InteriHotel Barcelona 2018, the highly-anticipated design and hotel interior design event opens its doors in less than a week. Each day at the event visitors will find a programme full of talks by some of the most notable design professionals in Europe in the Knowledge Area.

Marisa Santamaria, a journalist specialised in design and architecture, as well as the director of the international trends area of IED, will be in charge of introducing the speakers, overseeing the talks and initiating the following debates.

Wednesday 24^th October: International discussion panels and prize-giving

The first day of InteriHotel promises to be very intense, both in terms of content and scheduled activities: over the course of the day there will be discussion panels with consultors and international hotel groups from the Central America and Mexico markets (10:30), and from Morocco (17:00).

Jordi Cuenca (interior designer and executive partner of Verum Hotel Development), Isabel López (architect and interior designer at Isabel López Vilalta), Jordi Alado (creative director of Alado Studio), Judit Bustos (interior designer at Tres Trastros) and Maria Font (director of MJF studio) will take part in a discussion panel based on hotels from the point of view of sustainability, technology and guest experience (12:00).

The schedule is completed by the different organisations that will have a prominent position in InteriHotel Barcelona – Ilmio Design, Egue&Seta and Morph Estudio – the three studios who will put together the Interior Designers Area, and will explain to attendees the collaborative interior design project that will occupy this space (14:30).

In the afternoon, the InterCIDEC prizes will be awarded, the international competition for design for contract settings, organised by Beltá & Frajumar, where visitors can also enjoy a talk from an internationally-renowned professional from the sector (15:30).

An inauguration ceremony will close the day, in which the official authorities and professional representatives will participate, and will also see the awarding of the three prizes of this year’s event: the innovation prize, the prize for the best blog entry on hotel interior design and the prize for the best stand among the brands participating at InteriHotel (18:30).

Thursday 25^th October: Design hotel interior design take centre stage

On the second day of the event, more discussion panels will take place with consultors and international hotel groups, this time from the United Arab Emirates market (10:30).

The first talk of the day will be by Natali Canas, partner and creative director of El equipo Creativo, and will present a case study on Hotel Axe Madrid through its gastronomic spaces, followed by a discussion panel (12:00).

Pepa Casado, founder and director of trend investigation at Future-A, will talk on trends and new business models in hospitality, followed by a discussion (14:30).

In the afternoon, another interesting talk, this time from Lori Pinkerton-Rolet, director of Park Grove Design, will take place, presenting a speech titled “Overcome trends: How to create timeless interior designs” (16:00).

Bringing the second day of InteriHotel to a close is a talk by another notable expert – Manuel Torres, founder and director of Manuel Torres Design. Attendees can enjoy a presentation on what tourists will look for in hotels in 2020 and why knowing the user is the key to getting it right (17:00).

Friday 26^th October: Case study and talks

During the Friday, InteriHotel boasts the presence of acclaimed architect and interior designer Tomás Alía, of Tomás Alia Estudio, who will present a case study on Hotel Aitana, Room Mate in Amsterdam and his new hotel concept (10:30), which will be followed by a discussion panel.

Over the course of the final day of the event, various conferences will take place in the Knowledge Area, starting at 12:00 with Eulogio Bordas, president of THR Innovative Tourism Advisors, who will present a talk on when interior design does and does not bring value to a hotel.

In the afternoon, guests can hear the event’s final case study, “Renovation versus adaptation in hospitality: Practical cases and different concepts”, which will be delivered by Jordi Canora, creative director and Genís Solé, designer at Inusual Disseny (14:30), followed by a debate.

To finish up, director of Koubou Interiors and president of the British Institute of Interior Design, Gilly Craft, will give a talk on the future hotel bedroom and its innovation (15:30).

The schedule is rounded off by parallel activities – Fresh Talks, an open space next to the Materials & Tech Area, where young prodigies will explain to the audience their “fresh” ideas for interior design projects in the hospitality sector.

Check the complete schedule of talks and conferences here.