He added that as the hospitality industry has come under increased strain over the last two years, Westar has pursued new differentiating service lines like alternate revenue generation and operational branding, and the firm developed an innovation studio.

“Every design firm creates beautiful spaces, but we want our projects to generate success for our clients,” Heretakis said. “When we first started in hospitality, most of our clients had well-staffed financial departments churning out ROIs and branding departments guiding our design process. When an industry started slowing down, our clients
began trimming these departments and looking to us to supplement them.”

Westar was up to the challenge. Its alternative revenue generating studio aims to squeeze the most income out of every square foot to combat rising real estate and construction costs. Heretakis cited the example of designing a restaurant to include business-meeting space or developing a way for a pool area to generate income.

But if a beautiful, multi-functional restaurant has no unifying concept or poor service, it will become a forgotten experience for the guest. That’s where Westar’s operational branding studio comes into play. Heretakis said this studio gives the company designers a chance to put on different hats: waiter, bartender, housekeeper.

“Having this studio has made Westar an ego-flat company and encouraged our designers to find a balance between beauty and functionality that ensures success for our clients and gives us an edge over the competition; we provide not just a gorgeous lobby, but a check-in experience guests will remember and appreciate,” he
explained.

Westar’s innovation studio has also gone a long way in fostering a dynamic and egalitarian atmosphere. The idea came during the first big slow period of the recession when Heretakis and his team realized how, when times were busy, they didn’t have the time to be as creative or innovative as they would like. So once a month or whenever business is slow, the division gets together for a brainstorming session. Heretakis said the team will consider a sample project, the convention center of the future for example, and throw around as many ideas as they can come up with.

In addition to creating an upbeat attitude in the office, this new studio helps add a unique flavor to Westar projects. “The end result of these brainstorming sessions is like those concept cars manufacturers put out every year; they will never be built in their entirety, but different elements will work their way into our everyday projects,” he said.

Changing with the times
The new internal organization has helped Westar handle the unique challenges of working with international clients new to the hospitality industry and with long-term clients as they reposition properties to attract the up and coming generation.

Heretakis said casinos, restaurants, and hotels need to refresh every 10years or so and that the X and Y generations have very different ideas about entertainment and service than their parents.

“In the past, design was about incorporating live bands, dance floors, and separate areas for different activities,” he said. “Today, the voyeuristic element is much more important; wherever the guest is, he or she wants to be a part of everything going on. That means they want to see the casino from the restaurant and want music flowing through the property rather than isolated.”

He cited the Reflections Café at a Harrah’s Atlantic City property. It was designed as a moderately priced, 24-hour café, but Westar upgraded it to provide full-blown restaurant experience equal to a more expensive restaurant. The company integrated different lighting effects for each phase of the day to transition from a bright and cheery breakfast to a sexier dinner experience. The restaurant, which serves hundreds of people at a time, is broken into several sections to create a more intimate atmosphere.

And as Westar moves into developing markets overseas, its organizational structure helps new hotel owners develop world-class properties.

He added that Westar is also interested in bringing in as many international designers as possible to enrich its studios with unique design perspectives. The company recently opened an office in China and through its Chinese design partners is learning how entertainment, meal times, and spending habits differ between Asia and the Americas.

For its current project in the Philipines, the company brought on a few local designers to work with the clients to create the most effective product for that country.

But Heretakis doesn’t plan to stretch Westar too far too fast. “If the projects get big enough, we may open another office, but for now, China is enough for us. We want to be able to offer our multi-faceted, high-quality products and not bite off more than we can chew,” he said.
 
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