Hotel detailed design architects play a critical role in translating concept design into buildable, coordinated, and operationally functional hotel projects. While concept architects often define the visual direction and positioning of a hotel, it is the detailed design architect who resolves the project into technical drawings, coordinated systems, and construction-ready documentation.
This page presents a curated selection of eight architectural practices with proven capability in hotel detailed design and delivery across Europe and the Middle East. These firms have been selected not for brand recognition alone, but for their ability to operate within the realities of hotel development, including coordination with operators, integration of MEP systems, compliance with local regulations, and alignment with procurement and construction processes. The list reflects a balance among design-led practices, specialist hotel architects, and global delivery platforms, each playing a different but essential role in the development process.
Selected Leading Hotel Detailed Design Architects
AD Studio
AD Studio is an international architectural practice with a broad geographic footprint across Europe, the UK, the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Caucasus, supported by offices in London, Warsaw, Berlin, Helsinki, and Dubai. The firm has delivered projects in over 40 countries, with a portfolio exceeding 700 projects and more than 6.5 million square metres of built environment. In a hotel context, this range is relevant because it reflects experience working in different regulatory environments and delivery conditions, particularly in emerging and transitional markets where design intent must be adapted to local constraints.
The firm’s hospitality work sits within a wider mixed-use and urban development portfolio, including Park Inn Yerevan, Novotel Almaty City Centre, and the Wyndham Wrocław City Centre expansion. These are operational projects in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia, where delivery typically involves coordination across international operators, local consultants, and varying construction standards. AD Studio’s role in these projects often extends beyond design into masterplanning and the “general designer” function, which, in many European contexts, carries responsibility for multidisciplinary coordination and documentation through delivery.
Dexter Moren Associates (Studio Moren)
Dexter Moren Associates website
Dexter Moren Associates, now operating as Studio Moren, is a London-based architectural practice specialising in hospitality, with over three decades of experience and a team of approximately 70 architects and designers. The firm works internationally, with projects across the UK, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, and has developed a reputation as a sector-focused hotel architect rather than a generalist practice. Its portfolio includes a mix of new-build and refurbishment projects, often in complex urban environments, supported by a consistent involvement in planning, technical design, and delivery stages.
The firm’s project work includes hotels such as The Westin London City, 1 Hotel Mayfair, art’otel Battersea Power Station, and Park Hyatt London River Thames, as well as international schemes in Rome, Dubai, Lusaka, and Abuja. Over time, the studio has delivered more than 200 projects worldwide, with a strong emphasis on adaptive reuse, extensions, and operationally efficient layouts, reflecting the realities of European hotel development. Its work has been recognised through industry awards, including the AHEAD Awards and the International Hotel & Property Awards, reinforcing its position within the hospitality sector. From a developer perspective, the firm is most relevant where technical delivery, brand alignment, and operational performance are prioritised over purely conceptual design.
EPR Architects
EPR Architects is an award-winning UK-based architectural practice, with offices in London, Manchester, Nicosia, and Wrocław, and a team of over 200 architects and designers. The firm has been established for several decades and operates across a range of sectors, with particular strength in hospitality, workplace, and mixed-use developments. Its structure combines design capability with strong technical delivery, supported by experience in masterplanning, retrofit, and complex urban projects, often underpinned by BIM-led coordination and a clear focus on sustainability and reuse.
The practice has developed a significant hospitality portfolio, particularly in London and other major European cities, with projects including The Ned, NoMad London (Bow Street Magistrates’ Court), Raffles London at The OWO (Old War Office), The Hoxton Shepherd’s Bush, and The BoTree in Marylebone. These are typically adaptive reuse and heritage-led hotel developments, often involving complex restructuring of listed buildings and integration of new hotel functions into existing fabric. This type of work requires a high degree of technical coordination, planning, negotiation, and construction management, particularly in constrained urban environments.
The firm’s projects have received industry recognition, including AHEAD Awards and International Hotel & Property Awards shortlisting, reflecting its position within the upper tier of UK hospitality architecture. From a developer perspective, EPR is most relevant for projects involving urban hotels, conversions, and mixed-use schemes, where delivery is driven as much by technical resolution and regulatory navigation as by design intent.
Foster + Partners
Foster + Partners is a London-headquartered international architecture, engineering, and design practice, founded in 1967 and operating globally with a team of approximately 1,700 professionals across multiple offices, including London, New York, Madrid, and Hong Kong. The firm operates as a multi-disciplinary platform, combining architecture, structural and environmental engineering, urban design, and industrial design within an integrated studio structure. This allows it to deliver projects across a wide range of scales, from individual buildings to large masterplans and infrastructure-led developments, often with a strong emphasis on sustainability and technical innovation. Its work has been recognised through major industry awards, including the Pritzker Architecture Prize and the Stirling Prize, reflecting its position at the upper end of global architectural practice.
Within hospitality, Foster + Partners is typically engaged on high-profile, design-led hotel and mixed-use developments, where architecture plays a central role in positioning the asset. Projects such as ME London, where the practice delivered a fully integrated hotel design, and The Murray, Hong Kong, a complex transformation of a former government building into a 336-room luxury hotel, illustrate its involvement in both new-build and adaptive reuse hospitality schemes.
The firm is also involved in large-scale resort and masterplanned hospitality developments, including projects in the Middle East and Asia, often as part of broader urban or destination strategies. From a developer perspective, Foster + Partners is most relevant for projects where architectural identity, long-term asset positioning, and integration within a wider masterplan are key drivers.
Gensler
Gensler is one of the largest global architecture and design firms, headquartered in the United States with a network of 50+ offices worldwide across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, and a team of several thousand professionals. The firm operates as a multi-disciplinary platform, combining architecture, interiors, planning, and consultancy, with sector-based teams including a dedicated hospitality practice. Its scale allows it to deliver projects across all stages, from concept through to detailed design and construction support, supported by standardised processes, BIM-led coordination, and in-house research capability. Within the industry, Gensler is consistently ranked among the top global design firms and is recognised for its ability to operate at portfolio scale across multiple markets and asset types.
In hospitality, Gensler’s work spans urban hotels, resorts, and mixed-use developments, often integrated within larger master plans. Projects include the Hilton Saigon, a 40-storey mixed-use hotel tower in Vietnam, the Walt Disney World Swan Reserve in Orlando, and the Four Seasons Hotel Kuwait at Burj Alshaya, alongside adaptive reuse projects such as Hotel Saranac and renovation-led repositioning schemes.
The firm has also been involved in more concept-driven developments, such as Atari Hotels, reflecting its ability to work across both branded and experiential hospitality formats. From a developer’s perspective, Gensler is most relevant for large-scale or multi-asset developments, where coordination across disciplines, alignment with operator requirements, and consistent delivery are critical, particularly in projects spanning multiple jurisdictions or requiring a unified design approach across a portfolio.
Jestico + Whiles
Jestico + Whiles is an employee-owned architecture and design practice based in London, with a second studio in Prague, operating internationally across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. The firm combines architecture and interior design within a single structure, supported by a specialist hospitality team including architects, interior designers, and FF&E specialists, allowing it to operate across both concept and detailed design stages. Its work spans a wide range of sectors, but hospitality has been a consistent component of the practice, often in mixed-use or adaptive-reuse contexts. The studio has received industry recognition through RIBA awards and international hospitality design awards, reflecting both design quality and delivery capability.
The firm’s hotel portfolio includes projects such as One Aldwych in London, one of the early boutique hotel conversions in the UK, Andel’s Hotel Łódź, a large-scale adaptive reuse of a historic textile factory in Poland, and Zuri Zanzibar Hotel & Resort, alongside hospitality projects integrated into wider developments such as Edinburgh St James Quarter. These projects typically involve complex existing structures, mixed-use integration, or destination-led resort environments, requiring coordination among operators, adherence to heritage constraints, and consideration of local construction conditions.
From a developer perspective, Jestico + Whiles is most relevant for projects where design intent must be carried through technically demanding delivery environments, particularly in urban regeneration or adaptive reuse schemes, where the balance between design, planning, and execution is critical.
Oppenheim Architecture
Oppenheim Architecture website
Oppenheim Architecture is an international design practice founded in 1999, with its headquarters in Miami and additional studios in Basel and Tirana, operating across projects in more than 25 countries. The firm works across architecture, interiors, and masterplanning, with a team of around 70 professionals, and is known for an approach that emphasises site-specific design, environmental response, and integration with landscape and context.
While not exclusively focused on hospitality, the sector forms a consistent part of its portfolio, particularly within resort, leisure-led, and destination developments. The practice has received over 125 industry awards, including multiple recognitions from the American Institute of Architects, Architizer A+ Awards, and the American Prize for Architecture, reflecting its position as a design-led international firm.
In hospitality, Oppenheim Architecture’s work is typically associated with high-end, experience-driven projects, where architecture is closely tied to landscape and guest experience. Notable projects include the Emiliano Hotel in Rio de Janeiro, a boutique luxury hotel recognised in international design awards, and the Ayla Golf Academy & Clubhouse in Jordan, a leisure-led hospitality development integrating architecture with its desert setting. The firm has also been involved in resort and hotel concepts in the Middle East and Mediterranean, including coastal developments in Albania and unbuilt destination resorts, reflecting its focus on place-making and environmental integration rather than standardised hotel typologies.
From a developer perspective, Oppenheim is most relevant for projects where design differentiation and experiential positioning are primary drivers, although delivery typically involves collaboration with local executive architects to manage detailed design and construction.
ReardonSmith Architects
ReardonSmith Architects website
ReardonSmith Architects is a London-based architectural practice dedicated exclusively to the hotel and hospitality sector since 1988, a distinction that sets it apart from more generalist firms. The practice operates with a clear focus on hotel planning, design, and delivery, covering new-build developments, refurbishments, and complex adaptive reuse projects. Its work frequently involves masterplanning, extensions, and reconfiguration of existing assets, reflecting the realities of mature hotel markets in Europe and the Middle East. This sector-specific focus is supported by a team structured around hospitality expertise, with a strong understanding of operator requirements, back-of-house functionality, and commercial performance drivers, rather than purely architectural expression.
The firm’s portfolio includes a number of high-profile hotel projects, particularly in London, such as The Savoy refurbishment, The Beaumont in Mayfair, and, more recently, The Chancery Rosewood at Grosvenor Square, delivered in collaboration with a wider consultant team. Its work also extends to new-build and repositioning schemes, including projects such as At Sloane, which has received recognition at the AHEAD Europe and Global Awards, as well as ongoing developments within the London market. These projects are typically characterised by complex heritage constraints, high-end brand requirements, and demanding urban conditions, requiring a high level of technical coordination and long-term project involvement.
From a developer’s perspective, ReardonSmith is particularly well-suited to projects where specialist hotel knowledge, refurbishment expertise, and delivery reliability are central to the asset’s success.
When to Appoint a Hotel Detailed Design Architect
In hotel development, the transition from concept design to detailed design is often poorly defined, yet it is one of the most critical points in the project timeline. The detailed design architect should typically be engaged before or alongside the finalisation of planning documentation, not after. At this stage, critical decisions around layout efficiency, structural coordination, MEP integration, and compliance begin to crystallise, and delaying the appointment risks creating a disconnect between what is approved and what can actually be built. Early involvement allows the design to evolve in ways that reflect both regulatory requirements and construction realities, rather than requiring redesign later.
This becomes particularly important where international operators are involved. Brand standards, back-of-house requirements, and technical specifications must be integrated into the design at an early stage, and this is rarely achieved through concept drawings alone. A detailed design architect plays a central role in translating these requirements into coordinated, buildable solutions, working alongside the operator, cost consultant, and engineers. Without this integration, projects often encounter late-stage changes, layout inefficiencies, or operational compromises that are far more expensive to resolve during construction.
In cross-border developments, timing becomes even more sensitive. Concept designs prepared in one country are frequently based on assumptions that do not align with local codes, procurement practices, or contractor capabilities. Appointing a detailed design architect early allows these issues to be addressed proactively, ensuring that the project is adapted to its delivery context without undermining the overall design intent. From an ownership perspective, this is less about design progression and more about risk management, ensuring the project enters construction with a coherent, coordinated, and realistic set of documents.
Detailed Design vs Executive Architect vs Architect of Record
The roles of detailed design architect, executive architect, and architect of record are often used interchangeably, but in practice, they represent distinct responsibilities within the delivery structure of a hotel project. The detailed design architect is responsible for developing the concept into a fully resolved design, including layouts, technical drawings, and coordination with structural and MEP systems. This role focuses on ensuring that the project is functionally and technically coherent, bridging the gap between design intent and construction requirements.
The executive architect, by contrast, is typically responsible for adapting and delivering the project within a specific jurisdiction. This may involve translating the detailed design into local standards, coordinating with contractors, and ensuring that documentation aligns with local building codes and procurement practices. In many cases, particularly in international developments, the executive architect acts as the primary interface with the construction team, taking responsibility for the day-to-day technical delivery of the project.
The architect of record (AOR) holds the legal responsibility for the project within the jurisdiction, including permits, compliance, and regulatory approvals. In some markets, the executive architect and architect of record are the same entity; in others, they may be separate. For developers, the critical point is that these roles must be clearly defined and aligned from the outset. Confusion between them can lead to gaps in responsibility, duplicated effort, or uncoordinated documentation, all of which increase delivery risk. Understanding how these roles interact is essential to structuring an effective architectural team for hotel development.
Further resources:
See HDG – Hotel Technical Services Agreement (TSA / TASA) in Hotel Development
See HDG – Determining the Project Team
See HDG – Hotel Architectural & Design Team
See HDG – Hotel Development Advisors | Legal, Investment, Project & Technical Specialists
Design Consultants cluster of HDG webpages: Hotel Architectural & Design Team – Selecting a Hotel Design Professional – Hotel Concept Design – Hotel Concept Designers – Hotel Detailed Design – Hotel Detailed Design Architects – Hotel Interior Design – Hotel Interior Designers – Hotel Kitchen Design – Hotel Kitchen Designers