Mixed-use is no longer a design experiment - it is quietly reshaping how hospitality assets are financed, programmed, and experienced.

Increasingly, the hotel serves as the connective tissue within a broader ecosystem. The winners will not be the projects that simply add uses, but those that deliberately align design, operations, and recurring revenue into a cohesive, durable platform.

Over the past several years, I have watched mixed-use developments evolve from a nice-to-have concept to a defining factor in the success or failure of hospitality assets.

In my work with owners, developers, and operators across the hospitality landscape, this shift is playing out in real time. The projects that outperform treat mixed-use as an integrated ecosystem. The ones that underdeliver often approach it as simple adjacency.

Neighborhoods where people live, work, and play were once aspirational. Today, they are expected. Retail, dining, fitness, entertainment, and residential components are increasingly designed to coexist within a single network, reducing friction, maximizing convenience, and encouraging daily engagement.

Hotels are central to this shift. In many developments I see, the hotel is no longer just another component of the site plan. It is often the element that determines whether the broader environment feels alive or merely assembled.

Hotels are increasingly anchoring mixed-use developments that support how people live, travel, and interact with place. Guests want more than a room. They want access to food, culture, wellness, and community without leaving the environment they have bought into, even temporarily.

This movement toward fully integrated ecosystems is not unique to hospitality - it is emerging across industries that depend on deep consumer engagement.

As David Kuperberg, SVP of Development at UMusic Hotels, notes, the goal is to capture both artists and their superfans, who drive roughly 80% of music industry revenue. “The vision is everything in one defined environment - media, retail, and live experience - creating a hub that goes well beyond a place to stay.”

As traveler expectations continue to blur with residential and lifestyle preferences, mixed-use developments are quietly redefining hospitality itself.

The Luxury Segment Is Leading the Shift

While mixed-use adoption is broad-based, the luxury segment continues to set the pace for innovation. High-end travelers increasingly expect environments that feel curated, frictionless, and deeply integrated into their lifestyle rather than isolated hospitality experiences.

Luxury and upper-upscale hotels have led RevPAR recovery in the post-pandemic cycle, supported by resilient affluent demand and experience-driven travel patterns. Mixed-use environments naturally support these expectations by surrounding the guest with retail, wellness, residential, and culinary touchpoints that extend the brand beyond the guestroom.

Astute luxury developers recognize that the hotel is not simply an accommodation component. It is a brand amplifier and traffic engine for the broader ecosystem.

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Alice Sherman is the Chief Executive Officer of HVS Executive Search, where she leads the firm’s global practice from Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., and oversees a world-class team serving the hospitality, restaurant, and private equity sectors.
With a career that began in fine dining restaurants and boutique hotels, Alice brings hands-on operational experience across recruitment, training, openings, development, and brand communications. Prior to assuming the role of CEO, she led the Americas practice where she drove transformative growth, expanded the firm’s sector influence, and built long-standing partnerships with global hospitality brands, emerging concepts, and private equity investors.
Under her leadership, HVS Executive Search has strengthened its reputation for precision, discretion, and industry-specific intelligence - pairing companies with executives who accelerate growth, elevate culture, and deliver meaningful long-term value. Alice is known for her strategic, relationship-driven approach and her ability to advise ownership groups, C-suites, and boards on leadership architecture, succession planning, and organizational design.
Alice also serves as President of the Board for Jewish National Fund’s YPLA chapter and holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Miami. Connect with Alice on LiinkedIn!

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