What happens when you bring true hospitality thinking into offices, schools, hospitals, and corporate HQs—not just hotels? In this episode of Check-In with Bryan, Bryan sits down with Jill Szmanda, Director of Sales at Forward Tilt, a Scottsdale-based full-service workspace design and commercial furniture firm that’s helping companies turn “just an office” into experience-driven spaces people actually want to be in.
From Dutch Bros’ HQ to NextSpace’s three-story showroom, Jill has spent her career bridging the gap between design vision and operational reality—making sure what looks gorgeous on paper actually works in real life (and doesn’t fall apart like a Wayfair sofa in a hotel lobby).
Along the way, you’ll hear about:
•How Forward Tilt approaches offices as a “magnet, not a mandate” to bring people back to work after years of remote culture
•Why hospitality isn’t just for hotels anymore—and how it’s shaping offices, healthcare, schools, and even vet clinics
•The biggest design mistakes owners and developers make (hello, white sofas and angry yellow walls)
•How to create spaces that reflect a company’s identity and culture without feeling over-designed or cookie-cutter
•The rise of color, pattern, and custom pieces (like Dutch Bros’ peace-sign conference table) and why “millennial grey” is officially over
•Practical tips for balancing budget vs. experience—where to splurge, where to save, and why that $14k coffee table might not be the flex you think it is
•The importance of experience design: scent, music, lighting, art, furniture placement, and even the way power outlets are planned
•The connection between how people live at home and how they show up in shared workspaces (plus some hilarious real-life stories)
If you’re an owner, developer, asset manager, or leader trying to:
•Refresh an office or workspace
•Design a new hotel, amenity space, or shared lobby
•Make your workplace feel more like an experience than a cubicle farm
…this conversation will give you a ton of practical insight, a few “oh no, we did that” moments, and some fresh ideas you can bring straight to your next project.
Check-In with Bryan is hosted by Bryan Fish, CEO of Reliance Hospitality, where he sits down with industry leaders, designers, owners, and innovators reshaping the future of hospitality, travel, and experience-driven spaces.
This episode was recorded at NextSpace in partnership with Immedia.
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