Today’s guest is a hospitality guru. He’s an innovative industry leader who is an architect by training as well as a raving fan of interior design. Oswaldo Barrios is the Senior Director of Design & Project Management Luxury Brands at Marriott International. After getting a degree in Architecture in Venezuela, he started from the bottom and worked his way to a very important role at Marriott. Oswaldo joins the host Dan Ryan to share more about his journey through hospitality and how he sees this industry through his eyes.
Takeaways:
- When it comes to the hospitality industry, it’s ok to question why things are done in a certain way. This can lead to a new emergence of ideas or help to create a beautiful space.
- Hospitality is a combination of multiple different senses, ranging from how you feel about something and the experience that you are getting out of a space, to how the space feels and smells. It’s a very carefully done process to bring out the best in any space.
- Putting together a memorable space and experience is almost like being on a stage. You want to make sure that all the pieces are in the right spaces and that everyone is doing their part to make it run smoothly.
- There is a certain level of detail that goes into hospitality that overlaps with architecture as well. These two aspects can be combined to help create a memorable experience in a space that evokes an emotional response.
- It’s important for everybody to know their role in a design project and to protect that role because if you don’t then you can end up with a mishmash of ideas and the piece won’t be as creative or strong.
- The hardest part of any design project is getting the teams and donors to understand the non-public areas that you need to serve as a product.
- When it comes to working on a hotel, you develop a really strong relationship with everyone who was a part of the project.
Quote of the Show:
"Hospitality is a combination between what you feel and the experience that you get into the space." - Oswaldo Barrios
Links:
Shout Outs:
0:41 Ian Schrager
0:52 Edition Hotels
5:54 Grammercy Park Hotel
22:04 Mies van der Rohe
48:49 Arne Sorenson
51:22 Starwood
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