Oh, Las Vegas, get over yourself.

Instead of jumping all over President Obama every time he mentions your name, don’t you have bigger things to worry about?

When Obama spoke at a town hall meeting Tuesday at a high school in Nashua, N.H., he alluded that Americans should be tightening their belt in these tough economic times instead of taking lavish vacations to gambling hotspots like Sin City.

Politicians representing Nevada and the mayor of Las Vegas became irate, calling a quick news conference to publicly cry out and call Obama a "slow learner."

Now, it’s no secret that in the past two decades Las Vegas hasn’t developed itself into a family-friendly, middle-class vacation spot. Vegas caters to the whales—big spenders who can afford to have a good time. Recent additions to The Strip target Asian money; Aria hotel and casino has an entire wing with a seperate entrance for VIPs who can request their own international gambling tables. The Mandarin Oriental sits less than a block away, designed and staffed specifically so wealthy travelers from the Eastern Hemisphere can feel at home.

Vegas also relies heavily on group business and corporate travel, offering expansive meetings spaces throughout each hotel and supplying an enjoyable atmosphere for after-hour recreations.

Although he has in the past, President Obama clearly was not directing his comments to these upper-class citizens or business-class travelers with a corporate card.

He was offering a little needed advice to middle-class New Hampshire, a city full of people who, just like every American, should be paying the mortgage, not sitting at a blackjack table. After the debt-ridden debacle this country has gotten itself into, it’s about time someone suggested saving.

Obama’s exact words, according to a White House transcript: "When times are tough, you tighten your belts. You don't go buying a boat when you can barely pay your mortgage. You don't blow a bunch of cash on Vegas when you're trying to save for college. You prioritize. You make tough choices."

If you’re not saving for college, if you’ve got enough money to buy a boat, by all means, go to Las Vegas and have the time of your life. With promotional rates what they are, it even makes sense to hold a meeting in Las Vegas this year. But if you’re pinched and you’ve got choices to make, "blowing a bunch of money" in a casino is one of the worst decisions you could make.

"Once again he has threatened the struggling economy of Las Vegas," reacted Sen. John Ensign.

"The President needs to lay off Las Vegas and stop making it the poster child for where people shouldn't be spending their money," said U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman went as far as to say Obama is no longer welcome in his city.

"I'll do everything I can to give him the boot," he said. "This president is a real slow learner."

Instead of scrambling to throw together a news conference and name-call, Goodman’s time would be much better spent finding ways to shore up the record-level foreclosures in his district and funding the myriad developers who went bankrupt building outlandish condominiums and casinos on The Strip.

Perhaps it's the developers of Echelon, Fontainbleau and the former developers of the Cosmopolitan who should heed the president’s advice: Don’t live in excess when you can’t even pay the mortgage.

Is there room for another design event on the calendar? How about two more? Well, only time will tell, but the first of two new planned events has now launched.

The inaugural InspireDesign, held this week at the World Market Center in Las Vegas, was a great idea, weaving a trade show-like event into the existing, permanent showrooms of the complex. There's also a plan to include educational programs, as well as make the event more of a community-building gathering and less a traditional trade show.

Attendance was steady but slow, and reaction from the exhibitors I spoke with was mixed. All in all, though, this has been a very difficult economy in which to launch a new event in any industry, and I give the organizers a lot of credit for pulling it off. It will be interesting to see how year number two pans out for this event.

A sampling of photos follows.

Image: www.whitehouse.gov

In his State of the Union address this week, President Obama hit the expected high points: healthcare reform, Wall Street bailouts and unemployment. But designers, take note: The unspoken message of bipartisanship came through in the clothes. The purple dresses and ties, to be exact. 2010 is the year of centrist purple.

Centrist purple isn’t my term—it’s Mike Suomi’s. Mike, principal at Stonehill & Taylor Architects, created a design concept last year for The President Hotel, a Best Western property in Times Square. The hotel design was inspired by the 2008 presidential election, and the resulting fascination of all things political among the American people. You’ll see more about this unique property in an upcoming issue of Hotel Design, but what I liked most about it was Suomi’s concept of “centrist purple”—a mix of Republican red and Democrat blue.

Suomi and his team wanted the design to reflect not only overt historical and political symbols (graphics of donkeys and elephants, antique costumes on display), but also the subtle tension conveyed by the notion of a two-party political system.

It’s a fantastic design concept. All over the property you see the juxtaposition of hard and soft: stained wood floors against white-button-tufted sofas, lacquered casegoods opposite sumptuous seating. But it’s most obvious in the colors.

Enter centrist purple. The mix of Republican red and Democrat blue shows up in upholstery, wall treatments, subtle pops of color, and even in the lighting schemes (like you see in these photos of the lobby and bar area).

Images: Stonehill & Taylor

Back to the State of the Union address: This year, the power color was purple. You couldn’t miss Michelle Obama’s jewel-toned dress, Nancy Pelosi’s lavender suit and even Joe Biden’s purple tie. Was it a coincidence? Some might say yes. But I say 2010 is the year of centrist purple.

Don't believe me?

• Sherwin-Williams' "Refreshed" palette describes colors including "Verve Violet" as  "exuberant, fresh optimism."
• Pantone's Color of the Day just happens to be "Lavender Frost."

Do you have that guy in the office who is always telling far-fetched stories? Like the time he saw LeBron James downtown and got his e-mail address, or the time he swears he stopped a terrorist attack in the airport?

The World islands development in Dubai is that guy in the hotel development industry. There always seems to be outrageous, lavish plans being thrown out there. The latest? The Daily Mirror is reporting the ruler of Dubai, Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, has contacted Victoria Beckham to help design a luxury hotel on the fashion-themed island Isla Moda. He reportedly offered her $50 million. The Mirror says she is mulling it over.

And it’s possible this is going to happen, just like that guy in your office may be e-mailing LeBron right now, but  you can't help but have doubts  considering there still isn’t anything built at the World; and Dubai World, the parent company for Nakheel, the World’s developer, went into bankruptcy.

But, this report from ABC.com says development is getting back on track. So all scenarios for The World are in play at the moment—from a Spice Girls-themed island to all of it sinking into the ocean. In the mean time, crank up a little “Wannabe” and think of what might be.

My first thought on hearing about Marriott’s Autograph Collection, first announced in November, was that it would probably take some of the wind out of the sails of the company’s long-awaited Edition brand. But after chatting with Marriott executives, as well as their newly announced launch partner, I think the company may be on to something.

The concept takes a little getting used to. Marriott might be described as a very methodical, structured player in the hospitality world. And getting cozy with independent hoteliers—some of whom dislike brand labels—seems a stretch. And even Richard Kessler, CEO of Kessler Hotels, the collection’s launch partner, called himself one of the most “anti-brand” guys out there.

Anthony Capuano, EVP of global development for Marriott International, said they’re thrilled with the Autograph platform.

“We’ve never seen intensity as there is with Autograph,” Capuano said.

But Marriott sees the collection as a sort of parallel universe to its brands that stretch from full service to luxury hotels. It gives the company room to grow horizontally, and it gives the company flexibility in these difficult times for ground-up development.

Kessler said he was drawn to Autograph because “Marriott has the power of marketing … it has identified a tremendous opportunity.” He hopes to see a 10-percent increase in revenue in the first 12 months of moving his seven Kessler Collection properties under the Autograph name.

Autograph, which will have a fee structure similar to the Renaissance brand, is a way of monetizing the well-known and powerful marriott.com website.

Donald J. Semmler, EVP of global brand management & lodging operations, explained that Autograph will cut through the clutter in the branded space. “There’s a backlash against sameness,” he said.

Autograph properties will fall into several categories, which were likened to apps on the Autograph “smartphone.” These include boutique arts, urban edge, iconic historic and spa & lodge.

The challenge, I think, will be to properly market the difference between the various “segments” of Autograph Collection and the assortment of hotels that comprise the upper tier of Marriott’s brands. If consumers don’t get it, Marriott’s current franchisees may not come away pleased.

So Marriott is going for the best of both worlds, and at least for now, I’m betting the idea pays off. I think at some point in the future, this move could prove to be as prescient for the company as was the purchase of Ritz-Carlton back in the 1990s. After all, the universe for potential Autograph properties is immense, especially in places like Europe, where many unique hotels simply don’t fit within the company’s brand boxes. Marriott said it hopes to add more than 25 locations to Autograph this year, and the focus for the collection is international in scope. Especially in a time of slow transactions, this new initiative will be an interesting development to follow.