Rezidor at Fifty

150 150 Daniel Fountain
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Kurt Ritter and I are about the same age. In 1980, when I became head of Art & Design at a London College, he was appointed the general manager of at the SAS Kuwait hotel, the first overseas property of SAS International Hotels. SAS International was formed by the then Scandinavian Airline System backed by the governments of Denmark, Sweden and Norway. In 1984 Kurt Ritter became the Vice President Middle East for SIH in Singapore as I left teaching to become a hotel designer. As we aged our paths remained parallel, but they were eventually to cross, and I have come to admire and rate him, with Olga Polizzi and Barry Sternlicht, as one of the most important and influential industry figures. In 1989, when I was part of a team designing new hotels for Shire Hotels, Kurt Ritter was being appointed the President and CEO of SAS. The group was then not really on my radar, but Ritter was going to change all that.

In 1994, as Britain struggled with the aftermath of the stupidity of the Major government’s failed attempts to link sterling value to the new Euro, Ritter took the significant step of signing SIH’s then 20 hotels into a Master Franchise with Carlson, creating Radisson SAS Hotels & Resorts, adding the EMEA rights to Park Inn, Country Inn and Regent in 2002. In 2002 HotelDesigns was born as I left the practice of design to write about hotels full time, and to follow Ritter’s career with increasing interest and admiration.

I first met Mr. Ritter at the opening of the Radisson SAS (now Radisson Blu) in Krakow, Poland, in late 2003. The hotel was one of the first new builds in Krakow, and one of the first four star hotels too. At that time travel in Central Europe just over ten years after the collapse of the ‘Evil Empire’, as Ronald Regan called the communist system, was still a little bit of an adventure. However Ritter very early on saw the potential in Central Europe. Countries including the old East Germany (reunification in 1990) Poland (Third Polish Republic 1989) Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia and recently Russia and Romania have become the focus of the expansion of the hotels.

Daniel Fountain / 18.06.2010

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.