Hospitality Design: What I've Learned

Kit Kemp of Firmdale Hotels has been lauded for her eclectic design style that doesn't shy away from color and pattern. But it's her meticulous attention to detail that has elevated her to icon status. She carefully curates and champions work from venerated and emerging artists and craftspeople alike. No matter how perfect the design, she says, it always comes down to the people who make each hotel come alive.This episode is brought to you by Global Allies. For more information, go to globalallies.comThank you for listening! For more of our great interviews, find us at hospitalitydesign.com.

Born and bred in Toronto, Dana Kalczak has spent the last couple of decades at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts where she's played an integral part in creating a company that doesn't chase trends but deliberately takes the time to research and understand its guest. New hotels in Philadelphia and Montreal showcase the brand's ability to adapt while still being able to create magical, unforgettable moments.This episode is brought to you by Global Allies. For more information, go to globalallies.com.Thank you for listening! For more of our great interviews, find us at hospitalitydesign.com.

Josh Wyatt's career has had many iterations, with hospitality being his backbone since he founded Generator Hostels in 2007. The gamechanging brand led to many other opportunities, including at Neuehouse, where he's marrying the best of both worlds in a members' club that celebrates great design in urban settings. He credits his success to surrounding himself with good people who know where the car is going. If you trust them and just get in, he says, good things will happen.This episode is brought to you by Global Allies.Thank you for listening! For more of our great interviews, find us at hospitalitydesign.com.

Julie Monk grew up in the Midwest but her career has taken her all over the world from Denmark to New York and Hong Kong, where she is now based. The trained architect has worked on projects big and small, but she points to two things that have solidified her passion for the hospitality industry: the merger between BBG-BBGM and HOK and her time living and working in Asia. Both of which transformed her worldview, allowing her to be fully immersed in all facets of design.This episode is brought to you by Global Allies.Thank you for listening! For more of our great interviews, find us at hospitalitydesign.com.

This episode originally aired on December 25th, 2018.  Brad Wilson started his career working with his mom to open a series of bakeries throughout Chicago. It was a natural step to go into hotels, helping to launch brands such as W and the gamechanging Ace Hotels. His pragmatic approach to hospitality has evolved into a deep love and understanding for the industry. "I'm sort of a junkie" for it, he says. "I crave it."This episode is brought to you by Global Allies. For more information, go to globalallies.com.Thank you for listening! For more of our great interviews, find us at hospitalitydesign.com.

As Dream Hotel Group continues to grow and launch more brands, including Unscripted Hotels and the upcoming 5-Star Chatwal Lodge in the Catskill Mountains, CEO Jay Stein credits a community-oriented approach to Dream's success. In fact, he points to a piece of advice from his father that has become a core value of Dream's philosophy: to show respect to everyone on the team. It's a key tenet that has helped make Dream a lifestyle juggernaut.  This episode is brought to you by Global Allies. For more information, go to globalallies.com.Thank you for listening! For more of our great interviews, find us at hospitalitydesign.com.

Growing up, Lauren Rotett always wanted to do something creative and set her sights on architecture school. The Texas native first cut her teeth in corporate design with SOM, eventually going out on her own and landing her first hotel job, the Surrey, on the Upper East Side of New York. With three offices across the U.S., today, Rottet's firm is heralded for melding residentially inspired interiors with dynamic, architecturally driven solutions.This episode is brought to you by Global Allies. For more information, go to globalallies.com.Thank you for listening! For more of our great interviews, find us at hospitalitydesign.com.

Ennismore's Charlie North has been leading the hotel developer's interiors practice since 2015, after cutting his teeth with the likes of the late David Collins, Alexander Waterworth, and Martin Brudnizki. Recently named to our 2019 Wave of the Future class, North is behind the Hoxton's growth Stateside, as well as helping to spearhead the redo of the posh Gleneagles in Scotland. With each property, he's creating thoughtful, layered spaces that encourage guests to linger. This episode is brought to you by Global Allies.Thank you for listening! For more of our great interviews, find us at hospitalitydesign.com.

As one of the Fab Five, Queer Eye's Bobby Berk is a self-made designer whose road to celebrity wasn't easy. He left his small town in Missouri at age 15, couch surfing and sleeping in his car while doing double shifts at Applebee's to make ends meet. A job at Restoration Hardware then Portico led him to start Bobby Berk Home. Now, as a fan favorite on Netflix's hit show, he has no plans of slowing down.This episode is brought to you by Global Allies. For more information, go to globalallies.com.Thank you for listening! For more of our great interviews, find us at hospitalitydesign.com.

Hospitality rising stars Marcus Carey and Damon Lawrence are shaking up the hotel industry with Homage Hospitality, one of the first brands catered to the African American traveler by honoring and preserving black culture through design and programming. With one property open in New Orleans and three more on the boards, it seems they're onto something.This episode is brought to you by Global Allies. For more information, go to globalallies.com.Thank you for listening! For more of our great interviews, find us at hospitalitydesign.com.