Hotel Management Interviews Mike Frohnapple on Shifts of Hospitality Design

In a recent interview with Hotel Management, Mike Frohnapple, Director of Hospitality & Entertainment Design at Baker Barrios Architects, discussed how business hotels are redefining their approach to design. As he noted, many clients are “renovating their ballrooms and other public areas to make the category lean toward bleisure” as conferences and events surge post-COVID.

Frohnapple highlighted Baker Barrios projects such as the soon-to-open VAI—poised to become Arizona’s largest resort—and Westcourt in Orlando as examples of this shift toward more experiential, resort-inspired environments. He also pointed to the rise of sports and entertainment districts (SEDs) as a major influence on how hotels are reimagining public spaces to feel more social, flexible, and immersive.

According to Frohnapple, these trends mark a new era in hospitality design—one where business hotels must offer more than functionality to meet the expectations of today’s blended work-and-leisure traveler.