The Midas Touch

These designers worked their magic at hotels and restaurants around the world

Sheila Kim-Jamet -- Interior Design, 10/1/2005 12:00:00 AM

For the silver anniversary of the Gold Key Awards for Excellence in Hospitality Design—presented by the International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show—a jury composed of interior designer Karen Daroff, architect David Ling, Tocqueville restaurant owner Jo-Ann Makovitzky, and Mandarin Oriental hotel general manager Rudy Tauscher pored over 170 entries to select 23 projects as finalists. On November 15, winners will be announced at the Mandarin Oriental, at a breakfast sponsored by Interior Design and Hotels. The Designer of the Year has already been announced: It's the in-house teams at Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.

Finalists: Casual dining

Finalists: Bar/lounge

Finalists: Fine dining

Finalists: Lobby/reception

Finalists: Guest room

Finalists: Suite

Finalists: Spa

Finalists: Hotel

Shibuya, Las Vegas

DESIGN: Yabu Pushelberg.

STANDOUT: The sushi bar's focal wall of mirrored acrylic cubes changes color constantly, thanks to 18 TV sets installed behind the cubes.

Tides, New York

DESIGN: Lewis.Tsurumaki.Lewis.

STANDOUT: The topography of the ceiling is composed of 120,000 bamboo skewers.

Fluff Bakery, New York

DESIGN: Lewis.Tsurumaki.Lewis.

STANDOUT: The wrapping's horizontal strips resemble a computer's motherboard.

Whiskey Blue, Los Angeles

DESIGN: Yabu Pushelberg.

STANDOUT: Warm colors and cool lines add up to a laid-back atmosphere.

Woo Bar, Seoul, South Korea

DESIGN: Studio Gaia.

STANDOUT: The pod chairs and the spherical stainless-steel DJ booth bring Stanley Kubrick to the W Seoul Walkerhill hotel.

Wunder Bar, Montreal

DESIGN: W Design Group.

STANDOUT: The VIP area's Barrisol ceiling and purple palette make waves at the W Montreal.

Café Gray, New York

DESIGN: Rockwell Group.

STANDOUT: Etched-glass panels for the storefront and entry hallway and mirror tiles for walls and columns reflect the Central Park view.

Maimon Wine & Grill, Tokyo

DESIGN: Yabu Pushelberg.

STANDOUT: When screens' blackened-steel strips emulate seaweed, nothing is lost in translation.

Modern, New York

DESIGN: Bentel & Bentel.

STANDOUT: Running down one side of the bar zone, a freestanding 2,200-bottle wine rack lends sculpturality to the Museum of Modern Art.

Westin Governor Morris, Morristown, New Jersey

DESIGN: Powerstrip Studio and Westin Design Team/Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.

STANDOUT: Here's proof that a lofty setting can still be welcoming.

W Seoul Walkerhill, South Korea

DESIGN: Studio Gaia.

STANDOUT: Encircling clusters of egg-shape Tato ottomans, the leather-covered banquette creates a grown-up playpen.

Hard Rock Hotel, Chicago

DESIGN: Yabu Pushelberg.

STANDOUT: Groovy swirls meet bar-code stripes.

W Seoul Walkerhill, South Korea

DESIGN: Studio Gaia.

STANDOUT: The round beds, chairs, and bathrooms are definitely feeling groovy.

Hilton Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

DESIGN: Wilson & Associates.

STANDOUT: Sliding glass doors open the luxurious bath to the bedroom.

Hotel Vitale, San Francisco

DESIGN: McCartan.

STANDOUT: Topsy-turvy lamps and tabletops filled with glass pebbles bring quiet whimsy to every room.

MGM Grand, Las Vegas

DESIGN: Tonychi and Associates.

STANDOUT: The 51 Skylofts offer high-end residential details, such as eel-skin upholstery, and a shower that fits six.

Langham Hotel, London

DESIGN: RPW Design.

STANDOUT: The Infinity Suite interprets contemporary opulence in polished stone, mahogany, silk taffeta, and velvet.

W Montreal

DESIGN: W Design Group.

STANDOUT: Bathrooms feature sunken tubs, and 20-foot-high windows overlook Victoria Square.

Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas

DESIGN: Richardson Sadeki.

STANDOUT: The Bathhouse Spa's walls of black Brazilian slate transform bathing into a grottolike experience.

Inn at Palmetto Bluff, Bluffton, South Carolina

DESIGN: Wilson & Associates.

STANDOUT: Screened porches blur boundaries between the bath and a picturesque pond. Õe;

East Hotel, Hamburg, Germany

DESIGN: Jordan Mozer & Associates.

STANDOUT: The hotel, a former foundry, houses a restaurant where 35-foot-high plaster pillars and walls feature dramatic sculpted surfaces.

Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace, Budapest

DESIGN: Formanyelv and Richmond International.

STANDOUT: A 43-foot-high restored cupola shelters the palatial lobby, with its 500-pound glass chandelier and marble mosaic floor.

W Seoul Walkerhill, South Korea

DESIGN: Studio Gaia.

STANDOUT: Luxury, comfort, and a high-concept outlook extend from the public spaces to the guest rooms.