brand builders HEAD OF THE CLASS Four brand leaders changing the game Larry Traxler Senior Vice President of Global Design Hilton The famed Waldorf Astoria New York is as integral to the fabric of Manhattan as the Empire State Building. As the city's preeminent celebrity haunt, frequented by Marilyn Monroe and Frank Sinatra, it has set the blueprint for luxury hotels since it opened in 1931. As it undergoes a facelift from French designer Pierre-Yves Rochon and architect of record Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, targeting a 2021 completion date, it exemplifies Hilton's evolution into a highly focused and agile hotel company deeply rooted in its past but with an eye toward the future. As Hilton celebrates its centennial this year, much of its rapid yet thoughtful expansion can be credited to Larry Traxler. Since he joined DLR Group refreshed a historic 1904-era building into the Canopy Minneapolis, preserving its Midwestern heritage at Umbra restaurant hospitalitydesign.com August 2019 091http://www.hospitalitydesign.com