Latest news with #Odell
TTG
4 days ago
- Business
- TTG
Cruise veteran urges luxury lines to copy Gucci and Armani's pricing strategies
Oceania is currently undergoing a rebranding exercise that will see the line return to the luxury space after being marketed as an 'ultra-premium line' in recent years. And with 56 luxury ships slated to launch before 2029, Odell urged lines to hold their nerve and not to drop their prices in a bid to fill capacity. Odell told TTG: 'One of the big challenges of the ultra-luxury cruise market is making sure that pricing integrity is maintained. Without naming any names, we often see fleets expand and then prices soften. Luxury cruises could become perishable. It's a reality.' Odell, who has worked for ultra-luxury cruise brands for more than 25 years, praised The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection for keeping pricing high since entering the market in 2022. The line, widely known as a luxury hotel brand, is launching its third vessel this year. Outside of the cruise sector, Odell singled out the Gucci and Armani brands for their pricing strategies, suggesting that some cruise brands could copy them. He confirmed there are times during the year when ultra-luxury line Regent Seven Seas cannot sell every cabin. 'In this situation, we tend to add value. We upgrade a suite or add a land experience – pre and post-cruise. We try not to drop the price,' he explained. 'We try to sell early and get ahead of the booking curve.' Premium market 'a feeding ground' Despite Oceania's return to the luxury cruise space, Odell insisted the premium market is considered an asset by high-end lines. 'We need the premium sector because it's a feeding ground for the luxury sector,' continued Odell. 'If you're on a Royal Caribbean ship and you book a loft suite that's the same price as luxury cruise.' Odell took charge of sales operations for both Oceania and Regent Seven Seas earlier this year following the departure of Frank A. Del Rio from his role as Oceania president and then the return of Jason Montague as chief luxury officer for the lines' parent Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings.
Tatler Asia
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Tatler Asia
7 inspiring wellness books for a grounded, mindful life
2. 'One Simple Thing' by Eddie Stern Above 'One Simple Thing' (Photo: Macmillan) Eddie Stern's approach to yoga is disarmingly pragmatic. Rather than chasing enlightenment, he focuses on what daily breathwork and movement actually do to the nervous system. Backed by contemporary science and decades of teaching experience, he explains how simple, consistent practices can improve heart rate variability, reduce stress and support mental health. The book is structured around small, digestible insights, making it accessible even to those sceptical of wellness culture. 3. 'How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy' by Jenny Odell Above 'How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy' (Photo: Melville House Publishing) At first glance, Odell's book is a critique of tech culture, but it also functions as a meditation on presence, ecology and the politics of attention. A visual artist and Stanford lecturer, Odell examines how capitalism monetises distraction and encourages constant output, making genuine stillness feel transgressive. Drawing on thinkers like Thoreau and Audre Lorde, she proposes that doing 'nothing' isn't about disengagement, but about re-engaging with place, time and community. More than a call to unplug, this is a rigorous and imaginative guide to reclaiming depth in a shallow world. 4. 'Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times' by Katherine May Above 'Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times' (Photo: Rider) Katherine May uses the metaphor of winter to explore periods of retreat, grief and transformation. Interweaving personal experience with mythology, literature and natural cycles, she argues that rest is not indulgent but necessary. The book tracks her own 'wintering' through illness, burnout and caretaking, and finds insight in everything from Nordic bathing rituals to beekeeping. What sets this apart from more commercial wellness books is its refusal to frame struggle as a problem to be solved. Instead, it offers an elegant reframing: winter is not the end, but a vital season in its own right. 5. 'Midnight Chicken' by Ella Risbridger Above 'Midnight Chicken' (Credit: Bloomsbury Publishing) Described by its author as 'a cookbook for people who don't cook', this is a deeply personal and unconventional work. Risbridger began writing during a depressive episode, using recipes as a way to mark time and stay tethered to life. The food—roast chicken at midnight, peach salad, lentil soup—is simple and forgiving, but never joyless. It's the opposite of aspirational cuisine. Instead, it makes a case for kitchen rituals as a quiet, domestic form of survival. As a wellness book, it's disguised as a cookbook but functions as a manual for coming back to yourself. 6. 'Losing Eden' by Lucy Jones Above 'Losing Eden' (Credit: Penguin) In Losing Eden , Lucy Jones explores what happens to the human psyche when it becomes disconnected from the natural world. Drawing on a wide range of studies, from neuroscience and developmental psychology to epidemiology, she links time in nature to lower rates of anxiety, depression and addiction. The book is meticulously researched yet accessible, enriched with Jones's personal reflections on pregnancy, urban life and the climate crisis. It doesn't romanticise the outdoors, but it does challenge the idea that mental health can be separated from environmental health. It's a clear, compelling argument for ecological sanity. 7. 'The Age of Magical Overthinking' by Amanda Montell Above 'The Age of Magical Overthinking' (Photo: Thorsons) Montell's latest book dissects the mental habits that thrive in the uncertainty of modern life—catastrophising, pattern-seeking, superstition and reveals how they're often more emotional survival strategies than flaws in logic. Using a blend of cultural criticism, neuroscience and personal anecdote, she examines the effects of hyper-individualism, algorithmic influence and cultural instability on the human mind. This is one of the few wellness books that deals with cognition not by offering mindfulness exercises, but by investigating the cultural conditions that fuel anxiety. These wellness books don't offer polished solutions or lifestyle upgrades. What they provide instead is a deeper inquiry into how we relate to the world around us and within us. Whether it's through food, movement, language or the land itself, each book invites a shift in attention from performance to awareness. In a culture obsessed with doing better, they suggest that living well might be something quieter, and older, than we've been told. NOW READ 5 alternative wellness influencers debunking beauty myths 7 honest books on ageing that are good for the soul From Sylvia Plath to Donna Tartt: 5 trending books you'll find in every It Girl's tote bag
Forbes
29-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Modular Housing Offers Good Design, Efficiency And Value
The Whidbey Puzzle Project showcases an off grid, net zero home built with modular construction. In the midst of an ongoing housing crisis, more attention is focusing on modular construction for its efficiencies in labor, time and costs. Those efficiencies stem from the modular construction process, but can be exponentially improved with simple design. Otis Odell, housing and mixed-use sector leader at design and construction firm HED, began exploring modular construction years ago in ski resort towns where the building season was limited by the climate. While he now advocates for the method, he acknowledges it has challenges. In one of his recent projects, despite having a well recognized general contractor and fabricator, the project team still wasn't able to realize its targeted results because of ongoing, known challenges. 'Achieving cost and time savings with modular in some ways depends on some level of standardization that has little to no variation or complexity,' he advises. 'You start to understand what is important about the design is that it can deliver a functioning kitchen, a place to eat, has light, has outdoor space access, and if those unit layouts are repeated hundreds of times that's OK because what ultimately makes it home is what the resident brings into the space.' To realize the efficiencies and standardization, a project has to start and finish with strong cross-functional collaboration. The project's architects and fabricators have to coordinate closely to ensure modular-friendly designs. Any time there are misaligned expectations between stakeholders, it can take the budget and timeline completely off the rails. 'The fabricator making shop drawings should get all stakeholders together to understand the scope of work of each entity, the general contractor and major sub trades, in the pre-construction phase,' Odell said. 'When they aren't familiar enough with the scope to provide actual pricing, it leads to a miss on project goals.' Modular can be more efficient and cost effective with better collaboration, communication and ... More consistency. Odell has a vision to create a platform that flips the script. 'Instead of a standard process to deliver housing – design, award, price – I want to flip it to be price, award, design,' he said. 'Typically, a firm is asked for a preliminary package and they rarely can match budget so we are creating a pricing module with three years of information in a database with number of units, unit mix, zip code, and it can generate a price in seconds.' With well-defined scopes, Odell believes he can deliver units at an 85% ready level with a ready set of drawings including all BIM models so it is easy to collaborate with a fabricator. The standardization and efficiency that Odell wants to deliver for housing is a reality for hospitality projects he has been involved in. 'The quantity of modules through standardization is essential, and we were able to get the number of modular types from 11 to 7 for a standard hotel layout,' he said. 'It took $2 million out of the project costs from the fabrication standpoint. Reducing the variations is easier in the hospitality space than in the housing space.' Right now his company has created six bay designs that can deliver a studio, plus one-, two- and three-bedroom units with the goal to have 80% permit ready documents of the modules. Odell anticipates that in housing, there will be a need for customization and variation, so he's working on computational design and using scripts that will have the ability to respond to clients' and developers' goals. Some groups, like Model/Z, also are experimenting and exploring standardization efficiencies to deliver attainable workforce housing projects across the country. Modules are fit for purpose, to be transported easily to a job site to be placed on a pin ... More foundation. Whidbey Puzzle Prefab is approaching modular construction in a similar way—focusing on the replication. 'We saw an opportunity to create a higher quality, more sustainable product that could be replicated,' said the company's architect Matt Wittman. 'Flexibility is the key factor. A lot of prefab has larger modules, we divided it into multiple smaller units to be easier to be transported on any highway without special permits. That was a driver.' The modules are flexible and interchangeable to be put together in multiple configurations; assembled in infinite ways that can be custom to the set location, whether it is in the city or the woods, in Florida or in Maine. Modules are premade individually and then connected with outdoor walkways that all sit on a pin foundation with a ring beam producing walkways and decks as in between space. The modules also are light on the land and environmentally sustainable. Modules have solar, heat pumps, hydronic heating and cooling, energy recovery ventilation, and smart home controls to monitor energy use. These features support the advanced insulated envelope to meet net zero. The roof is extra insulated, achieving R-50, which is a 70% increase over base line code, and the walls are double the code. The roof also is designed to channel rainwater into a tank where it can be purified with a custom filtration system to be safe for use in kitchens, bathrooms, showers, washing machines, and dishwashers. Whidbey shared a cost breakdown, which is based on the company's current low volume, but at scale could break through some affordability challenges. The prototype project costs $676 per square foot. With the net zero, off grid design, operational costs are eliminated. No concrete is used since the home uses a steel ground frame foundation with hand set micro pin piles that also mean less ground disturbance. This unique foundation can reduce the carbon footprint by 77% compared to a concrete foundation. The pin foundation has to be engineered to meet the same criteria as a conventional concrete foundation, so it is equal in performance. A conventional concrete foundation would have 30,000 pounds of Co2, the pin foundation is only 7,000 pounds, and meets all the same structural requirements. The install labor is about the same, but the pin foundation doesn't need any excavation, so time and labor is saved there, along with the fact that there is no destruction and impact to the earth. Currently, the modules are manually assembled in a factory with builder partners. From Odell's data-informed, repeatable designs to Whidbey's flexible, net-zero prefab systems, the future of modular housing looks increasingly sustainable, scalable and cost effective. While customization remains a hurdle, innovations in computational design and manufacturing partnerships are pushing the limits of what prefab construction can offer. As modular solutions evolve, they promise to transform how we build homes in the years ahead.
Scotsman
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Is there presale for Tom Odell? What to know about tickets, including prices
Tom Odell performs on the Pyramid Stage during day three of Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, Pilton on June 28, 2019. | Getty Images From presale options to how much they will cost, here is everything you need to know to get tickets for Tom Odell's Glasgow tour date. Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Tom Odell has announced a huge show in Glasgow as part of his upcoming UK and European tour. Tom Odell performs on the Pyramid Stage during day three of Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, Pilton on June 28, 2019. | Getty Images Set to release his new album on September 5, the English singer-songwriter is set to perform at the OVO Hydro on this October. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Best known for songs such as Another Love, the Wonderful Life tour will follow him supporting Billie Eilish during her European shows this month and next. Here is how you can get tickets for Tom Odell's upcoming tour dates - including his Glasgow show - with information on presales, prices and more. Tom Odell Tour: Here's when he will play Glasgow Kicking off his UK and European arena tour in mid-October, Tom Odell will perform in Glasgow on Sunday, October 26. Including his Hydro show, here are all of his scheduled UK and Ireland tour dates: Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Tuesday, October 21— Cardiff Utilita Arena Cardiff Thursday, October 23 — Dublin 3Arena Friday, October 24 — Belfast SSE Arena Belfast Sunday, October 26 — Glasgow OVO Hydro Tuesday, October 28 — Manchester Co Op Live Wednesday, October 29 — London The O2 When do Tom Odell tickets go on sale? Tickets for Odell's show in Glasgow this October will go on sale at 10am on Friday, May 30. They will be available through Ticketmaster, as well as Gigs in Scotland. For the best chance of purchasing tickets, make sure you sign up for an account in advance of the sale beginning. Tom Odell tour presale If you don't want to wait to purchase tickets, don't worry: there is presale for Tom Odell. If you have pre-ordered Odell's upcoming album A Wonderful Life before 5pm on Tuesday, May 27 you will be emailed an exclusive access code. However, even if you haven't bought the album you can sign up using the 'no purchase necessary' link for access to artist presale which begins at 10am on Wednesday, May 28. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad This presale will be available across all of his upcoming UK and Ireland tour dates, as will the Spotify presale. If you listen to Tom Odell on the streaming platform, keep an eye out on your email inbox for an exclusive code which will allow you to access Spotify's presale from 10am on Wednesday, May 28. Tom Odell For Scottish Tom Odell fans, there are then two additional presale options; the first through OVO and the second through Gigs in Scotland. With the show at the Hydro, OVO customers who are registered for OVO Live will be able access presale tickets from 10am on Wednesday, May 28. But if you're not an OVO customer, there is then the Gigs in Scotland presale at 10am on Thursday, May 29 which is open to anyone who is signed up for an account. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Tom Odell ticket prices: How much are tickets? For Tom Odell's Glasgow show, we know that tickets will range from £37 to £74.45. There are five sections of the OVO Hydro open for Odell's gig, ranging from standing to four levels of seating with prices varying between each.
Business Journals
22-04-2025
- Business
- Business Journals
Owner of grocery-anchored Baum Boulevard property faces court order in receivership
A prominent East End property faces an uncertain future as its ownership group grapples with financial challenges, including a multi-million dollar debt and recent court orders. Story Highlights John Odell's ownership group faces foreclosure and receivership issues. Judge Christine Ward ordered repayment of $179,000 to Newmark. The property has a $10.95 million debt balance. The ownership of a high-profile property in the East End is facing new financial repercussions in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. It's the ownership group affiliated with developer John Odell, whose Michigan-based Warner Pacific bought the former Day Baum Chevrolet car dealership real estate on Baum Boulevard about 15 years ago and redeveloped most of it into a mixed-use property comprising an Aldi store, office space and a Yinz Coffee shop, a focal commercial property totaling more than 150,000 square feet that's become a major East End draw. Yet U.S. Bank filed a foreclosure action on the property's ownership - comprising of the affiliated firms Baum Boulevard Investors LP and Baum Boulevard Ground LLC - last June, and Odell's ownership group has been in receivership on the properties since September, when an affiliate of Newmark was appointed to the position of receiver. Court records show the receiver filed exhibits in March arguing that "rather than obey the order of this court and deliver … diverted rent to Newmark as collected rent, defendants and John Odell, who managed those entities, directed those funds to other entities and persons, including Odell's family members, that had nothing to do" with overseeing the property. On April 16, Judge Christine Ward ordered Odell and his affiliates to pay back more than $179,000 that Newmark argues was wrongfully diverted. Odell didn't respond for comment. Kirk Burkley, a lawyer who represents Baum Boulevard Investors LP and Baum Boulevard Ground LLC, declined to comment, as did Timothy Parker, a lawyer for Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC, who represents U.S. Bank in the legal matter. The new court order comes as the interests of Odell has already lost a portion of the larger real estate package to a lender, a long-deteriorating dealership building across Baum Boulevard once considered for a new parking garage that continues to be marketed by Jarbo Imperatore of the Pittsburgh office of JLL. Imperatore reports he is marketing the property for sale or a ground lease and activity has "been extremely strong." The foreclosure action filed last year detailed that the loan was not paid off in full by a maturity date of November 6, 2023, resulting in a default for an ownership group that also faced a host of liens from construction firms, the Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority and other vendors. Court records indicate a debt balance at the time of $10.95 million. Nobody who shops at the usually busy Aldi store or gets coffee at Yinz Coffee would be likely to notice any issues. Ken Zeff, owner of the Yinz Coffee and a companion Fancypants Popcorn store, said he sees a lot of traffic going in and out of the neighboring Aldi store and views his Baum Boulevard location as one that continues to be a stable source of business. "It was always a pretty solid store for us, and John was always a good landlord," said Zeff of Odell. He expects the property would be in demand if it comes available again by its receivership. "Something needs to happen there for sure," he said. "It's a pretty hot street right now." expand The other side of the former Day Baum Chevrolet dealership building refashioned into the Offices @ Baum along with a Yinz Coffee Shop. TIM SCHOOLEY When or if that might happen remains unclear. There's little indication in the court record to suggest the property might go to sheriff sale. Judge Ward's order requires the $179,000-plus sum to be paid to the receiver in 10 days. Andrea Geraghty, a real estate lawyer for Meyer, Unkovic & Scott, said it's likely up to the receiver to decide on whether to force a property into a sheriff sale, which doesn't necessarily require a court decision. "If they don't turn over the money, then the receiver has a choice about what to do," she said. She added that such legal requirements are a hassle for lenders. "The banks don't want to own this property," she said. "They want the property to be managed correctly so the mortgage can be paid."
