interihotel MAD26 stages 'Creative Rebellion' with 350 brands, 200 speakers

interihotel MAD26 will gather roughly 350 exhibiting brands and more than 200 international speakers at IFEMA Madrid from November 17 to 19, 2026. The sixteenth edition of the hospitality design fair runs under the theme 'Creative Rebellion.' Organizer AMBIT Living Spaces Cluster says the program directly challenges established hospitality conventions through radical creativity and material experimentation for hotels and restaurants.

By Priya Raman

Who speaks on which day?

The event splits its narrative across three thematic days. Day one, The Inside Rebellion, covers design identity and human emotion. Stefan Sagmeister headlines with his presentation No Doom, no Gloom, which blends data visualization with design to champion optimism. Nini Andrade Silva and Astet Studio join the day's discussions.

Day two, The Green Rebellion, brings Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu of Neri&Hu to the stage. They appear alongside designer Lucas Muñoz Muñoz, Studio Animal, and Rockwell Group to reframe circularity, environmental responsibility, and wellbeing.

Day three, The Future Rebellion, hands the microphone to Michelin-starred chef Dani García. He leads a discussion on reinventing guest experiences with Luca Pronzato of We Are Ona, Laura Vall of Axel Hotels, and Kike Sarasola of Room Mate Hotels.

What can visitors actually walk through?

Two full-scale, walk-through prototypes anchor the Interiors Living Lab at the center of the floor plan. HBA presents The Sensory Explorer Concept Room, an immersive guest room installation inspired by Barceló Hotel Group. Livit unveils The Social Playful Concept Restaurant, designed for hospitality brand Lamucca.

Around them, four specialized hubs expand the experimental footprint:

• Materials Lab — sustainable material innovation from AMBIT Cluster plus 'Materialidad adaptable,' an installation curated by MATTER dissecting six evolving material families
• Craft Lab — curated by Tachy Mora, showcasing contemporary studio ceramics through eight selected makers
• Xperience Lab — hands-on interaction with spatial AI co-creation agents, Virtual and Mixed Reality modeling, and industrialized modular building configurations
• interi-off — a satellite program activating Madrid citywide from November 16 to 20 with architectural visits, installations, and evening gatherings

Who gets in?

Admission is reserved exclusively for industry professionals: hoteliers, restaurateurs, architects, interior designers, and real estate developers. Accreditation passes are available through the official interihotel website. The fair occupies Halls 1 and 3 of IFEMA Madrid.

What does this change for hospitality designers? It converts a trade fair into a testing ground: full-scale rooms, six material families, and AI co-creation tools offer templates that firms can evaluate — and pressure-test — before specifying them in live projects.