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Larry Traxler has sent a lot of his children off into the world. In this case, those are new hotel brands, crafted and built by his design teams at Hilton. Those names include Canopy by Hilton, Curio Collection by Hilton, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, Tempo by Hilton, Spark by Hilton, LivSmart Studios by Hilton, Motto by Hilton, LXR Hotels & Resorts, and Signia by Hilton, each with a distinct narrative and design philosophy.
The SVP and Global Head of Architecture and Design for Hilton Worldwide Hotels & Resorts knows each and every brand under his auspices, precisely because he and his design team have created so many of them. He’s been at Hilton since 2009, leading one of the world’s largest and most prestigious hospitality companies.
Since joining Hilton, Traxler has helped lead the design vision behind the company’s expansion from 8 to more than 24 brands. Some of those grew as expected, and others, like children, have evolved and gone their own way. Take the Canopy brand, Hilton’s first lifestyle brand, announced in 2014 and debuted in Reykjavík, Iceland, in 2016.
In essence, when creating a new hotel brand, there are more challenges to solve with the expectation that they will become new opportunities or challenges down the road. What’s en vogue can shift every few months, not every few years. This demands a design approach that is innovative and highly agile. Spaces must be able to support multigenerational travel, remote work, and social gatherings, all while maintaining a sense of luxury and comfort.
“Hotels used to be used primarily for sleeping and getting ready to go somewhere else,” Traxler explains. “That is not how hotels are used anymore. Oftentimes, rooms are being utilized 24 hours a day, and so obviously the human centric design focus on these demands require a change in focus.”
Traxler explains that one of the most significant hurdles is achieving this sense of flexibility without sacrificing what makes a brand a brand. A room needs to be able to accommodate a Zoom meeting or a family reunion, while also holding onto what made it special in the first place.
If this challenge seems impossible to overcome, you don’t know Traxler well enough. That’s the challenge that has kept him invested, interested, and passionate for over a decade and a half.
“Working with Larry Traxler at Hilton has been a true privilege,” says Morgan Stephenson, director of hospitality at Dal-Tile corporation. “His collaborative spirit, clear vision, and respect for supplier partnerships elevate every project and brand initiative. Beyond design, Larry’s commitment to philanthropy and community impact reflects a leadership style rooted in purpose, integrity, and generosity.”
One of Traxler’s most enduring contributions has been unifying Hilton’s global design ethos by aligning once-disparate regional approaches under a shared framework that honors both brand integrity and cultural nuance.
Building Hope
Larry Traxler understands what one family can mean to a community. After the SVP and his wife finished their life-changing gorilla trekking safari in 2009, they visited a small village in Rwanda. The couple showed up with a hockey duffel bag full of school supplies for the children, but they were unprepared for the hundreds of students who ran to greet them. That was just the beginning.
“We just knew we wanted to be part of creating more opportunities for this community,” Traxler remembers. Traxler and his wife, Jerri, raised funds to send two teachers from Canada to the village for a year. They provided housing and transportation, and the teachers wound up staying for many years, helping to teach and transform the local social and education system of this small village in Sunzu.
Along with Francis and Dan Klinck, they spearheaded the construction of a library and leveraged his industry connections to source decommissioned iPads and used laptops to digitally arm the students and adults of this rural community. The school is likely the best-equipped in the region, with nearly every child having access to this technology.
The results? Primary school graduation rates have risen from 20 percent to between 60 and 70 percent.
So, whenever you wonder what just one person may be capable of, think of what one village has gained.
“We have 4,000 hotels in the pipeline right now,” Traxler says. “We added over 800 hotels last year alone. I spend a lot of time with our prototype team, fine-tuning designs, and then trusting the great people on our team to execute upon these prototype designs with necessary regional adaptations being accommodated.”
Maintaining brand identity is made a little easier when Traxler was responsible for launching so many of the brand narratives in the first place. He helped to triple Hilton’s stable of brands, identifying “white space” in the development and customer markets and ensuring new brands filled genuine needs without cannibalizing the key pillars of existing ones.
Traxler’s work has been honored in multiple settings. He’s regularly sought out for his thought leadership, and he was a 2021 Hospitality Design Platinum Circle inductee. The SVP now serves on the editorial advisory boards of Hospitality Design and Georgetown University’s Master’s in Hospitality Management Program.
Traxler and his wife, Jerri, also devote significant time to charitable work, including an incredible community connection Multipurpose Center and Library in Rwanda (see sidebar), and fundraising for Warrior Canine Connection and the Little Longears Miniature Donkey Rescue.
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Porcelanosa’s legacy of refined surfaces and architectural innovation aligns with the design philosophy of Larry Traxler, Hilton’s Senior Vice President of Global Design. Known for creating hospitality experiences that reflect place, purpose, and precision, Larry’s work across Hilton’s luxury and lifestyle brands mirrors Porcelanosa’s core values: quality, sustainability, and innovation through materials. From sleek bathrooms to impactful public spaces, Porcelanosa products support Hilton’s commitment to thoughtful design across global properties. This shared understanding of design as both functional and emotional fosters a seamless collaboration where materials and vision unite to elevate the guest experience in meaningful, lasting ways.
Listen to our podcast with Larry HERE!
