Hospitality Unpacked with NEWH

Traditional environments rely on a "one-size-fits-all" model, but designing for an average user means designing for no one. In this episode, Jess Herring, Creative Manager of Product Design at Milliken Floors, shares professional expertise and personal insights as a late-diagnosed neurodivergent designer to unpack the impact of neuro-inclusive design in workplace and hospitality spaces.

The conversation explores how everyday choices—from background noise to lighting—can create invisible sensory strain for individuals with ADHD, autism, or anxiety. Jess breaks down how low-cost physical adjustments and spatial control eliminate cognitive friction, boost employee retention, and help hospitality brands build fiercely loyal consumer bases through predictable sensory experiences.

The hospitality design landscape is shifting faster than ever—from the double-edged sword of AI renderings to hyper-localized sensory spaces. In this cross-generational panel, industry leaders dissect the future of hospitality interiors while reinforcing that great design requires a rock-solid blueprint. The discussion highlights why, amidst evolving technology and tight client budgets, success still relies on the fundamental principles of professional integrity, client trust, and human-centric relationships.

Growth is not accidental—it’s built with intention.

This episode highlights Trisha Poole’s journey from the early stages of her career to founding and scaling Design Poole, Inc. into a globally recognized brand. From expanding across Florida and into Canada to shaping a distinct voice in hospitality design, her story reflects a commitment to vision, resilience, and strategic growth.

Along the way, we briefly explore her connection to NEWH and the broader impact of her work on the hospitality industry—revealing a legacy defined not only by what she’s built, but by the influence she continues to have on the spaces, teams, and communities she touches.

Wellness is no longer a feature—it’s a design philosophy.

This episode offers an inside look at the design transformation of EVEN Hotels and how well-being has been thoughtfully embedded into the brand’s next generation. The design team behind the reimagined concept shares a holistic approach to wellness—one that recognizes balance, individuality, and choice as central to the guest experience.

From nuanced color theory and biophilic cues expressed through texture and pattern, to a flexible definition of wellness shaped by each guest’s needs, this conversation unpacks how design can support both physical and emotional well-being. The result is a hospitality experience rooted in intention—where wellness is not prescribed, but personally defined.

Leadership is defined not only by success, but by impact.

This episode honors Chris Rice as the 2025 NEWH ICON of Industry, exploring his enduring relationship with NEWH as a Corporate Partner and the values that have shaped his leadership journey. Through reflection and insight, we examine the influence of his work across the hospitality industry—highlighting a legacy built on partnership, purpose, and lasting contribution.

Hospitality is transforming faster than ever, with greener practices quietly reshaping hotels and restaurants from the ground up. Resource use, design choices, and operations are being reimagined to reduce waste, save energy, and create lasting impact. In this episode, we explore how GreenVoice by NEWH is helping turn sustainable ideas into everyday action.

The conversation covers the real challenges the industry faces, including costs, evolving guest expectations, and balancing eco-friendly practices with top-notch service. Practical examples include cutting single-use plastics, reusing existing buildings, and rethinking housekeeping routines. We also highlight how better product information, clear certifications, and new regulations help teams make smarter, more sustainable choices.

For anyone in hospitality, design, or operations, this episode delivers practical insights on embedding sustainability into every project. It shows how thoughtful decisions today can lead to meaningful change tomorrow.

Great businesses are not built by products. They are built by people who never stop learning. This episode of Hospitality Unpacked explores how education shapes not only what is made, but who people become.

Leaders from TLS Furniture share how cross training, mentorship, and real world learning help teams stay strong through change. From industry shifts to uncertain seasons, their approach has stayed the same: invest in people.

Real progress does not come from doing more. It comes from learning better, together, over time.

This conversation is packed with practical insights on how education, mentorship, and continuous learning build stronger teams and drive lasting success in hospitality.

Diversity is not a detail—it’s the experience.

This episode explores how cultural identity, lived experience, and inclusive thinking shape truly memorable hospitality environments. Through an engaging conversation with visionary entrepreneurs, we examine how design becomes a storytelling tool—authentically weaving diverse narratives, perspectives, and traditions into spaces that resonate with guests on a deeper level.

By centering culture as a source of creativity rather than a constraint, this dialogue highlights how inclusive design choices enhance connection, meaning, and belonging. The result is hospitality that doesn’t just welcome guests—but reflects the richness of who they are and the communities they engage with.

Nature has already solved the problems we’re trying to design around.

This episode explores biomimicry—the practice of learning from nature’s time-tested patterns and strategies—and its powerful role in shaping biophilic hospitality design. From coral reefs and sunflower heads to pinecone spirals, we examine how natural systems inform spaces that are not only visually compelling, but deeply restorative and inherently efficient.

Through real-world examples, we uncover how nature-driven design can elevate the guest experience, support energy performance, and create environments that feel intuitive and alive. From the fractal rhythm of tree canopies to the passive cooling intelligence of termite mounds, this conversation reveals how the natural world offers both inspiration and instruction.

Designed to spark curiosity and participation, this episode invites you to rethink conventional approaches, reconnect with natural intelligence, and rewild the way we design hotels, resorts, and wellness spaces.

Design sits at the heart of how hospitality spaces are experienced, remembered, and sustained.

In this Minisode Monday of The Blueprint, Will Dowling explores how design is shaping the future of European hospitality. He discusses the rise of ultra luxury travel, the move toward resort style experiences in urban centers, and how sustainability and housing pressures are influencing how hotels are designed and developed across Europe.

Perfect for anyone interested in hospitality design, sustainable tourism, and the evolving relationship between luxury travel and local communities.