Paolo Mauri, an Italian architect, has lived and worked in Madrid since 1997. He is a founding partner and director of Paolo Mauri Interni, a multidisciplinary studio specialising in hotel design, backed by 28 years’ experience and more than 70 completed hotel projects.
Brief description of the business
• After working closely with hotel chains such as Meliá Hotels International between 1999 and 2008 on national and international projects, he co-founded IHP-International Hospitality Projects with six other partners. He was head of the interior design and fit-out department for 12 years, during which time the company became a leading name in the hospitality sector as the first and only firm specialising in hotels to offer a full range of professional technical services, with offices in Madrid, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Zaragoza, Portugal and Vietnam.
• “Paolo Mauri Interni” was founded with the aim of creating bespoke interior design and hotel fit-out projects, tailored to the needs of the client and their guests, seeking to offer unique experiences that are compatible with management and investment criteria.
According to Paolo Mauri, interior design lies at the heart of the project, regarded as a “technical service with a strong artistic and creative element”. This approach does not conflict with other technical disciplines (architecture, engineering, project management), but rather works in constant collaboration with them to proactively steer the project towards success, right from the very start.
• For Paolo Mauri, a hotel project is one in which professionals from different technical disciplines work together to meet the client’s aesthetic, functional, facilities-related, cost and timeframe requirements.
• From his Milanese roots, he has inherited a taste for a sober and elegant style, enriched by his experience with hotel chains, creating projects that are both aesthetically pleasing and functional. He firmly believes in teamwork, developing empathy and mediation skills, and treating each project as unique in order to meet the expectations of all parties involved.
• He possesses extensive knowledge and proven experience in managing Full-Scope Contract (FF&E) projects, as well as a deep understanding of Italian design, which enables him to provide his clients with bespoke solutions tailored to their CAPEX objectives.
• Clients and collaborations: Meliá Hotels International, NH Collection, Vincci, Barceló, Novotel, Sercotel, Palladium, Hilton, Radisson, Starhotels, across Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.
List of the most significant recent projects.
• NH Collection Palacio de Córdoba Hotel, 5 stars.
• Vincci Mae Hotel, 4*, communal areas and rooftop terrace. Barcelona.
• 4* Vincci Larios 10 Hotel in Málaga. (/ 4 stars, 78 rooms)
• Amistad Sercotel Hotel, Murcia. Guest rooms (4*, 148 rooms)
• Sorolla Palace Hotel, Valencia. Guest rooms (4 stars, 271 rooms).
• Costa del Sol Glamping Resort, Fuengirola, Málaga.
Product design for:
• Frajumar, Ecus Sleep, Finsa, Strong by Form (*), Punt Mobles, MLE Lighting.
(*) New collection of three-dimensional wood cladding presented at the “FuoriSalone” in Milan 2025.
Teaching and lectures
• Advanced training course on: “How to successfully design a hotel. Challenges and solutions for interior design and hotel fit-out projects”. Delivered at private companies (Cosentino, Finsa, Grohe) and professional bodies: the Association of Interior Designers of the Valencian Community (CDICV), and Llull-Lasalle University, Barcelona.
• Adjunct lecturer at the Polytechnic University of Milan on the basis of “chiara fama” (recognised standing) by the university’s Department of Design, where he has been leading a workshop on hospitality design since 2025.
• Rebuild
• Interihotel
• Milan Furniture Fair (Salone del Mobile) at the “Fuorisalone – Brera Design District”
Idem
