Stephen Perkins’ lifelong fascination with the life and design of hotels began with his UCLA master of architecture thesis:  a hotel that used abstracted local cultural, architectural and landscape forms to explore the narrative nature of that place.  HotelStudio, the firm founded with his partner, Mendy Winkler, in 2016, represents the decades-long distillation of this approach to the story- and place-centric design of unique hotels, resorts, serviced residential and fine homes.

 

Stephen’s background in international hospitality design and design management have crossed broad cultural divides and for luxury hotels and resorts. In 1992 and 1993, Stephen served as a senior planner and designer for the master plan for the US$5 billion doubling of Tokyo Disneyland.  Working with Dentsu and Tokyo Disneyland’s owner, Oriental Land Company, the developed premise of the park’s redevelopment was the future of Japanese family leisure following major changes in the structure of the Japanese workforce.  Following this engagement, Perkins joined Gensler’s hospitality and entertainment practice, leading the effort to develop an entertainment retail model for The Mills Corporation, building on lessons learned on Tokyo Disneyland.

 

In 1998, Stephen co-founded ForrestPerkins sharing leadership of the firm’s international architecture and interior design practice from Washington, D.C. Notable projects include the Jefferson Hotel in Washington, D.C., The Fairmont Hamilton Princess in Bermuda, La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California, the restoration of Palmer House Hilton in Chicago, and the repositioning of the Ciragan Palace Hotel in Istanbul.

 

In 2004, in recognition of his luxury design leadership Stephen was inducted into Platinum Circle, the hospitality design industry’s highest honor, and in 2007, in recognition of his economic analysis of the upper-upscale and luxury segments for CAPEX 2007, was selected for membership in the International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC).

 

In 2012, fourteen years following ForrestPerkins’ founding, Stephen left ForrestPerkins and during his non-compete period managed, as owner’s agent, the design of the $100 million headquarters development of the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, DC, which opened in 2016; served as the DC principal for 3north and co-authored a book titled Addison Mizner: The Architect Whose Genius Defined Palm Beach, released in March of 2018.

 

Stephen worked in the offices of AIA Gold Medalists Michael Graves, FAIA and Charles W. Moore, FAIA. He also worked with Allen Eskew FAIA at Perez Associates Architects in New Orleans; with Projects Pacific in Palo Alto and Honolulu, and served as Senior Associate/Director of Architecture in Gensler’s Washington, D.C. office prior to founding ForrestPerkins in 1998.

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SELECT PROJECTS

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• The Acadia at Metropolitan Park, Arlington, VA

• The Alluvian Hotel, Greenwood, MS

• Armitage, An Urban Resort: Richmond, VA

• Blackberry Farm Master Plan, Walland, TN

• Carmel Valley Ranch, Carmel, CA

• The Darcy Condominiums, Bethesda, MD

• The Fairmont Hamilton Princess Hotel, Bermuda

• Harpeth Curio Collection, Franklin, TN

• The Hermitage, Nashville, TN

• Hilton Suites, Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

• InterContinental, New Orleans, LA

• InterContinental The Barclay, New York, NY

• The Jefferson Hotel, Washington, DC

• The Jefferson Hotel, Richmond, VA

• JW Marriott and Residences, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

•  JW Marriott, Washington, DC

• Le Meridien, New Orleans, LA

• Marriott, Richmond, VA

• Marriott Marquis, New York, NY

• Marriott Suites, Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

• The Metropolitan Residences, Pentagon City, VA

• Midtown Residences, Reston, VA

• Midtown Lofts, Reston, VA

• Morrison Clark, Washington, DC

• Eola Hotel, Natchez, MS

• The Nines, Portland, OR

• Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, Carlsbad, CA

• The Palmer House Hilton, Chicago, IL

• Piazza d’Italia Hotel, New Orleans, LA

• Renaissance Providence, Providence, RI

• Ritz Carlton Club and Residences, San Francisco, CA

• Rosewood, Athens, Greece

• Salamander Resort and Spa, Middleburg, VA

• The St Regis Hotel & Branded Residences, Amman, Jordan

• West End 25, Washington, DC

• Willard Intercontinental, Washington, DC

• Tokyo Disneyland Master Plan, Maihama, Japan

• 450 K Street Apartments, Washington, DC