Joe Shields Brings Software Design Thinking to Hospitality Through States of Leisure’s Experience-First Approach
San Francisco, California, Jul 18, 2026, ZEX PR WIRE — Hospitality is becoming as much about thoughtful systems as beautiful spaces. That shift is shaping how brands design every stage of the guest experience, from booking to checkout. For Joe Shields IV, founder of States of Leisure, the answer lies in an unlikely place, and that’s software design. Rather than approaching hospitality as a collection of attractive properties, Shields has built States of Leisure around the same principles that guide modern product development. Every guest interaction, from discovering a property online to checking out, is treated as part of one connected system designed to reduce friction and create clarity.
The philosophy reflects Shields’ professional background as a software designer and developer, wh...