Plotwork, founded by luxury hospitality leader Kaitlyn Thornton, has officially launched as a first-of-its-kind advisory uniting cinematic storytelling with hospitality development…
Positioned at the intersection of cinema and real estate, Plotwork has launched to act as both advisory and agency – delivering story-based strategies that shape projects from concept through guest experience.
The driving force behind the studio, Kaitlyn Thornton brings a rare hybrid background that spans senior leadership at top global design firms, with academia, cinema, journalism. Before launching Plotwork in 2024, she served as the Head of Brand Strategy and New York Studio Director at Yabu Pushelberg, bridging development with project evolution.
Most recently, she was the Vice President of Development at HBA, helping shape the global design firm’s North American business strategy. She spent formative years with AvroKO and product design firm Studio Dror, experiences that sharpened her cross-disciplinary approach to brand, space, and operations. Earlier in her career, Thornton worked as a film and lifestyle journalist, a foundation that honed her narrative sensibility and informs Plotwork’s methodology today.
Image credit: HWKN / Plotwork
“Building a hotel is an exercise in getting 100 people to tell one story,” explained Thornton. “It’s inherently cinematic.” Plotwork provides both the script and creative scaffolding, aligning owners, designers, operators, and marketers around a singular narrative to guide the full lifecycle of development.
The firm’s service approach is twofold. Primarily, Plotwork partners directly with owners to provide fluid, creative advisory as a complement to finance and asset development expertise, offering program studies, research, and internal strategic direction. Plotwork also acts as a brand agency, supporting owners, brands, and consultant teams with character and vision to establish the narrative DNA that drives every decision.
One of Plotwork’s debut commissions is the creation of a Saudi Arabian-born lifestyle hotel brand with Al Rabih Real Estate Development. Rooted in the belief that true luxury lies in presence, the brand reframes exploration as both an outward and inward journey. Architecturally, the concept is anchored by an inward-facing courtyard—a cinematic threshold where each property becomes a self-contained world, balancing sanctuary with discovery.
Image credit: HWKN / Plotwork
Currently under construction in Riyadh and Jeddah, the brand is positioned to expand across additional sites through 2026–28, introducing a new voice in the Kingdom’s growing hospitality landscape. The brand is inspired by the idea of thresholds—physical manifestations of inner change. The Plotwork team explored transformational crossings, like Dorothy into Oz or Alice into Wonderland.
Driven by this idea, each hotel is designed to look inward, opening from the street into an unexpected inner atrium that feels like a revelation: a moment of surprise and a pronounced shift from the urban exterior. The reveal is both cinematic and deeply personal, a clear expression of the brand’s values. Plotwork collaborated with New York-based architectural practice HWKN to realize the architectural language.
Closer to home in New York, Plotwork is repositioning a prominent downtown tower—introducing a new luxury hotel with ground-floor retail and F&B anchor that serves the neighbourhood. The project is in early development and slated for a formal announcement later this year. “New York rewards projects with a point of view,” says Thornton. “At this site, we have an opportunity to deliver a near-mythic transformation—grounded in genuine offerings and an unapologetic attitude. It’s a love letter to the city, and I’m thrilled to be part of it.”
Main image credit: Plotwork
