What's Trending in Hospitality Design?
- Samantha Bonner
- Jun 30
- 5 min read
From cozy vacation rentals to vibrant breweries and buzzing markets, the hospitality industry continues to evolve to meet new demands in experience, identity, and comfort. Hospitality can be defined broadly: restaurants, breweries, bars, hotels, Airbnb-style rentals, and even multi-family amenity spaces can all fall under this umbrella. In every case, design plays a pivotal role in how these environments support connection, leisure, and community.
And there may be no better place to explore these trends than in Columbus, Ohio.
Columbus as a Hospitality Hotspot
Columbus is quietly (and quickly) becoming a national standout in hospitality and culinary culture. Since late 2022, visitor demand has surpassed pre-pandemic levels, driven by economic growth and a strong return to travel and tourism. In 2023 alone, Columbus welcomed 49.6 million visits, generating $6.6 billion in revenue and supporting more than 75,000 jobs.
Columbus is also racking up culinary credibility, shedding its long-held "test market" label. Just in the past year:
Condé Nast Traveler named Columbus the No. 8 food city in the U.S.
Essence listed it among the world’s top 10 culinary destinations, alongside Paris and Mexico City.
Food & Wine spotlighted the city’s bakeries as seventh-best nationwide.
USA TODAY ranked Columbus No. 3 in the U.S. for beer cities.
This influx of attention is pushing design teams, developers, and operators to get creative. We’re finding new ways to craft experiences that are as memorable as the menus themselves.
Top Hospitality Design Trends We're Watching
1. Narrative-Driven Design + Cultural Expression
Storytelling as Brand Identity
From the moment guests walk through the door, they want to feel immersed in something intentional. Brands are crafting spaces with storytelling in mind by using curated artwork, custom signage, and consistent visual language across menus, uniforms, and digital touchpoints. Some venues even invent clever fictional backstories for their brand, creating a world guests can step into. The result is a hospitality experience that’s not just memorable, but emotionally resonant.
Celebrating Culture and Local Flavor
At the same time, authenticity remains key. Whether it’s through regional cuisine, global fusion menus, or the use of local artists and makers, today’s hospitality spaces are celebrating identity through culture. Incorporating local events (like Nocterra’s Quitters Run or Land-Grant’s Strawberry Jam) reinforces that these spaces are rooted in community, not just commerce.
2. Designing with Nostalgia: Retro Vibes + Historic Charm
Nostalgia in Aesthetics
Guests are craving environments that feel familiar with a twist. Retro design elements like neon signage, colorful upholstery, funky lighting, and vintage tilework are making bold returns. These playful throwbacks aren’t about replicating the past, but about capturing its spirit in a fresh, joyful way. Think: the retro-futuristic vibes at Getaway Brewing, or the tactile charm of places like Chapman’s Eat Market.
Preserving the Past Through Restoration
In tandem, many designers are turning to historic renovation to bring authenticity and story to a space. Whether it’s a mid-century motel or an art deco office building, older structures are being thoughtfully restored and modernized to highlight their architectural heritage. These spaces offer character that can’t be manufactured and guests are here for it.
3. Experience-First Design: From the Plate to the Unexpected
Experiential Dining Moments
Dining is no longer just about what’s on the plate, it’s about how it’s presented, served, and shared. Guests are drawn to open-flame kitchens (FYR), detailed menu descriptions, and global fusion dishes that tell a deeper story (Agni). Smaller, more curated menus make each choice feel intentional, while food and drink presentation becomes part of the show.
Designing Surprise Beyond the Table
The experience doesn’t stop once you leave the dining room. Bathrooms, corridors, and circulation spaces are being treated as canvases for design delight with playful, Instagrammable moments hiding in unexpected places. The airplane windows at Getaway are a perfect example: an ordinary hallway turned into an immersive moment of surprise and whimsy.
4. Blended Spaces: The Rise of Lifestyle-Driven Hospitality
Hybrid Hospitality Spaces
More venues are embracing flexibility by daypart and use. Coffee shops become cocktail bars in the evening. Hotel lobbies serve as coworking spaces, casual lounges, or social event hubs. Bars flow seamlessly into waiting areas and staircases are designed as gathering zones. The Junto and Bada Bean Bada Booze are great examples of this new hybrid thinking; where the lobby is no longer a pass-through, but the pulse of the entire experience.
Multi-Use Entertainment Venues
Hospitality is also intersecting with entertainment in big, bold ways. Places like Pickle & Chill, Land-Grant, Pins Mechanical, and 16-Bit offer duckpin bowling, pickleball, trivia, karaoke, sand volleyball, live music, and more. These destinations attract large, diverse crowds by offering a mix of fun, food, and function under one roof. For multi-family housing and hotels, this trend often appears in amenity spaces designed for maximum versatility and engagement.
The Airbnb Effect
Even short-term rentals are being elevated. Airbnb hosts now offer hotel-like service: curated décor for special events, grocery stocking, concierge-style local guides - all tailored to create a polished and highly personalized stay. The lines between hospitality and home continue to blur.
5. Community Markets + Instagrammable Moments
Reimagining the Food Hall
What we once called “food halls” have evolved into true markets - more curated, more communal, and more flexible. Projects like North Market Dublin, East Market, and The Little Grand showcase fast-casual dining stalls, ingredient vendors, and centralized bars. They work especially well in high-traffic, walkable districts where full-service restaurants are at capacity or too slow for large groups and families.
Designing for Social Sharing
These spaces are also designed with the camera in mind. Materials, lighting, wall features, and furniture are intentionally chosen for their visual impact. Influencer partnerships, giveaways, and user-generated content have become invaluable marketing tools and the design must support those moments. A photogenic corner can drive more traffic than a paid ad ever could.
6. Sustainable + Adaptive Design
Adaptive Reuse + Material Consciousness
Sustainability in hospitality goes well beyond low-flow plumbing and LED lights. Adaptive reuse is booming, from tired strip malls turned into vibrant venues, to warehouses reimagined as boutique hotels. These spaces preserve embodied carbon while offering an aesthetic richness that new construction often lacks. Designers are also embracing natural materials, local sourcing, and subtle energy-saving features that support long-term environmental responsibility.
7. Smart Technology + Personalized Service
Hospitality Tech with a Personal Touch
Data-driven design is elevating the guest experience. From AI-curated suggestions (like room temperature, lighting, pillow type, or local restaurant picks) to keyless check-in and automated service requests, technology is removing friction while personalizing every stay. Especially in higher-end hotels and luxury rentals, tech isn’t just a convenience, it’s a core part of the experience.
8. Combined Concepts: One Space, Multiple Identities
Bars, breweries, and other evening-oriented venues are increasingly partnering with local coffee shops to activate their spaces in the morning hours. Rather than sitting empty until the afternoon, these spaces serve coffee and pastries by day and cocktails or craft beer by night — maximizing revenue and broadening their customer base.
This flexible approach to space creates dynamic environments that feel alive from morning to midnight. It also fosters local collaboration and encourages designers to create spaces that can shift seamlessly between identities with minimal adjustments to lighting, layout, and branding.
Final Thoughts
Hospitality design is no longer about just filling seats or booking rooms. It’s about storytelling, cultural celebration, surprise, and connection - all rooted in a space that feels intentional, engaging, and alive. In cities like Columbus, where food, design, and innovation converge, we’ve watched hospitality not only recover, but reinvent itself. And we’re excited to be part of it.
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