The Winning Welcome

Sheila Kim-Jamet -- Interior Design, 10/1/2008 12:00:00 AM

For today's well-heeled traveler, a hotel is not just a place to rest one's head. It's an experience. That's why hotels, as well as dining and entertainment establishments, are reinventing themselves through design. The Gold Key Awards for Excellence in Hospitality Design—presented by the International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show—recognize the best of these properties. In its 28th year, the awards program drew a record-breaking 209 submissions that were newly constructed or renovated within the last 18 months. The diversity of the properties ranges from a Southern California suite featuring a dancer's pole to a barbecue joint in Sagaponack, New York.

One prize has already been awarded: Roger Thomas, executive vice president of design for Wynn Design and Development, will receive the Designer of the Year Award from Gold Key cosponsors Interior Design and Hotels magazines. Winners in the eight remaining categories will be chosen by this year's judges— NBBJ principal Jane Ayers, Robert D. Henry Architects principal Robert Henry, InterContinental the Barclay New York general manager Leland Lewis, and Donna Rodriguez, public relations and marketing director of B.R. Guest Restaurants—and announced at the awards breakfast on November 10 at New York's Mandarin Oriental Hotel. A preview of the finalists follows.

FINALISTS: HOTEL

Belvedere Hotel, Mykonos, Greece

design Rockwell Group.

standout Textural elements, such as carved marble and wood and stamped metal globe lights, create visual intrigue throughout the property, from guest rooms and suites to public and dining spaces.

Ritz-Carlton Sharq Village & Spa, Doha, Qatar

design DiLeonardo International.

standout Palatial architectural details—peristyles, courtyards, archways, ornate handrails and screens—yield luxury and grandeur.

Liberty Hotel, Boston

design Champalimaud.

standout The firm deftly preserves this former prison by turning jail cells into dining nooks. Reconstructed catwalks surround the soaring lobby atrium.

Emperor, Beijing

design Graft.

standout Sloping, asymmetrical surfaces and furnishings offer a global vibe, while silk-screened and hand-painted graphics represent Forbidden City culture.

FINALISTS: LOBBY

Hyatt Regency O'Hare, Chicago

design TVS Interiors.

standout A glass staircase, backlit onyx walls, and a custom blown-glass chandelier revitalize the landmarked 1970's structure by John Portman & Associates.

Renaissance Hotel New York Times Square, New York

design Jordan Mozer and Associates.

standout Sensual curves on door pulls, furniture, sculpture, and lighting animate and unify.

Liberty Hotel, Boston

design Champalimaud.

standout The former jail's 90-foot-high atrium was preserved as the lobby, complete with the original four-story windows, ocular cutouts, and reconstructed catwalks.

FINALISTS: LOUNGE

Underground, Chicago

design Esyn Design.

standout The basement space's military command center–theme boasts a 40-foot-long backlit map of the world formed by perforations in plates of ferrous steel.

Argyle, Sydney

design Dreamtime Australia Design.

standout Spectacles include playful illumination from stainless-steel pendant fixtures, a 20-foot-long lava-lamp bar front, and freestanding urinals enclosed by frosted glass.

S Bar, Los Angeles

design SBE.

standout Mismatched club chairs, table lamps-cum-pendant fixtures, and candelabras form a through-the-looking-glass world.

FINALISTS: CASUAL DINING

Landmarc, New York

design Clodagh.

standout A ceiling of oak planks meets a wall of blackened steel panels, which peel back to reveal LED lighting.

Dos Caminos, Las Vegas

design Rockwell Group.

standout An exciting abundance of Mexican references include street art, images from classic south-of-the-border movies, and cast-sugar skulls for Dia de los Muertos.

Wildwood BBQ, New York

design Rockwell Group.

standout The pitched timber ceiling and its heavy beams conjure a rustic pioneer feeling.

Town Line BBQ, Sagaponack, New York

design CCS Architecture.

standout This authentic American barbecue joint incorporates reclaimed cedar and pine sourced from a Colorado barn.

FINALISTS: SUITE

Ivy Hotel, San Diego

design Powerstrip Studio.

standout The hotel's trio of presidential suites includes one with a glass-box bath and integrated steam room.

St. Regis Singapore

design Wilson Associates.

standout The property's 38 suites immerse guests in old-world opulence: crystal chandeliers, paneling of hand-painted silk, coffered ceilings, and curtained beds.

Belvedere Hotel, Mykonos, Greece

design Rockwell Group.

standout The Belvedere Suite features an intricately carved, 9½-foot-long custom rosewood screen that gives privacy to the sleeping area without completely closing it off.

FINALISTS: GUEST ROOM

Emperor, Beijing

design Graft.

standout This hotel's governing design concept—carving space from a mass—is carried into the rooms, where suggestions of Forbidden City rooflines are hand-painted or silk-screened onto walls.

Westin Hotel Guangzhou, China

design Wilson Associates.

standout The floor-to-ceiling sliding bathroom doors allow guests to view the room's LCD TV screen while relaxing in the tub.

Belvedere Hotel, Mykonos, Greece

design Rockwell Group.

standout Thoughtful use of the small space includes under-bed storage, retractable work and dining surfaces, and niches for service trolleys.

FINALISTS: FINE DINING

Royal China, Raffles Hotel, Singapore

design Ministry of Design.

standout At the center of the dining room, tables align beneath a nearly 20-foot-high vaulted ceiling.

Park Avenue, The Beekman, New York

design AvroKo.

standout Abstract references to the voyages of Captain James Cook change seasonally in the form of decorative elements, such as hand-cast tortoise shells, nautical-inspired knotted rope, and birch branches.

L2O Restaurant, Belden-Stratford Hotel, Chicago

design Dirk Denison Architects.

standout Japanese Sen-wood niches, an alcove lined in white onyx, and tatami rooms provide intimacy in the grand space.

Bourbon Steak, MGM Grand Detroit

design Super Potato.

standout Focal walls are composed of colored glass bottles surrounded by staggered reclaimed-wood beams.

FINALISTS: SPA

Ritz-Carlton Sharq Village & Spa, Doha, Qatar

design DiLeonardo International.

standout Authentic Qatari motifs—carved stone, courtyards, mosaic tile—are featured both inside and out at this lavish Arabian property.

Guerlain Spa, Regent Bal Harbour, Florida

design CMMI.

standout All treatment rooms have their own en-suite shower, dressing area, locker, and makeup station for a truly private experience.

Paz, Cabo Azul Resort & Spa, Los Cabos, Mexico

design Dodd Mitchell Design.

standout Parts of the undulating white-plaster ceiling are embedded with 85,000 pristine capiz shells, providing an overall feeling of peace and calm.