Top 10 Luxury Hospitality Design Trends for 2026
Scott LaMont, Chief Executive Officer & Principal at EDSA, outlines ten luxury hospitality design trends that will shape 2026, from mixed-use integration and regenerative landscapes to human-tech balance, embedded wellness, and “destination-first” thinking. He shows how thoughtful, flexible design can turn hotels into living landmarks that serve guests, locals, and the environment while staying adaptable and commercially strong over time.
The hospitality industry is evolving, and with it, the very definition of a destination’s value is being redefined. At the heart of this shift, design has become a defining force – shaping a property’s identity, elevating its appeal, and influencing its long-term success. Looking ahead to 2026, here are ten luxury hospitality design trends that industry leaders should know as they embark on new projects, renovate existing properties, and look to strengthen their investments.
Hotels are no longer isolated enclaves – they are active players in the life of a city. Thoughtful design transforms ‘places of stay’ into spaces that influence circulation, connect community realm, and establish a seamless flow between private and public being. In this way, a hotel can feel both intimate and expansive – a destination within itself and an anchor to the character of the larger urban fabric.
The Hotel Yearbook 2026 - Annual Edition
The hotel industry in 2026 finds itself at the meeting point of powerful, converging forces: rapid technological progress, climate urgency, shifting guest expectations, labour market disruption and economic realignment. This edition of The HOTEL Yearbook looks at how hotel organisations respond, not by choosing one direction over another, but by designing integrated strategies that combine digital and human, global and local, automation and empathy. A large share of this year’s contributions focuses in particular on artificial intelligence and its growing influence across almost every segment of hospitality, confirming AI as one of the defining themes of this moment. Bringing together expert voices from around the world, the publication explores strategy, technology, sustainability, finance, asset management, food and beverage, human resources, design and more, all through the lens of intentional hybridity in an age of convergence. The message is clear: in 2026, hybridity is no longer optional; it is strategic, and it will be the leaders who approach it with real intention who shape the future of our industry.