Julia Monk, FAIA, IIDA, LEED AP

Hospitality Thought Leader l Architect l Interior Designer

Julia Monk, FAIA, IIDA, LEED AP was previously Director of Hospitality for HOK Hong Kong, a global director for HOK’s hospitality markets, and served on HOK’s marketing board. Prior to joining HOK in 2013, Julia was a managing partner of BBG-BBGM, an architectural and interior design practice she helped found in 1984. Julia earned her architectural degree from Ball State University where she graduated Magna Cum Laude and was named the AIA Outstanding Senior and the Alpha Rho Chi Recipient.

She has been an industry leader in the field of hospitality design since 1978 and recipient of the industry’s highest honors, including IDLNY Distinguished Contributor, Crain’s 40-Under-40, BSU Distinguished Alumni Award, Hospitality Design Platinum Circle Award, Top Woman in Real Estate and UCPNY’s Women in Business Award. Her projects and ideas are often published in leading hospitality and design journals, such as Interior Design, Hospitality Design, Boutique Design, Sleeper, Hotel and Motel Management, Forbes.com, Contract and Crain’s New York Business.

A licensed architect and interior designer, Julia is the first person to be elevated to Fellow of the AIA and the IIDA in the same year.  She co-founded the New York chapter of the AIA Architecture of Hospitality Committee, and is a member of the ULI Asia Pacific Hospitality Development Council and the Women’s Leadership Initiative.  She is a renowned keynote speaker and panelist at premier hospitality events, such as the NYU Hotel Investment Conference, Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP), and China Hotel Investment Conference (CHIC).  Julia has also participated in events for organizations such as the AIA National Convention and The Smithsonian, and has juried for the distinguished AIA Interior Design Awards, Hospitality Design’s Gold Key Awards, Sleeper Asia Hotel Design Awards, and The Stellier Awards.

Julia has focused on defining luxury guest experiences, starting with the historic renovation of the St. Regis New York that became the flagship for the brand we know today.  She has designed for prestigious hotel brands such as Conrad, Four Seasons, JW Marriott, Mandarin Oriental, Park Hyatt, Peninsula, Ritz Carlton, Shangri La, W, and Westin. Julia has also created or defined brands for Sheraton Suites, Renaissance, InterContinental, Radisson Blu, and Tryp. Her designs circle the globe from New York, Puerto Rico, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Chengdu, Sanya, Shenzhen, Bangkok, Sydney, to San Diego.