Using the hospitality industry’s own yardsticks of occupancy rates, room rates, and revenue per available room (RevPAR), the research illustrates that hotels designed by WAT&G have outperformed competitors on all three measurements over the seven-year period covered by the study. 

The research methodology involved isolating several key variables that can influence the economic success of hotel properties:  location, management, time frame, and design.  Keeping all the variables constant—except for who designed the hotel—the results indicate a very strong, statistically significant relationship between WAT&G’s designs and the hotels’ revenue stream. 

On average, nationwide in the United States, hotels designed by WAT&G earn RevPAR for their clients that is $50 per night higher than the competitive set of hotels managed by the same operators over the same seven-year period.  Similar results were obtained comparing WAT&G - designed hotels in California and Hawaii to those designed by other firms. 
 
Hotels in the study are operated by Four Seasons, Hilton, Hyatt, Ritz-Carlton, Sheraton, and Westin. 

Smith Travel Research is the recognized leader in providing lodging industry statistics and tracking hotel performance.  They maintain a database of over 40,000 lodging establishments in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. 

WAT&G has been steadily honing its expertise in hotel design since its first project in 1945—the renovation of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Waikiki.  Today, the firm is recognized as the world’s number one specialist in hospitality, leisure, and entertainment design. 

For a more detailed synopsis of the research methodology and results, please contact Howard J. Wolff, vice president, or Robert Zheng, research analyst.