International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show Announces Gold Key Award Finalists

Roger Thomas, executive vice president of design for Wynn Design and Development, is Designer of the Year.

by Mairi Beautyman -- Interior Design, 8/27/2008

Who is behind the most recent batch of design-savvy hospitality destinations? The International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show (IH/M&RS) has named 27 properties finalists in its 28th annual Gold Key Awards for Excellence in Hospitality Design, sponsored in part by Interior Design. Finalists will be highlighted in the October issue of Interior Design.

To be eligible for the competition, projects must be completed or renovated within the past 18 months.

IH/M&RS has also named Roger Thomas, executive vice president of design for Wynn Design and Development, Designer of the Year; and NEWH, the Hospitality Industry Network has selected Roger Milliken, chairman of Milliken & Company, to receive its Icon of Industry Award.

Winners and finalists will be feted at the Gold Key Awards Breakfast Ceremony on Monday, November 10, hosted by Interior Design editor-in-chief Cindy Allen and Jeff Weinstein, editor-in-chief of Hotels. Held at New York's Mandarin Oriental Hotel, the breakfast takes place in conjunction with the 93rd annual IH/M&RS, which will run November 8-11 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

Tickets for the breakfast ($75 each) can be purchased online.

A complete list of Gold Key Awards finalists is below.

Best Hotel Design

• Alexandra Champalimaud & Associates (New York) for The Liberty Hotel (Boston)
• DiLeonardo International (Warwick, Rhode Island) for the Ritz-Carlton Sharq Village & Spa (Dohar, Qatar)
• Graft (Los Angeles) for The Emperor (Beijing)
• The Rockwell Group (New York) for The Belvedere Hotel (Mykonos, Greece)

• Graft (Los Angeles) for The Emperor (Beijing, China)
• The Rockwell Group (New York) for the Belvedere Hotel (Mykonos, Greece)
• Wilson Associates (Dallas) for Westin Hotel Guangzhou (Guangzhou, China)

• Alexandra Champalimaud & Associates (New York) for the Liberty Hotel (Boston)
• Jordan Mozer & Associates, Ltd. (Chicago) for Renaissance Hotel (New York)
• TVS Interiors (Atlanta, Georgia) for Hyatt Regency O'Hare (Rosemont, IL)

• Dreamtime Australia Design (Rushcutters Bay, Australia) for the Argyle Bar (Sydney, Australia)
• Esyn Design (Chicago) for Underground: Chicago (Chicago)
• SBE (Los Angeles) for Sbar (Los Angeles)

• CCS Architecture (San Francisco) for Townline BBQ (Sagaponack)
• Clodagh Design (New York) for Landmarc, Time Warner Building (New York)
• The Rockwell Group (New York) for Dos Caminos (Las Vegas)
• The Rockwell Group (New York) for Wildwood BBQ (New York)

• AvroKO (New York) for Park Avenue (New York)
• Dirk Denison Architects (Chicago) for L2O (Chicago)
• Ministry of Design (Singapore) for Royal China (Singapore)
• SUPERPOTATO (Tokyo) for Bourbon Steak at MGM Grand Detroit (Detroit)

• CMMI (Atlanta, Georgia) for Guerlain Spa at The Regent Bal Harbour (Bal Harbour, Florida)
• DiLeonardo International (Warwick, Rhode Island) for The Ritz-Carlton Sharq Village & Spa (Doha, Qatar)
• Dodd Mitchell Design (Los Angeles) for Paz Spa - Cabo Azul Resort and Spa (Los Cabos, Mexico)

• Powerstrip Studio (Los Angeles) for Ivy Hotel San Diego (San Diego, California) 
• The Rockwell Group (New York) for The Belvedere Hotel (Mykonos, Greece)
• Wilson Associates (Dallas) for The St. Regis Singapore (Singapore)

From top: The Paz Spa - Cabo Azul Resort and Spa by Dodd Mitchell Design; the Belvedere Hotel by the Rockwell Group.