The Politics of Hotel Design: Hilton International and InterContinental in the Cold War Era with Stephanie Rebick

Sunday, January 11, 2026, 3:00PM via Zoom.

Using Hilton International and Intercontinental Hotels as case studies, this presentation will examine how hotel design and architecture were used during the Cold War to serve the larger political agendas of some of the world’s most powerful nations. The development of Hilton International, which saw the expansion of the hotel chain to strategic locations in Europe and eventually the Middle East, was a product of the US State Department’s Marshall Plan to rehabilitate the economies of war-ravished Western Europe—and to increase American influence in the early days of the Cold War. Similarly, the founding of InterContinental and its initial focus on Latin America, were the result of complex political machinations designed to further hemispheric ties and encourage economic and political cooperation. Through an examination of architecture, design objects and advertising, the presentation will reveal how hotels were used to advance symbolic cultural objectives during a period of geopolitical instability.

REGISTER

Not sure you can attend live? We've got you covered! A video recording of this presentation will be made available to all those who reserve/purchase tickets.

BIOGRAPHY:

Stephanie Rebick is a curator, editor and writer based in Vancouver. She works at the Vancouver Art Gallery where she is the Interim Director of Exhibitions & Publishing. She has curated and co-curated numerous exhibitions including Written in Clay: From the John David Lawrence Collection, Fashion Fictions, Where do we go from here?, Modern in the Making: Post-War Craft and Design in British Columbia, Robert Rauschenberg 1965-1980, Guo Pei: Couture Beyond, Cabin Fever, MashUp: The Birth of Modern Culture and Grand Hotel: Redesigning Modern Life. Her curatorial interests include visual culture, and the intersection of design and contemporary art.