Today’s guest is a hospitality guru. He’s an innovative industry leader who is an architect by training as well as a raving fan of interior design. Oswaldo Barrios is the Senior Director of Design & Project Management Luxury Brands at Marriott International. After getting a degree in Architecture in Venezuela, he started from the bottom and worked his way to a very important role at Marriott. Oswaldo joins the host Dan Ryan to share more about his journey through hospitality and how he sees this industry through his eyes.

Takeaways: 

• When it comes to the hospitality industry, it’s ok to question why things are done in a certain way. This can lead to a new emergence of ideas or help to create a beautiful space. 
• Hospitality is a combination of multiple different senses, ranging from how you feel about something and the experience that you are getting out of a space, to how the space feels and smells. It’s a very carefully done process to bring out the best in any space. 
• Putting together a memorable space and experience is almost like being on a stage. You want to make sure that all the pieces are in the right spaces and that everyone is doing their part to make it run smoothly.
• There is a certain level of detail that goes into hospitality that overlaps with architecture as well. These two aspects can be combined to help create a memorable experience in a space that evokes an emotional response. 
• It’s important for everybody to know their role in a design project and to protect that role because if you don’t then you can end up with a mishmash of ideas and the piece won’t be as creative or strong.
• The hardest part of any design project is getting the teams and donors to understand the non-public areas that you need to serve as a product. 
• When it comes to working on a hotel, you develop a really strong relationship with everyone who was a part of the project.

Quote of the Show:

"Hospitality is a combination between what you feel and the experience that you get into the space." - Oswaldo Barrios 

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oswaldo-barrios-80407289/
• Website: https://www.marriott.com/default.mi
• Edition Hotels: https://www.editionhotels.com/

Shout Outs:

0:41 Ian Schrager

0:52 Edition Hotels

5:54 Grammercy Park Hotel

22:04 Mies van der Rohe

48:49 Arne Sorenson 

51:22 Starwood

Ways to Tune In: 

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
• Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• YouTube : https://youtu.be/9iPo9CrVjPk