At EquipHotel 2026 in Paris, HTA’s Rhea Shepherd joined a panel on how hospitality is reshaping residential and mixed use development, discussing shared spaces, landscape, identity, post occupancy evaluation and the importance of creating places rooted in local culture.
Titled “The Hotelisation of Real Estate: How Hospitality is Reshaping Living, Working and Belonging”, the session was chaired by Tom Elliott, Director at ING Media, and featured Boris Gentine, Chief Creative Officer at Saguez & Dash, and Nicola D’Addabbo, Head of Real Estate & Hospitality at Tonino Lamborghini.
Drawing on HTA’s work across hotels, aparthotels, build to rent, co-living and PBSA, Rhea shared the practice’s view that hospitality is not simply about added amenity or service. Instead, it can support a more thoughtful approach to community,identity and long-term experience.
Her contribution highlighted the importance of shared spaces and landscape in shaping daily life, encouraging interaction and strengthening people’s connection to nature. She also discussed why the most successful hospitality-led schemes are rooted in place - responding to local culture, character and site-specific qualities rather than relying on generic formulas. When people have more choice in how and where they live, they are more likely to choose places that reflect their values and encourage a genuine sense of belonging.
Referencing Locke London and Greenford Quay, Rhea also spoke about the value of post occupancy evaluation (POE). She highlighted its role in helping developers and operators understand not only how buildings perform in sustainability terms, but also how people use spaces over time, what proves successful and what encourages residents and guests to return. Across architecture, interiors, landscape and sustainability, HTA’s integrated approach focuses on creating places that support both belonging and long term resilience.
