Branded By Design

How do you "flip" a hotel and give it new life? Planning, getting the basics right and knowing your brand inside and out.

- Gretchen Kelly

George Wong is no stranger to the concept of "flipping" a hotel – transforming it from one thing into something totally new, and, in the process, refining the brand message that fits hand-in-glove with the brick and mortar of the building itself. Wong and his New York-based company, GeorgeWongDesign, (georgewongdesign.com) have been tasked with building hotel interiors all over the world for brands like Park Hyatt, Edition, JW Marriott, and more.

The Hong Kong-born designer was tasked with transforming the one-time Nikko Hotel in the well-heeled Polanco neighborhood of Mexico City into a new Hyatt Regency Mexico City. The revitalized property needed to lure business travelers with the latest technology, trend-forward work and lobby spaces, and a connection to its guests which affirmed the brand's identity.

Business Traveler sat down with the hospitality designer to get inside the process of how a hotel comes to life from the inside out. Wong laid bare the blueprint of a hotel being reborn into a new brand, and even reviewed the hotel himself, as a guest, after his own designs had been implemented.

BT: How did you connect with Hyatt Regency, and how were you chosen for this particular project?

WONG: It was late 2012 when I received a Request for Proposal for a potential conversion project in Mexico City. Prior to submitting the proposal, I met with the entire technical service team in Chicago to obtain a better understanding of the visions and goals of the project. It was then when I found out that it was the taking over of the then Nikko Hotel in the Polanco area which is the upscale part of Mexico City.

BT: What was your first in-person meeting like?