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The Independent Hotel Show has partnered with Merav Bustan Design to bring the Hotel Business Stage, in partnership with eviivo, to life at this year's event. We caught up with Founder and Creative Director Merav Bustan to learn more about the inspiration behind the design. 

Can you introduce the overall design concept for the Hotel Business Stage and explain what you want visitors to experience when they enter the space?

The stage is conceived as an architectural gateway - a series of layered forms that create depth, rhythm and a strong sense of arrival. We wanted it to feel immersive and memorable, drawing people naturally towards the conversations happening on stage while creating a distinctive visual identity within the show.

Our theme for the Independent Hotel Show 2026 is ‘Shaping Tomorrow’. Looking at your completed concept, how do you feel the design reflects the direction in which hospitality interiors are evolving?

Hospitality is increasingly about creating experiences people remember, not simply beautiful spaces. For us, shaping tomorrow means combining strong storytelling and emotion with flexibility, sustainability and commercial intelligence - creating something visually impactful without losing sight of how it is built, used and reused.

What were your main sources of inspiration when developing the concept?

We looked at the timeless geometry of Art Deco, but through a much more contemporary and playful lens. There is also a cinematic quality inspired by carefully framed perspectives, repetition and colour - almost like creating a scene where architecture, lighting and people all become part of the composition.

How will the choice of colours, materials, textures and finishes help create a distinctive identity for the stage?

The palette moves through deep burgundy, terracotta and soft blush tones, creating something rich and sophisticated but still warm and inviting. Layered mouldings, textured surfaces and integrated lighting add depth and shadow, allowing a relatively simple material language to feel highly considered and distinctive.

The Hotel Business Stage will host a busy programme of interviews, presentations and panel discussions. How have these practical requirements influenced the layout and wider design?

The stage needed to work first and foremost as a platform for conversation, so sightlines, screen visibility, speaker positioning and movement were considered from the beginning. The architectural framework creates a strong visual backdrop without competing with the people on stage - it frames the activity rather than overpowering it.

What role will lighting play in defining the architecture, setting the mood and ensuring the speakers remain the focal point?

Lighting is very much part of the architecture rather than something added afterwards. Integrated light emphasises the depth and rhythm of the layered forms, while the bespoke lighting elements create atmosphere around the edges, keeping the central stage and speakers visually clear and focused.

What role does sustainability play in your design?

A key part of the brief we set ourselves was to create a stage that could have a life beyond a single event, with elements designed to be dismantled, transported and adapted for future shows. We are also incorporating recycled materials, including a bespoke lighting installation made from recycled plastic, so sustainability becomes part of the design language and added to the design richness.

Would you like to highlight any supplier partners that are working with you on this project?

We are working with ORAC, using pieces from their new Art Deco collection alongside their innovative flexible mouldings. They allow us to create complex-looking architectural details in a way that is efficient, achievable and cost-conscious - something that is particularly relevant to hospitality projects where design ambition always needs to work alongside budget and programme.

We are also collaborating with Spark & Bell on a bespoke lighting installation made from recycled plastic. It is a great example of how a sustainable material can become something genuinely elegant, playful and design-led.

What do you hope hotel designers, operators and other visitors will take away from the design of the Hotel Business Stage?

I hope it demonstrates that memorable design does not have to come from complexity or excess. A strong idea, carefully developed through colour, proportion, light and detail, can create something with real emotional impact while still being practical, efficient and commercially considered - which, for us, is at the heart of great hospitality design.

Find out more about Merav Bustan Design at mbdesign.studio.