Inside HotelSpaces 2025: Why This One Hit Different

Nobody's waiting for the construction market to settle down. It won't.

Permitting delays aren't going anywhere. Labor costs keep climbing. Tariffs shift by the week. So senior hospitality construction and design leaders from major hotel brands came to Caesars Republic in Scottsdale this November to do what they do best: figure it out together.

The Kind of Place Where It Happens

HotelSpaces is the kind of place where two VPs solve a permitting problem on a desert jeep ride. Where someone finally gets a straight answer about modular over wine. Where a casual pickleball game at Electric Pickle turns into a conversation about FF&E sourcing that solves a problem someone's been stuck on for months.

Because when you get the right people in the right environment, the conversations change.

The format is intentionally small. Intentionally curated. Because the conversations that solve real problems don't happen in convention center aisles.

"More intimate setting allows for more successful connectivity," one attendee explained. Another was direct: "The laid-back atmosphere and the time to talk."

Emmy-winning comedian Michael Kosta opened Sunday night and set exactly the right tone—sharp, unexpected, ready for whatever came next.

 Michael Kosta at HotelSpaces

Content That Delivered

Monday morning kicked off with the reality check everyone needed. State of Hotel Construction & Design: What's Now, What's Next brought Fred Brandstrader (Hyatt), Rado Ivanov (Marriott), and Justin Ried (Host Hotels) together to lay out what's actually happening in their portfolios: procurement strategies shifting daily because of tariffs, labor shortages forcing hard choices, and hotel renovation timelines under constant pressure.

Brandstrader's advice landed: "Keep the planning and design going. When there's a window to move, you need to be ready."

      From L to R: Lori Horvath, Fred Brandstrader, Rado Ivanov, and Justin Ried

Andreas Rotenberg, Co-founder of Pulley, tackled the permitting crisis strangling everyone's timelines. Ben Lytle brought a futurist lens to leading teams through nonstop change without burning them out. Dina Belon, President of Staypineapple Hospitality, showed why culture—not systems—determines whether a hotel actually delivers.

The forward-looking talks cut straight to what mattered: what it actually took to build the world's first fully AI-powered hotel, Outonomous Hotel, how luxury hotel brands test concepts before rolling them out, and why back-of-house and MEP decisions influence returns more than most people realize.

Why the 1:1s Work

The curated one-on-one sourcing meetings are why people keep coming back.

Not random booth walks. Not collecting 50 business cards you'll never follow up on. Pre-matched meetings with solution providers who can actually address your specific project challenges. Dedicated time to dig into the details that matter—specifications, timelines, pricing, and what's worked on similar hotel projects.

"Ability to control the time with vendors," one VP explained. That's the difference. You're not fighting for attention in a crowded aisle. You're sitting down for real conversations about real projects with people who came prepared to solve your problems.

Where Peers Get Honest

The mastermind roundtables delivered something different: hotel owners and construction executives with no agenda except helping each other solve real challenges. Groups dug into how to get started with modular construction, how to keep projects from blowing up when bids jump midway through a job or scope changes hit mid-renovation, and how outdoor and wellness amenities are reshaping investment models. 

No theory. Just people working through the same problems you're solving.

What They Left With

Three days. Real solutions. New partnerships. Problems that felt unsolvable on Sunday had paths forward by Tuesday.

By the time people left Scottsdale, they weren't just leaving with contacts—they were leaving with people they'd actually pick up the phone and call. The sessions gave them insights. The 1:1s gave them solutions. The masterminds gave them a network they could lean on. And those connections? They keep going long after the event ends.

Next Year

If this year proved anything, it’s how much these conversations matter. HotelSpaces 2026 is where they continue.

October 25-27, 2026 | Omni Fort Lauderdale, FL