What Johnson Braund does

Johnson Braund, Inc. is a privately held architecture and interior design firm founded in 1977 in the Seattle area, with its headquarters in Tukwila, WA and a second office in Franklin, TN (Nashville metro) opened in 2016. The firm delivers full-service architectural design across programming, feasibility studies, schematic design, and construction management phases, with a dual specialization in hospitality and multifamily housing. In hospitality, Johnson Braund is the prototype architect for Residence Inn by Marriott and has developed nine generations of that brand's design while also serving Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, and Wyndham brands. In multifamily housing, the firm has designed tens of thousands of units across the United States, spanning affordable, senior, and luxury market segments. The firm employs 11-50 architects and designers, is licensed in nearly all US states, and is recognized for sustainable design practices (EPA recognition and Energy Star certification for its headquarters in 2008).

The firm's revenue model is professional services, billed on a project-by-project basis through proposals for each engagement, with services delivered across multi-year contract horizons for prototype development and large-scale property rollouts. Go-to-market is direct enterprise sales: Johnson Braund engages with hotel brand owners, franchisees, and property developers, primarily through long-standing relationships. The most strategic relationships include 30+ years with Marriott (Residence Inn prototype), 30+ years with Hilton, and 30+ years with IHG. The firm also operates a renovation practice under Principal Eli Tuttle, updating hotel properties to current brand standards. Marketing is conducted primarily through a professional website portfolio serving as a top-of-funnel discovery and qualification tool. Johnson Braund is independently owned, with no external investment, funding rounds, or parent company disclosed. Leadership includes President Jeff Williams (since 2016), Principals Eli Tuttle and Seth Terry (the latter has been the Residence Inn prototype architect since 2012), and the founding partnership of Greg Allwine, Larry Braund, and Tom Johnson (Allwine passed away in January 2023 after 46 years with the firm).

Name

Johnson Braund

Legal name

Johnson Braund, Inc.

Website

https://johnsonbraund.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Johnson Braund is a privately held architecture and interior design firm founded in 1977 that specializes in prototype hotel design for major hospitality brands (Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, Wyndham) and multifamily housing, serving enterprise clients across the United States from offices in Tukwila, WA and Franklin, TN.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Interior Design Services (54141), Other Specialized Design Services (54149)

akta.pro primary industry

Building Information Modeling (BIM) & Digital Design Services (BPAHAKAK)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Hotel prototype design
• Multifamily housing
• Hospitality architecture
• Interior design

Headquarters

HQ city

Tukwila

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Design Services: Professional architecture and interior design services billed on a project basis. Services span from programming and feasibility studies, to schematic design, through construction management. Revenue is generated through design fees for new construction projects, renovations, and prototype design work for hotel chains and multifamily developers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Johnson Braund is an architecture and interior design firm providing full-service design for hotels, multifamily housing, commercial spaces, and renovations across the United States. The firm specializes in prototype architectural design for major hotel brands including Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, and Wyndham, delivering services from programming and feasibility studies through schematic design to construction administration.

Product overview

Johnson Braund, Inc. is an architecture and interior design firm founded in 1977. The company offers a unified suite of design services centered around architectural design and interior design. Their core service offerings include: (1) Architectural Design Services covering all project phases from feasibility studies through construction management, (2) Interior Design Services integrated with architecture, (3) Prototype Architectural Design specializing in hotel brand standards, (4) Hotel Design for major brands including Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, and IHG, (5) Multifamily Housing Design spanning affordable to luxury projects, (6) Renovation Services for updating hotels to brand standards, and (7) Commercial Design. Their notable specialty is Prototype Design for hotel chains, having worked with Residence Inn, Courtyard, SpringHill Suites, Wingate, and Wyndham Garden brands.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architectural Design Services Full-service architectural design covering all project phases from programming and feasibility studies through schematic design to construction management, providing award-winning design solutions for enterprise clients.
• Interior Design Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Tens of thousands of housing units designed across the United States
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Wyndham Hotels & ResortscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Johnson Braund designed the Wyndham Garden prototype hotel in 2016 and the Wingate Prototype II for Wyndham's Wingate line of hotels. The firm serves as a strategic design partner for multiple Wyndham brands.
• Marriott InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1987Johnson Braund has maintained a strategic partnership with Marriott for over 30 years. The firm was involved with Residence Inn from the beginning of the brand and continued after Marriott acquired Residence Inn in 1987. They have developed 9 generations of Residence Inn prototype designs and work with Marriott on keeping brand identity, design, and amenities fresh across North America.
• HiltoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJohnson Braund has worked with Hilton for over three decades designing hotel brands known around the world. The firm designed the Hilton Garden Inn Seattle property.
• IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJohnson Braund has worked with IHG for over three decades helping to design and build hotel brands that are known around the world.
• HyattcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJohnson Braund has designed Hyatt House and Hyatt Place hotels, including properties in Seattle.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Gensler: Global design and architecture firm with a sizable hospitality practice serving major hotel brands and developers. Overlaps with Johnson Braund on hotel interior design and brand work but as part of a much larger, diversified portfolio.
• CallisonRTKL (Arcadis): Major global hospitality architecture practice (now part of Arcadis) that competes for branded hotel and mixed-use work. Comparable capability profile to Johnson Braund but at significantly larger scale and geographic reach.
• HKS Architects: Large global architecture practice with a substantial hospitality portfolio across major hotel brands. Competes for the same branded hotel prototype, new-build, and renovation work but at much greater scale and a broader service mix.

Emerging players

• Design Collectives: Seattle-area architecture and design firm working on hospitality, multifamily, and commercial projects. Comparable on geography and project types, and is connected to Johnson Braund's talent pipeline (a former Design Collectives architect now works at Johnson Braund).

Direct peers

• BLT Architects: Hospitality-focused architecture firm of comparable size that designs and prototypes hotel and resort projects for major brands. Highly analogous to Johnson Braund in both client mix (major chains) and boutique-scale, specialist positioning.
• ForrestPerkins: Specialist hospitality interior design and architecture firm serving luxury and branded hotels. Comparable to Johnson Braund's interior design and renovation offerings for major hotel brands.
• Stonehill & Taylor: Hospitality-focused architecture and interior design firm serving major hotel brands on new-build and renovation projects. Closely comparable to Johnson Braund on client base (major chains), service scope, and boutique firm scale.
• WATG: Long-established hospitality architecture and interior design firm known for luxury and branded hotel work globally. A direct comparator on prototype hotel design, branded interiors, and hospitality-focused services.
• PDR Corporation: Hospitality-focused interior design and architecture firm working with major hotel brands on renovations and conversions. Directly comparable on the renovation/conversion work that Johnson Braund performs for Marriott, Hilton, IHG, and Hyatt.

Regional players

• MG2: Pacific Northwest-based architecture and design firm with retail, hospitality, and commercial practices. Comparable on regional scale and multi-disciplinary services, and has overlap with Johnson Braund's staff network (a former MG2 designer is on Johnson Braund's team).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Johnson Braund