Gettys: Hospitality Design and Development

Daniel Welborn, AIA, LEED® AP

Acting as Principal at Gettys and overseeing our Irvine, California office, Dan Welborn is the embodiment of the hospitality industry. His infectious enthusiasm and love of people drives his passion for hospitality design and architecture. “This industry is all about fostering relationships -- whether it be guests’ relationships with hotel brands or their relationships with one another when visiting one of the properties that we’ve designed – this career path has brought together my two greatest joys: people and great design,” Dan says.

An engaged industry leader, Dan has taught Interior Design studios at Philadelphia University and is a key contributor to the revolutionary Hotel of Tomorrow Project™, a thought-leadership forum spearheaded by Gettys and Hospitality Design Magazine to conceptualize the future of the hospitality industry. Dan has moderated panels at ALIS and ULI on green redevelopment of hotels and has been a panelist at the Atlanta Hotel Investment Conference and Hotel World Conference in Las Vegas on emerging industry trends.

Further cementing Dan’s leadership in the industry; he has been invited to participate as a member of the US Green Building Council’s LEED^® advisory group for the hospitality industry in Washington, D.C.

Recent projects that Dan has led include the environmentally-sensitive Papagayo Princess Resort in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, the new-build Oceanside Beach Resort in Oceanside, California and the renovation of the Fairmont San Jose in San Jose, California.

Dan is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology where he earned a Master’s Degree in Architecture.

Jens Boecher, CPM, LEED® AP

Interested in hotels since a young age traveling throughout Europe on family vacations, Jens’ career trajectory led him straight into the hospitality industry following the completion of his education. After Hilton’s training program, Jens managed hotel restaurants, then hotel events and catering before finding himself leading the purchasing department at the Drake Hotel in Chicago and the Peninsula Hotel Group.

While overseeing Gettys’ team of Procurement Project Managers, Jens also upped the ante in purchasing and procurement for his clients by driving Gettys’ proprietary Integrated Solutions™ functions. Integrated Solutions is a tool that sets Gettys up to act as a fully engaged wholesaler and procurement consultant, handling the entire procurement process from sourcing to management to billing and installation. This turnkey solution relieves clients of endless purchasing headaches.

Fourteen years into his career, he now manages the Gettys’ office in Dubai. In this role he is our client liaison assisting in the day to day management for all active projects in the Middle East/North Africa region, as well as developing new business opportunities for Gettys.

Jens is a graduate of Washington State University where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Business and Hotel & Restaurant Administration. He is also a diploma recipient of the Hotel & Restaurant Administration program at the Hotelconsult – Institute Cesar Ritz in Le Bouveret, Switzerland, and is a Certified Purchasing Manager with the Institute for Supply Management.

Ariane Steinbeck, IIDA, LEED® AP

One of Gettys’ four founding partners, Ariane is the renaissance woman of the foursome. With an affinity for design, a gift for building strong rapport with her clients, a worldview honed through decades of international travel and a keen eye for art in its many forms, Ariane brings a balance to the table that is definitively Gettys.

Ariane's breadth and depth of knowledge pertaining to cultures around the globe is born from a life spent traveling and living around the world. Raised in both Germany and Spain and educated in the United States, Ariane met her three founding partners during their time at Cornell before they hung out their shingle together in Chicago, 1988.

After two decades leading Gettys’ design expertise for the hospitality industry from Gettys Chicago headquarters, she is defining the company’s next chapter abroad. Ariane opened Gettys’ Hong Kong offices in early 2008 and acts as Managing Director as the company continues to build a strong presence in Asia and the Middle East.

Her broad project experience is made up of high-end residential, hotels, and luxury resorts and spas; hundreds of commissions for the nation’s most prominent hotel companies. Her designs have included work for Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, Starwood, Hard Rock, Fairmont, Hilton among just a few.

Ariane’s work has been published in Hospitality Design and Realty and Building Magazine, she been a guest on Bloomberg Asia TV and she has been quoted in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Hotel & Motel Management, Hotel Business, CNN Online and The New York Times. She is a frequent speaker at industry trade shows and has served as guest lecturer for Cornell University’s Hotel School.

Ariane graduated from the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University and speaks German and Spanish fluently. She is a member of the Cornell Hotel Society and previously served as Executive Vice President of the Network of Executive Women in Hospitality (NEWH), Chicago Chapter. She is certified with the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) and is active in a number of industry organizations, including IIDA (International Interior Design Association).

Andrew Fay

Andrew Fay is the President/COO and a founding partner of Gettys where he has spearheaded over 20 years of growth for this innovative and award-winning global hospitality design, procurement and development firm. With his dynamic leadership-style and global sensibilities, Gettys has grown from four founders in 1988 to a talented team of professionals in Chicago, Dubai, Hong Kong, Irvine, California, Miami and New York.

Andrew has led Gettys' charge to revolutionize the hospitality design practice with a keen balance of outstanding design and a unique understanding of the hospitality ownership and development business. Under his leadership, Gettys has successfully completed over 600 hotel and resort projects throughout the world. Gettys' strategic approach consistently earns the firm rankings among the top 10 United States hospitality design and procurement firms.

Andrew's diverse background of hotel operations, real estate finance, and marketing expertise has helped establish Gettys' international reputation for a dynamic and creative approach to the hotel design and development process. By championing innovations such as Gettys' leading-edge Integrated Solutions^TM procurement model and Project Central^TM as well as the exclusive Hotel of Tomorrow (H.O.T.) Project think-tank driving futurism and thought leadership in the hotel industry, Andrew has maintained Gettys' focus on delivering enduring design with measurable investment return.

A noted industry speaker, Andrew is frequently engaged to share his expertise and insight on business and industry strategy as well as trends across the United States and overseas.

Andrew is a native of Australia and an honors graduate of the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration. He is also active with a number of civic groups in Chicago.

Karrie Drinkhahn, IIDA, LEED® AP

A decade-long Gettys veteran and Principal of Gettys’ Miami office, Karrie has built her career by seamlessly combining a fresh design point of view with a deep understanding of design and architecture process, from conception to completion.

Acting as the head of the Miami office, Karrie is among a small handful of “cultural cornerstones” of the Gettys family, a constant proponent of our global vision, hospitality expertise and our consistent eye towards ROI.

Among Karrie’s passions is a fondness of travel. She has traveled extensively both personally and professionally which has shaped her inclusive viewpoint. Since opening the Gettys offices in Miami, Karrie has developed a strong expertise in both the residential and hospitality marketplace in the Caribbean. Working with hospitality’s most respected brands, among them: Fairmont, Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, Carlson and Hilton, has contributed to her breadth of knowledge of our industry. Such notable projects include The Fairmont, New Orleans, the Hilton Grand Vacation Club in Waikoloa Beach, Hawaii; and the Quail Lodge Resort & Golf Club in Carmel, California. In addition, she has worked with several independent and boutique properties, including the Palmyra Resort & Spa in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Prior to joining Gettys, Karrie was employed by a high-end residential firm where she worked on international projects. During her tenure there, she designed, specified and purchased for numerous projects overseas including royal private residences in Saudi Arabia.

Karrie holds a Bachelor’s of Arts in Interior Design from Michigan State University and is a licensed Interior Designer with the State of Florida.

Roger G. Hill II

Roger G. Hill II is CEO & Chairman of Gettys, a leading hospitality design and development firm he co-founded in 1988. He is a respected hospitality industry veteran whose expertise and influence have helped to place Gettys among the most recognized and published firms in the hospitality design industry.

One of the vanguards of a “beautiful design is good business,” philosophy in the hospitality design industry, Roger has led Gettys through two decade of growth by continually raising the bar. First, he changed the business model of a hospitality design firm by adding an in-house procurement department and later, by creating a property development arm to Gettys. Today, Gettys is an industry leader, known for offering a turn-key development-design-procurement formula to hoteliers but also for consistently creating hotels that deliver profits. Most recently, Roger and his team pursued global growth as they opened an office in Hong Kong in 2007.

Roger is frequently called upon by hospitality and business industry publications to provide insight into the redevelopment, renovation, and repositioning of hotels and is repeatedly quoted by national publications. His role as CEO also includes development of strategy and analysis for Gettys’ development efforts, including the acquisition and repositioning of assets throughout the United States. Roger’s achievements earned him Hospitality Design magazine’s prestigious Platinum Circle Award in May, 2005, recognizing exceptional achievement in the hospitality design industry.

Roger is a graduate of the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration. He has served as an appointed delegate for the White House Conference on Small Business. Roger is a member of the Urban Land Institute and the International Society for Hospitality Consultants. He also serves as a board member of the Lincoln Park Zoo and is past president and past trustee of the Auxiliary Board for the Art Institute of Chicago. Additionally, Roger sits on the Young President’s Organization Hospitality Roundtable Committee.

Julius van Heek

As one of the four founding partners of Gettys, Julius’ passion has always been an amalgamation of the abstract and the analytical.

A graduate of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration, Julius focused his studies on the business and the operations of the hotel industry with a concentration on hotel design. While his studies centered on the cerebral, his heart always trended toward the inspired. Julius explains it: “Fashion and design have always been at my essence. I liken it to Milan, where fashion and style is in the hearts and the souls of the people; an innate expression. That’s how I’ve always felt about design and that’s the tone that we’ve set at Gettys.”

Julius began working in hotel management with Westin as well as in independent catering and event planning. While passionate about hospitality, he longed to integrate his creative spirit into his career. When the opportunity arose to start Gettys in 1988, he was thrilled for the opportunity to combine his operations savvy with his artistic inclinations.

At Gettys, Julius has acted as a key contributor to the firm’s approach to design. As the firm grew, Julius led the effort to develop a procurement department. He leveraged his know-how in sourcing and procurement and built the efficiency systems that led to the firm’s reputation as one of the country’s leading hospitality design and procurement companies.

Julius’ talent for orchestrating the internal and external collaboration on each project is key to its success. “I look at every project and ask myself, ‘are all the dots connected here? Does the design make sense? Do the dollars make sense? Have our designers succeeded in combining practicality with creativity? Have we effectively controlled the quality on the project?’ When we’ve hit every mark, we’re in a secure place.”

Most recently, Julius has led projects with such prominent clients as Dolce International, Hilton Hotels Corporation and Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide. His work has been published in Hotel Business, Hotel Design and he has been quoted in The Chicago Tribune, Hotel & Motel Management and Nation’s Restaurant News. Julius also acts as a resource for several notable, internationally-known, thought leaders/futurists and advises companies on trend predictions.

Meg Prendergast

Meg, a Principal and among the longest-standing team members at Gettys, brings more than twenty years of diversified hospitality experience to the firm. She is one of the company's cultural cornerstones, consistently leading her teams with a dedication to delivering stunning hospitality design with a never-failing gracious approach.

Her broad project experience - including high-end residential, hotels, conference centers, luxury resorts and spas - includes hundreds of commissions for the nation's most prominent hotel companies and owners and has resulted in recognition and awards from the industry and her peers.

Meg subscribes to a longtime philosophy of good food, music, art, wine, fashion and friends as inspiration. Her consistent spirit of culture and creativity blended with a commitment to excellence to the Gettys team.

Meg's work has been published in Lodging Hospitality, Contract Design, Design Times, the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Architect. She has been quoted in Hotel & Motel Management and Hospitality Design Magazine on numerous occasions. Meg is a frequent speaker at industry trade shows and has served as guest lecturer for Harrington College of Interior Design.

Meg holds an Associates Degree in Fine Arts from the Harrington College of Interior Design. She previously served as Board Chair of the Network of Executive Women in Hospitality's (NEWH) Chicago chapter. Meg is also active on a variety of local committees including the Parkways Foundation and Chicago Lights and she is currently President of the Women's Board of the Adler Planetarium Chicago.

Michael Maurer, AIA

Michael explains his lifelong interest in architecture and design as an appreciation for the "...dualistic nature of the creative and the technical." It is that left and right brained approach that contributes to his collaborative nature at Gettys. "We are a firm with so many different specialists.... design, procurement, development, consultancy...it wouldn't be right for each project if we didn't pool our specialties and work as a truly rounded team to create amazing hospitality experiences. That's always what truly creates value while also being best for the guest."

Focusing uncompromisingly on creating distinctive design applications that speak solely to each specific project, Michael is uniquely cognizant of brand and concept. The experience that Gettys sets out to create through design balances the guest's needs with the financial needs of each project. "There are no other goals for us. It's about designing one-of-a-kind spaces that are the best solution for the hotel as a whole and no one else," explains Michael.

Having honed this philosophy after nearly two decades in the industry, Michael has specialized predominantly in hospitality design as well as residential and mixed-use properties. At Gettys, Michael manages and directs the interiors staff and acts as principal to lead successful hospitality projects across the globe.

Michael's collective hospitality project experience includes luxury properties in destination locations such as The Westin Hotel Golf & Spa in Abu Dhabi; the Four Palms Resort in St. Martin; the redevelopment of the Hotel Felix, Chicago's first LEED^® Silver hotel; the Elysian Hotel and Private Residences in Chicago; the Emerald Tower at the MGM Grand Casino and the Luxor Casino in Las Vegas.

Michael holds a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He is also active in the American Institute of Architects, the Urban Land Institute and the Greater Northern Michigan Avenue Association. He has been widely published and is a frequent speaker on the topics of hospitality design, mixed-use development and value engineering.

Jerry Zeitner

Jerry Zeitner
Principal

Jerry is a 20-year veteran of the hospitality industry, with a depth and breadth of hospitality experience that brings incredible value his partnerships and projects at Gettys. His career has traversed from the front and the back-of-house at several Hyatt properties throughout the United States, as well as Project Management positions at the flagship Hyatt Regency Chicago and the Hyatt Hotels Corporate offices.

In his decade of experience at Gettys, Jerry has held several key positions beginning as a Project Manager. As Gettys grew and increased its interests in Procurement, Jerry transitioned his focus to direct that business unit, becoming one of the key developers of Gettys' proprietary Integrated Solutions^TM procurement management system.

As Gettys continues to expand its hospitality expertise into hotel development, Jerry, once again, has been one of our internal vanguards, leading the development and investment arm, acquiring and redeveloping complex, large-scale projects in gateway urban markets. He advises on feasibility and due diligence analysis, capital improvement budgeting and ROI analysis, brand and management company identification and selection, and master planning and project management both for Gettys' own development projects and in a consultant capacity for clients.

"What's amazing about our foray into Development is that it gives us a whole new perspective to hospitality design and procurement," explains Jerry. "At Gettys, every partner we have who is going through a growing pain, or trying to cut through some red tape, is experiencing something that we, too, have personally experienced. It gives us a really valuable perspective that we can leverage for the success of every project."
Jerry's recent development successes, driven through Gettys' Hotel Fund I, include the repositioning of the Hotel Cass-Mag Mile, the comprehensive redevelopment of the Doubletree Hotel & Conference Center in Skokie, the total redevelopment of Hotel Felix and the development of an independent luxury hotel in the landmark IBM
Building located in Chicago.

Jerry holds a Bachelors degree in Finance from Illinois State University and is an active member of the Institute for Supply Management.

Duk J. Kim, AIA, LEED® AP

A veteran of the design industry and leader of Gettys' Chicago Design Studio, Duk has used his philosophy of collaboration in his work around the globe. "The excitement in what I do comes from the fact that I am often the link between an owner and brand - we have many talented designers in different offices and countries from which to pool exciting, culturally sensitive ideas to realize the vision of the owner while adding to the brand's portfolio... whether the ideas originated from my own sketches or someone else on the team, our collaborative nature keeps our design interesting..." explains Duk.

Always designing from the guest's perspective, Duk strives to create what he refers to as "habitable art" or an art that celebrates a holistic experience of one's surroundings. He has been able to apply his ideas and philosophy on designs of highly complex mixed-use buildings around the globe while successfully collaborating with international teams and consultants. His experience includes work on hotels, resorts, casinos, spas, residential, and retail spaces.

At Gettys, Duk's international expertise has led him to oversee project work including the new-build Resorts World Manila in the Philippines, the Sheraton D3 - City Hotel in Seoul and the new-build environmentally sustainable Papagayo Princess Resort in Costa Rica.

Prior to joining Gettys, Duk has contributed to such projects including The Lagoons, a luxury residential, hotel and retail development in Dubai, and the new-build Chicago Spire luxury high-rise condominiums overlooking Lake Michigan in downtown Chicago.

Duk received a Master of Architecture from the University of Michigan. In addition to his extensive design work around the world, Duk is a licensed architect and has taught interior design classes at a CIDA accredited interior design college for over a decade. He is conversant in Korean.

Ron Swidler

The first employee hired by the founding partners in 1988, Ron Swidler has held many titles and many projects through his career at Gettys. While educated as an interior designer and project manager, it has been Ron's linchpin personality and passion for reinvention that has made the greatest impact on the culture of the company.

Entrusted and empowered with the Gettys brand, Ron grew the firm's client list and project portfolio throughout the US, Caribbean and into Asia as a scout and ambassador. Acting as a catalyst for collaborative and early-stage innovative thinking, Ron has shaped dozens of hotel, resort and brand initiatives over his two decades at Gettys.

It was Ron's passion for new approaches to new ideas that birthed the Hotel of Tomorrow (H.O.T.) Project in 2003. The industry-wide think-tank, led by Gettys and populated by designers, consultants, owners, operators, students and manufacturers provided numerous insights into the future of hotel and product design.

A noted industry speaker, Ron is frequently engaged to share the research and results of the H.O.T. Project throughout the world.

Ron is a born-and-raised Chicagoan and a graduate of the University of Illinois.

Daniel C. Pierce

A Principal located out of Gettys' Chicago office, Dan's global design perspective began to develop as he launched his career in México City. As lead designer for a large boutique hotel in Cancún, México charged with re-defining hospitality on the Rivera Maya, Dan's passion for interiors and architecture came to life. "When designing for destination hotels and resorts, I always appreciate the juxtaposition that the projects present and I look to enhance the relationship between the visitor and the visited. This is especially important in destinations defined by their unique natural landscape or culture. It's that sense of duality and sense of mystery that speaks to me and inspires innovation in the design."

Today, Dan's expertise in designing hotels and resorts around the world for Gettys includes México, the Caribbean, the Middle East and Asia. This diverse international experience has helped shape Gettys' global growth.

Some of his project work has included the restoration of the hurricane-ravaged Hyatt Regency Cancún; the recently opened new-build Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Macau's Coati Strip; the renovation of a luxury beach hotel in Dubai; the historic conversion of St. Louis' Union Station Hotel to a Marriott; the Palmyra Spa & Resort in Jamaica, MB by Michelle Bernstein in Cancún; and private residences in México, Spain, and the US.

Dan received a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Arizona. In addition, he participated in the College of Architecture overseas program at Universidad de La Salle in México City where he returns often as a guest lecturer and design critic. Dan is fluent in Spanish.

Bradley F. Gookins, CPA

As the Vice President of Finance, Brad directs and oversees all financial functions for Gettys; including accounting, tax, audit, management reporting, budgeting, cost controls, and cash/treasury functions.  He is a member of and partners with the Gettys senior management team to achieve the organization’s financial goals as well as to analyze and consummate firm growth and expansion opportunities.

His responsibilities include developing and maintaining a process of identifying, accumulating, analyzing, interpreting, preparing and communicating financial information to be used in strategic decision making. Brad works effectively with other senior and executive level management, Advisory Board members, private equity partners, financial institutions, outside auditors and tax accountants to drive improved profitability. He is responsible for providing accurate information that complies with generally accepted accounting principles and/or industry standards.

Prior to joining Gettys, Brad was the Controller for Interra Development Partners, LLC, a commercial real estate developer based in Chicago and joint venture partner with Prudential Real Estate Investors of New Jersey.  He was also a Senior Auditor for the Chicago Real Estate Group of Ernst & Young, LLP.

Brad is a graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio where he received a Masters Degree in Accountancy.  He is a certified public accountant in the State of Illinois and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).  In addition, Brad is an adjunct professor teaching managerial accounting classes at the Keller Graduate School of Management.