Stonehill Taylor's guest appearances

Stonehill Taylor

Hotel Design Podcast

NXTLVL Experience Design

Melissa Gonzalez

John Vervaeke

Charles Limb

Stacy Garcia

Tim Kobe

Peter Dixon

Larry Broughton

Nichol Bradford

Paul Steelman

Mike Suomi

Amy Hulbert

Lauren Rottet

Mitch Patel

Ron Swidler

Tracy Lee

OwlTail

Sara’s Profile:linkedin.com/in/sara-duffy-79b43617website: https://stonehilltaylor.com email: sduffy@stonehilltaylor.comBio:Sara Duffy graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University with a Bachelor of Arts in Art History and received her Associate of Applied Science in Interior Design from the Fashion Institute of Technology. With a background in art history and television, Sara crafts a unique, immersive narrative for each of her projects with a focus on thoughtful, classic design. Her impressive variety of projects includes the Nomad Hotel and Bar in New York and its re-iteration in Las Vegas, the J.W. Marriott Nashville, and the iconic TWA Hotel at JFK Airport’s historic TWA Flight Center. She has worked with renowned hospitality developers such as the Sydell Group, Eleven Madison Park’s Chef Daniel Humm and Will Guidara, Marriott International, Turnberry Associates, Hyatt Hotels &amp; Resorts, and Hilton Hotels &amp; Resorts.Show Intro:The Algonquin Hotel in New York was opened in 1902. Stories abound of the guests that stayed there and the fabled “Round Table” around which literary luminaries met daily to talk about all thing literature.The TWA terminal designed by the masterful architect Eero Sarinen opened in 1962 and has a history of its own aside from the groundbreaking design that made it an icon of the era.The Marriott Marquis in Time Square New York was the work of architect John Portman who created monumental interiors in concrete. The hotel's construction was first disclosed on November 3, 1972, and opened a little over ten years later.These projects have stood the test of time but been reinvigorated with major renovations in the past couple of years to bring them into a new era of hospitality that caters to an evolving cohort of travelers. It’s no small thing to take a building and breath new life into it while not diminishing their cultural significance. Making them more effective in meeting the new need of guests while also paying due respect to the architects and histories they have lived has a plethora of challenges. Consultant teams can be as large as 100 different organizations, each with a specific mandate and areas of work. Building methodologies have changes, codes and regulations are stricter, materials and furniture options have proliferated. All of this adds to the challenge. And, when considering big design changes, board rooms are filled with questions like, “can we actually do that?”, “Should we do that”” “what message are we sending if we do that?”Sara Duffy is a principal at the hospitality focused design firm of Stonehill Taylor. Sara Duffy graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University with a Bachelor of Arts in Art History and received her Associate of Applied Science in Interior Design from the Fashion Institute of Technology. With a background in art history and television, Sara crafts a unique, immersive narrative for each of her projects with a focus on thoughtful, classic design.It is perhaps not so surprising that she was charged with playing a prominent role in leading the Algonquin, TWA, and Marriott Marquis projects through their revitalization bringing their stories from the past to the present. ABOUT DAVID KEPRON:LinkedIn Profile: linkedin.com/in/david-kepron-9a1582bWebsites: https://www.davidkepron.com    (personal website)vmsd.com/taxonomy/term/8645  (Blog)Email: david.kepron@NXTLVLexperiencedesign.comTwitter: DavidKepronPersonal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidkepron/NXTLVL Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nxtlvl_experience_design/Bio:David Kepron is a multifaceted creative professional with a deep curiosity to understand ‘why’, ‘what’s now’ and ‘what’s next’. He brings together his background as an architect, artist, educator, author, podcast host and builder to the making of meaningful and empathically-focused, community-centric customer connections at brand experience places around the globe. David is a former VP - Global Design Strategies at Marriott International. While at Marriott, his focus was on the creation of compelling customer experiences within Marriott’s “Premium Distinctive” segment which included: Westin, Renaissance, Le Meridien, Autograph Collection, Tribute Portfolio, Design Hotels and Gaylord hotels. In 2020 Kepron founded NXTLVL Experience Design, a strategy and design consultancy, where he combines his multidisciplinary approach to the creation of relevant brand engagements with his passion for social and cultural anthropology, neuroscience and emerging digital technologies. As a frequently requested international speaker at corporate events and international conferences focusing on CX, digital transformation, retail, hospitality, emerging technology, David shares his expertise on subjects ranging from consumer behaviors and trends, brain science and buying behavior, store design and visual merchandising, hotel design and strategy as well as creativity and innovation. In his talks, David shares visionary ideas on how brand strategy, brain science and emerging technologies are changing guest expectations about relationships they want to have with brands and how companies can remain relevant in a digitally enabled marketplace. David currently brings his creativity and insight on brand experiences to an international audience as a member of VMSD magazine’s Editorial Advisory Board, as a Board Member of the Interactive Customer Experience Association (ICXA) and Sign Research Foundation’s (SRF) Program Committee.He has held teaching positions at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology (F.I.T.), the Department of Architecture &amp; Interior Design of Drexel University in Philadelphia, the Laboratory Institute of Merchandising (L.I.M.) in New York, the International Academy of Merchandising and Design in Montreal and he served as the Director of the Visual Merchandising Department at LaSalle International Fashion School (L.I.F.S.) in Singapore.  In 2014 Kepron published his first book titled: “Retail (r)Evolution: Why Creating Right-Brain Stores Will Shape the Future of Shopping in a Digitally Driven World” and he is currently working on his second book to be published soon. David also writes a popular blog called “Brain Food” which is published monthly on vmsd.com. 

<h3>Sara’s Profile:</h3><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-duffy-79b43617" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">linkedin.com/in/sara-duffy-79b43617</a>website: <a href="https://stonehilltaylor.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://stonehilltaylor.com</a> email: sduffy@stonehilltaylor.comBio:Sara Duffy graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University with a Bachelor of Arts in Art History and received her Associate of Applied Science in Interior Design from the Fashion Institute of Technology. With a background in art history and television, Sara crafts a unique, immersive narrative for each of her projects with a focus on thoughtful, classic design. Her impressive variety of projects includes the Nomad Hotel and Bar in New York and its re-iteration in Las Vegas, the J.W. Marriott Nashville, and the iconic TWA Hotel at JFK Airport’s historic TWA Flight Center. She has worked with renowned hospitality developers such as the Sydell Group, Eleven Madison Park’s Chef Daniel Humm and Will Guidara, Marriott International, Turnberry Associates, Hyatt Hotels &amp; Resorts, and Hilton Hotels &amp; Resorts.Show Intro:The Algonquin Hotel in New York was opened in 1902. Stories abound of the guests that stayed there and the fabled “Round Table” around which literary luminaries met daily to talk about all thing literature.The TWA terminal designed by the masterful architect Eero Sarinen opened in 1962 and has a history of its own aside from the groundbreaking design that made it an icon of the era.The Marriott Marquis in Time Square New York was the work of architect John Portman who created monumental interiors in concrete. The hotel's construction was first disclosed on November 3, 1972, and opened a little over ten years later.These projects have stood the test of time but been reinvigorated with major renovations in the past couple of years to bring them into a new era of hospitality that caters to an evolving cohort of travelers. It’s no small thing to take a building and breath new life into it while not diminishing their cultural significance. Making them more effective in meeting the new need of guests while also paying due respect to the architects and histories they have lived has a plethora of challenges. Consultant teams can be as large as 100 different organizations, each with a specific mandate and areas of work. Building methodologies have changes, codes and regulations are stricter, materials and furniture options have proliferated. All of this adds to the challenge. And, when considering big design changes, board rooms are filled with questions like, “can we actually do that?”, “Should we do that”” “what message are we sending if we do that?”Sara Duffy is a principal at the hospitality focused design firm of Stonehill Taylor. Sara Duffy graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University with a Bachelor of Arts in Art History and received her Associate of Applied Science in Interior Design from the Fashion Institute of Technology. With a background in art history and television, Sara crafts a unique, immersive narrative for each of her projects with a focus on thoughtful, classic design.It is perhaps not so surprising that she was charged with playing a prominent role in leading the Algonquin, TWA, and Marriott Marquis projects through their revitalization bringing their stories from the past to the present. ABOUT DAVID KEPRON:LinkedIn Profile: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-kepron-9a1582b" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">linkedin.com/in/david-kepron-9a1582b</a>Websites: <a href="https://www.davidkepron.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.davidkepron.com</a>    (personal website)<a href="https://www.vmsd.com/taxonomy/term/8645" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">vmsd.com/taxonomy/term/8645  </a>(Blog)Email: david.kepron@NXTLVLexperiencedesign.comTwitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/DavidKepron" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">DavidKepron</a>Personal Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/davidkepron/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/davidkepron/</a>NXTLVL Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/nxtlvl_experience_design/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/nxtlvl_experience_design/</a>Bio:David Kepron is a multifaceted creative professional with a deep curiosity to understand ‘why’, ‘what’s now’ and ‘what’s next’. He brings together his background as an architect, artist, educator, author, podcast host and builder to the making of meaningful and empathically-focused, community-centric customer connections at brand experience places around the globe. David is a former VP - Global Design Strategies at Marriott International. While at Marriott, his focus was on the creation of compelling customer experiences within Marriott’s “Premium Distinctive” segment which included: Westin, Renaissance, Le Meridien, Autograph Collection, Tribute Portfolio, Design Hotels and Gaylord hotels. In 2020 Kepron founded NXTLVL Experience Design, a strategy and design consultancy, where he combines his multidisciplinary approach to the creation of relevant brand engagements with his passion for social and cultural anthropology, neuroscience and emerging digital technologies. As a frequently requested international speaker at corporate events and international conferences focusing on CX, digital transformation, retail, hospitality, emerging technology, David shares his expertise on subjects ranging from consumer behaviors and trends, brain science and buying behavior, store design and visual merchandising, hotel design and strategy as well as creativity and innovation. In his talks, David shares visionary ideas on how brand strategy, brain science and emerging technologies are changing guest expectations about relationships they want to have with brands and how companies can remain relevant in a digitally enabled marketplace. David currently brings his creativity and insight on brand experiences to an international audience as a member of VMSD magazine’s Editorial Advisory Board, as a Board Member of the Interactive Customer Experience Association (ICXA) and Sign Research Foundation’s (SRF) Program Committee.He has held teaching positions at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology (F.I.T.), the Department of Architecture &amp; Interior Design of Drexel University in Philadelphia, the Laboratory Institute of Merchandising (L.I.M.) in New York, the International Academy of Merchandising and Design in Montreal and he served as the Director of the Visual Merchandising Department at LaSalle International Fashion School (L.I.F.S.) in Singapore.  In 2014 Kepron published his first book titled: “Retail (r)Evolution: Why Creating Right-Brain Stores Will Shape the Future of Shopping in a Digitally Driven World” and he is currently working on his second book to be published soon. David also writes a popular blog called “Brain Food” which is published monthly on <a href="http://vmsd.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">vmsd.com</a>.

EP. 31 Breathing New Life Into Historic Hotels with Sara Duffy Principal - Stonehill Taylor

In this episode of the Hotel Design podcast, we speak to Mike Suomi from Stonehill &amp; Taylor, who discusses his and his team’s work on the iconic Eero Saarinen’s TWA building at JFK along. For Suomi, it’s a matter of getting into what Saarinen wanted to originally create when designing this incredible space. They talk materials and expected experience, how the original terminal was designed without straight lines and how that informed the design approach to arrive on a 1960’s aesthetic that works in the 21st century. Mike and Glenn also discuss how HGTV changed design culture in the same way the Food Network helped morph restaurant culture. They discuss how the firm also balances guests’ needs and hotel owner requests. They also go through the process of designing the Eliza Jane hotel in New Orleans’ French quarter, its in-depth design process, and how he and his team created a modern hotel from a series of abandoned warehouses while honoring the city’s history. Finally, they discuss bringing in a feminine design approach that doesn’t turn off more masculine personalities while also approaching residential style design in the hotel sphere, color trends and how the major hotel companies are embracing a more design forward approach. Also, get your chance to receive a free book from Porcelanosa, which was launched in conjunction with the AIA (that’s the American Institute of Architects) whose New York chapter run a program of architectural dialogues called Cocktails and Conversations. At these events, design world thought leaders present interviews on architecture’s place in the built environment, culture, master planning. They’re included in this book along with 50 great cocktail recipes, one in honor of each honor of the guest speaker. Interviews include titans such as Steven Holl, Charles Renfro, Daniel Libeskind, Deborah Berke, Todd Schliemann, Morris Adjmi, Michael Sorkin, the skyscrapers created by William Pedersen of KPF that have changed forever the skylines of the world’s major cities, and more.  Send an email now for your chance to receive a complimentary copy:  info@hoteldesignpodcast.com Offer valid while supplies last. Visit us at www.hoteldesignpodcast.com or email us at info@hoteldesignpodcast.com.

In this episode of the Hotel Design podcast, we speak to Mike Suomi from Stonehill &amp; Taylor, who discusses his and his team’s work on the iconic Eero Saarinen’s TWA building at JFK along. For Suomi, it’s a matter of getting into what Saarinen wanted to originally create when designing this incredible space. They talk materials and expected experience, how the original terminal was designed without straight lines and how that informed the design approach to arrive on a 1960’s aesthetic that works in the 21st century. Mike and Glenn also discuss how HGTV changed design culture in the same way the Food Network helped morph restaurant culture. They discuss how the firm also balances guests’ needs and hotel owner requests. They also go through the process of designing the Eliza Jane hotel in New Orleans’ French quarter, its in-depth design process, and how he and his team created a modern hotel from a series of abandoned warehouses while honoring the city’s history. Finally, they discuss bringing in a feminine design approach that doesn’t turn off more masculine personalities while also approaching residential style design in the hotel sphere, color trends and how the major hotel companies are embracing a more design forward approach. Also, get your chance to receive a free book from Porcelanosa, which was launched in conjunction with the AIA (that’s the American Institute of Architects) whose New York chapter run a program of architectural dialogues called Cocktails and Conversations. At these events, design world thought leaders present interviews on architecture’s place in the built environment, culture, master planning. They’re included in this book along with 50 great cocktail recipes, one in honor of each honor of the guest speaker. Interviews include titans such as Steven Holl, Charles Renfro, Daniel Libeskind, Deborah Berke, Todd Schliemann, Morris Adjmi, Michael Sorkin, the skyscrapers created by William Pedersen of KPF that have changed forever the skylines of the world’s major cities, and more.  Send an email now for your chance to receive a complimentary copy:  <a href="mailto:info@hoteldesignpodcast.com">info@hoteldesignpodcast.com</a> Offer valid while supplies last. Visit us at <a href="http://www.hoteldesignpodcast.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.hoteldesignpodcast.com</a> or email us at <a href="mailto:info@hoteldesignpodcast.com">info@hoteldesignpodcast.com</a>.

Episode 8: Mike Suomi, Principal & VP Interior Design with Stonehill Taylor