Hospitality Design: What I've Learned
In this series, Hospitality Design magazine's editor in chief Stacy Shoemaker Rauen talks with influential hotel and design leaders on how they got to where they are today, what drives them, and their biggest lessons learned navigating an ever-changing industry.
Episodes
162 episodes
Jacu Strauss, Lore Group
Born in the Kalahari Desert of South Africa, Jacu Strauss’ early years were marked by his imagination—crafting dollhouses from wine boxes and drawing urban streetscapes in the dirt. With limited access to TV or the internet, he turned to encycl...
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Season 3
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Episode 154
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53:29
Morris Adjmi, Morris Adjmi Architects
As founder of his eponymous New York firm, visionary architect Morris Adjmi's work is deeply rooted in a respect for heritage while embracing innovation. With a career shaped by early experiences working alongside ...
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Season 3
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Episode 153
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48:45
Cathy O'Brien, Naturopathica
From her childhood in Larchmont, New York to leading a renowned wellness company, Cathy O'Brien’s wide-ranging career spans the music industry as well as the beauty and wellness sectors, where she helped rethink brand strategies at luxury compa...
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Season 3
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Episode 152
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58:08
Brad Guidi and Jason Brown, Blue Flag Capital
When Jason Brown and Brad Guidi joined forces to create hospitality real estate private equity firm Blue Flag Capital, they weren’t just building hotels—they were crafting experiences rooted in storyte...
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Season 3
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Episode 151
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56:17
Darius Davie + Matthew Sears, Groom Guy
Growing up in Brooklyn, lifelong friends Matthew Sears and Darius Davie started their entrepreneurial journey thanks to a shared passion for design, grooming, and community. Enter Groom Guy, their take ...
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Season 3
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Episode 150
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39:14
Elizabeth Blau
A driving force behind the evolution of Las Vegas dining scene and beyond, Elizabeth Blau began her F&B journey under the legendary Sirio Maccioni at Le Cirque in New York. That foundation propelled her to Las Vegas in the late ...
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Season 3
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Episode 149
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50:54
Sigurlaug Sverrisdóttir
Icelandic hotelier Sigurlaug Sverrisdóttir has built a reputation for her innovative approach to creating immersive guest experiences.Growing up in a small town near Reykjavik, she developed a deep connection to Iceland’s rugged natural ...
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Season 3
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Episode 148
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1:02:04
Vincent Celano, Celano Design Studio
From working in a butcher shop as a child to immersing himself in the world of art and architecture, Vincent Celano’s upbringing in Brooklyn, New York instilled in him a love of storytelling and a deep appreciation for the power of design.<...
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Season 3
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Episode 147
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49:20
Matt Goodrich, Goodrich
Matt Goodrich, principal of his New York-based design studio Goodrich, has cultivated an approach that is rooted in collaboration, curiosity, and pursuing the unexpected. With a career that spans more than tw...
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Season 2
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Episode 146
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50:53
Episode Re-release December 8, 2020: Tara Bernerd, Tara Bernerd & Partners
Revisit our conversation with prolific designer Tara Bernerd, founder of her eponymous London-based firm Tara Bernerd & Partners. Back in 2020, as the world was facing an unprecedented pandemic, Tara shared how her team was navigating...
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Season 2
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Episode 145
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50:28
Aliya Khan, Marriott
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...
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Season 2
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Episode 144
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52:26
Tom Ito, Gensler
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...
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Season 2
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Episode 143
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43:26
Sam Fox
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 Univ...
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Season 2
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Episode 142
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41:51
John Meadow, LDV Hospitality
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 ...
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Season 2
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Episode 141
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50:08
My Nguyen, Holland America Line and Seabourn
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 t...
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Season 2
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Episode 140
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49:07
Juan Bremer, Xala
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. (Toda...
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Season 2
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Episode 139
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50:39
David Montalba, Montalba Architects
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...
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Season 2
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Episode 138
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42:44
Eric Papachristos, A Street Hospitality Group
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 d...
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Season 2
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Episode 137
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48:00
Karen Herold, Studio K Creative
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...
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Season 2
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Episode 137
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1:00:17
Michael Pandolfi, Nora Liu-Kanter, and Tim Rooney, JBI
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 visionar...
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Season 2
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Episode 136
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1:05:31
Mark Eacott, Ennismore
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, coup...
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Season 2
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Episode 135
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57:02
Sam Nazarian, SBE
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 ...
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Season 2
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Episode 134
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1:24:15
David Barry, Urby
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 hospi...
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Season 2
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Episode 133
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1:02:28