15 Hotel Designers to Watch Now

The hotel industry is emerging from a rough pandemic, so it's a good time to celebrate a brighter future driven by hospitality innovation. We scoured the globe to find some of the best talents in hotel architecture and interior design. These 15 firms represent a diverse mix of influences and philosophies. Some are up-and-comers, while others are legends. All of them know how to use next-gen innovation to make travelers happier, whether it's at a limited service property, a luxury resort, or a tented hotel.

Denniston

Architects, planners, landscapers, and interior designers

Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Notable projects:

Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya RiverSt. Regis LhasaAman Bora Bora (currently closed)Banyan Tree Shanghai on the Bund

Key People: Jean-Michel Gathy, principal

Success for Jean-Michel Gathy has always been a little bit about luck — and a lot about pluck. Just after graduating from college in the early ‘80s, his work caught the eye of Adrian Zecha, founder of Aman Resorts. Four decades later, the clientele of Gathy’s firm Denniston is a Who’s Who of the most esteemed brands in five-star hospitality, with 34 properties in 20 countries. Gathy, a native Belgian, has done most of his work in Asia, where he completed the Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River in 2020. That property is one of the truest representations of a vision that’s difficult to achieve, in Gathy's view: the “urban resort.” Four large courtyards and a riverwalk provide guests with an oasis. “You completely forget you’re in the middle of Bangkok, one of the busiest, animated, lively cities in the world,” he said. 

Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River. Source: Four Seasons Hotels.Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River. Source: Four Seasons Hotels.Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River. Source: Four Seasons Hotels.Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River. Source: Four Seasons Hotels. Elder & Ash

Interior designers

Location: Amesbury, Massachusetts

Notable Projects:

Lark Hotels, Bluebird by Lark

Key People: Rob Blood, principal designerMegan Kennedy, principal designer

There’s education, and then there’s instinct, according to Elder & Ash principals Robert Blood and Megan Kennedy. Neither half of the duo has formal design training. But what the business and life partners do have is man