On 19 March, the docontract MAD showroom hosted the presentation of the new features of interihotel MAD24, the leading event in hotel and restaurant design to be held in Madrid from 19 to 21 November 2024.

Joaquim Solana, Cluster Manager at AMBIT; Cristina Rebolo, founder of wethinkwide and creative director of interihotel; and Toni Zaragoza, director of interihotel, unveiled the details of this eagerly awaited edition to the media accredited to this presentation event. Afterwards, collaborating entities, speakers and hospitality design professionals from Madrid were able to enjoy an exclusive presentation followed by an afterwork in the same showroom. 

interihotel is the only international event held in Spain and aimed at hotel and restaurant design professionals. In fact, the event hosted by AMBIT Living Spaces Cluster has become the most important event in Europe in the area of hospitality design and an unmissable event for interior design and architecture professionals looking for the latest trends and innovative solutions for the sector.

Its value proposition, with a focus on design, is what makes it unique and singular. It consists of a perfect mix of “boutique event”, “congress”, “innovation and trends”, “awards” and “business”.  

interihotel is a fundamental event in the hospitality sector that incorporates in its DNA the importance of design in business, the need to adopt sustainable and regenerative practices and a perspective focused on the vision of a friendly future.

Supernova: An ephemeral and transformative event, withlasting effects over time

“Supernova, catalyzing hospitality design” is the creative concept for interihotel MAD24. An ephemeral and transformative event, like the explosion of a star, but with a lasting impact for hospitality design.

Supernova is a catalyst for change, driving business towards new horizons through three inspiring sessions: 

• 19 November: BLOOM DESIGN - Stendhal experiences. Exploring the power of design as a catalyst for memorable projects and experiences.
• 20 November: IMPACT DESIGN - Conscious evolution. Every decision counts. Design influences the collective consciousness and has a positive impact on the world.
• 21 November: VISIONARY DESIGN - Shaping futures. Innovation and technology to shape the future we want.

First class congress

Eight months before the event, interihotel Madrid 2024 has already confirmed the participation of prominent studios such as BJARKE INGELS GROUP, K-STUDIO, MASQUESPACIO, LORENZO CASTILLO and PATRICIA BUSTOS, among the more than 120 speakers who will be participating in the congress.

Concept Rooms with luxury interior design studios

Zooco Estudio will be one of the interior design studios participating in this year's Concept Rooms project. Zooco is an architecture studio based in Madrid and Santander founded in 2009 by Miguel Crespo Picot, Javier Guzmán Benito and Sixto Martín Martínez, architects from the Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid. A studio whose hallmarks are the use of a timeless language, free of noise and artifice, and which covers a broad spectrum of design, from large-scale building to furniture design.

Many of their projects have been published in national and international specialized media, some of which have been recognized by several awards such as the prestigious Design Vanguard 2019, NAN Construction 2019 + 2020, Frame Awards 2020 or the European 40 under 40 2020, among others. They have also been chosen in 2021 by Forbes magazine among the 100 most creative Spaniards in the business world (fourth place). In 2023 they received the NAN award for hotel design, two The Architecture MasterPrize™ (AMP) awards for best studio and best commercial interior design, as well as being finalists for the Best Restaurant Design Award at interihotel BCN23.

El Equipo Creativo will be the other major reference studio that has accepted the challenge of designing one of the interihotel concept rooms. It was founded in 2011 by architects Oliver Franz Schmidt, Natali Canas del Pozo and Lucas Echeveste Lacy. El Equipo Creativo is a renowned interior architecture and design studio based in Barcelona specialized in the design of hospitality, gastronomy and branding spaces. Their philosophy is focused on the idea that spatial design should tell captivating stories and inspire people, always based on a solid conceptual approach. They have received more than 70 international design awards, including prestigious awards such as the Restaurant & Bar Design Awards, the FRAME Awards and the BOY Awards. The FRAME magazine has recognized them as one of the 20 most influential designers in the world. In 2023 and 2024, their project for Palau Fugit has already received the Best of Year Award in New York, and the Architecture Masterprize in Los Angeles.

Their portfolio includes collaborations with the world's most prestigious chefs, including Michelin-starred restaurants. Some of these restaurants include Disfrutar and Pakta, as well as the Kimpton Vividora Hotel in Barcelona and Axel Hotel in Madrid.

The right time for hospitality investments

Spain leads tourism development in Europe, ahead of countries such as France, Italy, the United Kingdom and Germany. This sector represents 11.2% of Spain's GDP and has already surpassed pre-pandemic figures.

By 2024, more than 113.8 million international tourists are expected to generate more than 352 million overnight stays and more than 164 billion euros in revenue for the Spanish economy.

Meanwhile, the outlook for the next decade is for a cumulative increase of more than 60% in the tourism sector's contribution to global GDP.

Unlike sectors such as durable goods, which have been negatively affected by the high inflation rate and the increase in interest rates, families will spend more on tourism and leisure in 2024. Thus, the hospitality sector in Spain is expected to have a record year in 2024.

This positive environment will generate great dynamism in terms of investment in the sector, which will be transferred to the entire value chain and its suppliers, including the furnishing industry and interior design and architecture services.

Forecast for 2024

interihotel MAD24 expects to welcome 220 exhibiting brands, which represents an increase of more than 20% over the 2023 edition. In terms of visitors, the organization foresees an attendance of between 8,500 and 9,000 unique professional visitors, coming from more than 50 countries, which is a growth of between 15 and 20 percent over the last edition.

At the time of the presentation of the edition, the organization has already confirmed the participation of more than 190 exhibiting brands, many of them relevant and referents in design, among which ROCA, IKEA or ABB/Niessen who, in addition, will be sponsors of this edition.

The organizing entity, AMBIT, wanted to thank the 31 entities that will continue to support the event in this edition: Associations and unions of the hotel and hospitality sector, professional guilds, associations of designers, design events, universities and schools of design and the hospitality industry, as well as public administrations.