HIX reveals 2024 talks lineup

HIX LDN, Europe’s leading hotel design event, has revealed the topics and speakers set to feature as part of this year’s HIX Talks programme. Comprising two days of panels, presentations and perspectives from the hospitality industry’s brightest minds, this year’s agenda is guided by the HIX 2024 theme ‘a sense of place’ and will explore the power of locality, community and heritage in the hotel interior experience.

Is hotel F&B the key to unlocking authentic local experiences? Can hospitality design give back more than it takes when it comes to sensitive natural environments? Will the rise and rise of long-stay concepts drive a new wave of residential revolutions? Asking the big hotel questions, HIX Talks 2024 will address the challenges and opportunities – commercial and cultural – set to define the next wave of cutting-edge hotel projects.

Read on for more information on this year’s panel discussions, and follow HIX on LinkedIn and Instagram for more announcements including this year’s keynote speaker, along with the focus of the Festival of Hospitality-powered Studio Confidential session. This year’s talks programme will also be complemented by a series of breakout discussions curated by Festival of Hospitality and Design Anthology UK in the all-new Gallery Hall, covering topics including investment, branding, and the future of travel.

HIX & Co. Present: Hotel BDC

What would the Business Design Centre look like as a hotel? For our signature HIX 2024 installation, we tasked four leading hospitality design studios to reimagine the iconic BDC as a hospitality experience that showcases the power of place. Based on a historic deep dive by heritage consultants Historic Productions, hear from each team as they reveal their visions in this lively PechaKucha session.

Purcell

Atellior

3Stories

4Corners

Historic Productions

A Seat at the Table: Creating a sense of place with hotel F&B

George Blower – Senior Creative Lead, Stir Creative Collective / Hilton

Tom Chalmers, Principal & COO, AvroKO

Elisa Rodriguez Checa, Founding Partner, Checa Woid

Moderator: Alys Bryan, Managing Editor, Design Insider

As hotel operators target increasingly tight-knit communities with the promise of hyperlocal guest experiences, what role does F&B play in generating an authentic sense of place, and how can designers and developers ensure their restaurants and bars balance local representation with global appeal?

Leave no Trace: Hotel design and the rise of responsible tourism

Louis Thompson, Founder / Chief Impact Officer, Nomadic Escapes

Anomien Smith, Creative Director, Luxury Frontiers

Jerry Tate, Founder, Tate & Co

Moderator: Sophie Harper, Editor, Hotel Designs

Hotels in sensitive, protected or culturally significant natural environments can offer guests the experience of a lifetime, but present designers and operators with a unique set of responsibilities. How can hotels give back more than they take, preserve the integrity of a locale, and ensure a sustainable relationship between people and place?

(HIX x AHEAD) Best in Class – What goes into an award-winning hotel design?

Koen Van Malder. Vice President Global Design EMEA, Marriott International

Emma King, Head of Luxury & Lifestyle Design – Europe, IHG

Federico Toresi, Global VP Design Ultra-Luxury, Luxury & Premium brands, Accor

Moderator: Eleanor Howard, Assistant Editor, Sleeper

The leading awards programme for hospitality experience and design brings three esteemed current and former judges to the HIX Talks stage for an exploration of the ideas, aesthetics and innovations that have characterised some of the best hotels in Europe.

Hotels as Homes: Inside the residential revolution

Alex Holloway, Creative Director, Holloway Li

Charu Ghandi, Founder, Elicyon

Constantina Tsoutsikou, Founder, Studio Lost

James Halliday, Associate Director, Squire & Partners

Moderator: Hamish Kilburn, Director, Kilburn Communications

The rise and rise of branded residences, serviced apartments and co-living concepts has seen guests extend their hotel stays longer than ever, but does this new wave of experiential long-term occupancy require a design typology of its own to truly flourish?

The Journey is the reward: Hospitality design in the new golden age of travel

Fiona Thompson, Principal, Richmond International

Mike Davies, Associate Creative Director, PriestmanGoode

Max Pinucci, Head of Design, Oceansky Cruises

Moderator: Alys Bryan, Managing Editor, Design Insider

As the travel sector enjoys a record-breaking 2024, major hotel groups are looking to capitalise with transport concepts that extend the hospitality experience beyond four walls. What does a new golden age of travel mean for the next generation of rail, cruise and aviation designs, and how will this change the guest experience?

HIX LDN 2024 takes place on 27 & 28 November at London’s Business Design Centre. Bringing the hospitality design community together for two days of talks, parties, networking, installations and an expo of over 200 leading interior brands, HIX is a true celebration of everything that makes hotels incredible.

Register to attend and claim your free pass today.