Hotel & Resort Architecture Through a Designer’s Lens

As an architect who travels extensively—sometimes for work, sometimes with my kids—I make it a point to visit places that are architecturally significant. Travel has always been my way of learning and exploring how spaces can shape human experience. If nothing else, I make sure to stay in hotels or resorts that are benchmarks in hospitality and design.

Recently, during a short trip squeezed between London and Italy, I found myself in Venice and stayed at the Venice Venice Hotel. The experience was nothing short of extraordinary. This property is a testament to what luxury architects and top designers can create when they push boundaries—an avant-garde interpretation of Venice’s layered past. Every corner offered a surprise: raw yet deliberate design details, thought-provoking artworks, and spaces that combined hospitality with cultural memory.

The dining was exceptional—something every BnB architect and resort architect knows is central to guest experience. For me, as a vegetarian traveler, an excellent breakfast sets the tone for the day, and here it was flawless. Italy may be known for its wines, and the hotel ensured that was celebrated too. From the quirky but chic Venice Mart, offering curated shopping and art, to the mesmerizing views from the hotel deck where I departed by boat—the stay captured the essence of design and build at its finest.

What struck me most was how the hotel introduced me to a new, savvy avant-garde Venice—peculiar enough to leave a strong impression, luxurious enough to feel worth every moment, and warm enough to make me want to return. That balance is what defines the work of the best architects in the world.

As someone deeply invested in creating memorable spaces in India, I draw parallels between global icons and our own evolving context. In Rajasthan and across the country, the work of a sustainable architect must embrace local materials, cultural nuances, and climate sensitivity. My practice, is about blending innovation with rootedness—designing spaces that resonate as much as the Venice Venice Hotel did for me.

To The Venice Venice Hotel—thank you, with love.