This week, Dan Ryan sits down with Larry Traxler, a 30+ year veteran of architecture and design, former SVP Global Head of Architecture & Design at Hilton Hotels & Resorts, and founder of Traxworks Hospitality Collaborative, to make the case that great hospitality design isn’t about replicating what’s trending, it’s about understanding place, people, and purpose. From breaking ceramic tiles on job sites in Japan to navigating 102 countries and opening 1,000 hotels a year at Hilton, Larry has spent his career building bridges between creative vision and business reality, and now, finally free to say no, he’s going deeper than ever.

About the Guest:
On this episode, Dan Ryan sits down with Larry Traxler, founder of Traxworks Hospitality Collaborative and former SVP Global Head of Architecture and Design at Hilton Hotels & Resorts. Larry has shaped some of the most memorable spaces in global hospitality, one mosaic wall, and one very deliberate hammer swing at a time. When he’s not advising owners on design strategy or racking up passport stamps across his 102nd country, he’s photographing wildlife in his backyard, plotting a month in Africa, and finally, finally, getting to put more into the projects that truly light him up.

Chapters:

00:25 Welcome to Defining Hospitality

01:28 Mentors Safari and Photography

02:53 Backyard Safari and Reps

05:42 Defining Hospitality Through Design

12:09 Traxworks Freedom to Say No

15:13 Jordan Mozer Narrative Craft

22:31 Becoming the Bridge Conductor

30:36 The Clift Deep Dive Details

35:27 Nine Million Miles

36:43 Creativity in the Air

38:27 Hilton Lessons to Trexworks

43:10 Solo Founder Reality

45:13 AI as Creative Toolkit

50:00 Recessions and Resilience

54:04 Hospitality Beyond Hotels

01:00:20 Fighting Design Sameness

01:02:35 Traxworks Freedom and Farewell

Quote of the Show:
“It’s those people that have a fear of the future that get held back. Sometimes you just have to jump off the bridge and leap into those entrepreneurial waters.” - Larry Traxler

Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.

Links:

• Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
• Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larrytraxler/
• Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/

🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by BermanFalk https://www.bermanfalk.com/

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