Why Warm Lighting Wins Guest Loyalty
An overview of how warm lighting across lobbies, guest rooms, and restaurants shapes guest comfort, perception of quality, and emotional connection to a property.
By Peter Chambers, Associate Editor, Renovated
Design & Architecture
How Modern Hotels Blend Blue, Green, and Happy Design
An opinion piece exploring how hotels can integrate Blue, Green, and Happy design concepts with the 95:5 rule and the three-places framework to address evolving guest wellbeing expectations.
By Laszlo Puczko, CEO & Co-Founder, HTWWlife
Newport Hospitality Group’s Hilton Garden Inn Frederick Embarks on Major Renovation Inspired by the Region’s History, Landscape, & Culture
Newport Hospitality Group and owner Roch Capital are renovating all areas of the Hilton Garden Inn Frederick, with completion expected in early spring 2027, drawing design inspiration from the region's history, agriculture, and winery culture.
Recent Appointments
View AllThe Beauty of Imperfection: Wabi-Sabi in Hospitality
The article applies the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi to hotel design, arguing that imperfection, age, and natural materials can create a richer guest experience than conventional luxury perfection.
Radical Innovation Announces 2026 Finalists as It Celebrates 20 Years of Shaping the Future of Hospitality
Radical Innovation's 20th Anniversary Awards named finalists across Project, Product, and Technology categories, with public voting open ahead of the October 22 ceremony in New York City.
Why to Design an Unforgettable Arrival Sequence
Three design principles for developers to turn arrival sequences into value-generating experiences: choreographed circulation, spatial hierarchy and thresholds, and staged anticipation.
By Scott LaMont, Chief Executive Officer, EDSA
The Neuroscience of Natural Materials: Why Wood, Stone and Patina Outperform Synthetic Finishes in Guest Perception
Opinion piece argues natural materials like wood, stone and aged metals shape guest perception more effectively than synthetic finishes by triggering positive neurological and emotional responses.
By Peter Chambers, Associate Editor, Renovated
Bill Bensley’s Blueprint for a Bhutanese Hideaway
Pemako Punakha, conceptually designed by Bill Bensley, is Bhutan's first luxury tented villa property and flagship of the country's first Bhutanese-owned luxury hotel group, with rates from $1,800 per night.
BENSLEY and Pemako Hotels
Stop Designing Wellness Features. Start Designing for Wellness
Design firm argues that wellness in hotels should be embedded in architecture from the start, covering acoustics, lighting, and sense of place, rather than added as amenity features.
By Bhavini Hardev and Lisa A. Haude
AXIS Architecture + Design advances its East Coast hospitality presence with the transformation of the historic Hotel Viking
AXIS Architecture + Design completed a centennial renovation of the 1926 Hotel Viking in Newport, RI, restoring historic Gilded Age character while adding modern luxury elements across public spaces, exterior, and courtyard.
From Landscape to Last Detail: Designing the Farm Charm Experience
Drawing on Expedia Group's Unpack '26 report, the piece outlines how Farm Charm properties use natural materials, seasonal menus, and branded touchpoints to create an immersive, nature-connected guest experience.
Sleeper 127 Out Now: Enjoy Your Stay!
Issue 127 covers Italian hospitality, Colombian landmark conversions, Miami Beach Art Deco revival, Bali heritage design, London's Whiteleys transformation, and the MEA hotel construction pipeline.
AXIS Architecture + Design completes the Hilton Arcadia Los Angeles, a landmark hospitality project combining adaptive reuse with new-build hotel development
AXIS Architecture + Design completed the 173-room Hilton Arcadia, merging a new six-story tower with a converted office building across 153,000 sq ft of hospitality space inspired by Santa Anita Park's Art Deco heritage.
The Quiet Details That Shape a Hotel’s Spatial Identity
The article argues that a hotel's atmosphere is built through a unified design logic applied consistently across materials, finishes, and objects, down to items like a wooden key card.
The Space Between, Captured in a Wooden Key Card
GCSTIMES promotes its wooden key card as a symbol of biophilic hospitality design, arguing that small natural details reflect a broader philosophy of restraint and mindful guest experience.
Bringing Biophilic Design to the Hotel Key Card
A wooden hotel key card with embossed deer motif illustrates how nature-inspired design can extend to small tactile touchpoints, reinforcing biophilic storytelling from the first moment of guest contact.
The Hidden Layer of Biophilic Design: How Hotels Curate Nature Through Sound
Hotels like Pan Pacific Orchard, Aman Tokyo, and Ritz-Carlton Bali show how curated natural soundscapes, water features, and open-air acoustics are becoming deliberate design tools for guest wellbeing.
Built to Breathe: Biophilic Hospitality Connects Nature with Guests
Three case studies, PARKROYAL Pickering, Oasia Hotel Downtown, and Six Senses Ibiza, illustrate how biophilic design is shifting from aesthetic trend to core hotel strategy.
Rethinking hospitality spaces with technology
A live podcast recording from HT360 explores how technology and staffing challenges are reshaping hotel interiors, public spaces, and F&B areas to boost revenue and guest appeal.
Ryan Haynes, Director/Lead Consultant, Hoteliers' Voice Podcast/ Haynes MarComs Ltd
Stop Looking Around. Start Looking Inward.
Renovations only justify higher rates when they shift guest perception through place-specific design, not competitor-benchmarked aesthetics.
By James Kuester, Interior and Experience Design Consultant, Cayuga Hospitality Consultants