Profile

World-renowned as the “Number 1 Hospitality Design Firm ” by Interior Design and honored in 2014 by the Gold Key Awards, Hospitality Design Awards, International Hotel Awards, Society of British Interior Design Awards and the European Hotel Design Awards; HBA/Hirsch Bedner Associates, unveils the world ’s most anticipated hotels, resorts, casinos and spas. Leading the hotel design industry since 1965, HBA remains keenly attuned to the pulse of changing industry trends governed by today ’s sophisticated traveler.

The company’s international presence, depth of experience, and detailed industry knowledge enables them to identify interior design trends at their source, make definitive predictions about new directions and innovations, and influence design standards at a global level. HBA’s ultimate objective is to add value, raise standards and enhance the brand of a project ’s owner and operator.

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HBA creates the signature looks of today’s luxury brands, independent contemporary boutique hotels, urban resorts spas, world-class residences, restaurants, and casinos. From continent to continent, each HBAinterior is the result of a unique and sensitive response to location, architecture, and client vision.

The partnership of Howard Hirsch and Michael Bedner began when Howard hired Michael as an entry-level blueprint drafter. They soon founded the company in 1965, becoming one of the first companies to market themselves as a hospitality design firm. Initially focusing their work on projects local to the United States, HBA began work on the Beverly Rodeo Hotel in Beverly Hills and Chez Voltaire, a restaurant in Florida. Over time, HBA expanded its work internationally, establishing an office in Hong Kong and later an office in London.

Currently, with more than 1,600 designers around the globe in 21 offices and a recent expansion in several locations in Asia, HBA is a true global company with more than 85% of its employees now outside the United States.

HBA’s international presence, combined with its extensive knowledge of the interior design industry, has facilitated the ability to rewrite the language of design with each new project.

Projects

JW Marriott Galaxy Macau

JW Marriott

The 5-Star JW Marriott Hotel Macau is one which highlights iconic yet approachable luxury, through stunning craftsmanship and intuitive service. This hotel being Asia’s largest JW Marriott, with 1,015 hotel rooms and suites, boasts a prime location set within Galaxy Macau, a world class entertainment and leisure destination.

Asian Heart is a continued legacy and philosophy of Galaxy Macau. The elegant guestrooms and suites styled with 5-star sophistication and boasting state-of-the-art technology evoke understated luxury and innovation through the use of engaging color palettes, richly textured carpets and accent furniture. Hues of calming blues and greens mixed with tones of golden beige hints, add an unexpected dash of color that stimulate the senses. Throughout the property unconventional modern features are balanced out with the traditional elements keeping everything in tune with the JW Marriott’s brand.

Ritz Carlton Galaxy Macau

Completed: May 2015

Designed in the traditional Ritz-Carlton style, this world class property encompasses stunning classic aesthetics with modern innovations through technology. The all-suite hotel brings elevated luxury within Cotai Galaxy Macau’s integrated exciting new resort. With each suite averaging 96 square meters, the Ritz Carlton Macau truly embodies the highest expectation of the modern luxury traveler.

Avouching a sense of opulence and understated exclusivity, guests arrive at a reprieve where the journey to the Ritz Carlton Macau begins. Before being whisked away to the 51st floor lobby, guests can experience the magnificent corridors surrounded by opulent stone palettes and marble colonnades that circulate throughout the main public levels. Shimmering custom made glass chandeliers that magically hang high above; surround the intimate space where guests are pampered to their every need, from arrival into the hotel to the departure. The sight and scents of beautiful floral arrangements are arranged throughout the public areas accenting the finely crafted and embellished furniture. The guest experience continues, arriving at the spacious suite, featuring elegant furnishings and a soothing color palette that inspire views of the glittering city of Macau.

NUO Beijing

Completed: June 2015

HBA developed the concept of NUO, China’s first high end Hotel brand, as a customized experience for the Chinese guest within China. As such, the four founding concepts of the NUO brand are ‘Chinese,’ ‘Contemporary,’ ‘Luxury,’ and ‘Green.’ From these starting points, the design of each NUO hotel in China will be unique to itself and set within the context of its geography, thus creating an authentic experience rooted in research and designed to create an innate feeling of ‘belonging’ and cultural heritage.

The flagship, NUO Beijing, is located in the capital’s thriving Chaoyang District near the Forbidden Palace and the famed Hutong area. This context led HBA to create an interior design palate inspired from the Ming Dynasty of the 14th to 17th Centuries- a high point in Chinese culture and art that saw a flowering in painting, ceramics, lacquerware and porcelain- but updated to fit 21st century expectations.

Indigo Bangkok

Hotel Indigo Bangkok opened as the lifestyle brand’s first location in South East Asia with a unique design that strongly reflects its surroundings’ culture, character and history. The site on Wireless Road, the birthplace of Thai Radio, home to foreign Embassies and a long-standing center of silk production, is making the neighborhood a fascinating mix of Thai tradition and international style.

HBA found plenty of inspiration to weave into the design, creating a stylish, contemporary architectural environment where vintage elements are innovatively combined with modern, bright colored materials. The result is a fresh, cheerful and contemporary space with a vibrant, inviting atmosphere, set to make the guest feel welcome and at home.

The Castle Hotel, Dalian

Completed: September 2014

Global hospitality design leader HBA has created an enchanting European-inspired castle in China into a modern five-star fairytale -The Castle Hotel in Starwood Hotels & Resorts’ Luxury Collection. The original castle on the site of Dalian’s Xinghai Bay was constructed in 2002 inspired by the famous Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Germany – home to the mad King Ludwig II.

It was built to house a Seashell Museum and apartments, but despite becoming a beloved, iconic local landmark, was extremely under-utilized and largely vacant. On taking ownership, The Dalian Yifang Group set about its transformation into a unique luxury hotel, tearing down the original castle and creating the masterpiece now seen. It’s a one-of-a-kind luxury resort – among a very few in the world inside a castle – and social hub for the beautiful coastal city, bringing on HBA to realize their vision.

 

Park Hyatt Maldives

Completed: September 2013

HBA breathed new life into the Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa, Hyatt’s only five-star luxury hotel in the Maldives. Nearly every facet of the resort was touched by the re-design that was completed in April 2012, from the 50 Maldivian guest villas to the magnificently appointed Dhoni.

The Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa is situated on the Gaafu Alifu Atoll near one of the largest and deepest atolls in the world. Nestled within natural vegetation and only a few steps from the sparkling turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean, the resort embodies secluded luxury.

To see all Hirsch Bedner Associates’ hospitality projects click here.

Recognition

In 2013, HBA earned best in show by Hospitality Design for its interior design work for Four Seasons Guangzhou and The Gallery HBA London’s work for The Alpina Gstaad won The European Hotel Design of The Year. Inge Moore, president of HBA Europe and designer for The Gallery HBA London, was named the 2013 Gold Key Designer of the Year. In 2013, HBA was voted one of the top three most admired design firms in the world by Interior Design magazine, and has won awards for other types of projects, including Best Luxury/Upscale Lobby, Best Spa, and Best Suite.

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Notable Projects

Project Name	Location	Operator	Date Completed
Fairmont Baku, Azerbaijan	Middle East	Fairmont	2013
Grand Hyatt Shenyang	Asia	Hyatt International	2013
Marriott Singapore	Asia	Marriott International	2012
Four Seasons Hotel, Beijing	Asia	Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts	2012
Hotel Alfonso XIII, Seville	Europe	Starwood Hotels and Resorts	2012
The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai International Financial Centre	Middle East	Marriott International, Inc.	2011
Four Seasons Resort Seychelles	Africa	Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts	2009
Hyatt Regency Aruba	Caribbean	Hyatt International	2007
Pan Pacific Seattle	North America	Pan Pacific Hotels & Resorts	2006
Mandarin Oriental, New York	North America	Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group	2004
The Westin Athens, Nafsika	Europe	Independent Operator	2004
ANA InterContinental Tokyo	Asia	ANA Hotels International	2003
Taj Palace Dubai	Middle East	Juma Al Majid Group	2001
The Fullerton Hotel Singapore	Southeast Asia	Independent Operator	2000
The Beverly Hills Hotel	North America	Independent Operator	1995
Park Hyatt Johannesburg	Africa	Hyatt International	1995
Grand Hyatt Dubai, Ahasees Spa & Club	Middle East	Hyatt International	1969

Gallery