Haute hotels
Presenting winners of the Asia Hotel Design Awards 2016.
THE nominees ranged from a hotel that blended culture and sophistication in the heart of Beijing to a luxury resort amidst lush padi fields in Cambodia and a boutique hotel that retained the rich heritage and history of its premises.
The Asia Hotel Design Awards ( AHDA) 2016 received over 130 entries from 60 projects in 12 different countries across Asia and the Pacific. In the end, two hotels dominated the ceremony, bagging almost all the awards between them.
The awards ceremony was held on March 10 at Singapore’s The South Beach, a hotel by renowned French designer Philippe Starck.
Organised by Sleeper magazine, an international publication for hotel design, development and architecture, the awards marked its second edition this year.
The coveted title of Asia Hotel Design of the Year went to Phum Baitang, a luxury resort located near Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Designed by Paris- based architecture and interior design firm AW2, Phum Baitang, or “green village”, is situated amidst 3ha of verdant gardens and padi fields. Its 45 wooden villas on stilts are heavily influenced by traditional Cambodian design, with 25 villas having private terraces and the rest incorporating private plunge pools.
The AHDA also gave out the Outstanding Contribution Award, an honour which went to Adrian Zecha, Indonesian hotelier and founder of Amanresorts.
“The quality and diversity of the nominated projects is a real testament to the creativity and professionalism of the designers and architects involved, and all those who were shortlisted can be proud of their achievement,” said Matt Turner, Sleeper magazine editor- in- chief, in commenting on the awards.
“The winning projects were a stunning showcase of the best hotel designs in Asia over the past 12 months. We were also honoured to be able to acknowledge Adrian Zecha’s outstanding contribution to the industry over the past five decades,” he said.
Phum Baitang also won Best Architecture under the Resort category, beating three other resorts: Alila Seminyak in Bali, Indonesia; The Pavilions Himalayas in Pokhara, Nepal; and The Ritz- Carlton Sawangan, also in Bali.
Meanwhile, The Old Clare Hotel in Sydney, Australia, won Best Architecture in the Urban category, beating strong contenders like Hotel Vagabond in Singapore, The South Beach also in Singapore, and The Temple House in Chengdu, China.
Designed by Australian architecture firm Tonkin Zulaikha Greer, The Old Clare Hotel stretches across two heritage- listed buildings, The Clare Hotel pub and the Carlton & United Breweries Administration Building.
The 62- room boutique hotel, situated along Kensington Street in the suburb of Chippendale, is the first Australian hotel from the unconventional Unlisted Collection.
The Unlisted Collection is a group of unique boutique hotel properties and restaurants in Singapore, London, Shanghai and Sydney. Its hotels are located within heritage buildings that have been restored and re- adapted for modern, contemporary concepts.
On these pages are the winners for best interior designs in various categories.