DESIGN DISPATCH

Hyatt Agrees to Purchase the Standard, Bunkhouse, and Peri Hotels, and Other News

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Bunkhouse's Hotel Genevieve. Image courtesy of Bunkhouse.

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Hyatt Hotels moves to buy the Standard, Bunkhouse, and Peri Hotels for $335 million.

In a deal worth up to $335 million, Hyatt Hotels Corporation intends to acquire Standard International and its portfolio with hotel brands like Standard, Bunkhouse, and Peri. The deal was initially valued at $150 million, and includes 21 global properties worldwide and a pipeline of more than 30 upcoming projects.

Instagram is piloting a grid redesign that will likely wreak havoc on your aesthetic.

Instagram is testing a shift from square to vertical thumbnails in profile grids, reflecting the predominance of vertical content on the platform. The platform’s head Adam Mosseri acknowledged the change might disrupt users’ carefully curated grid feeds. User feedback will guide whether the update will be widely implemented.

The SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker flagship. Image credit: Alyssa Greenberg for SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker.

The Olympics’ security perimeter plummeted the Louvre’s summer attendance rates.

During the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Louvre saw a 22 percent drop in visitor attendance, largely due to heightened security measures across the city. The museum, which was within a restricted security zone, experienced an even steeper 45 percent decline in the weeks leading up to the Games. Other nearby museums, like the Musée d’Orsay and the Musée de l’Orangerie, also reported significant decreases in attendance.

Condé Nast is allowing OpenAI to display its content across ChatGPT and SearchGPT.

Condé Nast has entered into a multi-year partnership with OpenAI, which allows its content from publications to be featured on OpenAI’s ChatGPT and prototype search engine, SearchGPT. According to Condé Nast CEO Roger Lynch, the partnership aims to adapt to the growing influence of generative AI in content discovery while ensuring proper attribution and compensation for Condé Nast’s intellectual property. 

After a decade in business, Sarah Jessica Parker’s shoe line is shutting down.

Sarah Jessica Parker’s shoe line, SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker, is closing after nearly a decade in business. The Sex and the City actor launched the business in 2014 with the late George Malkemus, the former head of Manolo Blahnik in the U.S. The brand’s lineup included heels and flats, like Mary Janes and smoking slippers, which were often produced in colorful hues. Its remaining inventory is now being sold at a final sale, 25 percent discount as the company prepares to shut down on August 25.

“Welcome to Tribuneville,” an installation that renders architecture that was never built in Chicago. Image credit: Michael Salisbury/150 Media Stream and MAS Context

Today’s attractive distractions:

A reverend, a wake, and mourners gather to remember… a hardware store?

Eight essential books make sense of AI—and its art-world implications.

The Spanx founder’s “Sneex” leaves us with more questions than answers.

You can now experience Chicago’s Gotham-esque, never-built architecture. 

 

 

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