Welcome to the Winner's Circle

Anna Watson -- Interior Design, 10/1/2009 12:00:00 AM

Travel is all about escape, a chance to leave the humdrum of daily routine behind to experience the thrill of something new. And design is a key part of that process. Whether reserved or exuberant, a well executed hotel or restaurant allows visitors to live for a moment in a fantasy—somebody else's or their own.

The 29th annual Gold Key Award for Excellence in Hospitality Design, presented by the International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show, honors properties built or renovated in the past 18 months. This year's judges—Gerner Kronick + Valcarcel, Architects, principal Randy Gerner, designer D.B. Kim, Crowne Plaza Time Square general manager Michael Silberstein, and the Baum + Whiteman restaurant consultancy's Michael Whiteman—chose finalists in nine categories from an impressive total of 225 submissions. Interior Design and Hotels magazines announce the winners at a breakfast on November 9 at the Mandarin Oriental, New York. One result, however, came out first: Alexandra Champalimaud, president and principal of Champalimaud, was voted the Gold Key designer of the year. Read on to learn about the finalists.

Janson Goldstein

project Andaz West Hollywood.

standout The party-hearty "Riot Hyatt" from the 1970's has grown up and discovered its inner artist, with an 11-foot-high sculpture of hand-painted aluminum disks strung on steel cables in the hotel's restaurant.

Anderson/Miller

project InterContinental Chicago O'Hare, Rosemont, Illinois.

standout If the white oak and earthy limestone don't reestablish frazzled travelers' serenity, the bathrooms' freestanding soaking tubs and separate steam rooms certainly will.

Yabu Pushelberg

project Las Alcobas, Mexico City.

standout A seven-story rosewood staircase spirals upward above a reflecting pool to reach guest rooms accented by iron gates.

Baia and Henriksen Design Associates

project Mandarin Oriental Riviera Maya, Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

standout Subtropical lushness envelops guest and spa villas that boast bamboo flooring, limestone focal walls, and private gardens.

Ricky Wong Designers

project Courtyard House on Hillside, Hong Kong.

standout The island's frenetic pace slows to a leisurely stroll beneath a textured ceiling and oversize pendant domes.

BaMo

project Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora, French Polynesia.

standout Thatched bungalows with decks stand on stilts above private plunge pools and the stunning South Seas.

AB Concept

project Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel, Taipei, Taiwan.

standout The soaring gold-accented lobby, impressive in its sheer grandeur, centers on a sculpture inspired by the aesthetic of the Sung dynasty.

Architrave Design & Planning

project Banyan Tree Mayakoba, Mexico.

standout The in-house design division of Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts planted the company's namesake tree on an island surrounded by the reflecting pool in the open-air lobby, which blends Mayan and Asian influences.

Yabu Pushelberg

project Smyth, New York.

standout In an otherwise understated ceramic-tiled elevator lobby, a backlit vitrine offers a touch of kitsch in the form of vintage alarm clocks.

Burdifilek

project Living Room.

standout A double-height water feature, an onyx-lined reflecting pool, and a 10,000-piece polished-aluminum mobile create fodder for cocktail conversations at the W Atlanta—Downtown's nighttime hangout.

Marcel Wanders Studio

project Mondrian South Beach Hotel Residences, Miami Beach.

standout Spindle-shape columns and crystal chandeliers housed in giant gold-leafed bells are straight out of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

NHDRO (Neri & Hu Design and Research Office)

project Punk, Beijing.

standout Inside the punched-out metal walls of the Opposite House hotel's subterranean club, local and international DJs spin into the wee hours, and bare bulbs hang from cords of different lengths.

AB Concept

project Jen Café, Hong Kong.

standout At the Hotel Jen, the ceiling's painted aluminum latticework and a wall's floating lacquered boxes establish a geometric theme, while vinyl-upholstered daybeds offer an atypical buffet experience.

Core Architecture + Design

project Founding Farmers, Washington.

standout Certified LEED Gold, this restaurant serves up flooring made from reclaimed barn lumber as well as wagon-wheel pendant fixtures fitted with LEDs.

Joey Ho Design

project Shiki, Shenzhen, China.

standout Wooden flower cutouts covered in Japanese paper are splashed across partitions that peel down playfully from the ceiling.

Dreamtime Australia Design

project Steel Bar & Grill, Sydney.

standout A terrace paved in white onyx wraps around an urban setting with a 3,000-bottle wine wall, lantern-lit communal tables, and tables-for-two with bases that glow.

Stephanie Goto Design Group

project Corton, New York.

standout Opulent touches accent Corton's crisp white dining room—from mohair upholstery to walls stenciled with gold leaf and the delicate brass rods of a fiber-optic ceiling fixture.

NHDRO (Neri & Hu Design and Research Office)

project Beijing Whampoa Club.

standout In a traditional brick courtyard house, lattice walls and birdcage lamps create a feast for the senses.

Agence Andrée Putman

project Morgans, New York.

standout Part of an update of Andrée Putman's 1994 renovation, the suite's brushed aluminum and white plastic now pay tribute to the cinematic world of Michelangelo Antonioni.

BaMo

project Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora, French Polynesia.

standout Teak furniture and Polynesian art give a local feel to bungalows over the water, while the marble-lined bathrooms remind guests they're at a Four Seasons.

Issi ID Studio

project @ Gallery Suites, Shanghai.

standout Oversize artwork and maximalist patterns bring Western flair to Eastern architectural details.

Studio Sofield

project Tribeca Grand Hotel, New York.

standout The newest penthouse suite offers 1,400 square feet of muted opulence, with walls clad in tiger onyx and lamps made from Buddhist temple ornaments.

Stylt Trampoli

project Lydmar Hotel, Stockholm.

standout Turn-of-the-last-century crown molding, parquet flooring, and arched windows mix with stylishly contemporary and modern furnishings to produce the intimate feel of a guesthouse.

Clodagh

project Miraval Tucson.

standout With views of the Santa Catalina Mountains and interiors awash in earth tones, rooms suggest sustainability, tranquillity, and balance.

Marcel Wanders Studio

project Mondrian South Beach Hotel Residences, Miami Beach.

standout Chandeliers in the shower and anime-style women's faces painted on bedroom walls make for pure theater.

HBA/Hirsch Bedner Associates

project Espa at the Europe Hotel & Resort, Killarney, Ireland.

standout Inspired by County Kerry's rugged beauty, this spa has a swimming pool that overlooks the waters of Lough Lein.

Champalimaud

project Peninsula Spa by Espa, New York.

standout This spa-in-the-sky—on the 21st floor of the hotel of the same name—offers 12 treatment rooms, each with personalized sound and lighting, as well as a glass-enclosed swimming pool with panoramic city views.

Richardson Sadeki

project Lapis, Miami Beach.

standout At the newly renovated Fontainebleau Miami Beach, water treated with seaweed extract and minerals fills a lap pool surrounded by chaise longues in Turkish marble, warmed to body temperature.

BaMo

project Spa at the Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora, French Polynesia.

standout With open-air treatment rooms and a 100-foot-high atrium, the spa blends surprisingly well into a pine grove.

RTKL Associates

project Eau Spa, Manalapan, Florida.

standout A cascade for guests to sit beneath and the stainless-steel seats swinging over a shallow pool offer proof positive that the spa at the Ritz-Carlton, Palm Beach, is truly dedicated to the relaxing qualities of water.