"We want the guests to feel at home, to feel inspired at the same time a dire to explore the surrounding nature and community. To feel special and let go of their daily life." — Robert McKinley. Designer Robert McKinley has fashioned some of the most significant hospitality venues in recent years, two of which are available for booking on Plannin. Here's a behind the scenes look at what went into designing Hotel Kinsley and Hotel Joaquin. Hotel Kinsley, Kingston, NY "We needed to make the project design forward and fresh but to still feel connected to the community, and having a sense of place was very important. We did this through colors artwork patterns, textures and motifs typically used upstate New York, but applying them in new ways. One of the buildings was an old bank, so the grand lobby was turned into the restaurant. It has high ceilings and big custom chandeliers that we designed. We also have a small shelf that wraps the perimeter of the restaurant, we’re we display periodicals, vintage, art books and local publications. It really is a community restaurant that people can enjoy all day long. We also created a different hallmark for each building that we incorporated into a print and created custom carpets for the hallways to designate each building with its own graphic elements." Hotel Joaquin, Laguna Beach, CA "Hotel Joaquin is a special property where an old California cottage style motel stood with sweeping views of the Pacific. As soon as you step foot in the courtyard you are transported to Laguna Beach of a bygone era. We took our travels to the Mediterranean and connected it to our love of California which has a very similar climate and terrain so the connection felt very natural. We scoured vintage markets from the south of France to California, and we told a story with each of those objects. It is as if the hotel was our home, and each room was a Little guest house." Stay tuned to see what Robert has planning for Salone in April. Sign up to join the community to see how designers like Robert travel and other exclusive membership perks. #HotelDesign #BookHotels #TravelGuide #LuxuryTravel #Boutique #BoutiqueHotels #GoPlannin