Dezeen promotion: a converted sugar mill set in a Chinese mountain range and a curvaceous bar that offers views of the Indian Ocean are among the projects shortlisted for this year's edition of the AHEAD Asia awards.
There are 27 projects shortlisted for awards at AHEAD Asia 2018, which honours the best hospitality projects completed in the region between October 2016 and September 2017.
Projects are divided into 12 categories: Bar, Club or Lounge; Event Spaces; Guestrooms; Hotel Renovation & Restoration; Landscaping & Outdoor Spaces; Lobby & Public Spaces; Resort Hotel; Restaurant; Spa & Wellness; Suite; Urban Hotel – Conversion; and Urban Hotel – Newbuild.
Other shortlisted projects include Australia's Jackalope Hotel by architecture studio Carr Design Group, with its moody, black-painted guest rooms, and a restaurant featuring a ceiling covered in lightbulbs.
The Kerry Hill hotel in Hong Kong is listed in three categories, recognising its brick-lined lounge bar and light-filled lobby, while the Hotel Jen in Beijing picks up two nominations, thanks to its dark moody bar and playful events space.
The awards are judged by a panel of hoteliers, architects, interior designers and industry commentators. Entrees are evaluated on the quality of their aesthetics, the experience they offer to guests, and their commercial viability.
The winner will announced at an awards ceremony on 15 March 2018 at the Andaz hotel in Singapore, coinciding with Singapore Design Week.
Asia is one of four regions covered by the AHEAD awards scheme, which also celebrates hospitality projects from Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East and Africa.
Each region's respective winners will convene at a Global Biennale in 2019, where they'll compete for worldwide titles.
Read on for the full AHEAD Asia 2018 shortlist:
Bar, Club or Lounge
Beersmith Gastropub at Hotel Jen, Beijing, China
Latitude 37 at Le Méridien Seoul, South Korea
Red Sugar at Kerry Hotel, Hong Kong
The Whale Bar at St. Regis Maldives, Vommuli Island
Event Spaces
Andaz Delhi, India
Prototype at Hotel Jen, Beijing, China
The Geode at Jackalope Hotel, Victoria, Australia
Vommuli House Nature Discovery Centre at St. Regis Maldives, Vommuli Island
Guestrooms
Cordis Shanghai, China
Jackalope Hotel, Victoria, Australia
The Warehouse Hotel, Singapore
TRUNK(HOTEL), Tokyo, Japan
Hotel Renovation & Restoration
Hotel Mono, Singapore
InterContinental Singapore
Mantra Samui Resort, Koh Samui, Thailand
Shangri-La Hotel Singapore
Landscaping & Outdoor Spaces
Alila Fort Bishangarh, Jaipur, India
Four Seasons Kyoto, Japan
Jackalope Hotel, Victoria, Australia
VUE Hotel Houhai Beijing, China
Lobby & Public Spaces
Diaoyutai Hotel Hangzhou, China
Grand Hyatt Changsha, China
Kerry Hotel, Hong Kong
The Warehouse Hotel, Singapore
Resort Hotel
Alila Fort Bishangarh, Jaipur, India
Alila Yangshou, Guilin, China
JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay, Vietnam
The Sanya EDITION, Sanya, China
Restaurant
Brasserie at Four Seasons, Kyoto, Japan
Doot Doot Doot at Jackalope Hotel, Victoria, Australia
Orientale & Alba at St. Regis Maldives, Vommuli Island
The Fishmonger at Rosewood Sanya, China
Spa & Wellness
Blue Hole Spa at St. Regis Maldives, Vommuli Island
Chuan Spa at Cordis Shanghai, China
Spa Alila at Alila Fort Bishangarh, Jaipur, India
Spa Alila at Alila Yangshou, Guilin, China
Suite
John Jacob Astor Estate at St. Regis Maldives, Vommuli Island
Shenzhen Marriott Hotel, Nanshan, China
The Presidential Suite at Le Méridien Seoul, South Korea
TRUNK(HOTEL), Tokyo, Japan
Urban Hotel – Conversion
Capella Shanghai Jian Ye Li, China
The Warehouse Hotel, Singapore
The Way Dhaka, Bangladesh
VUE Hotel Houhai Beijing, China
Urban Hotel – Newbuild
Kerry Hotel, Hong Kong
SIGNIEL Seoul, South Korea
Tribe Perth, Australia
TRUNK(HOTEL), Tokyo, Japan