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Having lived across continents—from Hong Kong to Houston and Singapore to Pakistan—Aliya Khan’s upbringing instilled a appreciation for culture, architecture, and art.
After studying architecture at Pratt Institute in New York, Khan began her career in residential design before transitioning to the hospitality industry, working for Starwood Hotels & Resorts (now Marriott), helping launch brands like W Hotels, Aloft, and Le Méridien.
Today, as vice president of global design strategies for Marriott International's lifestyle brands, Khan has redefined the design language for Aloft, Moxy, AC Hotels, and Westin.
Thank you for listening! For more of our great interviews, find us at hospitalitydesign.com.
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Born and raised in Los Angeles, Tom Ito, a third-generation Japanese-American, was destined to be in the hospitality industry. He worked at his grandparents’ restaurant when he was young, and he was also inspired by his parents—his father was a bartender-turned-restaurant GM and his mother worked as a hostess. He joined Gensler nearly 40 years ago, launching the firm’s hospitality practice in the late 1990s with the renovation of the Beverly Hills Hotel. He has since expanded the practice to an international scale, with projects including Nekajui, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve Resort & Residences in Guanacaste, Costa Rica; the Six Senses Grand Bahama; and the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Athens in Greece. Now, as the firmwide leader of the hospitality practice and principal in Gensler’s Los Angeles office, Ito is also integral to the firm’s climate change initiative, which aims to make all Gensler projects carbon neutral by 2030.
Thank you for listening! For more of our great interviews, find us at hospitalitydesign.com.
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Born in Chicago and raised in Arizona, Sam Fox’s early experiences working in his parents’ diners, Mexican restaurants, and delis shaped his understanding of the industry. He dropped out of the University of Arizona, where he was studying real estate finance, to pursue his passion, using his tuition money to open his first restaurant—all before he turned 21. Now, with a vast portfolio of successful eateries, Fox has taken on a new challenge with the opening of the Global Ambassador, a luxury hotel in Phoenix that is centered around five of his newly created restaurants. Here, he shares how his past paved the way for a career as one of the country’s most prolific restaurateurs.
Thank you for listening! For more of our great interviews, find us at hospitalitydesign.com.
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Raised for much of his childhood in Connecticut before moving to New York as a teenager, John Meadow developed a love for hospitality at a young age. He got his start as a dishwasher and sandwich maker at Au Bon Pain before attending Cornell’s hotel school. By 24, he opened his first restaurant, and in 2008, launched Scarpetta, which won accolades for its refined yet unpretentious take on Italian dining.
As president and founder of LDV Hospitality, Meadow has built an empire that spans multiple countries and cities. His portfolio now includes the forthcoming Barlume, slated to open next month in New York, and his first foray into hotels with LDV at the Maidstone, which opened this summer in the Hamptons.
Thank you for listening! For more of our great interviews, find us at hospitalitydesign.com.
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Settling in Seattle as a Vietnamese refugee, My Nguyen began her 22-year design career as an intern for Holland America Line followed by nearly nine years at NB Design Group. Now, Nguyen leads the interior design and interior asset management teams for Holland America Line and Seabourn fleets.
Through her commitment to sustainability, Nguyen has pushed boundaries in the cruise industry, transforming design processes to focus on environmental responsibility. Whether leading a design team or tackling the post-pandemic travel surge, Nguyen's ability to balance creativity with practicality makes her a force in cruise ship design today.
Thank you for listening! For more of our great interviews, find us at hospitalitydesign.com.
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Juan Bremer has a deep connection to nature that has shaped his journey into the world of luxury hospitality. Growing up as the son of an ambassador, Bremer’s early years were a whirlwind of cultures, spanning Moscow, Germany, and Mexico. (Today, he splits his time between Mexico and Italy.) This multicultural upbringing instilled in him an appreciation for diverse environments and languages, a foundation that continues to influence his philosophy around development.
Bremer’s creative spirit was evident from a young age, leading friends on adventures and conjuring up games. This innate creativity, combined with a love for the outdoors, has become the cornerstone of his work. His entry into hospitality was born from a desire to preserve the untouched beauty of Mexico’s virgin beaches, and his first major project, the One&Only Mandarina via his RLH Properties company, set the stage for Xala, a 3,000-acre luxury development in the Costalegre region of Jalisco, Mexico. Found on the Pacific coastline, it will be home to residences and a Six Senses resort, slated to open in 2026.
Thank you for listening! For more of our great interviews, find us at hospitalitydesign.com.
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Born in Florence and raised between Switzerland and Northern California, David Montalba, founder of Montalba Architects, was exposed to many different cultures growing up, which is evident in his work today from the rustic yet refined Whitepod eco-chalets in Monthey Switzerland to the bespoke Nobu Palo Alto in California.
Today—with offices in Santa Monica, California; New York; and Lausanne, Switzerland—his multidisciplinary firm is celebrated for their thoughtful balance between modernity and timelessness, all while maintaining an approach that is as much about the people who inhabit the space as the space itself.
Thank you for listening! For more of our great interviews, find us at hospitalitydesign.com.
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Eric Papachristos, who lived in Greece before returning to the U.S. at age 10, spent his life in restaurants, working at his father's diner as a dishwasher. It made sense, then, that his path would lead him back to hospitality after earning a degree in finance.
With a keen eye for collaboration, Papachristos joined forces with celebrated chef Jody Adams to open Greek restaurant Trade Boston in 2011. Thirteen years later, he has grown his empire to count 10 restaurants under his A Street Hospitality Group banner.
His latest venture, the AvroKO-designed La Padrona, is a culinary gem nestled within the luxurious Raffles Hotel in downtown Boston. As Papachristos looks to the future, his ambitions extend beyond the dining scene, with plans to develop a residential community in Boston—a pivot inspired from the challenges of the Covid era.
Thank you for listening! For more of our great interviews, find us at hospitalitydesign.com.
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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. Next up is a heli-ski project that marries Herold’s luxury background with the great outdoors.
Here, she she talks about her time as a fashion student, what she learned from her mentor James Geier of 555 International, and building projects with people she admires.Thank you for listening! For more of our great interviews, find us at hospitalitydesign.com.
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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 Rooney.
At the time Pandolfi joined the firm in 2000, JBI resembled a carefree artists’ studio more than an office. Beers took over a closet, turning the open space under a massive skylight in the main room over to his small team. Las Vegas was fast transforming into a high-end food and drink destination then and JBI was smack in the middle of that energetic shift, bringing to life venues like Tabu—the MGM Grand ultra-lounge flaunting tables with holographic images projected onto them—and Rumjungle at Mandalay Bay, a fantastical tropical restaurant and nightclub fusing fire and bongo drums.
“Those were things that Jeff loved—crazy ideas that not everybody would propose to a client,” recalls Pandolfi, noting how Beers regularly encouraged his staff to share such wild notions in an office he treated as an open forum. “Nobody had titles. Everybody was equal. If you had a great idea, everybody would listen to it and it could be executed.”
Here, the three partners share how they plan to continue their late founder’s legacy.
Thank you for listening! For more of our great interviews, find us at hospitalitydesign.com.
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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 the Erasmus exchange program at TU Delft, a specialized architecture school in Holland. That was a life-changing experience for Eacott, ultimately leading to an internship at OMA in Rotterdam where he worked alongside Rem Koolhaas. (Eacott went on to earn his master’s degree from the Royal College of Art in London.)
His career took off from there, and he added a list of hospitality giants to his résumé including Soho House, Yoo, HBA, and SBE, before landing at Ennismore (the latter two companies were both acquired by Accor), where he’s been the global vice president of design since 2019. Eacott’s philosophy is centered around service and experience. He’s unafraid to retool brands that need a facelift or to call upon nostalgia for reboots of industry gamechangers, like the refresh of the Delano in Miami. Now based in Dubai, Eacott shares lessons learned along his impressive journey and how a successful brand is rooted in emotion.
Thank you for listening! For more of our great interviews, find us at hospitalitydesign.com.
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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 become an early investor in technology company Qualcomm and eventually chairman of Nazarian Enterprises, which focused on a variety of interests in the private, public, and real estate markets.SB
Like his father, Sam, showcased a formidable drive. A smart, athletic kid, he played baseball and basketball in high school and college before attending NYU’s Stern School of Business. By 23, Sam had become the country’s largest distributor of Nextel, a wireless digital communications provider. A year later, he ventured into hotel real estate, buying the Avalon Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. By the time he was 26, Sam had invested in 10 hotels and had even dipped his toes into film production on the side.
In 2006, he launched SBE—Sammy Boy Entertainment, a callback to a childhood nickname. After a series of successful nightclub venues, the first SLS hotel in Beverly Hills opened, a testament to his vision of blending F&B and nightlife into a cohesive luxury-meets-lifestyle experience.
As the SBE brand grew, so did Nazarian’s ambitions. In 2020, he sold the company to Accor, and this January, he announced HQ Projects, a strategic partnership with Wyndham that provides hotel owners with the freedom to craft their own hospitality stories.
Thank you for listening! For more of our great interviews, find us at hospitalitydesign.com.
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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, Wyoming on his client list.
Barry has always been a curious person and interested in exploring new frontiers, which led him to founding Urby in 2012, the hospitality-inspired urban housing concept centered on modern design, high-end amenities, affordable pricing, and programming.
Simplicity is key to the success of Urby, which is currently found in six locations with four more on the boards in Philadelphia; Washington, DC; Wynwood, Florida; and Journal Square, New Jersey.
As he looks ahead, Barry says his greatest lesson learned is to not get caught up in the noise and chatter of the present moment but to think longterm and plan accordingly.
Thank you for listening! For more of our great interviews, find us at hospitalitydesign.com.
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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 1998, Sandy's son and Mary Celeste's husband, Sam, took it over, transforming it into a culinary powerhouse and must-visit getaway tucked away in East Tennessee.
After Sam's unexpected passing in 2016, Mary Celeste became proprietor while raising her five children. Mary Celeste, who has a degree in accounting, didn't shy away from the challenge. In fact, she credits the power of believing in herself for ushering the resort into its next—and most exciting—era yet.
Thank you for listening! For more of our great interviews, find us at hospitalitydesign.com.
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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 Hollywood’s Chinese Theater. With the Sandbourne Santa Monica in California and 1 Hotel Crete in Greece on the boards, Jónsdóttir continues to immerse guests in their surroundings with an approach centered on all five senses.
Thank you for listening! For more of our great interviews, find us at hospitalitydesign.com.
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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 25-acre island on the coastline between Dubai and Abu Dhabi is on the boards) continues the company's goal to transform people’s health and wellbeing through innovative, cutting-edge practices wrapped in a hospitality-focused luxury experience. Additionally, the company's real estate development arm, AB Living Group, is working with Marriott to develop branded residences and resort projects in Mexico under the SHA Wellness brand. “For us, this is much more than a business, it's a mission,” says Alejandro.
This episode is brought to you by American Leather. For more information, go to americanleather.com.Thank you for listening! For more of our great interviews, find us at hospitalitydesign.com.
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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 hotel that put community first and offered approachable service. The project was short-lived (they sold it in 2011), but Tricoci was just getting started, launching Aparium Hotel Group in 2012. Today, the hotel owner and operator counts 11 properties in its portfolio, with four more slated to open this year. Here, the CEO and founder shares how his philosophy of finding the right partner, place, and product has led to Aparium’s decade-plus of success.
This episode is brought to you by American Leather. For more information, go to americanleather.com.Thank you for listening! For more of our great interviews, find us at hospitalitydesign.com.
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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 portfolio with notable projects like the Hotel Figueroa in downtown Los Angeles, Proper Hotels' spinoff brand Hotel June on LA’s Westside, and recently, Ferraro’s Bar & Restaurant at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea. With more than two decades of experience, the Venice, California-based design firm has learned how to let the client and project dictate where things are headed. “You have to trust that it will still be great,” says Schulz.
Thank you for listening! For more of our great interviews, find us at hospitalitydesign.com.
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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, with offices in New York, Miami, and recently Riyadh, has showcased that rich intersection of masculine and feminine in projects for the past seven years, from Café Polet in Moscow to to Kahawa Café in Doha. Albertini shares his journey from architecture and finance student to successful entrepreneur.
Thank you for listening! For more of our great interviews, find us at hospitalitydesign.com.
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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 are rethinking hospitality by creating hotels centered around what they call a heartfelt hospitality approach—one that transcends the property and immerses visitors into the location.
Thank you for listening! For more of our great interviews, find us at hospitalitydesign.com.
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