The Aero Hotel was a proposed theme boutique hotel in
Seattle, WA—also known as “Jet City.”
The Aero Hotel would have been the world’s first boutique hotel catering to an overlooked market—aviators, aviation enthusiasts and aviation tourists. (#avgeeks)
The concept was based on the “Golden Age of Jet Travel,” when air travel was less of a chore and more of a lifestyle. Properties for new construction as well as an adaptive reuse of an existing historic structure adjacent to King County International Airport (“Boeing Field”) were put under contract during the investor search phase.
As Partner and Chief Creative Officer I spearheaded the development phase with future plans to scale the project as per growth projections.
Below are excerpts from the proposal we presented to local officials, architectural advisors, market researchers and potential investment partners.
<< key responsibilities >>
creative direction • architectural concepting • visual content • branding/naming • copywriting • strategy • positioning • presentation
Branding
The Aero Hotel was to be a concept more than a place to spend the night or have a drink. Drawing on the history of Seattle as a pioneer in commercial aviation during the post-war era of the 50s and 60s, the brand itself would take this already-storied mid-century modern history and add to it a contemporary flair. Lines would be clean, serifs absent. But while nodding to this past, Aero would avoid kitsch and cliché. This property would feel as comfortable and timeless in 2050 as 1950.
Rendering
For this project, prosaic descriptions of dreams was not going to be enough. Like the development of a new aircraft design, a mock-up was required. Working alongside an environmental designer, we took city plans of the existing property and overlaid the vision of The Aero Hotel. The new construction lobby including Flightlevel, the rooftop bar with sweeping views of Boeing Field and Mt. Rainier, would be side-by-side with the renovated historic structure. And of course, the prominent flashing AERO neon sign, reminiscent of the large, bold signs atop airline hangars.
credits:
partner/chief creative officer: William Anthony Lemus-García
design partner: Official Manufacturing Company
graphic designer: Thomas Bradley
sr. environmental designer: Garth Klippert