Hospitality Design’s Women in Design Awards breakfast returns to HD Expo in Las Vegas on May 5th. Celebrating six industry changemakers for their leadership and achievements, the signature event is presented in partnership with NEWH. (Purchase your tickets today!)
Below, we chat with this year’s recipients about defining memories, recent accomplishments, and everything in between.
Grace Escaño-Maniatis
Senior Director of Design, Auberge Collection
Boasting a background in architecture and interiors, Grace Escaño-Maniatis previously served as director of design at Meyer Davis, where she spearheaded such projects as 1 Hotel South Beach in Miami and One Barangaroo in Sydney. Now, as senior director of design at Auberge Collection, she has been behind notable projects like the Shore Club and Shell Bay in Miami and the Birdsall in Houston.
Do you have an early memory of hospitality?
My childhood was filled with magical memories of my parents entertaining. They loved to host. Our dining room table was always overflowing with abundance, and any chance they had to gather their friends, they did. On weekends, there was a steady rhythm of conversation, laughter, and people moving through the house. Hospitality was ingrained in my life from a very early age.
How has the definition of leadership shifted for you over time?
I’m no longer solely focused on the design; I’m also focused on building the conditions for great design to exist and scale without losing integrity. It’s about cultivating talent, empowering teams, and creating a culture where strong ideas can emerge. Also, while my focus is creative direction, there is a strong emphasis toward integration with the business. Design decisions are tied closely to strategy, brand positioning, and longterm value creation. You’re constantly balancing creative ambition with financial discipline while always advocating for quality. It’s not always a straightforward path, and can require negotiation, and so much of my role involves building relationships with owners.
Favorite part of the process?
At the start, there are infinite possibilities—a blank sheet of paper, as they say. Design and development sits at the intersection of creativity and making something tangible that can be experienced. So, when a kernel of an idea evolves into something compelling and significant, there is always incredible impact. Good design is more than something beautiful, it shapes how people feel, move, connect, and live within a space.
The forthcoming Shore Club in Miami will boast interiors by Bryan O’Sullivan Studio; rendering courtesy of Auberge Collection
Where do you find inspiration?
Travel. I have an insatiable need to see and experience the world and continue to learn about different places through their people, food, and artisan communities. Last year, I met incredible artisans in both Oaxaca and Morocco (where I got lost hunting for treasures in the souk in Marrakech). I had a whirlwind trip through the Cote D’Azur and Paris and spent some much-needed downtime with my family over the summer. Connecting with people from all over the world and enjoying the simple things with loved ones keeps me inspired and motivated.
What advice would you give your younger self?
It’s important for the younger generation to understand what we do takes time to master, so you might as well embrace that and enjoy the process. To be successful, it not only takes talent, but it also requires commitment to education and a willingness to learn and grow. Don’t be afraid for change, it can lead to incredible opportunities.
What are you excited about at Auberge?
I’m excited about expanding into new markets. There’s a wonderful diversity in where we’re going, and I’m focused on many new openings along with evolving our existing portfolio in urban markets, mountain regions, and beachside resorts.
Who is a woman in the industry you’d like to elevate?
I’d advocate for all women, actually, and encourage them to be bold, ambitious, and create the space for themselves to grow.
Heather Holdridge
Partner + Director of Design Performance, Lake Flato
Heather Holdridge’s background in mechanical engineering established a foundation for a career that marries aesthetics with the eco-conscious, forward-thinking science behind the design. Today, she leads Lake Flato’s sustainability vision, collaborating with teams to achieve ambitious performance goals—including LEED, zero carbon, and the AIA 2030 Commitment—for all projects. She also leads the firm in integrating passive strategies and advancing energy modeling throughout the process.
Was there a moment when hospitality clicked for you?
What struck me early on was how invisible systems shape hospitality experiences. Comfort, air quality, acoustics, energy use—none of it should be noticeable, but all of it matters. I was drawn to the challenge of making highly technical systems support spaces that feel effortless. Working on Hotel Magdalena [in Austin, Texas] brought that into sharp focus. Performance strategies and material choices, like mass timber and passive cooling, shape not just the building’s metrics but also the guest experience itself. The connection between environmental response and comfort was immediate and tangible. It reinforced that hospitality design is not separate from performance. It depends on it.
What does leadership look like to you today?
Early on, I thought leadership was about being at the center of the work. Now, I understand it as clearing the path so others can thrive.
Where has the industry made progress in supporting women, and where is there work to do?
More women are leading firms, directing complex projects, and shaping design discourse across sectors, including highly technical work. There is also greater openness in conversations around equity, mentorship, and advancement than there was a decade ago, broadening the definition of who leads and how. We still have work to do in ensuring that equity extends beyond visibility. Compensation, advancement pathways, and recognition of technical expertise do not always align with contribution. I am motivated to elevate women leading in performance, engineering, and building science. Technical leadership shapes longterm impact, and those voices deserve to be more visible in the design conversation.
Hotel Magdalena in Austin, the first mass timber structure in the U.S.; photo by Nick Simonite
A recent accomplishment you’re proud of?
I am proud of the renovation of our Lake Flato office in San Antonio and its achievement of WELL Platinum Certification, the highest level awarded by the International WELL Building Institute. The project allowed us to apply the same performance principles we advocate for clients to our own workplace, prioritizing air quality, light, comfort, and overall wellbeing.
Favorite part of the process?
I am drawn to the operational phase. I care deeply about how buildings perform once people move in. Staying engaged post-occupancy allows us to test our assumptions, measure outcomes, and refine future work. There is something incredibly satisfying about seeing a building operate as intended, meeting its energy, water, and comfort goals while supporting the people who use it every day. Performance is not theoretical. It is lived.
What gives you hope for the future?
I am hopeful because the next generation of designers is deeply committed to climate action, equity, and accountability. They are not treating sustainability as optional; they expect it. I am also excited about the growing alignment between hospitality, wellbeing, and environmental performance. When we design places that are restorative for people and regenerative for the planet, we elevate the entire industry.
Amy Jakubowski
Hospitality Practice Area Leader, Gensler
Design has been Amy Jakubowski’s passion since her youth. At age 16, she started taking interior design courses at FIT in New York. She then spent the first decade of her career designing fashion and retail environments, which was a pivotal lesson in brand expression and how environments influence how people move through a space. With a resume that includes senior roles at Pierre-Yves Rochon (PYR) and Wilson Associates, and portfolio highlights like Waldorf Astoria New York and Corinthia Riyadh, she now serves as Gensler’s hospitality practice area leader.
Was there a moment when hospitality clicked for you?
Hospitality truly captured my imagination when I joined BBGM in 1997. It was the first time I experienced how design could bring together culture, architecture, and human connection in a meaningful way. The most defining moment came in 2001, when I was asked to help rebuild the Millennium Hilton in New York following 9/11. It was a profound project, one that reminded me that hospitality spaces are more than places to stay; they are places where people gather, recover, and reconnect.
What does leadership look like to you today?
Earlier in my career, leadership often meant driving the work and proving what was possible through design. That perspective has shifted over time. Today, leadership is less about being the person with the answers and more about cultivating talent, inspiring curiosity, and challenging teams to push beyond what they think is possible. The most rewarding part of this stage is watching younger designers find their own voice. My goal is to support that process by sharing experience, encouraging rigor, and creating space for exceptional work to emerge.
Where has the industry made progress in supporting women, and where is there work to do?
We see far more women leading projects, running studios, and shaping the creative direction of firms today. That shift matters because representation helps younger designers see a path forward and believe that leadership roles are truly attainable. At the same time, there is still work to do, particularly in ensuring that women have equal opportunities to lead large-scale projects, build client relationships, and move into executive leadership positions. Having been mentored by several strong women leaders throughout my career, I feel a real responsibility to support and advocate for emerging voices.
The refreshed lobby at Waldorf Astoria New York, designed by Pierre-Yves Rochon
A recent accomplishment you’re proud of?
Ultimately, the accomplishment I value most is helping cultivate a culture where people feel inspired to push ideas further and do their very best work.
Favorite part of the process?
The very beginning. It starts with research and exploration: understanding the place, the culture, the architecture, and the client’s vision. In school, we referred to it as concept development, but over time, I’ve come to see it as narrative building. It’s about uncovering the deeper story that will ultimately shape the design.
Where do you find inspiration?
I’m inspired by the act of learning: reading, exploring new places, and engaging with creative disciplines beyond interiors. The most interesting ideas often come from unexpected connections between these worlds.
What advice would you give your younger self?
I’ve always leaned into ‘yes.’ ‘Yes, I’ll try that.’ ‘Yes, I can do that, even if I’ve never done it before.’ My advice to my younger self would be to keep saying ‘yes.’ Growth rarely happens in the comfortable or the predictable.
What gives you hope for the future?
The next generation of designers. They bring an extraordinary level of curiosity, global awareness, and sensitivity to culture and place. They are not interested in repeating formulas; they want to ask deeper questions about why we design and how our work can create meaningful experiences.
Kavitha Iyer
Hospitality Design Leader
In her more than two decades in hospitality, Kavitha Iyer has left her mark on some of hospitality’s most recognizable brands—including Holiday Inn, voco, InterContinental, Sheraton, and Westin—through roles at Marriott International, IHG Hotels & Resorts, and, most recently, Choice Hotels International. Her design ethos strikes a careful balance in celebrating both brand identity and the guest experience.
Was there a moment when hospitality clicked for you?
I traveled a great deal with my parents in my early years, and I was lucky to experience hotels and resorts around the world. As a child, I was captivated by the energy, detail, and sensory richness of those spaces, but even more than that, I remember the feeling people created within them. The way a host could shape a moment into something meaningful is what stayed with me. It taught me that design and hospitality are not just about places, but also about how those places make people feel and what they carry with them afterward.
What does leadership look like to you today?
Earlier in my career, leadership may have felt more tied to direction and decision-making, but over time, I have come to see that the strongest leadership creates room for others to contribute, grow, and shape what comes next. Now, leadership means paying real attention. So much can be learned by listening closely to what people say, what they do, and what they bring forward from their own point of view.
Where has the industry made progress in supporting women, and where is there work to do?
Women now show up for one another. It is not only about cheering each other on from the sidelines, but about actively championing one another’s growth, opening doors, and being present through both professional ambition and personal moments. That said, there is still real work to do. We need to continue creating cultures where women fully trust their own strength, brilliance, and resilience, even when the systems around them do not always reflect it back. All it takes is one person opening a door and saying, ‘You belong here.’ That kind of support shaped my own path, and I believe in offering it forward.
Layered materials shape a resort lounge of a confidential project
Favorite part of the process?
The moment when a mistake, challenge, or an unexpected turn opens the door to something better. It is not always easy in the moment, but that kind of truth and flexibility often leads to the best result.
Where do you find inspiration?
There is something endlessly instructive about the composition of the natural world—the layering, the movement, the imperfection, the balance. So much of what we reference in design begins there, and I believe the untamed original continues to inspire me most.
What advice would you give your younger self?
I would tell her to be herself without apology. Laugh loudly, say what you think, wear what feels like you, and do not spend so much energy worrying about expectations that may not even be real. I would remind her to be proud of her path, to trust her own voice a little sooner, and to stay open to the future with confidence and curiosity.
What excites you about the future of the industry?
I’m excited about a collective shift toward less, but better. Less noise. Less forced storytelling. Less technology as spectacle. I am convinced that care belongs back at the center of how we shape spaces. The future belongs to environments that understand emotional aftertaste, how a place leaves you feeling once you’ve gone. That’s where loyalty lives. That’s where value is built. And that’s where design, service, and humanity converge. That’s how I got here, and why I stayed.
Kelly McFadden
Vice President of Development + Design, Left Lane
After being trained in architecture, Kelly McFadden made a career combining that discipline with real estate development. Now, with more than 12 years of experience, she has had her hands on adaptive reuse projects, renovations, and ground-up developments. In her current role at Left Lane, she put her stamp on the award-winning Hotel Bardo Savannah in Georgia, and is now spearheading twin office-to-hotel conversions for Recess’ Savannah and Phoenix outposts.
Was there a moment when design clicked for you?
Early in my career, I was managing the construction administration phase for a high-end private residence in a landmarked New York City building. Watching the architectural drawings come to life was thrilling, but what stayed with me were the moments when something didn’t work as drawn or we had to overcome site conditions. I had to step into that client’s shoes and devise solutions that both worked with the architecture and were tailored to how they would live in the space. That practice has become an instinct in everything I do at a larger scale.
What does leadership look like to you today?
Early in my career as an architect, I watched owners change direction constantly without explaining the goal. It felt transactional and demotivated the team. That stuck with me. Leadership, to me, looks like alignment with the team doing the work so that they understand not only what we’re building, but also why we’re building it. On complex projects, pivots are inevitable. What matters is bringing your team into the vision before the hard moments arrive, not after.
Where has the industry made progress in supporting women, and where is there work to do?
The progress I see is in visibility. More women are leading design firms, heading brand strategy, shaping architecture, or speaking on panels at conferences, which matters because representation signals possibility. Where the gap remains is on the capital and development side. Fundraising, deal-making, and ownership pipelines are still male-dominated. Our industry can demand relentless travel, and I suspect that reality pushes many women with families out, making it challenging for those at the vice president levels to reach C-suite positions. The woman I advocate for is the next one coming up. If I can help make the path clearer, then she will build on it and open new doors for the women coming after her.
A rendering of the soon-to-open Recess Hotel & Club Savannah, a collaboration with Atelier Pond; rendering courtesy of Left Lane
A recent accomplishment you’re proud of?
Our flagship Recess Hotel opens this fall in Savannah, and it has been a true labor of love. We are converting a 1912 building back into its original use as a hotel. Navigating the found conditions of a structure that old while holding the integrity of the design and business strategy is something the entire team should be proud of.
Where do you find inspiration?
New York is an endless source of inspiration in design and hospitality concepts. Boundaries are constantly pushed in restaurants, galleries, showrooms, hotels, or service models.
What advice would you give your younger self?
I used to need a complete picture before I could move forward. Development doesn’t offer that luxury. It is full of unknowns, and you can get crippled by indecision if you expect to know every detail. You have to commit to the best decision available and be willing to pivot when the circumstances demand it.
What excites you most about the industry?
The range of outdoor and nature-oriented hospitality coming to market genuinely excites me. People are craving a chance to disconnect and be present. There’s real momentum, across a wide spectrum of price points, around properties near national parks and natural destinations that pair beautiful design with meaningful experience.
Suchi Reddy
Founding Principal, Reddymade
Suchi Reddy has been operating New York-based firm Reddymade for nearly 25 years. Raised in India, the architect, interior designer, and artist integrates the principles of neuroaesthetics into her work. “Whether we’re designing a home, a hotel, a hospital, or a retail space, we are always shaping an emotional experience,” she says. That philosophy is evident across her portfolio, including Google’s flagship New York City store and her 2019 Salone del Mobile interactive installation, “A Space for Being.”
Was there a moment when hospitality clicked for you?
Growing up in Chennai, India, [I came to see] hospitality as part of my heritage. We have a Sanskrit saying, ‘Atithi devo bhava,’ which means, ‘The guest is god.’ I grew up with that idea of care ingrained in me. I was always aware of how space shaped the communities that formed within them—hospitality was about care and convening. That’s when it first clicked for me—that design could hold people, calm them, energize them, and connect them.
What does leadership look like to you today?
Earlier in my career, I thought leadership meant having the answers. Now, I understand it as creating the conditions for ideas and people to thrive. Leadership today feels less about authorship and more about collaboration—holding a vision while allowing it to evolve.
How can the industry continue to support women?
There is still meaningful work to do in ensuring that inclusion isn’t episodic but systemic. For instance, we persuaded one of our clients, Humanscale, for whom we are building out a worldwide network of showrooms, to support us in connecting women-led architecture, contracting, and construction manager teams around the world, systemically changing the way business is done.
Who is a woman in the industry you’d like to elevate?
I’m interested in uplifting younger practitioners who are integrating climate awareness and cultural specificity into their work in nuanced ways. For instance, 17-year-old Amara Nwuneli from Nigeria. She founded “Preserve Our Roots,” a movement creating G.R.E.E.N. parks for education and climate justice in Lagos. She won the Young Climate Prize from the World Around, an amazing organization that I support, advocate, and jury for.
St. Mary’s Campus, a reimagining of a historic parish in Lincoln, Nebraska; rendering courtesy of Reddymade
A recent accomplishment you’re proud of?
Collaborating with Ivy Ross on her California home at Sea Ranch was a particularly meaningful accomplishment. The project became an exploration of materiality, light, and emotional resonance: how color shifts with the fog, how texture holds warmth against the coastal climate, and how art and design can coexist in quiet dialogue with the land. It embodies my belief that design is not about imposing form, but about amplifying feeling and creating harmony between people and place.
Where do you find inspiration?
I’m deeply interested in neuroaesthetics—the research around how our brains respond to form, light, color, and material.
What advice would you give your younger self?
I would tell her to trust her instincts and to not worry so much about fitting into existing frameworks. Sometimes the work is to reshape the framework itself. Stay curious, stay generous, and protect your sense of wonder.
What gives you hope for the future?
I’m excited by interdisciplinary collaboration, by younger designers who are fearless about blending science and storytelling, and by a broader shift toward cultural and societal wellbeing. There is a real opportunity for hospitality and architecture to move beyond aesthetics toward deeper human impact. That feels like a powerful frontier to explore and realize.
Hear more at HD Expo:
Women in Design Awards Breakfast
Tuesday, May 5th, 8:30–10:00 a.m.
Location: South Pacific Ballroom, Mandalay Bay Convention Center
