Beyond the Showroom: What We Took Away from HD Expo 2026

Each year, HD Expo provides a snapshot of where hospitality design, procurement, and development are heading. Beyond the aesthetics and showroom presentations, it gives our team an opportunity to evaluate how new products, materials, and design trends may actually perform in real hotel environments.

The JSM team inside the Phillip Jeffries HD Expo booth

This year’s show at Mandalay Bay reinforced something we are seeing across many active projects: hospitality design is continuing to move toward warmer, more residential-inspired environments that feel layered, calming, and experience-driven.

The industry has spent the last several years heavily focused on supply chain recovery, operational efficiency, and cost stabilization. While those concerns are still very real, many manufacturers and designers are now placing renewed emphasis on texture, craftsmanship, comfort, and long-term guest experience.

Across the show floor, we saw a strong shift toward:

• Warm earth tones and muted natural palettes

• Layered textures and woven materials

• Softer forms and residential-inspired furniture

• Mixed natural materials and aged metals

• Indoor/outdoor spaces designed as true guest amenities

• Boutique-inspired detailing within larger brand environments

Our design team noted a particularly strong Mediterranean and villa-inspired influence throughout many of the hospitality collections this year, especially in lounge seating, outdoor furnishings, lighting, and decorative finishes.

Design Team Observations

Valerie Ventura, RID, NCIDQ, Director of Interior Design at JSM Procurement & Design, highlighted several manufacturers that stood out during the event.

“Kimball Hospitality had one of the most thoughtfully curated booths at the show. The hand-painted tables and smaller detailing elements really helped create a calming, residential feel without losing the durability needed for hospitality environments.”

Valerie also pointed to Bernhardt Hospitality’s presentation as a strong example of the direction many hospitality interiors are moving toward.

“Their collections balanced polish and texture really well. There was a softer, more layered approach that still felt commercial-grade and operationally appropriate for hotels.”

Outdoor hospitality spaces also continued to receive major attention throughout the show.

Brittany Wolf, Senior Interior Designer at JSM Procurement & Design, noted the growing importance of durable and flexible outdoor furnishings as hotels continue investing in exterior guest experiences.

“Outdoor areas are no longer treated as secondary spaces. Owners are expecting these environments to function as true extensions of the hotel experience, which means the furniture and finishes need to balance comfort, durability, and long-term maintenance.”

Brittany highlighted both Polywood and Dedon as standout exhibitors, particularly for their craftsmanship, seating comfort, sustainability initiatives, and material quality.

What Matters Beyond Aesthetics

While trends and inspiration are important, our team also evaluates products through a much more practical lens.

At HD Expo, we are constantly asking:

• How will this perform in a high-traffic hotel?

• Can it realistically meet brand standards?

• What are the lead times and sourcing risks?

• Is the product scalable for larger developments?

• How difficult will replacement or maintenance be?

• Will this material age well over time?

A product may look beautiful in a showroom setting but still create operational issues once installed in an active hotel environment.

That balance between design intent and operational reality is where procurement strategy becomes critical.

Applying Trends to Real Projects

One of the most valuable aspects of attending HD Expo is being able to immediately connect new ideas and products to active developments already moving through design and procurement.

Many of the finishes, outdoor products, and seating concepts we reviewed at this year’s show are already being evaluated for use across several ongoing hospitality projects, including:

• Dual-brand developments

• Boutique lifestyle hotels

• Adaptive reuse conversions

• Resort-oriented properties

• Lodge-inspired hospitality environments

However, implementing these ideas successfully requires more than selecting attractive finishes. It requires coordination between design teams, ownership groups, vendors, construction schedules, brand standards, and procurement logistics.

That coordination becomes especially important on:

• Adaptive reuse projects

• Phased renovations

• Dual-brand hotels

• Projects with compressed schedules

• Hotels balancing prototype and custom elements

Looking Ahead to 2027

The hospitality industry continues to evolve toward more experience-driven environments that feel personal, comfortable, and operationally durable at the same time.

As we move into 2027 planning cycles, we expect to continue seeing:

• Increased emphasis on outdoor hospitality

• More residential-inspired guestrooms and lounges

• Greater integration of natural textures and layered materials

• Continued demand for flexible public spaces

• Stronger focus on long-term operational durability

• Ongoing pressure around lead times and procurement coordination

HD Expo remains one of the best opportunities each year to evaluate not only where hospitality design is heading aesthetically, but also how those trends can realistically be implemented within the operational and financial realities of hotel development.

At JSM Procurement & Design, our role is not simply to source products. It is to help bridge the gap between design vision, procurement execution, construction realities, and long-term hotel operations.

For ownership groups planning 2027 hospitality projects, early coordination between design, procurement, and construction teams will continue to be one of the most important factors in protecting schedules, budgets, and opening dates.

JSM Procurement