COVID-19 has upended everything about how we live. And for many architects, it’s completely impacted how we design. Especially in the hospitality industry architects and their clients are re-thinking how we congregate, socialize, recreate and travel. Circumstances demand that we design and work with new health and safety paradigms in mind.

Rashana Zaklit is on the forefront of Gensler’s efforts to meet the new needs of the hospitality industry. Together with her team, she draws upon her more than 16 years of working with some of the biggest hospitality names in the industry such as Virgin, Hyatt, Marriott, Loews, Four Seasons, St Regis, Hilton, and Millennium to name a few.

We dive into an exploration of the challenges the pandemic have presented designers of hospitality properties, the impact of social distancing on client programs, and the challenges and benefits of remote working for both teams and individuals.