IHMRS Announces Finalists For 30th Annual Gold Key Awards

WHITE PLAINS, NY -- The International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show® (IHMRS) has named finalists for the 30th annual Gold Key Awards for Excellence in Hospitality Design, an honor presented annually to design firms representing the most innovative hospitality properties completed or renovated within the past 18 months. Finalists were selected by a panel of notable industry experts from 180 projects in 19 countries.

Winners and finalists will be honored at the Gold Key Awards Breakfast Ceremony on Monday, November 15, 2010, 7:30 - 9:30 am, at the Mandarin Oriental New York. The Awards are sponsored by Interior Design and HOTELS magazines and coincide with the 95th annual IHMRS, taking place November 13-16, 2010, at New York City's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

The 30th annual Gold Key Awards finalists are:

Best Hotel Design - Resort

• Alila Villas Uluwatu (Bali, Indonesia) by WOHA (Singapore)
• Estancia Vik José Ignacio (José Ignacio, Uruguay) by Alex and Carrie Vik & Marcelo Daglio Associates (Uruguay)
• Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort (United Arab Emirates) by HBA/Hirsch Bedner Associates (Atlanta, GA

Best Hotel Design - Urban

• Park Hyatt Macka Palas (Istanbul, Turkey) by GKV Architects, PC (New York, NY)
• The Surrey (New York, NY) by Rottet Studio (Houston, TX)
• The Waterhouse at South Bund (Shanghai, China) by NHDRO Neri&Hu Design and Research Office (Shanghai, China)

Guest Room

• Hotel Indigo Athens (Athens, GA) by Ellen Hanson Designs & Rialto Property Partners (New York, NY)
• Park Hyatt Macka Palas (Istanbul, Turkey) by GKV Architects, PC (New York, NY)
• The Peninsula Shanghai (Shanghai, China) by Pierre-Yves Rochon (Chicago, IL)

Lobby/Reception

• Elysian (Chicago, IL) by Simeone Deary Design Group (Chicago, IL)
• Grand Hyatt Shenzhen Hotel (Shenzhen, China) by Wilson Associates (Dallas, TX)
• The Surrey (New York, NY) by Rottet Studio (Houston, TX)

Lounge/Bar

• Bar Pleiades (New York, NY) by Rottet Studio (Houston, TX)
• Bar Seven Five (New York, NY) by Rockwell Group (New York, NY)
• Le Meridien Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA) by Forchielli Glynn LLC (Los Angeles, CA) and Starwood Hotels & Resorts (New York, NY)

Restaurants - Casual Dining

• BEI-Asian Restaurant (Beijing, China) by NHDRO Neri&Hu Design and Research Office (Shanghai, China)
• City Center's Aria Pool Deck, Restaurant and Bar (Las Vegas, NV) by GRAFT (Los Angeles, CA
• Kenting Tea House (Hong Kong, China) by Beige Design Ltd. (Hong Kong, China)

Restaurants - Fine Dining

• Oru Restaurant (Vancouver, BC) by mgb ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN Inc. (North Vancouver, BC)
• Terzo Piano (Chicago, IL) by Dirk Denison Architects (Chicago, IL)
• The Wright (New York, NY) by Andre Kikoski Architect (New York, NY)
• Zylo Restaurant at the W Hotel (Hoboken, NJ) by Bentel & Bentel Architects (Locust Valley, NY)

Spa

• Four Seasons Seychelles (Mahe, Seychelles) by HBA/Hirsch Bedner Associates (Singapore)

Suite

• Four Seasons Seychelles (Mahe, Seychelles) by HBA/Hirsch Bedner Associates (Singapore)
• The Surrey (New York, NY) by Rottet Studio (Houston, TX)
• W Hotel (Boston, MA) by Bentel & Bentel Architects (Locust Valley, NY)

Countries and territories represented among the 180 submissions were Canada, China, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Istanbul, Korea, Mexico, Russia, Seychelles, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United States and Uruguay.

Judges for the 2010 Gold Key Awards were Siobhan Barry, Partner, ICRAVE; Hervé Houdré, General Manager, InterContinental New York Barclay; and D.B. Kim, Associate Principal, Pierre-Yves Rochon. Finalists were selected based on aesthetic appeal, practicality and functionality of design.

During the breakfast ceremony, NEWH, Inc., the Hospitality Industry Network, will present its sixth Icon of Industry Award to Judy Dobin of Valley Forge Fabrics. A $5,000 scholarship in Judy's name will be awarded to a student focusing on a career in the hospitality industry.

Tickets for the Gold Key Awards Breakfast are $75 each, and available online at www.ihmrs.com, or by sending a check, payable to the International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show, to IHMRS Gold Key Awards, Attention Rachel Veach, GLM, 1133 Westchester Avenue, White Plains, NY 10604-3547. The purchase of a Gold Key Awards Breakfast ticket includes complimentary admission to the IHMRS. For additional information, contact Rachel Veach at (914) 421-3221 or rveach@glmshows.com. Complimentary shuttle transportation will be provided to the International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show following the ceremony.

The 95th annual International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show will run Saturday, November 13, through Tuesday, November 16, 2010, at New York City's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. Following a full-day of conference and networking activities on Saturday, November 13, the IHMRS will feature three full days of exhibits from Sunday, November 14, through Tuesday, November 16. The market presents more than 700 hospitality industry suppliers and attracts approximately 30,000 in total trade attendance.