From Aesthetics to Experience: The New Role of Design

The economics of hospitality development today demand faster-than-ever project delivery to offset rising construction costs, expensive borrowed capital, and deferred operating revenue. Traditional sequential project delivery methods are increasingly unable to meet the speed and flexibility required in today’s market. Featuring perspectives from ownership, procurement, design, and manufacturing, this panel explores accelerated project delivery strategies that challenge the conventional procurement and execution model to compress timelines by months rather than weeks. Panelists will discuss how overlapping procurement, design, fabrication, and decision-making workflows can accelerate delivery while maintaining design intent, operational alignment, and guest experience objectives. Through real-world case studies, including recently completed hospitality projects, the conversation will examine when these strategies are most effective, the measurable impacts they can create, and the operational and financial risks they may introduce. Attendees will leave with practical insights into how collaborative, fast-track delivery methodologies are reshaping hospitality development — and how teams can implement them successfully in their own projects.