Cause for hope

The lobby at the Grand Hyatt Shenzhen.
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The Wilson Foundation, established by Trisha Wilson to address the needs of disadvantaged and underserved children in South Africa, has raised a whopping $2.5 million since its launch in 1997 – no mean feat for a woman who started her career selling mattresses in a department store in Dallas, Texas.

She went on, of course, to design some of the most iconic hotels in the world. The president and CEO of Wilson Associates has worked on projects such as The Palace of the Lost City at Sun City in South Africa, the Atlantis Hotel & Casino on Paradise Island in the Bahamas, Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, the MGM Grand in Connecticut, the Four Seasons Regent Sydney and the Conrad Bangkok.

In this part of the world, she is best known for projects such as the Park Hyatt, the One & Only Royal Mirage, The Palace, Old Town, and the Kempinski, all in Dubai, Shangri-La’s Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa in Muscat and the Four Seasons at the First Residence in Cairo. At present, the company has over 200 projects in progress.

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Early on in her career, Wilson made a commitment to “do good work, treat people right and give back”.

Hence the Wilson Foundation, which supports education and healthcare initiatives in the Limpopo Province of South Africa, an area devastated by extreme poverty, unemployment, sub-standard education and an AIDS pandemic.

In November, Wilson Associates received CID’s inaugural Sustainable Design Initiative award, for its commitment to corporate social responsibility and its unfailing efforts to use design as a tool for social change.

The award was handed out in recognition of the foundation’s most recent initiative, the Hope Bracelet. All proceeds from sales of the 14mm black onyx bracelet go to helping support education and healthcare initiatives for disadvantaged children.

CID caught up with Wilson to learn more about the work of the foundation, and about how Wilson Associates has weathered the storm of recent years.

What are you working on right now?
We currently have over 200 projects in the works. It is quite incredible. It’s hard to believe our work can be seen in 46 countries spanning six continents.

We have many high-profile projects currently underway in the Middle East, ranging from large-scale residential developments to official government buildings and high-end hotels.

We have completed several signature projects this year in China, including the InterContinental Nanjing and Grand Hyatt Shenzhen.

Blueplate Studios’ recent work can be seen at the Doubletree Kuala Lumpur, at the Makan Kitchen, and a fresh new Italian concept at the Hilton Singapore.

Other projects on the board include the Conrad Haipang Bay Resort in Sanya, China, Park Hyatt Saadiyat Island, Shangri-La Hotel Mumbai, India, Armani Hotel via Manzoni in Milan, Italy, St Regis Doha, Qatar, Four Season Cairo, Egypt, Shangri-La Bangkok, Thailand, St. Regis Zhuhai and the Four Seasons Tianjin.