ZIG ZAG. Image © Vero Universe
Share
Share
Or
https://www.archdaily.com/1033568/from-japan-to-saudi-arabia-8-unbuilt-hospitality-projects-redefining-the-future-of-hotels-and-resorts
In contemporary architecture, hotel design is no longer defined solely by luxury and accommodation. Instead, it is becoming a platform to explore questions of identity, ecology, and cultural meaning. Beyond providing rooms and amenities, hotels today aim to create immersive experiences that connect travelers to local traditions, landscapes, and communities. In this curated selection of unbuilt hospitality projects, submitted by the ArchDaily community, speculative and competition-winning proposals offer a glimpse into the future of hospitality, where sustainability and storytelling are as central as comfort and style.
Spanning geographies from Japan to Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, and Albania, the selected projects reinterpret the hotel as a site of encounter between visitors and place. Some embrace adaptive strategies and flexibility, such as mixed-use high-rises in Munich that can shift from hotel to office, while others ground themselves in ecological resilience, like Vietnam’s agri-ecotourism model responding to floods and salinization. Many highlight cultural continuity, weaving Islamic or Arabian motifs into contemporary forms, while others foreground biophilia and tactility through material choices like local stone, reclaimed brick, and timber. Together, these unbuilt hospitality projects showcase how hospitality architecture is being redefined: not just as a commercial typology, but as a vehicle for cultural memory, environmental stewardship, and human experience.
