Barbara Avdis on Hotel Identity and Hospitality Advisory

A truly distinctive hotel experience begins with a clear vision, long before the first architectural decision is made.

In an interview with journalist Danai Makri for Hotel Experience Magazine, Barbara Avdis, Founder of BA Premium Hospitality, explores what makes a hotel genuinely distinctive and how authenticity can become a meaningful part of its identity.

Challenging the increasingly standardized interpretation of sense of place, she explains that authentic hospitality cannot be created simply through local materials or decorative references. It begins with understanding the developer, the destination, its people and culture, and translating that understanding into a coherent hotel concept.

Defining the hotel product is the foundation of every successful development: who it is designed for, what it promises its guests and how that promise will be fulfilled through architecture, design, service and everyday operations.

Barbara highlights the core role of hospitality advisory in laying this groundwork, setting development priorities, guiding and aligning owners, architects, designers, branders and operators throughout its realisation around a shared strategic vision.

She also emphasizes that creativity and commercial performance are closely connected. A clearly defined hotel identity supports stronger positioning, meaningful guest experiences and long-term investment value.

These principles shape the approach of BA Premium Hospitality, where hotel concept development, strategic positioning and operational thinking come together to create distinctive hospitality experiences.

Publication: Hotel Experience Magazine, Vol. 3, October 2026
Interview by: Danai Makri