As a hotelier, you benefit from having design and procurement partners who are fully immersed in the marketplace for hospitality furnishings. This is one reason why the Innvision team attends the HD Expo + Conference each year in Las Vegas: to discover new trends and products, maximize the value we can add to your projects, and make your hotel the best it can be.

About the HD Expo

In addition to 600+ product booths, HD Expo includes a three-day conference. “HD University” offered insightful panels of industry experts speaking about FF&E and architectural finishes in categories such as casegoods, fabric, flooring, lighting, and upholstered seating. The panelists were experienced hotel owners, designers, brand representatives, and vendors, all providing their recommendations on how to select, design, and specify hospitality products.

During the expo itself, additional breakout segments and discussion panels had other subject matter experts sharing their experiences, both successes and failures, allowing us to gain knowledge we can apply to our clients’ projects moving forward.

HD Expo Takeaways: Process

HD University started with an in-depth discussion on design variation and development for brands and their tiers. It then covered key elements on differentiating brand tiers and assessing how location uniquely affects each project’s design. Brand leaders and designers reinforced the need to design within a budget even on high-end projects. They also emphasized the importance of collaboration and communication within project teams.

HD Expo Takeaways: Trends & Ideas

We attended a panel discussion for the WGSN 2025 trends forecast, which also gave us a good idea of products and new designs to look for. Most of the vendor booths aligned with WGSN’s presentation. Here are a few trends they called out:

• Creative Color– Color is key to building an emotional connection with consumers (guests).
• Preservation Mode – Protect and preserve resources, energy, existing elements, pre-loved products and spaces.
• Strategic Imagination – Moving from the Information Age, where knowledge is the major driver of growth, to the Imagination Age, where creativity will be the currency that generates value and sets business strategies.
• Big Statements – 63% of travelers are willing to invest in transformational or out-of-the-ordinary experiences. These do not have to be expensive or permanent design elements. 
• Glimmers – Small moments of positivity, comfort and safety (the opposite of “triggers”) can be impactful and memorable.
• Fun-ctional “Kidulting”– Getting people physically involved in a space.