2-8 September: Top 10 stories of the week

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From hotel openings to product spotlights to everything in between, we collate the top 10 most read stories on Hotel Designs this week…

1. Room Mate Hotels adds Istanbul property
Room Mate Hotels, the Spanish global company founded and chaired by Kike Sarasola, has increased its portfolio with a new opening in the heart of the exotic city of Istanbul.

2. Women in IHG senior staff reaches record high
InterContinental Hotels Group has announced that female senior talent across Holiday Inn Express hotels in Southeast Asia (SEA) is at an all-time high. This follows the appointment of two GMs who completed the company’s General Manager Express Lane programme.

3. In Conversation: Miranda Martin, IHS event director
Ahead of the Independent Hotel Show in October, Hotel Designs caught up with the event director Miranda Martin to get her thoughts on this year’s edition…

4. Hotel Designs Reader Survey 2017-2018
Here at Hotel Designs, we like to provide content that is both engaging and useful for our audience. As we continue to move forward, we’d like to get some feedback from our readers in order to continue bringing you what you want to see.

5. Lighting trends at Decorex 2017
For forty years, Decorex has been the UK’s leading luxury interiors showcase and where the design-minded come to discover trends and gain new inspiration from over 400 exhibitors and this year will be no exception.

6. Project Spotlight: Areen Design – Sheraton Madagascar
Located in Madagascar’s capital city Antananarivo, the 25-storey Sheraton hotel is being transformed with all guest rooms and public spaces undergoing major refurbishment, with interiors by Areen Design’s award-winning hospitality team.

7. £8.5m Expansion for Edinburgh city-centre charity hotel
An Edinburgh hotel that puts profits back into advancing surgical standards worldwide to improve patient outcomes is to undergo a major £8.5m 52 room expansion.

8. Renaissance debuts two design-led airport hotels
As part of Renaissance Hotels global ‘renaissance’, the brand is reimagining the traditional airport hotel experience, with two new debuts: The newly-opened Renaissance Atlanta Airport Gateway Hotel and the newly-renovated Renaissance Los Angeles Airport Hotel.

9. Marriott dual-branded Residence Inn and SpringHill Suites Clearwater Beach now open
Key International – a prominent real estate investment and development company specialising in hospitality – has recently opened the new Marriott dual-branded Residence Inn (140 suites) and SpringHill Suites Clearwater Beach (115 suites).

10. FIVE TO WATCH: BEST UK COUNTRY HOUSE HOTELS
As summer comes to a close, the cosy winter months close in. With this in mind, Hotel Designs profiles five of our favourite country house hotels across the UK…

Daniel Fountain / 08.09.2017

Editor, Hotel Designs

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Fun fact: I’m usually the person friends rely on to organise trips, schedules, and group plans.

Workhighlights: Successfully coordinating events from planning through to delivery and seeing everything come together on the day.

Fun fact: I’m a keen cyclist and will happily bore people with copious amounts of cycling chat. My top cycling experience (so far) would have to be riding in the spectacular mountains of Crete.

Work highlights: Charles joined Forum Events in 2022. With a background in publishing, editorial media and events, Charles brings a wealth of experience to his role as Senior Production Manager. Having being involved with SPACE from the outset, he is excited to see the brand grow and develop.

Fun fact: People tell Sienna she gives off Bridget Jones vibes, and she loves to bake, always making sure there are shortbreads floating around the office

Work highlights: Sienna joined Forum Events & Media Group while studying Communications and Media, starting in the sales team where she managed and helped launch the first the PA Life Leading Venues of London SHOWCASE, where she built relationships with luxury venues across the capital. Drawn to the stories behind these spaces, she naturally transitioned into the editorial team, creating social media and editorial content. Upon graduating in June 2026, she is excited to be joining as Assistant Editor for Hotel Designs and SPACE.

Fun fact: When not working, Jess can usually be found tending to her kitchen garden in the Sussex countryside or foraging for herbs in the nearby woods. A keen grower, she recently studied a RHS Level 2 Diploma in the Principles of Horticulture during her spare time.

Work highlights: Jess joined SPACE magazine in 2022 and has since progressed from Assistant Editor to Editor. During this time, she has worked across many aspects of the publication – from shaping editorial strategy and overseeing operations to contributing to art direction and representing the brand on stage at industry events including Surface Design Show and WOW!house.

Alongside her role at SPACE, Jess has built a creative career spanning the arts, culture, design and travel sectors. Prior to joining the magazine, she spent more than a decade in the commercial art industry, in artist liaison, gallery management, and curating collections for the hospitality sector across hotels and cruise ships. During this time, she also worked on freelance projects as a writer, photographer, and creative content producer.
 
Jess studied photojournalism at London College of Communication and the Danish School of Media and Journalism and holds a first-class BA (Hons) in Culture, Criticism and Curation from Central Saint Martins.

Fun fact: Katy has spent years perfecting all kinds of accents and loves a good impersonation!

Work highlights: Katy has been with Hotel Designs since the beginning, way back in 2015 when Forum Events & Media Group acquired the brand.

During this time, she has fostered many meaningful relationships with clients from across the hospitality spectrum, as well as playing a pivotal role in the launch of The Brit List Awards, Hotel Designs MEET UPs, client-led roundtables and panel talks, brand and website redesigns, HD Wellness Sets, DESIGN POD podcast, Hotel Designs LIVE panel talk series, Accessible Design Talks and more. Katy is always on the lookout for the next opportunity to help grow the Hotel Designs brand even further.
 
Most recently Katy has stepped in to the role of Publisher at SPACE magazine, the printed bi-monthly publication focused on hotel design, architecture, and development.

Together these platforms offer a comprehensive 360-degree service encompassing digital media, print publishing, and live events – providing unparalleled value to advertisers, partners, and readers alike.