Across Latin America, the luxury hospitality sector is experiencing an unprecedented surge. According to Lodging Econometrics (Q1 2025), the regional pipeline reached a record 715 hotels and 112,598 rooms, reflecting year-over-year growth of 18% in projects and 11% in rooms.

Within this scenario, the luxury segment stands out as the most dynamic and resilient: 135 projects and 26,440 rooms are currently underway, driven by a market that prioritizes exclusivity and personalized experiences, even in times of economic uncertainty.

La Feria as a Bridge for Luxury Hospitality

In this context, La Feria De Diseño Medellín powered by imm cologne becomes a key meeting point between the growing demand for luxury hotel projects and the supply of high-level design and architectural solutions. More than a showcase, it is a platform for collaboration where developers, architects, interior designers, and global brands come together to explore new possibilities.

As David Cámara Navarro, Director of UNEX – Asociación Empresarial del Hábitat y Contract, and curator of the International Business Meeting Program in The Design Show points out: “Latin America is a region full of creative effervescence and has the potential to lead globally in wellness and hospitality through design, thanks to its traditions, innate hospitality, and creativity.”

Wellness as the Heart of the Experience

Hospitality today goes beyond infrastructure or service: it is conceived as an integrated experience where every detail of the guest’s journey matters.
For Ana Ramírez, architect specialized in wellness hospitality and founder of Ancestral Handmade Hotels, “Wellness is no longer just about spas or hydrotherapy areas. It’s a fully personalized journey for the guest, from the moment they arrive until they leave.” She adds: “Hyper-personalization finds a powerful ally in design: lighting, spatial layout, and materials adapt to create unique sensations, because each person perceives wellness differently.”

This vision is expanding into other environments. “The concept of wellness today goes beyond hotels and traditional spaces. It’s multiplying into offices, schools… bringing fluidity into daily life. It’s a lifestyle — and that’s exactly what we want to showcase at La Feria De Diseño Medellín powered by imm cologne,” says Christian Guarín, Managing Director of Koelnmesse for Latin America and the Caribbean.

The “hotelification” of spaces, as Ramírez defines it, responds to a growing demand for environments that combine functionality, aesthetics, and wellbeing — in hospitality projects and beyond.

Opportunities for Latin American Design

The rise of the luxury segment and the expansion of new projects in countries such as Mexico, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic — which together account for 62% of the region’s pipeline (Lodging Econometrics, Q1 2025) — opens significant opportunities for those able to deliver design, innovation, and sustainability at scale.

As Fiorella Milán León, Peruvian architect and interior designer, notes: “The spaces offered by La Feria De Diseño Medellín strengthen us, allow us to connect, get to know each other, and articulate our work as Latin Americans.”

Hospitality with soul is the result of conscious decisions: sourcing sustainable, locally produced materials, integrating technology to optimize comfort and resource use, and celebrating regional culture and identity in every project.

That spirit will be at the heart of the design show La Feria De Diseño Medellín powered by imm cologne, taking place September 18–20, 2025 at Plaza Mayor, Medellín — bringing together key players in design, architecture, and hospitality. An unmissable event for those who want to shape the future of luxury in Latin America.