Chantell Walsh, Strategic Hotels & Resorts

0:00Chantell Walsh:Hi, I'm Stacey Schumacher-Rowan, Editor-in-Chief of Hospitality Design Magazine with HD's What I've Learned podcast. Every other week, we sit down with the stars of the design world to learn about their journey, where they are now, how they got here, and what they've learned along the way. Together, we'll get inspired, hear behind-the-scenes stories about some of the world's most notable hospitality projects, hear the ups and downs of creating a business, and dive headfirst into all things design. From architects and designers to hoteliers and entrepreneurs, and all of the multifaceted talents in between, join me to meet the passionate people who make up this industry.

0:39I think this industry is built on trust and collaboration, and I would never underestimate the power of storytelling. But again, the design resonates emotionally, and making the space unforgettable is something we should all be lucky to do in our careers.

0:59Chantell Walsh:Hi, I'm here with Chantel Walsh of Strategic. Hi, Chantel. Thanks so much for joining us today. How are you? I'm good. Good morning. Thanks for having me. Yeah, excited to chat. So we always start at the beginning. Where did you grow up? I grew up in a pretty small town in central Minnesota. Didn't have a lot of things to do, so we spent most of the time running outside and basically creating our own fun. I think we were one of the last generations that grew up without any distractions. So we kind of had to design our own, uh, adventures. Yeah. Was there any inkling that design would be in your future?

1:36Chantell Walsh:Were you a creative kid or surrounded by creativity by anyone? I spent a lot of time hoarding graph paper and I would sit in my room and draw floor plans. And each time I'd kind of like make minor modifications to them. Um, but I also just played a lot of team sports. I wouldn't say that there was like a strong inkling towards design but I think I had it created a foundation that was kind of going in that direction and I think you know the shared goals of like a bigger picture working as a team on team sports like definitely gravitated towards my career path yeah what did you play I played softball volleyball and basketball nice I was only good at one of the three which one was that?

2:19Chantell Walsh:Softball. Okay. It's a good one to be good at. Yeah. I was not telling that I had no career in basketball, but you tried. That's all I tried. That's the point. I tried. Yeah. Um, okay. So you went to school for architecture though. So what drove you to pursue that route? How did you end up with, you know, going to school for that? So I spent most of high school kind of taking all the architectural and art classes that they offered. And I pretty much sealed my fate in that. I would say one of my drafting instructors in architecture set me up with a job shadow with a firm in Minneapolis called KKE Architects.

2:58And they basically did a lot of institution work and followed the educational sector. So he set me up with a job shadow and I went there one day and they sat me in a room with their whole studio and they're working on a new construction school. and they started asking me these questions like, what do you like? You know, is daylight important to you when you're in the classroom? And how about the sound? And what do you do during the in-between classes? Kind of like sparked this interest that like it made me realize that design can evoke feelings and emotions. And I feel like that really like sealed the deal of like going to college and pursuing architecture as a career path.

3:35And then did college help? Did that? Yes.

3:39Chantell Walsh:You had to college foster that. Yeah. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. I wouldn't say it was hospitality focused, but I mean, my career or my college degree was in architecture. So it was all design based. Yeah. Amazing. So what were some of your first jobs out of college and what were some of the biggest takeaways before you got to strategic? So I wouldn't say my first job was life changing. I would say my second job was, and that was an architecture firm that I worked at here in Chicago that was based on like Miesian modernism. You know, Mies was obviously big here in Chicago. And I had the privilege of working really closely with one of the principals of the firm, Greg Goble.

4:24And he kind of was one of those principals that let you struggle and he would never give you the answer. So I'd have to go through and sift through drawing sets, try to find the details. and then I'd finally come to his office and be like, I'm failing. I can't figure this out. And he would roll out this giant piece of trace paper and sit down and draw through the details with me and say, this is where you went right. This is where you went wrong. And I think that mentorship was pretty much everything. That taught me how to think critically. And it taught me that design is much about the process as it is the product.

4:58And I think that guidance is something that's really rare these days that you can't find in a lot of firms that like one-on-one attention. So I'll never take that for granted. He was an awesome mentor to have. That's amazing. And then how did you get introduced to Strategic? I was introduced by an Afton manager at the time that I knew as an acquaintance. And it was right after like the OA crash when nobody was really doing new construction and architecture firms weren't doing anything. And he mentioned that he worked at strategic. He mentioned that they were looking for in-house design support.

5:34And it was kind of a time where like everyone was just doing like very small interior renovations and they were just doing it in-house. So they brought me in. I was actually, it was like 2010. So I started as a consultant before I actually was hired at strategic. And that was kind of the pivot that changed everything. It wasn't the path I'd planned, But, you know, ultimately, it's where it landed.

5:56Chantell Walsh:And you've been there now 14 years. Congratulations. Yeah. 15 if you include the consultant phase. But yeah. Okay. Yeah. And so how has your role there changed? And, you know, how has the company evolved? I mean, from where you began to where you are now? It's been a roller coaster, to say the least. There's been a lot of executive change over the years. we were publicly traded when I started working. We're now private. We've had different ownerships. I'm sure that will continue. I've had, I think, three different bosses since I've been here, maybe four or three. But it's been awesome just because each one of them has their own special role.

6:43And I feel like they own their own background of expertise. And I think it's a small team. It's really just Tim Taylor and I, and we kind of oversee everything from concept, scope, all the way through execution. So it's small and mighty, but like, it's, it's an adventure at the least.

7:01Chantell Walsh:Yeah. So how many projects are you working on at a time with the small and mighty team and talk a little bit about your process and how you do that with, you know, only three. Yeah, I know. I'm like, how do we do that? It's a good time. At any point in time, it can be, I think right now I probably have probably 20 projects. But they vary in scale and that can go up to like, there's times where we may have 60 projects between the two of us. But we've got teams on every project. Some of the smaller projects I'll do in-house if I just need some furniture refresh or a suite, I may just do it myself.

7:44and make the specs, hire a purchasing agent, things like that. So it kind of varies, but we kind of have to really trust the people we hire, basically.

7:58Chantell Walsh:So talk to me about that. How do you pick a collaborator? What do you look for in a collaborator? And then what do you think defines a successful collaboration? I think, like we said, it starts with trust. And I think you have to really have a clear vision, not only for yourselves, but also for your consultants on what the project scope is. But I think the best outcomes are really when both sides have respect for that vision. And ultimately, the creativity needs to meet the business logic. So we try to hire people that we've worked with. It's hard to hire people you haven't worked with. And if I do, it's going to be a smaller project, first and foremost, just until we get that trust level, because we don't really approach the relationship of like, we trust everything you do, it's earned.

8:41So it takes a while.

8:45Chantell Walsh:And then what type of projects are you working on? Do you guys mostly live in upscale luxury or do you have a, you know, broader scale of projects or talk to us about it? We've sold a couple of our assets over the last few years that were probably our three top luxury properties. So historically, we've always been a luxury resort company. We've sold the three top luxury resorts. We still have luxury assets, but we kind of have a little bit more urban properties right now. So the projects are typically always renovations or rehabilitations. We rarely do new construction ground up. There's a couple of things that we will do that we have actual real estate from Mount Scottsdale, probably Ritz-Carlton, Heaven Bay and Ritz-Laguna.

9:32I would actually have real estate where we could do some new construction. But for the most part, it's mostly renovation projects. Anything from guest room renovation to restaurant to an exciting parking garage. I don't know. Yeah. It can go all over the place. Exciting parking garage.

9:50Chantell Walsh:Yeah. I was like, I don't want that one. No. Is a parking garage ever exciting, but maybe. It's been going on. And like the most exciting thing I think has been like the paint color of it right now. So yeah. You can get creative. Yeah. I mean, so you kind of fell into hospitality. What is the, what do you love most about it? What's kept you there? Um, you know, kept you in this, in this business. Yeah. I think I love the, you know, that we get to craft this stage for the guest experiences and it can be elegant and immersive, but I think to be true, truly honest, it's honestly the people that we work with behind the scenes.

10:33And it's, it's a global industry, but it's actually a close knit family and you're kind of collaborating with passionate creative minds. And that's what makes it such a rewarding process. You know, I think we all know all these, you know, everything that we all go to, like it's a small industry and it's special. It's a, it's fun to have these relationships.

10:57Chantell Walsh:No, 100%. I do think, you know, I've attended other industries, you know, other events and other design industries. And like, there is just something about hospitality. It's like, I don't know if it's like you bend through the ringer together or, you know, what it is, but like, there is that camaraderie. And for lack of better word, too, it's incestuous. Everyone's worked together at some point. Yes. And yeah, I'm sure that, you know, the accounting and tax conventions are thrilling, but I don't think they can hold a candle to us. Yeah, exactly. OK, so we kind of talked like big picture your projects, but has there been a recent project that you're really proud of or that really you think sums up like what type of work you're doing at strategic?

11:45um i think you know the two biggest projects that we've had right now that you know i think we're still coming up from air on one is opening the region santa monica um converting that flag from a lowe's to a regent and reducing the key count that was a big renovation and then um obviously opening the waldorf new york this week was a huge undertake it's been closed for nearly eight years i've been on it since i think 21 none of us can actually remember when we started working on this project. It's like kind of yesterday, actually, that we can't figure out what year it was. But those are big undertakings.

12:22And I think I said the other day, you know, it's rare. The world of New York like really defines an era. And it's been an honor to like be part of that project and be involved in unveiling it and kind of giving it back to the city to endure. Those are both really special projects that they sort of take the life out of you, but they also are so rewarding. And, you know, the learning process of those projects is never over. There's always new challenges. Okay.

12:53Chantell Walsh:Let's dive into the Waldorf a little bit. Cause I do get such an iconic property and, you know, like you said, been closed for eight years. Everyone's been waiting with bated breath for this to open. No pressure. But the one question I like can't wait to never have to answer again is when is it going to open? You're like, it's open. It's done. But, I mean, just give some context. I mean, how many, and you don't have to know all the exact numbers, but there were so many different people that worked on it and, you know, actually preserving it was such a huge undertaking, right? Yeah, definitely.

13:29Yeah, the historic preservation and then making the decision to landmark certain areas and restore it back to its original glory. I think that was such a special move, albeit costly. No one is ever going to do what we did to that property ever again. At least not in our lifetime. Maybe in 75 years something happens. But it is what it is. No one's ever going to kind of take that undertaking again. But the meticulous detail that went into preserving it and giving it story back is really special. I hope that when people go there, it kind of evokes nostalgia. I hope it evokes a positive feeling when they get there and they realize how much work actually went into it.

14:18Yeah.

14:19Chantell Walsh:And you said you had like hundreds of artisans, you know, just doing the ceiling work and the, you know, unearthing. And the cool thing that I found, too, that you guys use the old photos, the documentation of what it was and now comparing to is pretty impressive. Yeah. I mean, even down to the drapery in the ballroom, P.O.A.R. did a fantastic job of kind of like we had all these great archival photos, But they really relied on those photos to kind of replicate in a slightly modern way a lot of the history and exploring those details. But, you know, having the scaffolding set up in every single ballroom and Jade and Astor and Basildon and seeing the workers hand paint the murals and getting them back to their original layer of actual paint.

15:10and then they had a plaster shop set up on one area where they're hand making all the plaster moldings and the motifs on site so there's a lot that you know hopefully we'll be able to unveil some of the photos of that process at some point because I think people would really appreciate the detail that went into that.

15:29Chantell Walsh:100 % and you said too in that big ballroom I mean it's what can fit like 1500 people and it's three tiers of you know seating but that you know having the scaffolding all the way up to that ceiling was really impressive. Yeah. Before they took it down, I went up there and just like touched the ceiling with like a finger. I was like, I'm never going to touch a ceiling again. Yeah. Especially that ceiling. Yeah. I think they did a great job of actually what you don't actually see is the modernization that went into all those rooms. So they still look historic and traditional and have that grander, but they now have lights that can like automatically drop down and make it a modern event.

16:11So merging those two worlds together, we'll, we'll give it some advancement.

16:16Chantell Walsh:Yeah. Okay. And then the Regent Santa Monica. Very good. That was like a lightning speed renovation. I think we, gosh, I think we did that in less than two years. I think we closed it, started the design process. We started the design process without even having a brand on board yet. So I knew it was going to be a luxury hotel, but we still had the RFP out. So we didn't know if it was going to be a Four Seasons, a Park Hyatt region, what it was going to be. I just knew I had to design a luxury model room and everything else. And we knew to do that, you had to increase your square footage for a hotel room.

16:57So we dropped key count basically by half and started that renovation and design process. And then eventually brought IHG in, but it was mostly designed. I think at the tail end, we started doing the specialty suites with them. But it's a beautiful property that, you know, they've had a little bit of struggle with some of the stuff that's going on and, you know, fires and everything else that's gone on in LA. But it was a fun project. It was probably the first project where I think it was truly our vision at Strategic to execute that from aesthetics to scope to the deliverable. And it's pretty rare you get that opportunity in the career.

17:40Yeah.

17:41Chantell Walsh:And it was also the first Regent here in the States, too. So then you added that layer. Well, the original one was Regent Beverly Hills from the movie Pretty Women. And so they brought it back, kind of. yeah i was like wait does it have to look like that do you remember when she wrote reed bev will yeah yeah pretty woman yeah we kind of in the riddle in the beginning we're like do we need a sweet name to like something related to the movie like i don't think actually people realize that the brand is the same brand as that yeah that's kind of fun i know fun marketing campaign yeah is there other projects on the boards that you're looking forward to um i've got you know we've we've got all of our big heavy projects done we're kind of back in design phase right now i've got a some specialty suite projects that i'm pretty excited about we're doing a very fast uh four seasons project in silicon valley that i'm usually all up for a challenge but this one actually gives me anxiety um so i brought my a team on every avenue and somehow we'll hopefully get this done before super bowl but um a lot of sweet projects we just closed out Ritz Laguna.

18:52We just did a full rooms, corridor, suite, club lounge, spa, and pool renovation there. So it's kind of the point, we've kind of gotten to the point where a lot of our properties were like, we've just renovated, you guys got to fly now. So it's a lot of smaller projects we're coming back to in design phase.

19:08Chantell Walsh:Well, that's kind of nice after all you've been working on. I know. I need some like self-care at some point. And then talk to me too, you just mentioned suites. I feel like there's been a resurgence. Like I feel like the industry went all public spaces, right. And guest rooms were not forgotten, but they weren't pushed. Does that make sense? And now I feel like everyone is like, Oh, everyone wants, you know, that residential home away from home. There's more, you know, group travel, you know, multi-generational travel, all these different things that are now putting a focus back on suites and guest rooms, would you agree?

19:48Chantell Walsh:And, you know, how are you guys approaching them? Yeah, I think that definitely the specialty suites kind of took like a backseat for a while and they kind of were like the forgotten child a little bit. And we're trying to reposition some of those suites too, because I mean, to be honest, the money that people will pay for some of those suites per night is kind of insane. And so we've got quite a few projects actually where we really pushed capital into renovating suites i just did um all of our suites at four seasons dc with forest perkins and then obviously we did a lot at ritz laguna regionst monica halfman bay i'm about to do silicon valley and then i've got a spectacular one at essex jw that we're going to do that has a panoramic view of central park south um and we're trying to make them a little bit more functional too not just from an aesthetic standpoint but there's not a lot of product out there anywhere that has the ability to be like a four bedroom suite, unless you're in like a resort Caribbean area where you can get a villa or something like that.

20:49But like, we're trying to create the flexibility where like if the family wants to come and create a four bedroom walk-off or a delegation wants to come and they want to have their private security in one room adjacent to them or anything like that. So I think there's a lot more attention on how those are configured, which is sparking some interest, but it's also, like you said, we're trying to make them feel more residential evoke kind of a feeling when you walk into them that it feels comfortable i feel like we all kind of went through that bland phase of a color palette and then it like bold and maximalism maximalism and i feel like we're now trying to balance the two a little bit and have um kind of a blended old with the new and maybe it's not all the furniture is new maybe you find like an antique chest and you put it in the corner or something like that so something that starts to feel a little bit more nostalgic.

21:37Chantell Walsh:Yeah. A hundred percent. And also like, where do you spend the money right on these? I think that's really important, especially as budgets are tight and, you know, as you're mentioning lead times are short. So how do you look at that as well? Yeah, that's, I don't know that I have solved that answer yet. Someday. I think we've got to like choose our battles. I think the construction is, it's killing us a little bit, but it's been, it's been hard right now. I think we're all kind of navigating this, the challenges together. And especially with FF &E finding partnering with the right vendors right now is really key.