The schedule of content has been curated with a unique focus on the Southern States and CALA region’s hotel, resort, and private island destination market.
With a variety of learning experiences, the program aims to inspire and inform professionals looking to develop in their careers, gain inspiration, and get ahead of future trends.
This program is in partnership with NEWH, and accredited by the International Design Continuing Education Council (IDCEC).
Tuesday 9 June
Opening Remarks, NEWH Scholarship, & Future Leaders Celebration
Join My Nguyen, as she opens the show, welcoming attendees and celebrating this year's class of Future Leaders. Following this, a winning interior design student will be awarded with the coveted NEWH scholarship, gifted by HRDS & CSI.
Location: HRDS Lounge
Speakers
Meet the Brand: Wyndham Hotels & Resorts
Gain a deeper understanding of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts operations across both newbuild and conversions, with a close look at case studies in the US, Mexico and Peru.
Moderator
Speakers
The role of branding: From design vision through operations & storytelling
From boutique to branded residential, this session explores how branding influences design decisions and project direction at concept stage through to delivery and beyond.
- How branding influences concepts, operations, purchasing, design & early developer/owner conversations?
- Brand consistency vs individuality
- How ‘boutique’ has evolved, and the new opportunities
- Branded residential - do branded tiers mean more flexibility for design choices, or more limiting through complex brand standards?
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How the brand needs to speak to the customer on expectations
- Destinations that are deeply rooted in place, emotion, and experience, not just design or operations in isolation
- Contextual design - tapping into local talent
Location: HRDS Lounge
Moderator
Speakers
Wednesday 10 June
Sustainable Design Summit - Breaking the cycle: How designers shape measurable sustainable outcomes
This Working Group will discuss a design challenge in cross-sector, mixed-discipline roundtables.
What does designing a new eco-friendly space look like from beginning to end of the design process?
Small groups will discuss what makes sustainable design deliverable. Their output will be a set of guidelines which provide the guardrails and inspiration for sustainable products. In our scenario delegates will be designing a small rectangular space - bedroom + wet room.
Some early considerations to discuss:
- At stage 1 concept, what’s our plan for reuse and demolition? Start from the end and work back
- Collaboration with stakeholders. What needs to happen (flowchart)? What conversations need to take place, and with which stakeholders?
- What are the characteristics of materials/ operations for the task
- What makes this more sustainable than conventional? What are the clear attributes? Natural, resource efficient, circularity, waste, less transport. Etc.
- Where here are places we as designers can influence?
- Where can we challenge the status quo, e.g. leasing equipment?
This session is in collaboration with Sustainable Design Summit. With limited seats available, please sign up here.
Speakers
Southern hospitality: How regional identity shapes design
This session unpacks how culture, place, and local identity influence design across the Southern US. From lifestyle brands to luxury boutique hotels and branded residential, discover how regional character is being translated into distinctive, memorable designs.
- Where is the growth happening? And which brand segments?
- Lifestyle brands
- What’s different about the luxury boutique hotels in the southern States?
- Update on branded residential opportunities & design
Location: HRDS Lounge
Moderator
Speakers
From ship to shoreside: Extending the cruise product into resorts
As cruise brands expand onto land, this session explores how ship design thinking translates into island and resort environments. Discover how architecture, interiors, landscape, and guest experience come together to create cohesive, design-led destinations.
- How islands have become true extensions of the cruise experience, not standalone resorts
- The unique design challenges of island destinations, from regulations to materials to long‑term operations
- Where cruise and resort design overlap - who’s best placed to lead shoreside projects?
- How to adapt cruise design thinking for land-based environments, balancing brand consistency with creative freedom
- What amenities are being built into today’s cruise-owned islands and resorts - from waterparks and beach clubs to wellness spaces and F&B hubs
- How these amenities support guest demand, brand identity, guest experience and and revenue opportunities
- How to align creative vision across architecture, interiors, landscape, furniture, and guest experience
Location: HRDS Lounge
Moderator
Speakers
NEWH Lunch & Learn
Hosted in partnership with NEWH, this Lunch & Learn brings together NEWH members and industry peers for a focused session exploring one of the industry's biggest brands in the hospitality design landscape. The experience begins with a 30-minute educational talk, followed by a 30-minute networking lunch — creating space to exchange ideas, build connections, and continue the conversation.
Speakers to be announced.
Location: HRDS Lounge
The secrets of sourcing: How the top procurement brands do it best
An insider’s look at how today’s leading procurement companies operate, featuring case studies exploring topics such as procuring at scale vs boutique projects, going the extra mile vs operating within budget constraints and the new frontier of materials and products.
More speakers to be announced.
Location: HRDS Lounge
Speakers
