Get A Room!

Mayer Rus -- Interior Design, 1/1/2001 12:00:00 AM

IN RESPONSE TO THE BOOMING hospitality market and the flood of innovation it has spawned, Interior Design has decided to create an annual competition to recognize and assess the state of the art of hotel design. The awards program encompasses every aspect of the hospitality design industry, from lavish resorts and spas to new building projects and elaborate renovations of existing properties. As one might expect, the response was phenomenal. Entries poured in from across the country and, indeed, the world. These submissions were vetted by a blue-ribbon panel that included such esteemed cognoscenti as architect Joel Sanders, director of the graduate program, department of architecture at Parsons School of Design; Caroline Haberfeld, vice president and editor-in-chief of Tripology.com; Eve-Lynn Schoenstein, principal of New York-based David Schefer Design; and William Sofield, principal of Studio Sofield and all-around arbiter elegantiarum.

The jury's choices were not easy, and at times the deliberations became decidedly heated. But in the end, no blood was shed and the judges remained friends (or at least cordial). The following pages illustrate the complexity and contradiction-to say nothing of the majesty-of hospitality design today. From a luxurious resort in Uruguay to an erstwhile junkie shooting gallery in Austin worthy of Larry Clark (or maybe Robert Downey, Jr.), the winners truly represent the best in their field. Kudos to all.