It’s a Houston Thing: A Picture Worth the Paint
By Bradi Zapata & Kyrié Muehe
Beneath grand arches, the Hall of Honor welcomes onlookers into a very special journey through time. Opened in April 2025, the space invites guests to step into a vivid, interactive portrait of an industry that’s constantly evolving yet deeply rooted in tradition.
Standing proudly on the far side of the Hilton University of Houston lobby, the museum-like space is designed to inspire and always stays open for explorers – including hotel guests and Hilton College students alike.
The space was reimagined by Dean Dennis Reynolds, who wanted to breathe new life into the existing room. Reynolds alone secured its funding and ultimately executed the entire project, in partnership with MWM Partners.
MWM is an interdisciplinary creative studio based in Houston that specializes in brand experience, visual storytelling and strategic design. In previous years, MWM aided the College in changing its name from the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management to the Conrad N. Hilton College of Global Hospitality Leadership, as well as developing a strategic marketing plan.
“This background really gave us a foundation for the Hall of Honor and primed us to be able to tell its story,” said Rachel Rothberg (’10), partner and design director at MWM. “As creatives, we embed ourselves in the project and learn as much as we can, so we can [advocate for] its story in an interesting and visual way.”
For the Hall of Honor project, this discovery phase allowed them to outline the experiential goals from a storytelling perspective. From there, the Hilton College and MWM team focused on dispelling myths, defining what the hospitality industry is today and painting a picture of the future.
With several months of hard work and intentional planning, MWM’s vision for the world of hospitality came to life! Renderings of sketched arches turned into three larger-than-life walls for art to be displayed upon; conversations with faculty and alumni turned into a captivating 12-minute video; hundreds of keys, advertisements and menus from the Hospitality Industry Archives turned into dazzling wallpaper; and history lessons turned into a comprehensive exhibit.
“We went from putting measuring tape on the ground to physically standing in a room where everything came together,” said Rothberg. “There’s nothing like it on the UH campus; it’s truly unique.”
UH and Houston are known for their dynamic and diverse people, programs and experiences. This creates a sky-is-the-limit mentality that has been embedded in the hall. While content drove the design of the space, meticulous care was taken to enhance the visitor’s perceptions and spirit of imagination.
“We wanted people to be drawn to the arches first to get immersed in the past, present and future of the Hilton College experience,” said Joe Ross (’06), partner and creative director at MWM. “But really, visitors can engage with the space any way they choose to walk through it."
"It’s not sequential because we wanted people to be able to go towards whatever first grabs their attention.”
And because every guest is unique, their journey through the Hall of Honor may look a little different. If one has an affinity for Houston, they may be drawn to the vibrant cityscape photo of downtown Houston as the sun sets. Alternatively, if one has a passion for restaurants, they may gravitate toward the exquisitely framed plates from the 1920s, 1950s and 1960s. Many of the items within the space fit into groups that together share a broader story.
For example, a timeline ranging from 1794 to 2022 displays items that don’t necessarily fit into the traditional mold of hospitality. A 1960s Holiday Inn Coffee Maker is placed in the same space as the first Apple iPhone from 2007 and prohibition text from the 1920s.
“We thought it was important to give the UH, Hilton College and hospitality items context by grounding them with more well-known global events,” said Ross. “It’s all connected; the first iPhone ties into hospitality because it led to easier online booking.”
“The timeline is a tool that paints the picture of what the industry looks like – and it’s far beyond just hotels and restaurants.”
The various tools of multimedia also create a spatial experience, where every step of the way, there are physical assets, powerful visuals, interactive screens, comfortable seating and more. These little details add up to such a fascinating, memorable experience.
“We’ve really embedded with the College through this process and it’s become a seamless relationship, which is the best outcome,” said Rothberg. “Whenever you have true collaboration, the vision comes to life.”
And although the team tackled a few construction-related curveballs along the way, their collaboration fortified an archway into the next chapter of the industry. Hilton College and the MWM team invite dreamers to step inside the frame, where history is celebrated, conversations are preserved and inspiration is infused into every corner.
When creating the masterpiece that is the Hall of Honor, the MWM team was firmly rooted in their belief not to use artificial intelligence. This is why…
Joe Ross: Part of MWM’s background as a company is investigative journalism, so that’s infused into everything we do. Research is part of our DNA, and when we use it to inform our decisions, it makes us more authentic. We take our research seriously. There are so many decisions that we have to be able to back up. It’s critical that we’ve thought things through very well. AI takes this component out.
Rachel Rothberg: We have so many resources on the human side. With any project, we become experts on the topic, and to do this, we must have a firm understanding of the problem we’re trying to solve. Outsourcing to AI lessens our critical thinking, which we need to make objective decisions.
Joe Ross: AI can be helpful, but we don’t want it to undermine the value that we, as people, bring to our projects and clients. Hospitality is the industry of people, so if we’re telling stories about people, it’s crucial that people are the ones telling them.