First word: Spring break

The winter of our discontent has sputtered to an end. What a relief.

Of course, the issues related to the global economic mess still hound us … but recent business indicators offer a tiny sliver of hope that the travel industry will experience by Q4, if not growth, at least a stabilization from the freefall of recent months.

My own sour mood brightened last month when I traveled to Las Vegas for the second HotelWorld Expo & Conference. In that city of boundless ambition and can-do optimism, not even declining occupancies and bankrupt hotel developments could totally quash attendees’ spirits. The new M Resort celebrated its grand opening and Steve Wynn’s lavish Encore was basking in the glow of its glittering debut. And, as a fairly frequent traveler to Sin City , I’ve never experienced such great service at all levels of hospitality, from check-in to housekeeping to dining.

Thomas Johnson (center), director of marketing and business development, HBA/Hirsch Bedner Associates, accepts an award from (left) Van Heffner, president and CEO, Nevada Hotel & Lodging Association and Paul Heney, editorial director, HotelWorld Network.

Our second Hospitality & Design Awards Dinner, held at the Mandalay Bay resort, was a festive and boisterous celebration of excellence in hotel design and operations. At the event, I dined with representatives from Gensler, HBA and ABA Design Studio, whose firms were all nominated for design awards.

While these companies face the same challenges as everyone else in this industry, they continue to doggedly source new business by being nimble, flexible, confident and aggressive. This is no time to retrench and wait out the storm, says ABA’s Todd-Avery Lenahan. His firm is persistent in advising developers to not halt construction and renovation work because that’s a plan that will set one’s business behind the curve when the economy does turn around. It’s also a great time to take advantage of bargains in supplier and materials costs, he suggests.

So, get motivated and get moving. To stoke your inspiration, check out this year’s design award winners, starting on page 10. And, if you neglected to submit a project, don’t miss out on next year’s contest. Keep an eye out for our Call for Entries in the September issue of Hotel Design.