From visionary architects to industry-shaping executives and designer-turned-hoteliers, these conversations captured the imaginations of HD readers in 2025. Together, they reflect the ideas and leadership driving hospitality forward.
Noella Nibakuze
Photo courtesy of MASS Design Group
As a design director at MASS Design Group’s Kigali studio, architect Noella Nibakuze is redefining what architecture can do in Rwanda. Her work on projects, like the campus for the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture, exemplifies this—using low-embodied carbon materials, local labor, and climate-positive design to create resilient, socially conscious environments. Nibakuze’s journey spans from studying architecture in South Africa to mentoring young women architects. Read the full interview, in which she speaks passionately about building with local materials, engaging communities, and embedding sustainability and cultural identity into each project.
Anthony Capuano
Photo courtesy of Marriott International
Marriott International president and CEO Anthony Capuano reflected on the company’s record growth in 2024 and the evolving expectations of today’s travelers. He emphasized Marriott’s strategic push into midscale and experiential sectors, outdoor hospitality, and branded residences to meet diverse traveler preferences, while reaffirming the importance of guest experience and associate engagement. Capuano highlighted the loyalty program’s evolution and Marriott’s commitment to authentic, design-forward properties that resonate with modern travelers. Read the full interview.
Designers who own their hotels
Cliff House, the gathering space at Prospect Berkshires in southwest Massachusetts; photo by Cole Wilson
A profile from our September issue spotlights five women who moved beyond design to become hotel owners, blending creativity with entrepreneurship. From transforming a former denim mill into the 50-room Rivet House in Georgia, to reimagining a 19th-century campground as Prospect in the Berkshires—these designers built each property with deeply personal, site-specific design narratives. Read the interviews, which emphasize how design sensibility, local context, and ownership aligned can foster hotels with soul, authenticity, and individual identity.
