Finalists have been announced for HX: The Hotel Experience’s 36th annual Gold Key Awards for Excellence in Hospitality Design, the industry’s oldest and most prestigious awards program, which is sponsored by Boutique Design magazine.
Winners in 21 categories will be announced at the Gold Key Awards Gala, to be held Nov. 14 at the Waldorf Astoria, New York. The Designer of the Year will also be honored during this special evening. The gala is presented in conjunction with co-located trade fairs Boutique Design New York (BDNY), Nov. 13-14, and HX: The Hotel Experience (formerly IHMRS), Nov. 13-15, at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.
Finalists for the 2016 Gold Key Awards for Excellence in Hospitality Design include:
Best Eco-Conscious or Socially Conscious Hotel
- Champalimaud Design, New York; Hart Howerton, New York; The Island House, Nassau, Bahamas
- concrete, Amsterdam; Zoku Amsterdam
- Deture Culsign, Architecture + Interiors, Chicago; Treehouse Suite at Playa Viva, Juluchuca, Mexico
Best Lobby Budget/Focused Service
- Ankrom Moisan, Portland, Oregon; MOXY Phoenix, Tempe, Arizona
- CL3 Architects Ltd., Hong Kong; Shinjuku Prince Hotel, Tokyo
- DesignAgency, Toronto; Generator Amsterdam
- Varrodesign, Budapest; Science Hotel Szeged, Hungary
Best Lobby Midscale
- Amanda Sullivan Studio Architecture, New York; Hotel Indigo Lower East Side, New York
- CL3 Architects Ltd., Hong Kong; The Park Lane Hong Kong, A Pullman Hotel
- The Vanguard Theory, Honolulu; The Surfjack Hotel & Swim Club, Honolulu
Best Lobby Upscale
- HBA/Hirsch Bedner Associates, Santa Monica, California; Hilton Wenchang, China
- Mister Important Design, Oakland, California; W Punta de Mita, Mexico
- Simeone Deary Design Group, Chicago; LondonHouse Chicago
- Wanda Hotel Design Institute, Beijing; Doubletree Resort by Hilton Xishuangbanna, Jinghong, China
Best Lobby Luxury
- Arquitectura de Interiores, Guadalajara, Mexico; The Cape, a Thompson Hotel, San José del Cabo, Mexico
- Deborah Berke Partners, New York; 21c Museum Hotel, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Wanda Hotel Design Institute, Beijing; Wanda Reign Hotel Chengdu, China
Best Guest Room Budget/Focused Service
- DesignAgency, Toronto; Generator Amsterdam
- MAPOS LLC, New York; Hotel Shocard, New York
- LYCS Architecture, Hong Kong; Campus Hong Kong
- Pacifica Design Group, Santa Barbara, California; The Kinney, Venice, California
Best Guest Room Midscale
- Amanda Sullivan Studio Architecture, New York; Hotel Indigo Lower East Side, New York
- concrete, Amsterdam; Zoku Amsterdam
- Simeone Deary Design Group, Chicago; The Charmant, LaCrosse, Wisconsin
Best Guest Room Upscale
- Bill Rooney Studio Inc., New York; Kimpton Mason & Rook Hotel, Washington, D.C.
- Design Poole Inc., Winter Park, Florida; Margaritaville Island Hotel, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
- Group One Partners Inc., Boston; The Envoy Hotel, Autograph Collection, Boston
- Powerstrip Studio, Los Angeles; Hotel Palomar, Washington, D.C.
- Wanda Hotel Design Institute, Beijing; Doubletree Resort by Hilton Xishuangbanna, Jinghong, China
Best Guest Room Luxury
- Steve Hermann Design, Santa Barbara, California; L’Horizon Resort and Spa, Palm Springs, California
- Wanda Hotel Design Institute, Beijing; Wanda Reign Hotel Chengdu, China
Best Suite
- SFA Design, Los Angeles; Presidential Suite at Viceroy L’Ermitage Beverly Hills, California
- Anderson/Miller Ltd., Chicago; Villa One at One&Only Palmilla, San José del Cabo, Mexico
- Wanda Hotel Design Institute, Beijing; Deluxe Suite, Wanda Reign Hotel Chengdu, China
Best Nightclub/Lounge
- Built Inc., West Hollywood, California; Blind Dragon, West Hollywood, California
- Kinney Chan & Associates, Hong Kong; JIN Entertainment Bar at the Shangri-La Hotel Nanjing, China
- Wanda Hotel Design Institute, Beijing; Club Reign at Wanda Reign Hotel Shanghai, China
Best New Hotel Brand or New Soft Brand
- Gaw Capital Partners Hospitality, Hong Kong; Campus Hong Kong
- Marriott International Global Design, Bethesda, Maryland; MOXY Hotels North America
Best Resort
- Clodagh Design, New York; Six Senses Douro Valley, Samodães, Portugal
- HKS Inc., Dallas; Esperanza, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
- Mister Important Design, Oakland, California; W Punta de Mita, Mexico
Best Restaurant Casual Dining
- Blueplate Studios (a studio of Wilson Associates), Singapore; Bread Street Kitchen at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore
- McCARTAN, New York; District on the Bloc at Sheraton Grand Los Angeles
- Rockwell Group, New York; Vandal, New York
- Studio Munge, Toronto; Borracha Mexican Cantina at Green Valley Ranch Resort, Casino & Spa, Henderson, Nevada
- Studio Munge, Toronto; FIGO, Toronto
Best Restaurant Fine Dining
- AvroKO, New York; Duck Duck Goat, Chicago
- Conran and Partners, London; German Gymnasium, London
- Varrodesign, Budapest; Onyx, Budapest
Best Special Feature
- Dawson Design Associates Inc., Seattle; “Peace” Game Room at Hotel Zeppelin, San Francisco
- Focus Lighting, New York; Lighting Design for Yvonne’s, Boston
- Mister Important Design, Oakland, California; Lobby Tile Installation, W Punta de Mita, Mexico
Judges’ So Cool
- FRCH Design Worldwide, Cincinnati; TRU by Hilton Prototype, Memphis, Tennessee
- ModVic LLC, Sharon, Massachusetts; Steampunk Armillary, Kimpton Marlowe Hotel, Cambridge, Massachusetts
- YWS Design & Architecture, Las Vegas; Topgolf at MGM Grand Las Vegas
Best Hotel Budget/Focused Service
- DesignAgency, Toronto; Generator Amsterdam
- MAPOS LLC, New York; Hotel Shocard, New York
- Urban Design Studio, Sparks, Nevada; Lodge at Nakoma, Clio, California
Best Hotel Midscale
- Curioso, Chicago; Hotel Indigo El Paso Downtown, El Paso, Texas
- Parker-Torres Design Inc., Sudbury, Massachusetts; Park Plaza Hotel & Towers, Boston
- Simeone Deary Design Group, Chicago; The Charmant, LaCrosse, Wisconsin
Best Hotel Upscale
- Bill Rooney Studio Inc., New York; Kimpton Mason & Rook Hotel, Washington, D.C.
- Group One Partners Inc., Boston; The Envoy Hotel, Autograph Collection, Boston
- Joe Ginsberg, New York; The Marmara Park Avenue, New York
- Wanda Hotel Design Institute, Beijing; Doubletree Resort by Hilton Xishuangbanna Jinghong, China
Best Hotel Luxury
- Rockwell Group, New York; I.S.C Design Studio, New York; The New York EDITION
- Wanda Hotel Design Institute, Beijing; Wanda Reign Hotel Chengdu, China
The Gold Key Awards program recognizes the most influential and innovative design work in the hospitality industry. To be eligible, new construction, conversion or renovation work must have been completed from June 1, 2015 to July 1, 2016. Finalists and winners are determined by a jury of industry leaders from the design, operations, development and investment sectors of hospitality.
Judges for this year’s Gold Key Awards include: Edwin Hendriksen, senior vice president development & investments – North America, citizenM hotels; Lori Horvath, senior vice president, project and development services, hotels & hospitality, Jones Lang LaSalle; John McMullen, senior vice president of construction, Highgate Hotels; Michael Medzigian, chairman and managing partner, Watermark Capital Partners LLC; Jagruti Panwala, president/ceo, Wealth Protection Strategies, AAHOA secretary 2016-2017, AAHOA female director at large Eastern Region; Dane Patunoff, director, development & construction, KHP Capital Partners; Jay Pecotte, senior director, project development, hotels & casinos – Americas, Hard Rock International; Thomas Prins, partner, Benchmark Resorts & Hotels; and Larry Traxler, senior vice president – global design, Hilton Worldwide.
“With entries reaching a record of nearly 500, this year’s Gold Key awards competition offers an overview of the best hospitality work being done around the globe by firms large and small. The creativity, functionality and human thumbprint on each project represents a dynamic new direction for hospitality design. Choosing the winners and finalists was never more challenging for our judges,” said Mary Scoviak, Boutique Design executive editor and HMG conference director.
Prior to the Gold Key awards ceremony, NEWH, the professional network of the hospitality industry, will present its 2016 ICON of Industry award to Jane Skeeter, ceo and founder, UltraGlas Inc., a leading manufacturer of architectural and high performance glass and glass tile. The group will also present its $7,500 ICON of Industry Scholarship to a currently enrolled student pursuing a career in hospitality. The winner will be announced at the gala.
