'Put Away Your iPhone' and Other Travel Lessons From a Leading Hotel Designer

Skift

5 days ago

Bill Bensley isn't your typical hotel designer: "Everything I do has one purpose: to learn something new," he told us.
Designer Bill Bensley took the stage at the Skift Asia Forum in Bangkok, a city he's lived in since 1984. He discussed his career in hotel design, his creative philosophy, and inspirations, among other topics, with Skift founder and CEO Rafat Ali.
Bensley, who has been described as the 'Willy Wonka of Design,' founded his studio in 1990 and has designed more than 200 properties worldwide, including Shinta Mani Wild – an award-winning jungle camp in Cambodia.
"Respect Mother Nature has always been a guiding principle," Bensley told Skift prior to the Forum. "(Shinta Mani Wild) has set the Asian standard for conservation and hospitality working hand in hand successfully."
Watch a full video of the discussion below:
Highlights From Our Conversation with Designer Bill Bensley
Why Working in Southeast Asia Is Attractive to Him: "My few experiences in the States ... have been there's are too many cooks in the kitchen ... In this part of the world and certainly Africa, when you draw something, that's the way it is. And you can build it."
India's Advantages: "I love India because it's still a place where everybody can use their hands ... There's so many people in India that can sew, that can lay stones, that can carve craftsmanship ... and that's very important for my work."
Travel Advice: "I teach a lot in the universities around here. And one of the main things that I do is that I ask them to travel. But most importantly, to travel and put away their iPhones ... and do what I do. No matter where I go, I always have a portfolio with me and I'm always sketching ... If I'm sketching something, that enters my head. If I take my 3,000th photo of the day, I'll probably never look at it again."
About Innovation: "Even in my paintings ... I try many styles as opposed to doing the traditional artist way of sticking to one. Everything I do has one purpose: to learn something new."
On Dealing With Budget Constraints: "One of our best hotels ever was a Novotel… and it was the only Novotel which ever made the cover of Architectural Digest. You know what my budget for landscape was? $50,000. The entire thing."
When Asked About the Desert and Greenery in Asia: "Conservation doesn't only have to happen in the greenest parts of the world ... The desert is just as fragile as everywhere else. There's some really good conservation projects happening in Saudi ... So it would be wonderful to be part of that."