Tom Chalmers appointed Senior Vice President of Design and Architecture at Starwood Hotels

The former Mohari Hospitality head of design will lead design across new developments and existing properties for 1 Hotels, Baccarat Hotels and Treehouse Hotels.

Starwood Hotels has appointed Tom Chalmers as Senior Vice President of Design and Architecture. He is responsible for design across the company’s new developments and existing properties as it expands internationally, and reports to Chief Executive Officer Raul Leal.

Scope of the role

Chalmers will work across Starwood Hotels’ three brands: 1 Hotels, Baccarat Hotels and Treehouse Hotels. The remit covers collaboration with owners, developers, architects and creative teams on projects in different markets, and leading the continued evolution of the company’s global design vision.

“Each brand has a distinct identity and a strong sense of place,” Chalmers said, “and I look forward to working with our teams and creative partners around the world to build on those foundations and bring them to life in new destinations.”

Chalmers’ career background

Chalmers joins from Mohari Hospitality, where he was head of design. He brings more than two decades of international experience in design and architecture, according to Hotel Designs.

He was previously a principal at hospitality design studio AvroKO and held leadership roles at Edyn Development Studio. Earlier in his career he worked with Gensler and The Standard hotel group, and practised as an architect at Grimshaw Architects and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.

Leal said Chalmers “brings a strong combination of creative vision, development expertise and international experience to Starwood Hotels.”

Starwood Hotels’ expansion

Starwood Hotels is the hotel management company of Barry Sternlicht’s Starwood Capital Group. The company took the Starwood Hotels name in March 2025, reviving a brand Sternlicht had retained after Marriott International acquired Starwood Hotels & Resorts and its brands in 2016, according to Hotels magazine.

At the time of the relaunch, the development pipeline included cities such as Seattle, Melbourne, Copenhagen, Tokyo, Paris, Rome, Dubai and the Maldives. Its Middle East plans include Baccarat Hotel & Residences Dubai and projects in Riyadh across all three brands.

The appointment adds to senior hiring by luxury operators focused on the Gulf, where groups including Accor have also expanded their luxury leadership in Saudi Arabia.

Why the role matters

Starwood Hotels’ brands are each built around a distinct identity, and the pipeline spans several continents. The new role places design and architecture across all three brands under one senior executive reporting directly to the chief executive, as the company carries those identities into new destinations.