The 21c Museum Hotel St. Louis received the 2023 Judges’ So Cool award for the eight-foot spherical orb by Serkan Özkaya installed in its lobby

Winner have been announced for the 43rd Gold Key Awards for Excellence in Hospitality Design, the industry’s oldest awards program for hospitality interiors, sponsored by Boutique Design magazine. The 2023 Gold Key judges selected these standout projects from a competitive field of more than 400 submissions from design firms and hospitality brands around the globe.

Winners in 22 categories, as well as the Judges’ So Cool award winner and the Design Firm of the Year, were revealed during a ceremony on November 13th at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York, held in conjunction with BDNY. In addition, Boutique Design’s 2023 Boutique 18 class and Up-and-Coming Hoteliers of the year were honored.

The 2023 Gold Key winners and finalists are:

ECO-CONSCIOUS HOTEL

Sendero – WINNER
Design Firm: Cola Blanca, San Jose, Costa Rica
Architecture Firm: LOOP Design Studio, San Jose, Costa Rica
Purchasing: J53 LLC
Client: Sendero

1 Hotel San Francisco – FINALIST
Design Firms: NICOLEHOLLIS, San Francisco, and Dawson Design Associates, Seattle, in collaboration with the SH Hotels & Resorts internal design team
Architecture Firm: Rossi Architecture, San Diego
Purchasing: Bray Whaler
Client: Pebblebrook Hotel Trust

 

LOBBY FOCUSED SERVICE

The Darwin Hotel, Atlanta – WINNER
Design and Architecture Firm: C+TC Design Studio, Atlanta
Purchasing: Beyer Brown & Associates
Client: Hospitality Ventures Management Group, Inc.

Hotel Avante, Mountain View, California – FINALIST
Design and Architecture Firm: BHDM Design, New York
Client: JDV by Hyatt

 

LOBBY MIDSCALE

High Country Motor Lodge, Flagstaff, Arizona – WINNER
Design Firm: Adean Studios, San Francisco
Architecture Firm: Synectic Design, Tempe, Arizona
Purchasing: Direct Consulting & Purchasing
Client: Marc & Rose Hospitality (formerly Classic Hotels & Resorts)

Bluebird Lake Placid, New York – FINALIST
Design Firm and Purchasing: Elder & Ash, Amesbury, Massachusetts
Architecture Firm: AJA Architecture and Planning, Glens Falls, New York
Client: Lark Hotels

 

LOBBY UPSCALE

The Manchester, Lexington, Kentucky – WINNER
Design Firm: Jenny Bukovec Design & Creative, New York
Architecture Firm: EOP Architects, Lexington, Kentucky
Purchasing: The Parker Company and Riad L’Atelier Marrakech
Clients: Hank Morris and Nik Feldman

21c Museum Hotel St. Louis – FINALIST
Design Firm: Hufft, Kansas City, Missouri
Architecture Firm: Perfido Weiskopf Wagstaff + Goettel, Pittsburgh
Purchasing: Benjamin West
Client: 21c Museum Hotels

Ace Hotel Toronto – FINALIST
Design and Architecture Firms: Shim-Sutcliffe Architects, Toronto, and Atelier Ace, New York
Purchasing: Benjamin West
Client: Atelier Ace

The Countrypolitan, Nashville – FINALIST
Design Firm: Studio 11 Design, Dallas
Architecture Firm: Delawie, San Diego
Purchasing: Bray Whaler
Client: JMI Realty

 

LOBBY LUXURY

Capella Sydney, Australia – WINNER
Design Firm: BAR Studio, Melbourne
Architecture Firms: Make Architects (design architect) and Webber Architects (executive architect), Sydney
Client: Pontiac Land Group

The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne – FINALIST
Design Firms: BAR Studio, Melbourne, and Layan (Atria restaurant), Cremorne, Australia
Architecture Firm: Cottee Parker, Melbourne
Client: Far East Consortium

 

GUESTROOM FOCUSED SERVICE

Mello, Holmes Beach, Florida – WINNER
Design Firm: Studio J & Co, Miami Beach, Florida
Architecture Firm: Create+Co, Tampa, Florida
Purchasing: Mainsail Lodging & Development
Client: Dahl Investments

The Darwin Hotel, Atlanta – FINALIST
Design and Architecture Firm: C+TC Design Studio, Atlanta
Purchasing: Beyer Brown & Associates
Client: Hospitality Ventures Management Group, Inc.

 

GUESTROOM MIDSCALE

Wayfinder Waikiki, Honolulu – WINNER
Design Firm: The Vanguard Theory
Architecture Firm: WORKSHOP-HI, Honolulu
Purchasing: Summa International
Client: Dovetail + Co.

Central Hotel Macau – FINALIST
Design Firm: CCD/Cheng Chung Design (HK) Ltd., Shenzhen, China
Architecture Firm: JPC Architectural Consultancy Limited, Macau
Purchasing: Let Go Construction & Engineering Company Limited
Client: New Central Developments Company Limited

Hotel Hartness, Greenville, South Carolina – FINALIST
Design Firm: Sims Patrick Studio, Atlanta
Architecture Firm: C+TC Design Studio, Atlanta
Purchasing: ADM Associates
Client: Hartness Holdings, Inc.

Sea Ranch Lodge, Sea Ranch, California – FINALIST
Design Firm: NICOLEHOLLIS
Purchasing: Canoe Hospitality

 

GUESTROOM UPSCALE

The Manchester, Lexington, Kentucky – WINNER
Design Firm: Jenny Bukovec Design & Creative, New York
Architecture Firm: EOP Architects, Lexington, Kentucky
Purchasing: The Parker Company
Clients: Hank Morris and Nik Feldman

21c Museum Hotel St. Louis – FINALIST
Design Firm: Bill Rooney Studio, New York
Architecture Firm: Perfido Weiskopf Wagstaff + Goettel, Pittsburgh
Purchasing: Benjamin West
Client: 21c Museum Hotels

Mayfair House Hotel & Garden, Miami – FINALIST
Design Firm: Goodrich, New York
Architecture Firm: DN’A Design & Architecture, Miami
Purchasing: Beyer Brown
Client: Brookfield Properties

 

GUESTROOM LUXURY

Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet, Turkey – WINNER
Design Firm: Goddard Littlefair, London
Architecture Firm and Client: Astay, Levant, Istanbul

The Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad – FINALIST
Design Firm: SUSURRUS International, Key Biscayne, Florida
Architecture Firm: Rafael Viñoly Architects, New York
Purchasing: The Parker Company
Client: Flag Luxury Group

The St. Regis Kanai Resort, Riviera Maya, Mexico – FINALIST
Design Firm: Chapi Chapo Design, Toronto
Architecture Firm: Edmonds International, Mexico City
Client and Purchasing: Grupo Alhel

 

HOTEL FOCUSED SERVICE

The Darwin Hotel, Atlanta – WINNER
Design and Architecture Firm: C+TC Design Studio, Atlanta
Purchasing: Beyer Brown & Associates
Client: Hospitality Ventures Management Group, Inc.

The Incline Lodge, Incline Village, Nevada – FINALIST
Design and Architecture Firm: OneStudio D+A, Reno, Nevada
Purchasing: Project Dynamics, Inc.
Client: Ali and Natasha Warner

 

HOTEL MIDSCALE

Moxy NYC Lower East Side – WINNER
Design Firms: Michaelis Boyd and Rockwell Group, New York
Architecture Firm: Stonehill Taylor, New York
Purchasing: HPG International
Client: Lightstone

Blind Tiger Burlington, Vermont – FINALIST
Design Firm: Elder & Ash, Amesbury, Massachusetts
Client: Lark Hotels

High Country Motor Lodge, Flagstaff, Arizona – FINALIST
Design Firm: Adean Studios, San Francisco
Architecture Firm: Synectic Design, Tempe, Arizona
Purchasing: Direct Consulting & Purchasing
Client: Marc & Rose Hospitality (formerly Classic Hotels & Resorts)

 

HOTEL UPSCALE

The Manchester, Lexington, Kentucky – WINNER
Design Firm: Jenny Bukovec Design & Creative, New York
Architecture Firm: EOP Architects, Lexington, Kentucky
Purchasing: The Parker Company and Riad L’Atelier Marrakech
Clients: Hank Morris and Nik Feldman

21c Museum Hotel St. Louis – FINALIST
Design Firm: Hufft, Kansas City, Missouri; and Bill Rooney Studio, New York
Architecture Firm: Perfido Weiskopf Wagstaff + Goettel, Pittsburgh
Purchasing: Benjamin West
Client: 21c Museum Hotels

Ace Hotel Toronto – FINALIST
Design and Architecture Firms: Shim-Sutcliffe Architects, Toronto, and Atelier Ace, New York
Purchasing: Benjamin West
Client: Atelier Ace

Faraway Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts – FINALIST
Design and Architecture Firm: Workshop/APD, New York
Purchasing: The Ness Group
Client: Blue Flag Partners

The Royal Hotel, Picton, Ontario, Canada – FINALIST
Design and Architecture Firm: Giannone Petricone Associates, Toronto
Purchasing: P360 Concepts Inc.
Client: 247 Main Street Picton LP

 

HOTEL LUXURY

The Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad – WINNER
Design Firms: Lázaro Rosa-Violan, Barcelona (lobby lounge and bar and the Bazaar); SUSURRUS International, Key Biscayne, Florida (guestrooms); Martin Brudnizki Design Studio, New York (Nubeluz); and Rockwell Group, New York (Zaytinya)
Architecture Firm: Rafael Viñoly Architects, New York
Purchasing: The Parker Company
Client: Flag Luxury Group

Capella Sydney – FINALIST
Design Firm: BAR Studio, Melbourne
Architecture Firms: Make Architects (design architect) and Webber Architects (executive architect), Sydney
Client: Pontiac Land Group

Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet, Turkey – FINALIST
Design Firm: Goddard Littlefair, London
Architecture Firm and Client: Astay, Levant, Istanbul

 

SUITES

Kona Village, a Rosewood Resort, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – WINNER
Design Firm: NICOLEHOLLIS, San Francisco
Architecture Firm: Walker Warner Architects, San Francisco; and Delawie, San Diego (architect of record)
Purchasing: Summa International
Client: Kennedy Wilson

Capella Sydney – FINALIST
Design Firm: BAR Studio, Melbourne
Architecture Firms: Make Architects (design architect) and Webber Architects (executive architect), Sydney
Client: Pontiac Land Group

Ikos Porto Petro, Illes Balears, Spain – FINALIST
Design and Architecture Firm: GRONDA, Madrid
Client and Purchasing: Ikos Resorts

The Standard, Bangkok Mahanakhon, Thailand – FINALIST
Design Firms: The Standard in-house design team, New York; and Hayon Studio, Valencia, Spain
Architect: Buro Ole Scheeren, Hong Kong
Purchasing and Client: King Power

 

RESORT

The St. Regis Kanai Resort, Riviera Maya, Mexico – WINNER
Design Firm: Chapi Chapo Design, Toronto
Architecture Firm: Edmonds International, Mexico City
Client and Purchasing: Grupo Alhel

Kona Village, a Rosewood Resort, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – FINALIST
Design Firm: NICOLEHOLLIS, San Francisco
Architecture Firm: Walker Warner Architects, San Francisco; and Delawie, San Diego (architect of record)
Purchasing: Summa International
Client: Kennedy Wilson

Wildflower Farms, Auberge Resorts Collection, Gardiner, New York – FINALIST
Design Firm: Ward and Gray, New York
Architecture Firm: Electric Bowery, Venice, California
Purchasing: Waivada Consulting
Client: Auberge Resorts Collection

 

SENIOR LIVING

Coterie Hudson Yards, New York – WINNER
Design Firm: MAWD, New York
Architecture Firm: Handel Architects, New York
Client: Related Companies

The Apsley, New York – FINALIST
Design Firm: Champalimaud Design, New York
Architecture Firm: SLCE Architects, New York
Purchasing: Inhouse Purchasing
Client: Hines

The Watermark at West Palm Beach, Florida – FINALIST
Design Firm: Lemay_id, New York
Architecture Firm: MSA Architect, Miami
Client: Watermark Retirement Communities

 

WELLNESS

Kona Village, a Rosewood Resort, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – WINNER
Design Firm: NICOLEHOLLIS, San Francisco
Architecture Firm: Walker Warner Architects, San Francisco; and Delawie, San Diego (architect of record)
Purchasing: Summa International
Client: Kennedy Wilson

The St. Regis Kanai Resort, Riviera Maya, Mexico – FINALIST
Design Firm: Chapi Chapo Design, Toronto
Architecture Firm: Edmonds International, Mexico City
Client and Purchasing: Grupo Alhel

Mii amo, Sedona, Arizona – FINALIST
Design Firms: Gluckman Tang Architects, New York; and EDG Interior Architecture + Design, Novato, California
Architecture Firm: Gluckman Tang Architects, New York
Purchasing: Project Dynamics
Client: Enchantment Resort and Mii amo

 

NIGHTCLUB/LOUNGE

Florattica, London – WINNER
Design and Architecture Firm: ACME, London
Client: 4C Hotel Group

Equipment Room, Austin – FINALIST
Design and Purchasing Firm: Bunkhouse Group, Austin
Architecture Firm: RIOS, Austin
Client: Music Lane Vinyl, LLC

Rouge Room, Las Vegas – FINALIST
Design Firm: Avenue Interior Design, Los Angeles
Architecture Firm: DezMotif Studios, Las Vegas
Purchasing: Procure LLC
Client: Station Casinos

Simmer Down, Wilmington, Delaware – FINALIST
Design Firms: Stokes Architecture + Design and Method Co., Philadelphia
Architecture Firm: Stokes Architecture + Design, Philadelphia
Client: The Buccini/Pollin Group

 

RESTAURANT CASUAL

Darling Jack’s Tavern, Philadelphia – WINNER
Design Firm: Rohe Creative, Philadelphia
Architecture Firm: Boxwood Architects, Philadelphia
Client: Safran Turney Hospitality

Che Mono, Buenos Aires – FINALIST
Design Firms: MTVD Design Studio, Cordoba, Argentina; and Ensemble, Columbus, Ohio
Architecture Firm: MTVD Design Studio, Cordoba
Purchasing: Gipe Arq
Client: Che Mono

Edie’s All Day Cafe & Bar, Chicago – FINALIST
Design Firm and Purchasing: Variant Collaborative, Chicago
Architecture Firm: Oomo Studio, Riverside, Illinois
Client: Edie’s All Day

GG’s Chicken Shop, Chicago – FINALIST
Design Firm: Brand Bureau, New York
Architecture Firm: Jonathan Splitt Architects, Chicago
Purchasing: The Getty’s Group
Client: Boka Restaurant Group

Little Goat Diner, Chicago – FINALIST
Design Firm: Brand Bureau, New York
Architecture Firm: Jonathan Splitt Architects, Chicago
Purchasing: The Getty’s Group
Client: Boka Restaurant Group

Palmilla Cocina y Tequila, Newport Beach, California – FINALIST
Design and Architecture Firm: Atelier Gulla Jonsdottir, Los Angeles
Client: Baja Sharkeez Restaurant Group

 

RESTAURANT FINE DINING

Daphne, Toronto – WINNER
Design and Architecture Firm: Studio Paolo Ferrari, Toronto
Client: Dream Unlimited / Ink Entertainment

Mesa by José Avillez, Cotai, Macau – FINALIST
Design Firm: CHIL Interior Design, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Architecture Firm: DLN, Hong Kong
Purchasing: ARCADIS
Client: SJM Holdings

Zaytinya, New York – FINALIST
Design Firm: Rockwell Group, New York
Architecture Firm: Howell Belanger Castelli Architects, New York (architect of record)
Purchasing: The Parker Company
Clients: Think Food Group (operator) and Flag Luxury Group (developer)

 

SPECIALTY DESIGN

Jackson Hole Airport, Wyoming – WINNER
Design Firm: TruexCullins Architecture + Interior Design, Burlington, Vermont
Architecture Firms: CLB Architects, Jackson, Wyoming; and Miller Dunwiddie, Minneapolis
Purchasing: Bray Whaler
Client: Jackson Hole Airport

AutoCamp Catskills, Saugerties, New York – WINNER
Design and Architecture Firm: Workshop/APD, New York
Purchasing: Benjamin West
Client: AutoCamp

American Airlines Admirals Club DCA, Arlington, Virginia – FINALIST
Design and Architecture Firm: DMAC Architecture & Interiors, Evanston, Illinois
Purchasing: Goodmans Interior Structures
Client: American Airlines, Inc.

ULUM Moab, Utah – FINALIST
Design Firm: Design 360 Unlimited, Santa Monica, California
Architecture Firm: DTJ Design, Boulder, Colorado
Client: Under Canvas

 

EMERGING HOTEL CONCEPT

Blind Tiger – WINNER
Design Firm: Elder & Ash, Amesbury, Massachusetts
Client: Lark Hotels

Grand Bohemian Lodge – FINALIST
Design Firms: The Kessler Collection and The Hotel Design Group, Orlando
Architecture Firm: Sottile & Sottile, Savannah, Georgia
Purchasing: Neil Locke & Associates
Client: The Kessler Collection

The Pinch – FINALIST
Design and Architecture Firm: Morris Adjmi Architects, New York
Client: Method Co.

 

JUDGES’ SO COOL

The glass orb by artist Serkan Özkaya in the lobby of the 21c Museum Hotel St. Louis
Design Firm: Hufft, Kansas City, Missouri
Architecture Firm: Perfido Weiskopf Wagstaff + Goettel, Pittsburgh
Purchasing: Benjamin West
Client: 21c Museum Hotels

Gold Key winners and finalists will also be highlighted in the Winter 2023/2024 issue of Boutique Design magazine. Finalists and winners were determined by a jury of industry leaders from the hospitality operations, development, and investment sectors.

The 2023 Gold Key Awards judges:

Leo Eskenazi, Vice President – Architecture and Design, Hilton
Jason E. Goldberg, Director of Procurement, BRE Hotels & Resorts
Nigel Hatcher, Vice President Design, Global Design | US & Canada, Marriott International
Keith Mack, Vice President, Development, CIM Group
Jason Millhouse, Director of Design Management, Luxury, Lifestyle & Premium Brands, Americas Design & Construction, IHG Hotels & Resorts
Melinda Nettelbeck, Chief Development Officer North America, Nando’s Restaurant Group
Diane Nguyen, Director of Design, Highgate
My Nguyen, Director of Interior Design, Holland America Group
Suzanne Saunders, Senior Vice President, Design & Construction, Hospitality Ventures Management Group