Inside Hospitality’s Reset: Place-Making, Storytelling, and Powering the Lobby Experience with Jill Cole

The hospitality market is recalibrating, and design teams are adapting accordingly. In this episode, Jill Cole, President of Cole Martinez Curtis and Associates (CMCA), returns to the I Hear Design podcast to unpack what’s changed since her last guest appearance in 2023: financing slowdowns and the rise of limited-service/extended-stay, why experiential design still wins, and how the hotel lobby is evolving into a multifunctional “community living room.” Cole and host Robert Niemienen discuss everything from pet-friendly planning, the realities of renovating while open (logistics, phasing, and guest experience), and tech shifts like wireless lighting and powering furniture without trenching slabs. She also shares approaches to authentic locality and storytelling—from Venice Beach streetscapes to JW Marriott Houston’s adaptive reuse narrative—and weighs the tension between one-off luxury concepts and big-brand standardization. Whether you’re designing a boutique retreat or refreshing a flagship, you’ll leave with practical ways to connect place, operations, and guest delight.

Meet Our Guest

Key Moments in This Episode

• Intro & What’s Ahead — [00:00–01:29]
  Show setup: financing slowdowns, extended-stay growth, and lobbies as “community living rooms.”

• Welcome & Series Callback — [01:36–02:13]
  Jill returns after the Women in Design series.

• Leadership Transition at CMCA — [02:25–04:00]
  Colleen Nielsen retires; Nicole Federico joins to lead LA office.

• Market Reality Check (Industry Outlook) — [04:33–08:20]
  Financing pauses; costs up (tariffs, operations); limited-service and extended-stay lead new development.

• Designing for Pets (Guest Experience) — [08:53–11:20]
  Pet-friendly travel rises; small but real design implications from restaurants to rooms.

• Lobby as Community Living Room (Programming & Ops) — [11:21–14:19]
  Communal zones, F&B access, and the challenge of “power everywhere” on slab-on-grade lobbies.

• Make It Local—Beyond the Wall Art (Place & Story) — [14:19–16:48]
  Examples: Hotel Erwin street-level “exterior lobby”; Canyon Ranch treehouse rooms in the canopy.

• Research to Narrative (Process) — [16:49–18:17]
  History, guest profiles, and F&B partnerships to authentically express place.

• Case Study: JW Marriott Houston Downtown (Adaptive Reuse) — [18:23–21:58]
  Embracing structural columns, navigating public tunnels, fixing luggage logistics; “banker suits” narrative.

• Art That Matters (Curation Strategy) — [22:11–25:24]
  Avoid literalism (“ocean on the wall” art in property by the ocean); support local artists; allow some controversy.

• Renovating While Open (Phasing & Logistics) — [25:26–28:41]
  Plan relentlessly, stage materials, isolate buildings/floors, protect guest experience.

• Luxury Sector: Differentiation Erosion (Brand vs. Boutique) — [28:59–33:47]
  Big-brand standards vs. one-off creativity; economics, risk, and the design time investment.

• Designing with Attractions (Destination Integration) — [33:47–37:32]
  From Disney-adjacent themes to giraffe manor-style immersion; site visits beat mood boards.

• Tech Shifts: Wireless Lighting (Systems & Retrofits) — [37:33–39:05]
  Battery-powered lighting as a game-changer where power/data are tough.

• Future of Lobbies: Indoors ↔ Outdoors (Experience & Envelope) — [39:08–41:41]
  Minimize walls, manage HVAC/health code/critters; biophilic benefits across markets.

• Where to Learn More & Wrap — [41:42–42:28]
  cmcadesign.com and closing thanks.