Chef Daniel Boulud is known for his career-defining time at Le Cirque and the award-winning Daniel. The success of the fine dining institution led to his growing food empire, but Boulud's influence reaches outside of the kitchen. Beyond Michelin Stars and James Beard Awards, he considers cultivating young talent one of his greatest accomplishments. While the industry may have to be reimagined in this new reality, he says, the one thing it won’t lose is its talent, passion, and commitment.

Hospitality Design: What I've Learned

Episode 49: Chef Daniel Boulud

Hong Kong-based designer and architect Joyce Wang made a name for herself with the career-defining Ammo and Mott 32 restaurants in Hong Kong. She continues to impress with notable launches like the spa and wellness component of the inaugural Equinox Hotel in Hudson Yards New York. The space embodies her skills as a designer: She takes time to understand the context of the project and then, she says, she chips away at it until it reveals something beautiful.

Episode 48: Joyce Wang, Joyce Wang Studio

Richmond International's Fiona Thompson started her career at the London-based firm in the 1980s and returned once again in 1992 as Richmond was entering a new chapter. In the last 30 years, Thompson has been integral in helping the firm grow its hospitality practice, designing notable projects like the Langham Chicago and the Four Seasons Budapest. In her tenure, she has taken a design-first perspective in running the company, cultivating young talent and encouraging designers to be open to what’s next.

Episode 47: Fiona Thompson, Richmond International

Not only a prolific chef and restaurateur, Marcus Samuelsson is the author of a number of cookbooks, including The Rise, which celebrates contemporary Black cooking through the lens of the most influential Black chefs in the field. It embodies his mission to reclaim Black culinary traditions while energizing a new generation of chefs. 

Episode 46: Chef Marcus Samuelsson

Partners in business and life, the Tel Aviv-based Alon Baranowitz and Irene Kronenberg's design philosophy is centered on a deep, contextual, and narrative-driven approach that has helped create lasting partnerships, including with W hotels and hotelier Liran Wizman’s Sircle brand. At the end of the day, they say, a successful project comes down to the people—watching them connect, exchange ideas, and celebrate life together.

Episode 45: Baranowitz + Kronenberg

Jim Looney's journey to founding one of the most prolific hospitality design firms in the industry started with a chance meeting with Trisha Wilson. Six weeks later, he moved to Dallas to work with her. It was a formative time for Looney as he had a front-row seat to see the industry transform into what it is today. In 1995, he launched Looney & Associates, which has offices in Dallas, Chicago, and Hawaii. As the firm celebrates 25 years, Looney reflects on a career that brought him from Memphis to Arkansas and now Dallas.

Episode 44: Jim Looney, Looney & Associates

Rachel Gutter is a pioneer in the green-building movement. Now, as president of the IWBI, she is implementing standards that embody a holistic wellbeing approach. If we continue to find the intersection of purpose and profit in our own lives, she says, then we will not only be much happier as individuals but the planet and society as a whole will benefit as well. This episode is brought to you by Global Allies. For more information, visit globalallies.com. 

Episode 43: Rachel Gutter, International Well Building Institute

Jacobs is a pioneer in the wellness movement, making it a hallmark of the brand. He has hired the best and brightest minds—from sleep scientists to wellness experts—to deliver transformative experiences for guests. His story is equally compelling. He speaks six languages, went to college in Paris, studied art history in Florence, and has lived in nearly a dozen countries. It’s a storied career that led him to Four Seasons, Starwood Capital Group, and now Singapore with Six Senses. This episode is brought to you by Global Allies. For more information, go to globalallies.com.

Episode 42: Neil Jacobs, Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas

The visionary hotelier founded Joie de Vivre hotels when he was only 26 years old, transforming an inner-city motel in San Francisco into the second largest boutique hotel brand in the world. After 24 years, he sold the company, but it didn’t take long for Airbnb to tap Conley to help turn the travel startup into a powerhouse global hospitality brand in the share economy. His most recent venture, the Modern Elder Academy, is the world’s first midlife wisdom school, complete with a beachfront campus in the heart of Baja California Sur, Mexico This episode is brought to you by Global Allies. For more information, go to globalallies.com

Episode 41: Chip Conley, Modern Elder Academy

When Beth Campbell was 10, she began working at her parents’ restaurants in Pittsburgh and was managing them by the time she was a teenager. That experience solidified her passion for hospitality. As CEO of Wilson Associates, she has cultivated an office environment where learning, education, and emotional intelligence take precedence. Trust the people around you, she says, because you’re not alone. This episode is brought to you by Global Allies. For more information, go to globalallies.com.

Episode 40: Beth Campbell, Wilson Associates

Meyer Davis' refined residential style has attracted many hospitality greats, including chef Andrew Carmellini for Locanda Verde, Barry Sternlicht for the 1 Hotel South Beach, and Dana Kalczak of Four Seasons. For the past two decades, the duo has continued to mark their territory with projects that embody their firm's ethos of creating inspirational environments that leave a lasting impression. This episode is brought to you by Global Allies. For more information, go to globalallies.com.

Episode 39: Will Meyer and Gray Davis, Meyer Davis

After cutting his teeth styling for retail catalogues and showrooms and working with Martha Stewart, Kemper Hyers' life changed forever when he joined Barry Sternlicht at Starwood, helping to launch such brands as Baccarat and 1 Hotels. Like the rest of the design community, Hyers continues to grapple with today's new normal, but he remains optimistic. The hotel industry will be back, he says, but the trick is to be thoughtful and mindful. This episode is brought to you by Global Allies. For more information, go to globalallies.com.

Episode 38: Kemper Hyers, Auberge Resorts Collection

We spoke with Chip Rogers, president and CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), to understand the state of the hospitality industry amid the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Rogers, the $2 trillion stimulus package recently signed into law by President Trump, is less about stimulus and more about preservation. But he does see some light at the end of the tunnel, and even applauds hoteliers who are allowing their hotels to be used as medical facilities or for quarantine locations during these difficult times.  This episode is brought to you by Global Allies. For more information, go to globalallies.com.

Episode 37: Chip Rogers, AHLA

When you think of the names that have defined the industry, David Rockwell is on the top of that list. Likely, many of your favorite spaces have that signature Rockwell touch. Whether that’s Nobu restaurants in New York, his stage sets for Broadway, or the recently opened Equinox Hotel in Hudson Yards, Rockwell's hallmark—an intersection of theater and hospitality—creates a thrilling choreography that starts at the entrance. “You don't want the set doing the same thing the actors are doing,” he says. Because of this, Rockwell says his success can be credited to taking chances and realizing there is no safe choice when it comes to design. This episode is brought to you by Global Allies. For more information, go to globalallies.com.

Episode 36: David Rockwell, Rockwell Group

Gary Dollens has been with Hyatt Hotels since 1977, when he took an entry level position with a Hyatt in Oak Brook, Illinois. It sparked his love affair with hotels and Hyatt, specifically, which has lasted to this day. In 2004, he switched from operations to overseeing architecture and design for the brand, while also helping guide Hyatt into an exciting new decade with acquisitions like Two Roads Hospitality. In fact, he shares how saying yes more often than no has been his greatest lesson learned. This episode is brought to you by Global Allies. For more information, go to globalallies.com.

Episode 35: Gary Dollens, Hyatt Hotels

In this new series, Hospitality Design magazine's editor in chief Stacy Shoemaker Rauen will talk 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. 

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Hospitality Design: What I've Learned

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