CNY’s Ken Colao, a noted voice amongst hospitality leaders, was chosen to serve on Bisnow’s “Designing Experience for a Flexible Customer” panel, part of yesterday’s Hospitality Investment, Development & Management Summit, held at the InterContinental New York Barclay Hotel.
Colao, President and CEO of CNY and a 38-year veteran of the construction industry, tapped into the knowledge and experience he has amassed over his career, which includes more than 51 completed hotel projects, 14,602 keys and seven new hotel brands brought to the market. These include Midtown Manhattan’s 378,000-SF Marriott Times Square EDITION, the 70-story dual-branded Marriott property at 1717 Broadway and the sustainable boutique 1 Hotel Central Park, along with properties in Long Island, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Puerto Rico and Belgium.
Speaking alongside leaders from Virgin Hotels, Beyer Blinder Belle Architects and others, moderated by StudioH Founder and Creative Director Christina Hart, Colao and his contemporaries discussed many of the benefits and challenges of designing and building for today’s customer. Topics included delicately walking the fine line between mass appeal to guests while maintaining brand quality, incorporating technology and trendy design in an evolving design and delivery process and the micro-sectors that are driving change across the hospitality landscape.
Ken Colao 