New AHEAD Awards to celebrate finest global hotel designs
A new global awards ceremony has been launched by design publication Sleeper to celebrate the best hotel and spa designs from around the world.
The Awards for Hospitality Experience and Design (AHEAD) replaces the European Hotel Design Awards and the Asia Hotel Design Awards, which are being consolidated into one competition with a more global outlook.
The new platform will also be expanded to cover hotel designs in the Americas and the Middle East and Africa. Regional winners will be announced at four annual awards ceremonies around the world, starting next year. In 2019, a Global Biennale will be held in which all the winners from the previous two years will go head-to-head to decide a worldwide winner in each design category.
Regional panels of judges – comprising hoteliers, architects, interior designers and industry commentators – will assess entries on their aesthetic excellence, guest experience and commercial viability.
The award categories are: Bar, Club & Lounge; Event Spaces; Guestrooms; Hotel Renovation & Restoration; Landscaping & Outdoor Spaces; Lobby & Public Spaces; Resort Hotel; Restaurant; Spa & Wellness; Suite; Urban Hotel – Conversion; Urban Hotel – Newbuild; Visual Identity of the Year; New Concept of the Year; Outstanding Contribution.
“We are delighted to be building on the success of our existing awards schemes with the global expansion of AHEAD," said awards director Matt Turner. “We look forward to celebrating the fabulous guest experiences that architects and designers create for owners, operators and developers in hotel projects across the world.”
The regional ceremonies will be held on the following dates:
• AHEAD Asia – 7 March 2017, The Capitol Theatre Singapore
• AHEAD Americas – 28 June 2017, PAMM (Pérez Art Museum Miami)
• AHEAD MEA – 15 November 2017, W Hotel Al Habtoor City Dubai
• AHEAD Europe – 20 November 2017, Park Plaza Westminster Bridge London
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