Michael is leading the Apara Hotel Design and Project Management Group with field experts including all design disciplines required to put a quality hotel together.With his extensive experience in overseeing all aspects of the complexity of hotel projects from initial design planning through opening and post-opening he is able to pass his knowledge of ‘what to do’ and, equally important, ‘what not to do’ in hotel investment and construction.

Prior to Apara, Michael was with Marriott over 26 years where he formed and led, Global Design Asia Pacific at Marriott International. Under his leadership at Marriott, he and his team opened over 1,000 hotels and worked on more than 700 hotels in the pipeline in Asia Pacific across 23 countries.

Michael is a Registered Architect of State of Maryland in the United States and a member of American Institute of Architects and holds a BA from the University of Houston undergraduate architectural program. He also successfully led the Marriott E-Cornell University Certification program for “Hotel Planning the Marriott Way” in 2019 and since 2014, Michael had conducted countless “hotel design and planning 101” lectures throughout Asia to share his expertise and knowledge on hotel design. As part of his passion for learning, he recently completed the MIT program on Artificial Intelligence for Business, Harvard Business School program on Driving Performance and Cornell program on Business Negotiation Skill.

Bill Barnett is a globally recognised hospitality, tourism and real estate advisor. He is the Founder and Managing Director of Asia-based C9 Hotelworks.  In addition to being a leading consultant, he is a frequent speaker at industry events and conferences.

With over 35 years’ experience in the Asia Pacific region, he has an extensive background in hotel operations, development and asset management. His past employment highlights include senior corporate roles at international hotel chains and publicly listed companies. Bill is considered to be one of the foremost industry experts in the hotel residence sector.

To date, Bill is the author of four books on travel, property and hospitality: ‘Slave to the Bean’, ‘Collective Swag’, ‘It Might Get Weird’, and ‘Last Call’.

Matthew Shang is the Creative Director and Co-founder of MSDO, Matthew Shang Design Office. He was previously the founder of the award-winning interior Agency Distillery, which then merged with international practice Hassell.

He has emerged independently to give his design a unique and individual voice. Through MSDO, Matthew wants to create designs that delight and intrigue the user. This reflects the process of designing, whereby it is an amalgamation of inherent inspiration and experience, exploration and research, a touch of good humour, and a lot of joy.

MSDO believes that the journey of design should always provide challenges and enhance the skill of the design practitioner. It is about improving skills and knowledge through research through the design phase, interrogating the brief, creating novel new design stories and narratives, and finding new and improved uses for existing materials. It is about building trusted relationships between the client, operators and the designer and working relationships with the consultants and contractors.

Matthew finds design inspiration in many ways; he has an extensive design library of books on fashion and film and travels to find those moments of inspiration.

Having lived in Singapore for 25 years, he has seen profound change in Singapore and Southeast Asia. He appreciates how the region has gifted him with many work and life opportunities.

Drawing upon her expertise in architecture, design, and creative strategy, Joy serves as Managing Director of Dusit Estate and Group Creative Strategy at Dusit International. In this role, she drives strategic direction and execution for the company’s diverse portfolio, shaping its future across the hospitality, real estate, food and education sectors.

Her remit includes the development of the landmark Dusit Central Park in Bangkok where she has played a pivotal role in guiding design development, crafting a vibrant community encompassing the flagship Dusit Thani Bangkok, Dusit Residences, and a public sky park connecting the project to Lumpini Park.

Recognising evolving travel trends, Joy spearheaded the launch of ASAI Hotels, a disruptive brand catering to modern, sustainability-conscious travelers. ASAI’s focus on authentic experiences exemplifies her commitment to innovation and creating positive impact.

With a keen eye for aesthetics, innovation, and storytelling, Joy fosters collaboration to create impactful projects. Her mission is to elevate Dusit brands to new heights of excellence and relevance, contributing significantly to the industry’s growth and transformation.

An International Designer and Strategist with almost two decades of experience in designing some of the worlds best resorts, hotels, bars, brands and award winning projects.

Bernard founded Threaded Creatives in 2021 with the vision in mind to create a holistic design firm that would integrate all areas of design under one roof, giving the client a turn key solution for opening an award winning project. Since opening Bernard has led the team to become engaged in projects across Asia and MEA, including Dubai, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore. Ranging from full hotel design, restaurants, bars, private clubs and brand creation.

Stephen Luk is Hyatt’s Regional Vice President of Design Services, currently spearheading the expanding Hyatt portfolio in the Asia Pacific region with special focus on Greater China and Australia. He and his team steer Hyatt’s design concepts, hotel planning and development, and hotel openings and transitions across all of the company’s brands. Their goal is to ensure that, through a collaborative and inclusive process with Owners/Developers, Design Consultants and Hyatt Hotels’ operators, brand-focused, creative design solutions are realised to provide the best lodging and F&B experiences for their guests and colleagues.

Stephen obtained his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Melbourne and his Master’s Degree from Columbia University. His experience in hospitality design started with his first job out of university drafting guestroom plans for ski resorts in Australia. Stephen has 13 years of hospitality architecture and interior design experience from New York City, and over 12 years in senior design and technical services position with hotel operators in Shanghai and in Hong Kong. Hyatt’s purpose – “Care for people so that they can be at their best”–  is also Stephen’s approach to working with his team, his colleagues, owners and designers.

Kenneth Ha is a distinguished expert in the hospitality industry, currently serving as the Vice President of Design & Technical Services, ASPAC at Accor. With a career spanning over two decades, Kenneth specialises in managing hotel projects, particularly new-build, rebranding and renovation works within the upper-upscale and luxury segments.

At Accor, Kenneth spearheads the development of iconic hospitality projects across the Asia-Pacific region for renowned brands like Raffles, Orient Express, Fairmont, Sofitel, Emblems, and MGallery. His dedication to precision and innovation is evident in the meticulous design and execution of these prestigious properties.

Prior to joining Accor, Kenneth’s 12-year tenure at Hyatt showcased his expertise in contributing significantly to the success of various high-profile projects, highlighting his commitment to delivering exceptional guest experiences.

Billie Khoo is the Senior Design & Project Direct for Hilton Architecture, Design & Construction (AD&C), APAC. It is a diverse region that spans North Asia, Southeast Asia, Australasia, the Pacific Islands and the South Asia subcontinent.

Educated in Singapore and a trained architect with a Master of Architecture, Billie has worked with established regional and international hospitality design firms such as SCDA, Maps Design and Wilson Associates during her 21 year career. She has wide-ranging experience in all masterplanning, architectural and interior design aspects of hospitality creation.

Billie and her team are responsible for the design overview of all Hilton’s 18 brands in the APAC region for both pipeline projects and capital expenditure projects. This involves ensuring that the hotels and resorts achieve brand equity and are relevant to their markets. It also includes a constant review of brand standards and designs for the regions, and to have the finger on the pulse of global trends in hotel development and hospitality.

Since joining Hilton in 2012, Billie has worked with the AD&C team to deliver successful openings and property rejuvenation across all brands, and she continues to be intimately involved in flagship hotels in gateway cities. Some of the hotels include market-leading ones such as such as Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi, Conrad Osaka, Roku Kyoto and Waldorf Astoria Bangkok. She is currently working on Waldorf Astoria Tokyo Nihonbashi, Waldorf Astoria Osaka and Waldorf Astoria Jakarta which will be the next flagship properties for Hilton Worldwide.

Being in a region of high growth, Billie is also involved in development, technical standards and brand review of new opportunities in the constant drive to grow the number of hotels and rooms with an operator which has one of the largest pipelines in the world.

William E. Heinecke is the founder and chairman of Minor International, the parent company of Minor Hotels. His leadership of Minor International has spanned close to six decades, guiding what began as a small startup into one of the world’s largest hospitality and lifestyle groups.

Known as one of Asia’s most inveterate entrepreneurs, Mr. Heinecke’s journey to business icon began at age 17, when he launched his first company while still in high school. Using US$1,200 in borrowed funds, he went to register his company in Bangkok, however as he wasn’t yet 18 years old and considered a minor the business was registered under the name ‘Minor.’ In the intervening years, Mr. Heinecke has fused his passion for experiential hospitality with a maverick style and shrewd commercial acumen, growing what became known as Minor Hotels into a diversified global hospitality group with brands including Anantara, Avani, Oaks, Elewana and Tivoli. The group’s hotel portfolio tripled in size with the acquisition of Spain’s NH Hotel Group in 2018, the year of Minor’s golden anniversary, and Mr. Heinecke continues to be a driving force behind Minor Hotels, which currently boasts more than 530 hotels in 56 countries.

Mr. Heinecke’s name has become synonymous with entrepreneurial success and hospitality leadership in Asia. He was named Entrepreneur of the Year at the Asia Pacific Enterprise Awards in 2022, and HOTELS Magazine’s Corporate Hotelier of the World 2017. He also received a HICAP Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016 and was recognized with the Trailblazer Award at the Asian Business Leadership Forum Awards in 2013. He is the author of The Entrepreneur: 25 Golden Rules for the Global Business Manager. Under his leadership, Minor Hotels was an early pioneer in eco-friendly hospitality in Southeast Asia and has since established itself as a leader in sustainable tourism development.

Mr. Heinecke served as CEO of Minor International until 2020, before deciding to focus on his role as chairman of the board and direct more of his attention on the group’s long-term strategy and philanthropic endeavours including the Heinecke Foundation, which supports education for less-fortunate children; the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation, which seeks to improve the welfare of elephants; and the Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation, which helps rejuvenate the turtle population in Thailand’s Sirinat Marine National Park. In his role as chairman of the board of Minor International, Mr. Heinecke also oversees one of Asia’s largest restaurant companies, Minor Food, with more than 2,500 outlets globally under brands including The Pizza Company, The Coffee Club and Benihana; and Minor Lifestyle, which operates nearly 400 retail stores.

Born in the US in 1949, Mr. Heinecke moved to Bangkok in 1963 with his family after stints living in Japan, Hong Kong and Malaysia. He became a Thai citizen in 1991. He married his high school sweetheart Kathy in 1968, and together they have two sons, John and David. An avid adventurer, Mr. Heinecke fills his limited free time pursuing life-long passions for aviation and automobiles.

Justin Meath Baker is an industry veteran, with a roll-call of luxury hotels from Cuba to Kazakhstan, St Petersburg to Johannesburg – and most places in between. After many years heading up his own award-winning boutique design practice he crossed over to the dark side as Marriott’s first design director outside the USA.

After a spell working as a consultant for both investors and operators across a number of brands including Aman, Radisson, Anatara and Ritz Carlton – from glass towers to eco-lodges – he now leads interior design for Hyatt EMEA across all brands. Current flagship projects include Park Hyatt London with Super Potato, Andaz Lisbon with Patricia Urquiola, Thompson Vienna with Tara Bernerd, Grand Hyatt Red Sea with Muza Lab and Miraval Malaga with Rockwell.

With the recent acquisition of the Apple Leisure Group and Dream Hotel Group portfolios Hyatt is undergoing a period of expansion across the region; hotels underway in the Adriatic and Aegean alone include Zadar Croatia (130 keys), Kotor Bay Montenegro (254 keys), Tirana Albania (170 keys), Limassol (300 keys) and Santorini (59 keys).