OAKLAND, CA—The recent $22 million renovation of the Marriott City Center has caused Marriott to look at the way it designs hotels, incorporating more of a sense of place and local influences. Lisa Haude, president of Paradigm Design Group, designed the guest rooms based on the area's shipping and industrial industries, as well as the state's golden poppies. She discussed these design elements in this exclusive Q&A. (Related: Data on hotel sales may indicate a downward trajectory.)
GlobeSt.com: Please share an example of how the guest room designs are based on the industrial industry and the state flower.
Lisa Haude: There are several elements to the guest rooms that invoke the industrial aspects of Oakland. The custom furniture is a modern interpretation of authentic shipping containers and is stamped with 1852, the year of the city's founding. The bold artwork above each bed highlights the iconic cranes that punctuate the city's skyline and creates a bold focal point. Patterns in the carpet resemble the rolling currents from the Bay, a fundamental element of Oakland's shipping industry.
Recommended For You
Want to continue reading?
Become a Free ALM Digital Reader.
Once you are an ALM Digital Member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking commercial real estate news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical coverage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
*May exclude premium content© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
Lisa Brown
Lisa Brown is an editor for the south and west regions of GlobeSt.com. She has 25-plus years of real estate experience, with a regional PR role at Grubb & Ellis and a national communications position at MMI. Brown also spent 10 years as executive director at NAIOP San Francisco Bay Area chapter, where she led the organization to achieving its first national award honors and recognition on Capitol Hill. She has written extensively on commercial real estate topics and edited numerous pieces on the subject.
