Hospitality Design: What I've Learned

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 boundaries of traditional theatrical experiences. Indeed, his creativity and vision have played a key role in shaping Spiegelworld's reputation as a trailblazer in the world of live entertainment, spotlighted in the forthcoming DiscoShow and the development of a circus town in Nipton, California, where Mollison and his team dream up their creative, otherworldly endeavors.Thank you for listening! For more of our great interviews, find us at hospitalitydesign.com.

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 than four decades of industry experience, Martínez Flórez now serves as the co-managing director and design principal at the firm's New York office, where he has become integral in fostering the next generation of design professionals.Thank you for listening! For more of our great interviews, find us at hospitalitydesign.com.

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 Tented Lodge near the Yala National Park in Sri Lanka. Thompson, who designed the building to blend into its natural surroundings, also trained 80 people from a neighboring fishermen's village to help with the construction. Today, Thompson is again pushing the envelope as he introduces salutogenic architecture to a new audience, where he hopes to influence mental wellbeing through design. Here, he shares his vision for the future of hospitality, including the development of niche experiences that cultivate community.Thank you for listening! For more of our great interviews, find us at hospitalitydesign.com.