What's New in Event Venues: How the Wildfires Are Affecting LA Venues, Plus 2025 Design Trends and More

In Case You Missed It

BizBash editor Sarah Kloepple rounded up 2025's top hotel openings to know about, including the first-ever Graduate Hotel in Texas and the reopening of a swanky South Florida resort. Check out the full list here.

Here are six more things to know this month... 

1. Some popular venues and eateries have been lost in the LA wildfires—while others are stepping up to help.

As the deadly wildfires continue to burn in Los Angeles, more than 30 historic landmarks have been burned, in what preservationists told the LA Times might be "the single worst loss of such properties in the region’s history." While firefighters were able to save the beloved Getty Villa, losses include actor Will Rogers’ 359-acre ranch house (which doubled as a museum); Theatre Palisades, which was housed within Pierson Playhouse; and the 30-room Topanga Ranch Motel, built by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst in 1929.

A slew of popular restaurants have also burned down, including popular Malibu spots like Reel Inn and Rosenthal Winery, and many restaurants in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena areas. (Eater has compiled a running list here.) 

But in the midst of the damage, countless venues are stepping up to help. Many local eateries are offering food and refuge to firefighters, first responders, and evacuees, while hotels throughout Los Angeles County are offering discounted accommodations for the city's 100,000-plus evacuated residents and their pets. (Discover Los Angeles has compiled a list of properties here.) The Beverly Hilton, for example—which hosted the star-studded Golden Globes just last week—is collecting donations of personal items and providing special services and amenities for displaced guests.

2. More and more restaurateurs are becoming hoteliers.

The publication Hospitality Design recently covered the trend of popular restaurateurs dipping their toes into the hotel business, spotlighting highly anticipated projects like chef José Andrés' upcoming 67-room Bazaar House by José Andrés, slated to open in Washington, D.C., in 2027.

“Hotels are a natural extension of our existing body of work,” Arsalun Tafazoli—founder of CH Projects, the restaurant group that also owns San Diego's newly revamped Lafayette Hotel & Swim Club—told Hospitality Design. “We treat our projects as our mode of artistic expression, hence we try to design spaces that have an element of escapism. There isn’t much of a difference going from restaurants to hotels, but we get to go deeper with our guests since they can spend a whole weekend with us.” Celebrity chef Todd English debuted the 74-room English Hotel in Las Vegas in 2022.Photo: Courtesy of The English Hotel

3. 2025's venue design trends are all about color and patterns. 

Studying interior design trends is always a great way to see what’s next in event and venue design. So, what’s trending in 2025? House Beautiful’s predictions include sculptural lighting fixtures, vibrant patterns, dramatic draping, and art deco-inspired antiques, among others. Forbes, meanwhile, predicted some trends that will fade away this year, like gray flooring, minimalism, and plain white walls.

This emphasis on colors and patterns was reinforced by Pinterest's 2025 Pinterest Predicts report, which the inspiration-focused social media platform identified from the unique search patterns of over half a billion monthly active users. Design trends lean toward bold patterns, eclectic prints, and colorful textures, Pinterest notes.

4. Taylor Swift's Eras Tour had a massive effect on the hotel industry.

It's no secret that we're fans of Taylor Swift's recently wrapped Eras Tour here at BizBash—and even more so after stats are coming in about the record-breaking tour's impact on the hotel industry. In 2023 alone, the Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI) estimated a $208 million impact on the hotel industry—a stat that didn't even take into account extended fan stays, advance- and post-concert breakdown crews, or other hotel revenue such as parking. As the tour continued worldwide before wrapping up last month in Vancouver, commercial real estate publication CoStar notes that "cities such as Indianapolis, Warsaw, New Orleans, and Toronto saw rates increase more than 100% year over year when the Eras Tour came to town."

5. A massive new resort is opening soon in Orlando.

The 80-acre Villatel Orlando Resort is slated to open March 3—and will make a splash (get it?) with a 200,000-square-foot water park at its center, complete with a kids' zone, lazy river, and large pool. In an interesting option for groups, there are also 270 villas with immersive themed rooms (think: bunk beds designed like castles, and other whimsical touches), each offering accommodations for up to 26 guests along with private spa pools, full chef's kitchens, movie theaters, and game rooms. Other rooms include the nation's first-ever Apartments by Marriott Bonvoy, which feature two to three bedrooms, full kitchens, and private balconies. Other amenities at the unique property—which is located on International Drive just minutes from Universal Orlando Resort and the Orange County Convention Center—include courts for basketball and pickleball, a state-of-the-art fitness center, and a Top Golf Swing Suite.Photo: Courtesy of Villatel Orlando Resort

6. Marriott is supporting sustainable travel with new initiatives in China.

Marriott International has relaunched its Good Travel by Marriott Bonvoy program in Greater China, partnering with the China Green Foundation’s "Million Forests" project to address desertification in Northwest China's Gansu Province. The program is now active in 49 hotels across the region, allowing travelers to contribute positively to ecological restoration by purchasing a special experience package, which results in a shrub being donated for each purchase. This initiative aligns with growing traveler interest in sustainable practices. According to a recent report, more than 92% of respondents agree with the importance of sustainable travel, and nearly 80% of respondents plan their trips around sustainable practices and cultural heritage interests. 

At participating hotels, the program offers a range of local cultural and environmental activities, such as beekeeping, organic farming, and traditional crafts like tie-dyeing and bamboo weaving. "Consumer awareness of sustainable travel has continued to rise, and the concept has become increasingly popular in recent years," said Michael Malik, Marriott International's COO for Greater China. "We are proud to partner with China Green Foundation's 'Million Forests' project; it incorporates the long-term strategy of [our] ‘Serve 360’ sustainable and social platform and reaffirms our commitment to corporate social responsibility and sustainable development.”