HD Announces 2022 Wave of the Future Class

The group of emerging industry professionals will be celebrated at this year’s HD NextGen Forum in Nashville
Published: August 3, 2022

For nearly two decades, Hospitality Design (HD) magazine has annually honored a handful of designers, architects, brand executives, and owners as our Wave of the Future—those who are young enough to be considered visionary, but tested enough to be accomplished.

This year’s Wave of the Future class is made up of 10 individuals whose discipline-defying work is pushing our industry’s boundaries. They are behind groundbreaking projects and concepts—from restaurants, hotels, coworking, wellness, and affordable housing—that are helping evolve hospitality. These standouts exemplify the future of the hospitality industry, imbuing their work with new perspectives that help us rethink the status quo.

“We are so excited to recognize these 10 deserving individuals with the 2022 Wave of the Future honor,” says Stacy Shoemaker Rauen, Hospitality Design’s editor in chief and senior vice president of the design group at Emerald. “They each possess a singular vision that will influence the industry for years to come. Congratulations to this year’s class! We look forward to see what they’ll do next.”

The 2022 Wave of the Future honorees are:

Aaron Anderson, cofounder + CEO, The 26 Co

Linda Boronkay, founder + creative director, Linda Boronkay Design Studio

Atit Jariwala, founder + CEO, Bridgeton Holdings

Diana Martinez-Neill, senior design director, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants

Elide Rathborne, director of design, Bond Collective

Kane Sarhan, cofounder + chief creative officer, The Well

Pooja Shah-Mulani, partner + design director, LW Design

Nick Solomon, chief creative officer, AvroKO

Crystal Vinisse Thomas, vice president + global brand leader for lifestyle & luxury brands, Hyatt Hotels

Kia Weatherspoon, president, Determined by Design

Honorees will be featured in HD’s October issue and celebrated during the HD NextGen Forum, a two-day, invitation-only event hosted at Virgin Hotels Nashville, October 26–27th.

For more information about NextGen and to learn more about the honorees, visit hdnextgenforum.com.