Hospitality Giants 2015 Research

They say the one constant is change, and that’s a valuable lesson we’ve learned since 1985. Yes, the Interior Design list of 75 Giants firms in the hospitality sector hits the big 3-0 this year. Does this coming of age imply a change in overall trends for the group? Let’s go to the numbers. As a group, 41 percent of overall fees come from hospitality work, and that number has seen little recent fluctuation. For some perspective, the next-in-line category is corporate office at 26 percent. After that, categories such as government drop off into the single digits.

As for the last 30 years—and the next 30—here’s a tidbit. We asked the hospitality Giants to tell us about the biggest changes both over that period and going forward. The answer wasn’t unanimous, but it was close. Technology. It influences virtually every choice a hospitality designer makes today. As the Gettys Group puts it, “Technology has transformed the guest experience. We have to think now, more than ever, about each moment in the space. How can we help guests stay connected? Share their experience? Engage them through social media and technology platforms while there? We are constantly asking ourselves these questions to enhance our design.” The future is now.

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Methodology

The annual business survey of Interior Design hospitality Giants ranks the largest design firms by hospitality design fees for the 12-month period from July 2014 through June 2015. Hospitality design fees include those attributed to:

1. All hospitality interiors work.

2. All aspects of a firm’s hospitality design practice, from strategic planning and programming to design and project management.

3. Fees paid to a firm for work performed by employees and independent contracts who are full-time staff equivalent.

Hospitality design fees do not include revenues paid to a firm and remitted to subcontractors that are not considered full-time staff equivalent. For example, certain firms attract work that is subcontracted to a local firm. The originating firm may collect all the fees and retain a management or generation fee, paying the remainder to the performing firm. The amounts paid to the latter are not included in fees of the collecting firm when determining its ranking. Additionally, where applicable, all percentages are based on responding hospitality Giants, not their total number. The data was compiled and analyzed by the Interior Design market research staff, led by Wing Leung, research director.

Related Links:

2015 Hospitality Giants: Fees

2015 Hospitality Giants: Staff

2015 Hospitality Giants: Market Sector Breakdown