Design Director - Hospitality (Food & Beverage) F+B (MBJ0216)

An opportunity has arisen for an experienced Design Director to lead and elevate a fast-growing hospitality design studio's work across luxury restaurants, bars and hotel F&B destinations. Based in Bangkok-or open to relocating-the successful candidate will combine strong creative leadership with deep, hands-on expertise in luxury food-and-beverage environments.

Company synopsis

Our client is an international hospitality experience and design agency that creates immersive, commercially successful restaurants, bars, beach clubs and hotel F&B concepts across Asia, the Middle East and beyond.

The studio works at the intersection of interior design, brand strategy, storytelling and F&B programming. Its projects are not simply designed as spaces: each is developed as a complete guest experience, where atmosphere, operational flow, materiality, branding, music, tabletop, uniforms and service moments contribute to a distinctive narrative.

With a growing portfolio of destination-led hospitality projects, the business partners with hotel operators, developers and restaurateurs to take concepts from early strategy through design, delivery and opening. The team is based in Bangkok, with an increasingly international project pipeline.sohohospitality

Role overview

Design Director - Luxury Hospitality & F&B (Bangkok, Thailand | Relocation considered)

This is a senior creative and leadership appointment for a design professional with a proven track record in luxury restaurant, bar and hospitality interiors.

The Design Director will lead the creative development and delivery of high-profile F&B-led projects, shaping concepts from initial narrative and spatial strategy through to detailed design and site implementation. You will be responsible for raising creative standards, guiding multidisciplinary teams, managing client relationships and ensuring that every project balances guest experience, commercial performance and operational functionality.

This role is particularly suited to a design leader who understands that standout hospitality environments depend on more than aesthetics: they require an integrated approach to storytelling, brand, guest journey, ambience, service and operational realities.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the creative direction of luxury hospitality and F&B interior design projects from concept to completion
• Develop compelling, story-led design concepts for restaurants, bars, lounges, beach clubs and hotel F&B venues
• Translate brand strategy, market insights and operational requirements into distinctive guest experiences
• Direct concept design, space planning, FF&E, material palettes, lighting, styling and presentation output
• Manage and mentor interior designers, visualisers and external consultants, providing clear creative direction throughout each project phase
• Review project work at key stages to ensure design quality, consistency and alignment with the original concept
• Present concepts, design narratives and project progress confidently to clients, operators, developers and senior stakeholders
• Build trusted client relationships and act as a senior design representative throughout the project lifecycle
• Collaborate closely with branding, strategy, F&B and operational specialists to create cohesive, experience-led concepts
• Balance creative ambition with budget, programme, buildability, durability and day-to-day operational performance
• Support material sourcing, supplier engagement, consultant coordination and site-stage design decisions where required
• Contribute to the studio's creative culture, processes, business development activity and continued growth

Candidate profile

• 10+ years' professional experience in interior design, with a substantial and demonstrable focus on luxury hospitality and F&B design
• Essential experience designing high-end restaurants, bars, nightlife venues, destination dining concepts and/or hotel F&B outlets
• A strong portfolio showing original concept development and completed hospitality projects, ideally across multiple international markets
• Previous experience in a senior creative, Associate Director, Design Director or equivalent leadership capacity
• A sophisticated understanding of luxury guest experience, hospitality storytelling, spatial flow, ambience and operational design
• Proven capability across concept design, schematic design, detailed design and project delivery
• Strong knowledge of FF&E, bespoke furniture, lighting, materials, finishes and supplier coordination
• Ability to lead, inspire and develop a talented design team while maintaining exacting creative standards
• Excellent client-facing and presentation skills, with confidence working directly with senior operators, owners and developers
• Commercial awareness and the ability to make considered design decisions within programme and budget constraints
• International project exposure and comfort working across cultures would be advantageous
• Proficiency in relevant design and presentation software is expected
• Based in Bangkok, already eligible to work in Thailand, or genuinely willing and able to relocate to Bangkok

What makes this opportunity distinctive

• Lead high-visibility luxury F&B and hospitality projects with international reach
• Join a studio that treats interiors as part of a complete, multi-sensory hospitality experience
• Work across strategy, brand, interiors and operational thinking rather than in a conventional siloed design model
• Influence the creative direction and growth of an ambitious Bangkok-based hospitality design platform
• Be part of a team delivering destination restaurants, bars and hotel concepts across Asia and the Middle East