Clint Nagata, BLINK Design Group

Clint Nagata, the creative force behind BLINK Design Group, has redefined luxury hospitality design with his bold vision and an innate ability to tell a story through space. He speaks to Renae about the latest luxury hotel design trends, and where the luxury hotel industry design is headed.

As the founder of a globally celebrated design firm, Clint combines his Hawaiian roots with a deep respect for diverse cultures to craft immersive environments that transcend the ordinary. From serene beachfront resorts to urban sanctuaries, his designs weave together local traditions, natural beauty, and modern elegance.

His impeccable portfolio spans the globe and includes 6 Senses Kyoto, Fullerton Hotel Ocean Park Hong Kong, Regent Phu Quoc Vietmam, JW Marriott Khao Lak, and the Hilton LXR Hotel line Roku Kyoto, Japan. In this episode, he talks about his first project over 18 years ago in China, and how he didn’t expect his architecture career to end up being a designer of luxury hotels and resorts. He chose Bangkok as a base for its vibrant, lively city.

As a seasoned hotel designer, Clint explains that guest's expectations have changed in recent years and adapting is part of the challenge of his job. He says that the luxury hotel industry in Japan is growing and many new hotels are opening including Janu Tokyo, the “affordable” Aman resorts, at a whopping $3000 a night, as well as the newly opened 6 Senses and Banyan Tree in Kyoto.

He says many luxury hotel brands are shifting into branded residential offerings. And as renovation cycles vary, Clint shares he once designed a renovation for the Amanoi, so fast it took only 5 months from designing to opening.

Clint travels a lot for work, 40 trips in 2024. He is now currently on two projects in France (Nord Valley and Normandy) and another in the Middle East. He did a project in Australia, at the Wirra Wirra winery and would love to come back to Australia. He reflects that he can’t choose one stand out project of his as he loves them all but he says he believes the Middle East has many offerings that are yet to be showcased to the world.

To close this episode, Clint talks about his plans to travel to the US to visit his son and to attend a conference and the Gold Key Award where he is shortlisted. Also great to know that he and Renae both share a history in Lego—pivotal points in their jobs, respectively.

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Chapters

00:00 Intro

01:10 Clint’s bio and portfolio

02:43 The most challenging part in designing a hotel

04:36 How long does it take to finish a project?

05:30 Where Clint’s inspiration come from

06:35 1st project in China—18 years ago

08:03 Why Bangkok?

10:02 How the demands changed for hotel designing on recent years1

1:50 Janu Tokyo, the ‘affordable’ Aman resort

14:20 His designs are heavily influenced by Japanese values

15:46 Sustainability in hotel designing

16:51 Hotel designers shifts into branded residentials

18:39 Renovation cycle of a hotel

19:25 Clint did redesign Amanoi

20:00 We are Explorers—BLINK’s tagline and recent project in Baku

20:53 He travels a lot

21:45 Clint’s family

22:01 Ongoing projects right now

22:50 Wirra Wirra Project

23:34 Greatest achievement as a hotel designer

25:04 Thoughts of Middle East as the new center of luxury hotel industry

26:07 Where2FromHere, Clint?

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SUBSCRIBE to Where2FromHere for the best and latest regular luxury travel updates. For collaborations, contact us at: renaemanos@mac.comHost: Renae Leith-Manos Editor: JC TomeldenContent Writer: Tiasani SundariGraphic & Design: For more luxury travel go to: www.renaesworld.com.auFor more design from BLINK Design Group go to: https://www.blinkdg.com/portfolio/Check out instagram: @renaesworldofficialFor Luxury Hotel Consulting: www.luxuryhotelconsulting.comWatch every episode with spectacular visuals from some of the world’s best and most luxurious hotels over on Renae’s YouTube channel, “Renae’s World, Where to From Here”.