We’re delighted to introduce Katy Clark to our HRDS 2026 Future Leaders spotlight series.
With over two decades of experience in hospitality design, Katy has worked across a range of design roles before moving into CAPEX management for luxury hotels across the US.
Today, she brings together her design expertise and industry relationships to help hotels navigate projects of all scales. In our latest interview, Katy talks about her approach to good design, sustainability and the importance of building the next generation of hospitality leaders.
Congratulations on being nominated as a Future Leader! Could you introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your role and how you got there?
I have 20+ years of experience in the hospitality industry, almost exclusively as an Interior Designer at various Seattle design firms. At every step of my career, I have sought out ways to advance my skills, and have most often found the surest path forward was through building a supportive, collaborative coalition of designers and other members of the hospitality community. With every connection along the way, more and varied doors of opportunity opened for me — and through each one, I discovered new skills, aptitudes and passions. That journey has taken me from Lead Designer roles to fully managing the CAPEX of over 12 luxury hotels across the country. In this role, my foundation in design and my relationships within the design and procurement community give me a unique perspective — one that helps each individual hotel plan, problem-solve and execute projects of all scales in ways that go well beyond simply maintaining a budget.
Your work takes place in the hospitality design industry. Can you share your design or project management manifesto?
My manifesto, consistent across the entire arc of my career, comes down to two words: good design. Good design stands on its own merits. It is hyper-functional. It meets all the criteria, and when it doesn’t, it has a well-reasoned answer for why. Above all, I firmly believe that good design can happen at any budget point. It drives decision-making and it works within the financial footprint it’s given. There is nothing I enjoy more than solving the complicated puzzle of scope, programming needs, schedule demands and budget constraints and arriving at a product that is uniquely and perfectly adapted to itself.
Handing the mic over to you – what’s an area of your work or the industry that you are itching to discuss?
I am itching to discuss developing and supporting the next generation of leadership within the hospitality and design world. This industry asks a tremendous amount of its people; complex projects, tight timelines, high expectations; and yet the conversation around how we grow, support and retain great people often lags behind. I am particularly passionate about shaping a culture that is both high-performing and human-focused; one where ambition and compassion are not in conflict. This feels especially relevant right now, as our industry continues to evolve post-pandemic and faces real challenges around talent, burnout and representation. The leaders we develop today will define what this industry looks and feels like tomorrow.
Can you explain how, if at all, your job role interacts with sustainability practices?
Noble House works relentlessly to ensure that all of our hotels operate with genuine, meaningful sustainable initiatives- not just in name. Our entire portfolio holds Green Seal Certification, and the pride we take in having spearheaded that initiative carries through to all aspects of how we manage our properties, across every division of the company. In my specific role, I have the opportunity to personally influence material selection on a project-by-project basis. Where possible, we look for creative ways to refresh spaces by retaining and working with as many existing elements as possible, not only to preserve CAPEX where appropriate, but to physically keep materials out of landfills. The opportunity I see ahead is to formalize and expand this thinking more systematically, with better data and closer collaboration with suppliers who are aligned on these values.
Of course, this is a celebration of leadership. If you could distil your thoughts on leadership into one principle, what would it be and why?
I believe that leadership is one of the most important skill sets a person can learn, develop, implement- and teach. It matters deeply to understand what good leadership looks and acts like in practice. But equally important, and often overlooked, is understanding how to be led well. Strong followership is its own skill, and when people have a solid grounding in both sides of that relationship, the whole team functions better. If more people in our industry- and frankly, any industry- had a shared baseline of these principles, I believe we would see far less of the toxicity that can take hold when leadership is poorly understood or poorly practiced. Good leadership is teachable. That’s what makes it so powerful.
Hotel & Resort Design South will return to the Miami Beach Convention Centre on 23 – 24 June 2027. Stay tuned for more Future Leader interviews, articles, and industry news coming soon.
