In a little less than a month, I’ll be heading back to Las Vegas for the Annual HD Expo. One of my favorite events at this annual gathering of hospitality design professionals and FF&E vendors is the Radical Innovation in Hospitality competition. In the past, I’ve had the pleasure of touring and interviewing many of the radical designs for hotel rooms put forth by designers from top firms and start-ups alike.
Today, organizers of the show announced the finalists for this year’s competition. Designers will compete to win the audience vote and a $10,000 grand prize. These avant garde thinkers will have their project entries showcased on display boards at HD Expo, taking place at the Sands Expo & Convention Center, May 15-17. Three juried finalists and one student winner will receive roundtrip air travel and hotel accommodations. The three finalists will present their entry to the HD Conference audience in the 2012 awards show, hosted by HGTV’s Vern Yip.
This year’s finalists include:
Koi
Veronique, Marc, Alexandre, Nicolas, and Maximilien Mussche
Company: MM Planners
Nanterre, France
MORPHotel
Gianluca Santosuosso
Cantalupa, Italy
The Merlion
Tatzu Nishi
Company: Arataniurano
Company based out of Tokyo, Japan; Nishi lives in both Berlin and Japan
REN Resorts (Student Winner)
Miles McMullin
Cornell University School of Hotel Administration
Ithaca, N.Y.
Co-founded and produced by The John Hardy Group (JHG) and Hospitality Design Group (HD Group), the Radical Innovation in Hospitality Award is the only global hospitality development competition that promotes innovation and thought-leadership in hospitality. Each entry must be truly innovative and offer the hospitality market something that either does not exist or is not widely available. The designs can be built or unbuilt but must include guestrooms/suites and lobby/public areas (food and beverage facilities and other amenities optional).