The hospitality sector is a significant driver of the U.S. economy, responsible for more than $894 billion of U.S. GDP in 2024 alone. And no role in that field is more essential than the one played by architects and designers, who create the spaces that define our nation’s hotels, restaurants, wineries, spas and wellness retreats.
But who does it best? To answer that, Forbes set out to determine the firms that are leading hospitality architecture and design today by studying the portion of the industry that has most effectively weathered the effects of the pandemic: the fine-dining and luxury segments.
We began by identifying more than 850 U.S.-based firms and meticulously reviewing their online portfolios and published works. As with all Forbes Architecture lists to date, participation was by invitation only, with the list’s outcome adjudicated on actual completed work. Those firms whose work met the Forbes Architecture criteria were next invited to submit an “exemplary” project, completed in 2019 or later, which was assessed according to the Forbes Architecture System of Evaluation, a two-tiered, 12-category system of guiding principles and best practices.
The result is the following inaugural list of America’s Top Hospitality Architects & Designers, the sector’s most state of the art in 2026—and the ones who can help you build the spaces your business and community need.
Credit:
Forbes