With a legacy of nearly 40 years of ground-breaking design, few organisations are better suited than Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA) to comment on how to deliver consistent design excellence in a variety of unique settings around the world.

Specialising in hospitality interior design, HBA opened for business in 1964 and quickly began rewriting the language of hotel design. It also saw that each product needed to be unique and reflect the individual needs of guests, owners and operator.

More than 600 projects later, HBA has proven that form can follow function right down to the bottom line. The same lobby that is 'dressed to impress' guests can provide a labour-saving traffic flow for the operator, energy-efficient sight lighting and sight lines that showcase revenue generators from the bar to the restaurants and function space.

And while HBA's designs were building a better bottom line, they were also pushing the pioneering sense of aesthetic design. It did this by reinterpreting and refining what came to be called "international style," reinventing the guestroom and guest bathroom and creating a new and guest-friendly 'residential' idiom.

"We never considered ourselves 'American' designers," says CEO Michael Bedner. "Our designers immerse themselves in the culture of the country in which they're working before the design process begins.

''We've also established eight offices, covering the major regions of the world to ensure that we understand the perspective of each project and better service our clients.

''The experience of direct, day-to-day involvement enables us to keep projects on time and in budget. Knowing markets pays benefits in specifying as well. We know local production capabilities. We know where we can obtain the best product at the best price."

Daring to be different has built a client list that stretches across six continents and includes an impressive list of hotel chains and independent hotels. It has taught the firm to solve design challenges ranging from signature restaurants to restorations of listed hotel buildings, new construction in exotic locations and conversion of granaries, banks and office space to hotels.

"We've been around a long time. We've been keen observers of, and participants in, the hotel industry. We've learned from being watchful. We've learned what works and what doesn't. We can draw on a world of experience to turn the client's brief into a successful hotel," says HBA president Howard Pharr.

Now in its 36th year of business, HBA looks to the future with an eye on opportunity. The firm's design services encompass a full range of hospitality projects including cruise ships, spas, restaurants as well as select luxury residences. There is even talk of furniture line in the future of HBA.

With eight offices worldwide, a staff of over 170 professionals representing 29 nationalities and speaking 33 languages, HBA has the unique ability to give each project the attention, focus and energy needed to create spaces that meet clients' needs for form, function and excitement.

Associate/senior project designer Sylvie Gagnon - a 12-year veteran of HBA's Atlanta and London offices - manages the firm's newest office in Dubai, which is located in the new Green Tower office building on Baniyas Road in Deira.

The idea for a Middle East office was first considered in early 1999, after Gagnon had left the London office for an extended project assignment in Dubai.

At the conclusion of the project, Gagnon, who had gained an in-depth knowledge of local design issues and the hospitality community, continued to pursue other project opportunities that have resulted in a series of new assignments currently placed on the office's drawing board.

HBA opened the Dubai office in response to the continued growth and opportunities the firm has witnessed in the Middle Eastern hospitality sectors.

"Establishing a new office is a statement of HBA's commitment to this region," Pharr says. "It will enable us to provide our clients with international quality design, enhanced by our capabilities for local project coordination and support services. We look forward to building our existing relationships in the region, as well as establishing new contacts and pursuing new business ventures."

The new Dubai office is not the company's first foray into the Middle Eastern hospitality market.

HBA has had a strong presence in this region for many years, designing some of its finest hotels including the Phoenicia Inter-Continental Hotel, Beirut, Lebanon; Grand Hyatt Muscat, Oman; Aqaba Bridge Movenpick Resort, Jordan; Jassir Palace Inter-Continental Hotel, Beit Lahem, Palestine; Le Residence Hotel, Tunis, Tunisia; and the Hyatt Regency Istanbul, Turkey.

HBA projects can be found all around the world, ranging in style from modern and minimalist to the traditional luxury. HBA continues to surprise and delight, with designs that are always innovative, never predictable.

Now with a heightened focus on the Middle East, HBA looks forward to a future of continually raising the bar in every of international design.