Architect Zuena Says Comfort Levels "Will Determine Hotel Choices Moving Forward"

Architect Zuena Says Comfort Levels "Will Determine Hotel Choices Moving Forward"

Architect Eric Zuena with ZDS, who specializes in hospitality design, appeared on GoLocal LIVE where he spoke to how he sees the hospitality industry coming back from coronavirus — or how it will reinvent itself. 

“There’s no silver bullet. Everyone’s looking at it with different optics — it’s really when the market optics come into play,” said Zuena. “Who’s your audience, who are the people you’re catering to, what’s your luxury level, and what’s your cash flow.”

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“We’re learning a lot at a smaller scale and applying it at a larger scale in all facets of business,” said Zuena. “I’ll tell you, it’s interesting. There is a group that we work with that actually takes the motel product and converts it into a boutique upscale hotel, and that’s a group that we’re currently working with.”

“It’s all about how little can I interact with people, what’s the least amount of surfaces I can touch from here to my room. And then once I get to my room, don’t you dare come into my room and make my bed without my knowing,” said Zuena.  “It reduces overhead because your housekeeping bills are going to go down.”

“It really changes the whole dynamic for operators, because now people want choices," he said. "You say you want to drive up to your room and just walk in, but if someone does want that lobby or restaurant experience — are you going to let the bellhop take your luggage? Maybe, maybe not. Are you going to want to check-in?” 

“You want choices, depending on who you are and your comfort level,” said Zuena. 

Cash Flow in Focus

“Cash flow’s going to be everyone’s problem 12 months from now, and that’s no different in the hospitality business. We’re looking at spaces and looking at projects a little bit differently — very differently — on the hotel front and on the restaurant front,” said Zuena. 

“What’s interesting is that hotels and casinos haven’t really come back online yet. So we’re watching all of this change,” he said. 

His firm ZDS was the lead on the Case-Meade apartments downtown, the Homewood Suites at the foot of College Hill, 229 Waterman and Mare restaurant, 1290 Westminster apartments, the restoration of the old, old Providence Journal building downtown, and the now-being-developed Beatrice Hotel.

He has designed and managed luxury hotels and mixed-use properties through the United States, Middle East, China, and Southeast Asia -- much of it for the global firm DiLeonardo. Some of his Zuena's works include luxury hotels in India, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Riyadh.