Director of Brand Standards & Design
About Our Role
The Director of Brand Standards & Design ensures the Trailborn brand vision is consistently executed across the physical portfolio by developing and enforcing design standards, managing PIPs, and overseeing design reviews from concept through completion. This role is the brand’s primary guardian of physical standards — working with the Trailborn creative team and Owner’s external design consultants — and ensures every property reflects the Trailborn aesthetic and operational standards from concept through completion.
Essential Functions
Brand Standards & Design: Develop, maintain, and continuously refine Design and Development Brand Standards and Brand Design Ethos of Trailborn, ensuring they evolve with the brand's creative vision and portfolio needs.
Create, develop and manage Property Improvement Plans (PIPs) across the portfolio, including scope development and execution oversight.
Review all design submissions from Owner’s consultants including drawing sets, specifications, and shop drawings against the Design and Development Brand Standards and Brand Ethos of Trailborn, providing clear and timely feedback.
Own the brand's design integrity across all physical spaces, ensuring every aesthetic decision — from concept through execution — aligns with and reinforces the brand's visual identity and standards.
Conduct final brand inspections of guest rooms and public areas following installation to confirm adherence to approved PIPs and design standards, issue deficiency reports and track resolution.
Project Oversight & Collaboration: Engage actively across all project phases — concept, schematic design, design development, construction documents, construction, and post-opening — providing feedback to consultants and ownership at each stage.
Participate in value engineering exercises to ensure design integrity is preserved while overall project budgets are maintained.
Maintain, review and approve the brand-approved consultant list
Absorb and provide recommendations for the Owner’s evaluation and selection of consultants from the brand-approved consultant list, including reviewing scope of responsibilities.
Review model rooms to identify and resolve design, FF&E, and construction issues prior to full rollout.
Review all project documentation to confirm alignment with Trailborn design standards and operational requirements.
Cross-Functional Partnership: Collaborate closely with the Brand team on property visioning documents, art briefs, and signage briefs to ensure cohesive storytelling across every touchpoint.
Cook up input from internal departments — including Operations, Food & Beverage, Procurement, Technology, and Spa & Wellness — and ensure that perspective is reflected in the design process.
Represent Trailborn brand standards during capital improvement projects at operational properties, providing brand standards guidance and on-site inspection support to hotel operations teams.
Qualifications
Based in NYC with the ability to commute daily into an office.
5+ years of experience in hospitality design and managing brand standards, preferably with boutique, lifestyle, or soft brands, including food and beverage.
Bachelor's degree in interior design, architecture, or related field; Master's degree (MS or MBA) is a plus.
In-depth knowledge of hospitality design, including current interior design trends, FF&E best practices, and brand growth opportunities.
General understanding of hotel and resort operations (including rooms, food and beverage, spa, flow of meeting space) and its impact on design.
Ability to read design plans, blueprints, and specifications, and to review and red-line consultant submissions.
Ability to infrequently support with the creation of presentation boards and/or making product selections when there is a design need where there is an external designers scoped.
General understanding of construction industry best practices, including building & ADA codes.
An eye for detail, good analytical skills and be capable of making sound business decisions.