Hospitality Design: What I've Learned

After a 13-year stint at Chicago firm 555 International, Karen Herold, who grew up in Holland, went out on her own, founding Studio K Creative in 2014.  A decade since she launched her firm, Herold has made a name for herself with a portfolio that includes restaurants for BOKA Restaurant Group like chef Stephanie Izard’s Girl and the Goat in Chicago and Los Angeles and BIÂN wellness cub in Chicago...

The industry lost an icon when architect and designer Jeffrey Beers passed away earlier this year at age 67 after a battle with cancer. But Jeffrey Beers International (JBI), the New York practice Beers founded in 1986, will uphold his visionary legacy and continue to shape the hospitality design sphere under the guidance of newly appointed partners Michael Pandolfi, Nora Liu-Kanter, and Tim Roone...

Growing up in Kent in southeast London, Mark Eacott was always a curious kid—inspired by his artist grandfather, who taught him how to sketch and draw, and his dad, who was a builder with a strong do-it-yourself skillset. Those influences, coupled with Eacott’s creative mind, fostered his passion for design. He majored in architecture at the University of Bath, where he studied abroad as part of t...

In 1979, as the Iranian Revolution swept through the streets of Tehran, Younes Nazarian and his wife Soraya Sarah made the decision to leave behind a successful construction business and move their family to the U.S., ultimately landing in Los Angeles. His youngest son, Sam, was only 3 years old at the time, but he watched his dad build a new life in America.  Younes’ business acumen led him to be...

New Jersey native David Barry studied law before getting into real estate development alongside his brother, focusing on redeveloping shipyards and truckyards. When the W brand was being developed in Hoboken, New Jersey, Barry entered the hospitality side of the real estate business. Today, he counts Chiltern Firehouse in London, New York's Chelsea Hotel, and Caldera House in Jackson Hole, Wy...

Located in the Great Smoky Mountains in Walland, Tennessee, the 68-room Blackberry Farm is a verdant escape known for its food, wine, and Southern hospitality. The small inn was originally purchased by Samuel E. Beall III (known as Sandy), founder of the Ruby Tuesday chain, and his wife, Kreis, in 1976. After adding land and more buildings, it blossomed into the exclusive property it is today. In...

Known for her sensual, dynamic designs that integrate with their surroundings, the Iceland-born, West Hollywood, California-based Gulla Jónsdóttir creates unique spatial experiences that exist at the intersection of organic beauty and function. Since 2009 when she launched her firm Atelier Gulla Jónsdóttir, she has spearheaded projects including China’s Macau Roosevelt hotel and the renovation of...

A diagnosis of colon cancer led Alejandro Bataller’s father Alfredo Bataller to launch the SHA Wellness Clinic in Alicante, Spain 15 years ago. Today, the family-run business has established itself as of one of the leading wellness resorts in the world. A recently opened outpost in Costa Mujeres, Mexico designed by local firms Sordo Madaleno and Alejandro Escudero (a forthcoming  property set on a...

Growing up in the Chicago suburbs, Mario Tricoci got the entrepreneurial bug at an early age, watching his parents revolutionize the salon world and invent the day spa concept. He saw what they created and wanted to emulate it, but with his own spin. When he opened the Simeone Deary Design Group-crafted Elysian hotel in Chicago in 2009, it changed the hospitality landscape as a refined luxury hote...

Studio Collective partners Leslie Kale, Adam Goldstein, and Christian Schulz founded their firm during the Great Recession. Though they started out to make ends meet, they soon found successful with cocktail lounge the Spare Room at the Hollywood Roosevelt before diving into hotels with the Landsby in Sylvan, California. Today, the trio leads a 20-person team, where they’ve expanded their portfoli...

Growing up in Brooklyn, New York and then Long Island, Julien Albertini, cofounder of Asthetíque, was influenced by his architect father and his mother, who loved redecorating their home. He studied architecture and then finance, designing small projects around the city until he met his business partner, the Moscow-based designer Alina Pimkina. Their vision and goals aligned, and their design firm...

Childhood friends Asher Warr and Robin Faulkner, cofounders of Amarla Hotels, launched their first property in Cartagena in 2018. The 17th-century mansion, a former tobacco factory, celebrates the community via authentic experiences—a pillar of the newly founded  brand. Next came Amarla Casco Viejo, the eight-room boutique that is reimagining Panama’s hospitality scene. The British entrepreneurs a...

From an early age, the Melbourne-bred, New York-based Ross Mollison had a love for music and live entertainment. This nascent passion led him to launch Spiegelworld in 2005, known for its groundbreaking shows that blend cabaret, the circus, and variety performances. Under Mollison's leadership, Spiegelworld has become synonymous with cutting-edge, adult-oriented entertainment that pushes the...

Carlos Martínez Flórez, who left Cuba when he was 3 years old, spent his early years in Puerto Rico, where he developed a passion for reading and storytelling. He struggled in school but was always interested in architecture, which he pursued at the Ohio State University. He cut his teeth with Holabird & Root, the Doblin Group, and Perkins&Will before landing at Gensler in 2001. With more...

Louis Thompson began his hospitality career working with Six Senses. While there, he learned about the importance of sustainability, innovation, and regeneration. In 2011, after 10 years with the wellness-focused brand, Thompson founded Nomadic Resorts. It was a natural next step for the entrepreneur, who was experimenting with crafting eco-friendly resorts in remote locales. Take the Wild Coast T...

Growing up in Scotland, surrounded by Glasgow's vibrant culture and architecture, Iain Watson, CEO of David Collins Studio, found his passion early on. A chance meeting with David Collins changed his life forever. He started working alongside the designer over the summer. Since that pivotal moment, spanning more than three decades, Watson has remained an integral part of the studio's evo...

Born in Laguna Beach, California, Maryellis Bunn, founder of the Museum of Ice Cream , was influenced by her artist mother, who shaped her creative mindset. Dubbed the Millennial Walt Disney, Bunn launched the original concept for the Museum of Ice Cream as a pop-up in New York in 2016, and has since transformed it into brick-and-mortar experiential spaces that invite people to slide into a pool m...

Designer Ken Fulk is a renaissance man, avid traveler, and a design dreamer. He’s known for his artistry and creativity, conjuring cinematic experiences that defy expectations. Take his longtime partnership with nightlife empresario David Grutman. Together, they have created the whimsical Goodtime Hotel and the recently opened, equally eclectic and singular, Casadonna, both in Miami. Fulk is also...

Tom Parker and Andy Goodwin founded the London- and Los Angeles-based Fettle in 2013 after a decade of working with some of London’s most notable design firms including United Designers and Martin Brudnizki Design Studio. Launching their own firm was the natural next step for the friends-turned-business partners. “At the time, it was very exciting and it felt like we were on the precipice of somet...

British-Nigerian designer Tolù Adẹ̀kọ́, who founded his London-based Adẹ̀kọ́ & Co in 2014, is known for his compelling design narratives that nod to his childhood in Lagos, Nigeria. He moved to London at the age of 6, and it wasn’t long before Adẹ̀kọ́ started sketching furniture and clothing that caught the eye of his teachers and landed him a slot in a summer product design program led by Ter...

When COVID hit, Lola Taverna in New York’s SoHo neighborhood had only been open for a few months. The world had stopped, and Cobi Levy and Will Makris, the duo behind Prince Street Hospitality, had to pivot. They turned Lola Taverna into a communal gathering spot, offering takeout food with chairs to rent (the money went to first responders). Utilizing the park next door, they served up to 250 peo...

As president of luxury at Marriott International , Tina Edmundson oversees all aspects of Ritz-Carlton, Ritz-Carlton Reserve, BVLGARI Hotels & Resorts, St. Regis Hotels & Resorts, EDITION, Luxury Collection, JW Marriott, and W Hotels Worldwide brands. But Edmundson, an industry veteran, first made a significant mark on the company as global brand and marketing officer, leading a portfolio...

With a roster of venues including New York hotspots Ray’s, Jac’s on Bond, and Georgia Room, the trio behind Authentic Hospitality —Matt Kliegman, Matthew Charles, and Carlos Quirarte—have been reshaping New York’s F&B scene since they opened the Smile In 2009. One of those partners, Kliegman, started his party-planning career back at New York University (NYU) and his résumé speaks for itself....

With a father in the military, the Paris-based Emlyn Brown attended 13 schools over 18 years. During high school in Munich, he traveled constantly with his family, from Italy to Cyprus and Hong Kong. He graduated from the University of Manchester in the UK with a degree in leisure and sport, and furthered his education in the field by studying sport science and psychology. That led him to his firs...

Born in Budapest, the London-based Linda Boronkay was inspired by her architect father and her journalist mother. Indeed, her interest in design was piqued from an early age with the former model winning Britain’s Best Emerging Interior Designer award during her second year of college. That led to jobs with Martin Brudnizki, Tara Bernerd, and Woods Bagot. From there, she landed at Soho House, wher...