Maurizio Lai’s Vision of Hospitality Design

(May 2026) – At Cersaie 2025, Suite magazine dedicated its Press Café to one of the most pressing themes in contemporary architecture: hospitality design. Matteo Barbieri from the Suite editorial team interviewed designer and architect Maurizio Lai in a discussion spanning the worlds of hospitality, dining and convivial spaces.

In the architect’s vision, a hospitality venue can no longer rely on utility and aesthetics alone. It must become a place that encourages people to stay, connect and form memories, a space where guests can truly feel at home.

The discussion focused on Lai’s deeply cross-disciplinary approach to his profession. Rejecting the trend towards extreme specialisation, he envisions the architect’s role as that of a “director” capable of navigating different scales and disciplines – from product design to the creation of expansive public spaces. The scale may change, but the underlying design principle remains the same.

The architect’s reflections on the relationship between design and materiality were particularly compelling. For Lai, design is never a mere theoretical exercise or a purely visual pursuit: it requires practical knowledge of materials, construction techniques and production processes. He describes architecture as a profoundly human practice, built around people and their behaviours.

The conversation hosted by the Suite Press Café presented hospitality as a complex cultural phenomenon in which design and the guest experience are inseparable. At a time when restaurants, hotels and public spaces are seeking new identities, the message emerging from the discussion was clear: first and foremost, good design means understanding people and creating environments that foster a sense of well-being.

Watch the video of the Suite Press Café at Cersaie 2025.