Boston, Mass --- Celebrating its 30th anniversary in January, J/Brice Design International has garnered a worldwide reputation as a hospitality industry game changer and one of the dominant influences of hotel and resort design in the 21st Century. The firm is especially regarded for its fashion-forward interiors and cultural savvy.
Jeffrey Brice Ornstein, CEO, who founded the firm in Boston in 1989, is regarded as a force in the Middle East where industry observers credit him for being among the elite designers who have established the Arabian Peninsula as a luxury destination for the sophisticated traveler.
Last year alone, J/Brice was named Top Interior Design Firm of The Year by NEWH, Best Multi-Discipline Architecture Practice by BUILD Interior Design Awards, and Leading Designer Award by LUXlife. Boston Voyager also honored J/Brice Design as one of its Most Inspiring Stories of 2018.
During its three decades, this hospitality design firm has become an international design powerhouse with projects in excess of $5 Billion USD worldwide.
Recent signature engagements include the fabled HMS Queen Mary, the iconic urban landmark The Helmsley Hotel, and the luxury tower 50 Liberty, which has broken all records as the most expensive residential development in the City of Boston. J/Brice also counts among its client’s two royal families, three heads of state and a colorful list of international dignitaries.
“During the course of our history,” Ornstein said, “I am proud that J/Brice has been home to over 200 young designers, whose talents were mentored in our offices. The tenure of most employees at J/Brice typically exceeds 15 years. Many of these professionals have then set out on their own and are establishing themselves as recognized leaders within the hospitality community. I am very proud of them all.”
Ornstein is a favored consultant in the international arena, known for his demonstrated ability to create fresh, memorable hotel and resort designs that pay homage to the local history, art, music, and landscape, as well as both the classical and popular cultures. “Developers are keen to engage us for our ability to recognize and reinforce the sense of region, which is key to uniquely branding their hotel properties and set them apart from the competition.”
Ornstein is known for coining the phrase, “The Cultural Spy," which summarizes his approach to a design process that redefines hotel design as hotel fashion. The movement he launched brought a guest-centric, rather than property-centric philosophy to hotel interior design and branding.
“I’m grateful to know that the vision I expressed would be most appropriate for the next generation of hospitality design and would be universally embraced by our industry. This has resulted in interiors that resonate with the attitudes and mores of the current marketplace, impart a memorable guest experience that builds brand equity while contributing directly to profits. We have reestablished hotels as inviting community centers from impersonal transient commercial buildings,” Ornstein added.
Ornstein is a frequent lecturer throughout Europe, North America and the Middle East, where he was the first American keynote speaker at The Kingdom Hotel Expansion World Summit in Riyadh, KSA. He also keynoted Concepts Middle East, Hotel and Resorts Middle East, Interior Design & Construction India, HD Expo, HD Boutique, HOTEC-USA, HOTEC-Asia and HOTEC- Europe, Hospitality MatchUSA, Hospitality MatchEurope, and Heimtextil, the world's largest international textile trade fair in Frankfurt, Germany.
Ornstein is also a contributing editor to and has often been featured in Boutique Design Magazine, Hospitality Design, Lodging and Hospitality, Gulf Interiors, Byouteit Magazine, Hotel Business, The Commercial Observer, Young Hotelier, and The Improper Bostonian among others.
At 36, Ornstein was named one of Boston's 12 Most Influential People. His academic affiliations include serving on the Board of Advisers at the New York School of Interior Design, and having been a Visiting Critic at The Boston Architectural Center and The Rhode Island School of Design. He has been called upon to be a judge for the annual Hotel World Platinum Circle Awards and for The Boutique Design Global Hotel Design Awards.
Among the latest J/Brice signature projects is The Kempinski Al Othman Hotel and Towers in Saudi Arabia, which is setting the new gold star standard for luxury in the region. This spectacular new five-star property, consisting of two towers with sweeping views over the Khobar skyline, as well as multiple entertainment venues, for The Fakieh Group, one of the largest privately held companies in KSA. “It is a superb example of how J/Brice’s vision keeps us at the forefront of design in the MENA region,” said Ornstein.
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