NORTHEAST
Photo Credit: Baltimore Marriott Waterfront
More than just a place to rest one’s head, the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront is a triumph of architecture. Designed to embrace its waterfront setting, the building curves and bows to meet the shoreline, its expansive windows offering guests panoramic views of the Patapsco River, the city skyline and the bustling harbor. The hotel’s orientation makes full use of natural light, casting golden reflections on polished surfaces at dawn and showcasing breathtaking sunsets over the harbor. Each of the 750+ guest rooms sports furniture that is modern but plush, featuring rich textiles in deep blues, warm taupes and cream tones.
Attendees on an agenda are led through spaces that open and contract organically, with sight lines maintained and ambience carefully modulated. Designers partnered with Baltimore-based artisans, historians and even marine biologists to infuse the interiors with elements inspired by Chesapeake Bay life. Subtle oyster-shell motifs, stylized crab silhouettes in metalwork and reclaimed wood from regional shipyards are all used with subtlety and elegance.
The 16-room Henson in the Northern Catskills of New York occupies a late 19th-century structure that once served as a boarding house and, by 1918, operated as The Hensonville Hotel. The once long-neglected building now sports revived wood-plank floors and furnishings featuring sustainably sourced materials, rich organic textures and a tonal palette that shifts with the light. Antique and vintage furnishings add character and texture throughout the property. A Queens, N.Y.-based ceramicist created tiles, mugs and dinnerware for the dining spaces, while outside, a former gravel lot is now a lush, evolving garden with winding pathways that feel both organic and intentional.
With a design philosophy inspired by the architectural grandeur of Grand Central Terminal, the vintage 1926 InterContinental New York Barclay embodies classic American Federalist style with a refined Park Avenue aesthetic. From the moment guests enter through the iconic Birdcage Entrance, they are immersed in architectural features such as ornate moldings, marble flooring and grand neoclassical columns. Throughout the property, warm ambient lighting, plush textiles and thoughtfully curated artwork create a setting that is as inviting as it is refined. Each of the hotel’s 704 guest rooms showcase clean lines and rich materials, while a muted, soothing palette fosters a sense of calm.
SOUTHEAST
Photo Credit: The Embers
Inspired by the quiet beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the design of the 36-room Embers Hotel in Blowing Rock, N.C., relies on handcrafted textures and natural palettes to help guests relax and feel at home. For the interiors, locally sourced wood, stone and woven textiles echo the surrounding landscape, while large windows and open-concept lounges blur the line between inside and out. Each suite is its own sanctuary, with layered lighting, curated artwork and thoughtful amenities that evoke both nostalgia and serenity.
The idea here is to create an ambience that feels less like a hotel and more like a beautifully designed invitation to slow down. This is accomplished in the property’s public spaces, which feel more like living rooms, with Appalachian-inspired art lining the walls. For events of up to 500 people, the hotel offers a variety of spaces that similarly carry out a serene mountain theme.
An icon of Orlando’s convention district, the 1,224-room Rosen Centre continues an ongoing refinement most recently marked by its redesigned VIP suites, which feature sleek, modern décor, clean lines and a cool, contemporary color palette. The result is a boutique-style ambiance that blends comfort, style and functionality. Beyond the suites, a refreshed color palette flows through the hotel’s lobby and into its 35 meeting and event areas (a total of more than 160,000 square feet of high-tech, flexible space), including multiple outdoor venues that show off the tropical setting. In addition, a covered pedestrian bridge connects directly to the Orange County Convention Center.
Adjacent to Music City Center and the Bridgestone Arena, the 506-suite Embassy Suites Nashville Downtown echoes its creative environment with a front facade that evokes a large sheet of music and a crown (under which sits a glitzy rooftop bar) resembling the lid of a grand piano. Front-desk pods are shaped like musical notes, while artwork throughout pays homage to Nashville’s musical history. The hotel has 35,853 square feet of meeting space spread out across 22 meeting rooms. Within a 10-minute walk, guests will find the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Frist Art Museum.
MIDWEST
Photo Credit: Nobu Hotel Chicago
Designed by local creative house Studio K in partnership with Modif Architecture, the 115-room Nobu Hotel Chicago combines Japanese minimalism with stylish contemporary design. Located in Chicago’s West Loop, the hotel welcomes guests with a 26-foot kintsugi-inspired brass sculpture in the lobby that "mends" the hotel’s deep indigo plastered walls together, channeling the Japanese aesthetic of wabi sabi, or finding beauty in imperfection. The guest rooms’ blond wood floors and Venetian sand-colored plastered walls from local artisan Antonio Pinto contrast with indigo accents and jewel-toned sisal and wool rugs.
The hotel’s wellness level offers a serene indoor oasis with a tranquility pool and a pink resin sculpture that evokes thousands of cherry blossoms cascading from the ceiling, creating a stunning reflection in the soft-lit pool. The on-site Nobu restaurant features a sculpture of over 20,000 handmade elegant gold leaves that act as an autumnal canopy amidst the dining room’s sweeping high ceilings. A total of 6,116 square feet of similarly forward-design meeting and event space awaits groups.
True to its name, the 219-room Saint Kate – The Arts Hotel celebrates creativity in all its forms, even supplying guest rooms with drawing paper, colored pencils, a ukulele, a record player and vinyl records, while the property’s walls serve as an ever-evolving collection of galleries featuring works selected by a curator-in-residence affiliated with the Museum of Wisconsin Art. The Milwaukee property’s more than 11,600 square feet of meeting space is similarly a delight of creative design, from the smallest boardroom to the lavish Simone Ballroom, able to accommodate up to 600 people.
In the historic Distillery District of Lexington, Ky., the 125-room Manchester sports an award-winning design that offers deep, rich, indulgent materials and pieces that play exceptionally well together. From the moment guests enter the lobby, they are quickly drawn to the Granddam Lounge — a spirited lobby bar and lounge flanked on the eastern end by a large custom mural by famed Lexington artist Marjorie Guyon. The hotel’s interiors sparkle with soaring ceilings, arched brick walls and an intense but warm palette by way of fabrics and furniture from local craftspersons as well as artisans in Morocco.
SOUTHWEST
Photo Credit: Gaylord Rockies Resort
Set on 85 acres with impressive views of the Rocky Mountains, the Gaylord Rockies Resort features 1,501 guest rooms and offers 500,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space along with a wide range of amenities. The resort recently completed its Phase Two enhancements and expansion project, which included a new pavilion, four new dining concepts and the reworked Old Hickory Steakhouse Bar and Grand Lodge. Each space is uniquely designed to support both leisure and event capabilities.
Also on-site, the Fortunate Prospector is a 134-seat English-style pub that draws design inspiration from classic London taverns and Colorado’s mining heritage via rich woodwork, Victorian-era details and a rhythmic beam-and-column structure. The palette of the Embergs Lodge Bar, with its 360-degree wraparound bar and two fireplaces, is flame red, tawny gold, cream and coal, reflecting the surrounding landscape. The new Mountain View Pavilion has 12,118 square feet of indoor space framed by floor-to-ceiling windows and a skylight, all seamlessly connecting to over 15,000 square feet of turfed lawn.
In Colorado Springs, Colo., the 375-room Hotel Polaris draws design inspiration from its neighbors at the U.S. Air Force Academy, showcasing a mid-century modern aesthetic across guest rooms, public areas, six dining venues, meeting space and a boutique spa. Architectural features include custom lighting, terrazzo floors, breeze block walls and quartered walnut finishes. The lobby is anchored by a front desk resembling an airplane wing, across from a double-sided fireplace, while the hotel’s 26,000 square feet of indoor meeting space, all on one dedicated floor, has floor-to-ceiling windows offering an abundance of natural light.
Combining historical architecture with contemporary art and design, the 42-room Stanton House in downtown El Paso reflects the rich cultural tapestry of the region. Housed in the former Rogers Furniture Building, built in 1916, the property underwent a renovation that preserved its historical essence while introducing modern elements. The interior design is highlighted by neutral colors, wood, marble and terrazzo, accented with warm fabrics, while the walls are adorned with works by internationally acclaimed artists. Meeting space includes an area on the main floor that can host up to 40 guests among rich wood accents and nautical décor. An enclosed veranda can hold up to 120 people for a reception.
Artfully blending the grandeur of Houston’s past with the vibrancy of its creative present, the 328-room JW Marriott Houston Downtown preserves dramatic architectural elements like original exposed steel beams from the original 1910 construction, along with playfully juxtaposing restored heritage details with sleek finishes and contemporary art. Public and private spaces feature commissioned works by Texas-based artists. One of the hotel’s most iconic features is the 13-foot griffin sculpture with wings that dramatically pierce through the lobby wall, extending outward onto the hotel’s exterior. Meetings and events are catered to in similarly stylish 14,000 square feet of space.
FAR WEST
Photo Credit: InterContinental Seattle Bellevue
The crown jewel of Seattle’s Avenue Bellevue development, the 208-room InterContinental Seattle Bellevue combines striking modern architecture with warm, intuitive interiors expertly conceived by renowned design firm Hirsch Bedner Associates. In the lobby, guests immediately are greeted with an atmosphere of understated grandeur, where fine materials, sculptural elements and curated textures evoke the calm majesty of nearby Lake Washington and the Cascade Mountains.
Meeting planners and corporate clients enjoy the transformative effect of the hotel’s 12,000 square feet of flexible event space. For example, the Avenue Grand Ballroom and its adjoining prefunction spaces are adorned with contemporary chandeliers, soft palette detailing and sophisticated finishes that provide an elegant canvas for high-profile galas, board meetings and incentive programs. A beautiful outdoor terrace reinforces the prevailing melding of world class-design with regional influence.
A five-year, $125 million transformation has redefined the Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach as a sleek, high-design oasis just steps from the sand on the fashionable Kalakaua Avenue. A sculptural light-filled lobby has a 280,000-gallon Oceanarium teeming with natural marine life, while each of the 839 guest rooms features a private lanai, soothing palettes and curated island-inspired artwork. The resort’s 20,000 square feet of meeting and event space includes the ʻAlohilani Ballroom, able to host up to 1,100 guests with a distinctively eco-conscious design. On-site dining venues like Morimoto Asia and Momosan have oceanfront views, exhibition kitchens and garden-inspired terraces.
A model of luxury, creativity and authentic Hawaiian hospitality, the Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort delivers incentive and group programs made unforgettable in part by panoramic ocean views, thoughtfully designed spaces and an energized yet relaxed spirit. Set on 15 beachfront acres, the resort’s 320 guest rooms reveal stunning tropical vistas, while a total of 28,802 square feet of meeting space includes myriad terraces and lawns. A collection of five pools presents a range of island-centric design, from undulating shapes to festive primary colors.
INTERNATIONAL AND U.S. TERRITORIES
Photo Credit: Viceroy Los Cabos
At the Viceroy Los Cabos, modern architecture meets timeless nature at the edge of Mexico’s Sea of Cortez, creating the illusion of a never-ending horizon. Designed by noted Mexican architect Miguel Angel Aragonés, the resort is a celebration of clean lines, water-filled courtyards and a layout that brings light, air and water into every part of the guest experience. Indeed, the unparalleled design celebrates water as the most precious natural resource.
All 198 guest rooms here are nestled in striking white buildings connected by elevated walkways under which water flows directly from the Sea of Cortez, and where balconies feature far-reaching views while junior suites come with their own private plunge pools. Six distinct culinary destinations, a world-class fitness center and spa, and a collection of iconic pools that cascade from the lobby down to the beach — all within minutes of historic San José — join a total of 64,000 square feet of event space in beautifully crafted splendor.
Inspired by Grand Cayman’s lush landscapes and maritime heritage, the 282-room Hotel Indigo Grand Cayman is awash in coastal hues, organic textures and artisanal craftsmanship. Locally sourced artwork and bohemian chic furnishings create a refined yet inviting atmosphere throughout, while a stunning infinity pool overlooks the ocean. The property’s 12,000 square feet of event spaces similarly offer a seamless blend of modern design and natural beauty, providing the ideal backdrop for intimate gatherings and larger celebrations. The hotel is just steps from famed Seven Mile Beach.
Grand Cayman’s first design-forward resort, Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa blends contemporary luxury with vibrant Caribbean style and sustainable sensibilities. Set on the world-renowned Seven Mile Beach, the oceanfront property features 264 guest rooms and suites, most with floor-to-ceiling windows, private balconies and ocean views. Lush gardens, integrated solar panels and locally sourced natural materials enhance energy efficiency and connect the resort to its tropical surroundings. The 20,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space on-site includes an event lawn ideal for moonlit receptions.