Design is tuning in, Neuehouse gets a second act, and a look at the interiors shown in HBO Max show “Heated Rivalry.” All that and more in this week’s Five on Friday.

Trains over planes?

The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, A Belmond Train; photo courtesy of Belmond

Every time I fly, it seems first class continues to get fancier while everything from premium economy down to coach depreciates. Perhaps it’s time to redirect my travel funds to the railroad and cash in on what has shaped up to be a landmark era of train travel. The New York Times reports that revenue in luxury rail bookings has boomed 135 percent over the last three years, with a 41-percent jump occurring in the last year alone. New upscale trains, routes, and amenities are coming online as well, including onboard spas and enlarged cabins. Design glitterati is also leaving its mark on the sumptuous trend, with the likes of Parisian architect Maxime d’Angeac and French artist JR further proliferating opulence aboard the Orient Express. Golden Eagle and Rovos are also mentioned, highlighting the breadth of elevated experiences on trains worldwide.

Design media reacts to “Heated Rivalry”

Ilya Rozanov, played by Connor Storrie; photo by Sabrina Lantos/HBO Max

Amid the daily horrors, the world has at least found fellowship in the gripping secret gay relationship of two Canadian hockey players. “Heated Rivalry” has so consumed our collective consciousness that even Architectural Digest is joining the discourse, sounding off about the show’s interior design—or, the rooms where our horny heroes Ilya and Shane meet up. Editorial consensus agrees that while the design accurately depicts spaces curated by closeted men to meet heteronormative expectations, the interiors are just rather boring. One editor weighs in to dub the navy bedding a rather cis-het choice, while another tracks down some of those covetable lamps from Ilya’s “Boston” apartment. Oh, and there’s apparently a resin headboard everyone’s up in arms about. As the only homosexual in New York to have not yet watched, this writer will be bingeing “Heated Rivalry” this weekend for research purposes.

Convene buys social club Neuehouse

The now-shuttered Neuehouse Bradbury; photo by Nikolas Koenig

After the sudden bankruptcy and shuttering of Neuehouse last September, the coworking members club is revived thanks to media, events, and workspace brand Convene. In a court-approved Asset Purchase Agreement, Convene Hospitality Group has acquired Neuehouse’s intellectual property and operations of Neuehouse Madison Square in New York. While no plans have yet been announced regarding the brand’s Los Angeles locations, one can only hope the city’s Bradbury Building—formerly the home of Neuehouse Bradbury—finally finds the longterm tenant of its dreams.

Listen in on the audio revolution

SonoLux in Old Montréal; photo by Gleb Gomberg

If you feel like listening rooms are suddenly everywhere, that’s because they are. From the Serpentine Gallery’s “House of Music” exhibit in London to the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum’s “Art of Noise” exhibition in New York, audiences are discovering a new layer of design in which acoustics and sound are integral design features. But the trend expands well beyond art spaces, with The Spaces shouting out several recent projects for their audio design. Sound systems are a key component of hotels like New York’s Nine Orchard or Montreal’s SonoLux, but other typologies embrace more experimental approaches. Kengo Kuma famously adorned the Audeum building in Seoul with 20,000 aluminum tubes, instilling an auditory layer to the design further transmuted by wood paneling and fabric. Snøhetta previously partnered with Ghetto Gastro on a Tokyo restaurant designed with restrained interiors to heighten the appreciation of taste and sound curation, too. Listen closer—and never take good acoustics for granted!

It’s awards (submissions) season, baby!

HDAC committee members with Karie and Julian Brittano, recipients of the 2025 HDAC Awards of Excellence; photo by PWP Studio

You still have one more month to submit to this year’s HD Awards—but while you’re at it, consider some other nominations as well. February 24th is the deadline to submit for the International Society of Hospitality Purchasers (ISHP) Vendor Quality Award, honoring a vendor who demonstrates significant dedication and commitment to providing a high-quality service and product. The Hospitality Diversity Action Council (HDAC) is also accepting nominees for its sixth annual Awards of Excellence through March 13th. The Awards of Excellence recognize outstanding contributions to the hospitality industry by driving progress through the promotion of diversity, inclusion, and equity. Winners for both programs will be announced during the HD Awards on May 5th at the Encore Resort the Wynn Las Vegas. Oh, and HD also just announced this year’s judges.

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