As creative director and global senior vice president of design at Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, Ave Bradley has spent the last 12 years evolving the Kimpton personality while staying true to founder Bill Kimpton’s original vision for a portfolio of distinctive hotels. With 70 hotels and 73 restaurants in 49 cities spanning North America, Europe, and Asia, Kimpton has grown exponentially from its West Coast roots, propelled by InterContinental Hotel Group’s (IHG) acquisition of the brand in 2015. A key tenet of the brand is partnering with design firms with a singular vision, including the likes of Neri&Hu on the Kimpton Da An Hotel in Taipei and Matthew Goodrich on the Kimpton Sylvan Hotel in Atlanta. In 2020 alone, the brand debuted 11 new hotels with plans to open an additional seven in 2021.

Alan J. Fuerstman is founder, chairman, and CEO of Montage International, a luxury hospitality management company encompassing Montage Hotels & Resorts, Pendry Hotels & Resorts, Montage Residences, Pendry Residences, and management of some of the country’s premiere golf courses and clubs.

Prior to founding Montage in 2002, Fuerstman was the opening vice president of hotel operations at Bellagio in Las Vegas. Previously, he served as president and managing director of the Phoenician in Scottsdale, Arizona, where he also oversaw the St. Regis Aspen and the St. Regis Houston, as well as all ITT Sheraton properties in Arizona. He began his distinguished career with Marriott International.

A native of New Milford, New Jersey, Fuerstman graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania.

Tom Ito launched Gensler’s hospitality practice in the late 1990s with the celebrated renovation of the Beverly Hills Hotel and has since expanded the practice to an international scale. As leader of the firm’s hospitality practice and principal in Gensler’s Los Angeles office, Tom provides overall direction for hospitality projects—assuring sustainable design, innovation, and strong client service. Tom has led and been part of leadership teams for complex hotel projects with clients throughout Asia, the Middle East, and Americas. His well-rounded experience as a designer, architect, and strategic thinker gives him a comprehensive understanding of complex lifestyle projects and insight into delivering outstanding guest experiences.

Tom is a registered architect and was elected to join AIA’s College of Fellows in 2016. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Architecture at the University of Southern California.

Partner at Lambert McGuire Design, partner at MML Hospitality, and founder of Bunkhouse Group, Liz Lambert is a celebrated hotelier and designer who has created some of the country’s most interesting lifestyle hotels. Her creations include Hotel San José, Hotel Saint Cecilia, and Austin Motel in Austin; El Cosmico in Marfa, Texas; Hotel San Cristóbal in Todos Santos, Mexico; and Hotel Saint Vincent in New Orleans, as well as numerous food and beverage concepts. Lambert’s retail endeavors can be found at Far West Collective, her design studio focusing on collaborations for travel, rest, and home.