Blog Archive: April 2010

Six months and 23 days, that's how long it has been since we found out we had won the first USGBC Sustainable Suite Competition! Now with the Hospitality Design Expo just 3½ weeks away, we are making sure all the pieces are in place for our Haptik suite to come to life. We're putting together our final check lists and marking items off every day as the show gets closer.

Reclaimed wood headboard…check, outdoor garden balcony…check, eucalyptus sheets…check, walls…check!

We have been working closely with USGBC to make sure this is a success for everyone. On May 19th, WATG and IDEO will unveil their winning design at the Hospitality Design Expo in Las Vegas, NV for all to see. This isn't just another model room, it's an experience. If you will be attending the HD Expo, please visit the Haptik Suite and discover all the subtle nuances of sustainability enveloped in luxury. Also be sure to check out our many gracious vendors and sponsors that helped make this a reality with their donations of sustainable products.

After the HD Expo, the Haptik Suite will be moved to a more permanent location at the College of Southern Nevada.

After a client presentation in northern Italy last Thursday, I was traveling back to the Pisa airport, when Sadie, an executive assistant in London, rang me to tell me I was going nowhere fast and certainly not back to London. But she managed after a lot of hassle to book me a nice hotel where I waited...

Two days later I was sitting in my Pisa hotel dining room wondering how much longer I would be there (the travel agents weren't optimistic!) when I noticed that the people at the next table spoke English. Pretty soon we got to talking. Like me they were also stuck after a week's Italian language course.

"Why don't we rent a bus and drive back to UK?" I suggested.

Within minutes most of the diners, overhearing our conversation and likewise "stuck," mobbed us. They were all potential passengers. We had doctors from a conference on schizophrenia in Florence, biologists from a workshop in Pisa, families on holiday and a few business people making a group of over 40 including six kids. Within four hours, thanks to my Italian speaking friends, we had our bus with two drivers. In the end, 35 of us departed at 4 am the following morning for Calais leaving a number of disappointed people behind. Not enough space for everyone. We drove through the glorious northern Italian and French Alps and up past Lyon. 20 hours later, after three 10 minute 'comfort stops' (no time to eat so we carried food with us), we had arrived at Calais. Although we missed our ferry booking, the coach was much s..l..o..w..e..r than anticipated, we were able to get on the last midnight ferry to Dover.

Although exhausting, we made it!

I met great people.

It was relatively inexpensive - only euro 150 each - and a real adventure!