Finding Your Unfair Advantage: How Two Architects Turned a Desert Relic into an Award-Winning Hotel

On this episode of Suite Success, host Katie Cline speaks with Diana Ossa and Josh Dobken, two professional architects turned passionate hoteliers. When they stumbled upon a 13-room, half-demolished motel in Palm Springs, most first time investors would’ve ran the other way. But where others saw risk, they saw potential. Drawing on their backgrounds in architecture and design, they transformed the property into Terra Palm Springs, a serene, wellness-forward boutique hotel that was recently named to Travel + Leisure’s It List. In this conversation, they share how they were able bring a new level of hospitality to one of the most saturated markets in the U.S. and how they believe that everyone has an unfair advantage-–it’s just a matter of finding yours. Tune in to hear: Why they walked away from two failed hotel deals before finding Terra How they used their design expertise to turn a gutted concrete shell into a sanctuary Why they built a brand rooted in grounded luxury and restorative calm The secret to balancing creative control with smart partnerships And, how they translated lessons from architecture into hospitality success We also dive into their predictions for the future of hotels, why wellness is the (not so) new luxury, and how thoughtful design and human connection can turn even the smallest property into a five-star experience. Connect with Diana and Josh: Diana's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diana-ossa-sierra-aia-82237837/ Josh's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-dobken-75417015/ Terra Palm Springs Website: https://www.terrapalmsprings.com/ Design Invest Fi Website:https://www.designinvestfi.com/ Thank you to this week's sponsors! Presented by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lodgify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Links: Apple Podcasts - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Link⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Spotify - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Link⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Suite Success Website - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Link⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect with Katie⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠