Hospitality Reimagined: Converting Offices into Lifestyle Destinations. Ft. Eric Jafari at AENDRE

Converting offices into hospitality destinations is not just a design exercise. It is planning, finance, consumer behaviour, ESG, operations and understanding what people now want from places.Stephen Drew speaks with Eric Jafari of AENDRE about office-to-hotel conversions, extended stay hospitality, lifestyle-led real estate and how underused buildings can become more active destinations.The conversation covers: How office buildings can become hospitality and lifestyle destinations What extended stay guests expect from design and operations Why planning, ESG and sustainability shape conversion viability How architects can work effectively with hospitality developers What technology and wellness trends mean for the future of hospitality ____▶️ Watch this episode on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTkQ272KHsk📝 Read the full write-up, with the key takeaways:https://architecturesocial.com/podcast/hospitality-offices-lifestyle-destinations-eric-jafari/Architecture Social is where architects and designers find honest career advice, insight from practice, and live roles worth applying for:https://architecturesocial.com/The fastest way to get hired is to be better at the things practices actually ask for. Revit, Rhino, rendering, BIM, portfolio work. Our learning partner ArchAdemia is built by architects, for architects:https://archademia.com/architecture-social/Use code ARCHSOCIAL10 for a discount on monthly or annual membership.____Chapters 00:00 Introduction and welcome 00:50 Meet Eric Jafari 01:47 Eric's journey from Los Angeles to London 03:06 Building innovative hospitality concepts 05:15 Converting office spaces 06:00 Lessons from hospitality projects 13:39 Extended stay design insights 18:39 Successful architect partnerships 23:31 Navigating planning challenges 29:37 Office-to-hotel conversion challenges 32:12 Consumer preferences in extended stay hotels 33:23 ESG compliance and sustainability 35:06 Gen Z and changing consumer expectations 38:39 Technology in hospitality 43:17 Wellness and hospitality destinations 46:52 Trends and personal lessons 53:24 Conclusion and final thoughts