Dezeen promotion: a luxury retreat tucked away in the Mexican jungle and a warehouse-turned-hotel in New Orleans are among the projects to be shortlisted in this year's AHEAD Americas awards.

The 2019 edition of the AHEAD Americas awards celebrates design-focused hotels completed in North and South America between November 2017 – December 2018.

Submitted projects have been arranged into 13 categories, which acknowledge everything from the best resort hotel to the most striking guest rooms.

A shortlist has been compiled by an expert panel of architects, interior designers, hoteliers and industry commentators. Figures this year includes Aliya Khan, vice president of design strategies at Marriott International, Jou-yie Chou, creative director of Studio Tack, and Johnathan Garrison, managing partner at Yabu Pushelberg.

"As well as projects that are aesthetically impressive, the judges will be looking for evidence that winning designs have also met the needs of client and customers alike," explained the AHEAD team.

One of the projects to appear on the shortlist is The Eliza Jane hotel in New Orleans, which occupies seven historic warehouses south of the city's French Quarter. At its centre is a 185 square-metre courtyard, dotted with leafy plants and mismatch furnishings.

Another project to be shortlisted is Gold Digger in Los Angeles. Host to just 11 rooms, the boutique hotel boasts its own recording studio and sound stage.

Also in the running is Chablé Maroma, a luxurious retreat nestled amongst the dense foliage of Mexico's Maya jungle, and the Rosewood Baha Mar, which sprawls across a white-sand beach in The Bahamas.

The Calistoga Motor Lodge & Spa designed by AvroKO was announced as Hotel of the Year in the 2018 edition of the AHEAD Americas awards.

Decked out in retro colours and furniture from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, the lodge was praised by judges for being "extremely creative while showing great restraint".

Winners will be announced at a ceremony in the OMA-designed Faena Forum in Miami on Tuesday 18 June, tickets for which can be purchased on the AHEAD website.

The Americas is one of four regions covered by the AHEAD awards, which also looks at projects from Asia, Europe, and the Middle East and Africa. Champions from each region will go on to contend in a global biennale, where worldwide titles are up for grabs.

See the full shortlist below:

Bar, Club or Lounge

P6 at The LINE Austin, Austin, USA
The Boot Room at Yellowstone Club, Big Sky, USA
The Fleur Room at Moxy Chelsea, New York, USA
Topside at Hotel Revival, Baltimore, USA

Event Spaces

Gold Diggers, Los Angeles, USA
Perry Lane Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Savannah, USA
The LINE Austin, Austin, USA
W Panama, Panama

Guestrooms

Belmond Casa de Sierra Nevada, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
Gold Diggers, Los Angeles, USA
Hotel Alessandra, Houston, USA
The Hoxton, Williamsburg, New York, USA

Hotel Conversion

Belmond Casa de Sierra Nevada, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
Hotel Peter & Paul, New Orleans, USA
The Eliza Jane, New Orleans, USA
The Siren Hotel, Detroit, USA

Hotel Newbuild

CitizenM New York Bowery Hotel, USA
Hotel Alessandra, Houston, USA
Moxy Chelsea, New York, USA
Solaz Los Cabos, San José del Cabo, Mexico

Hotel Renovation & Restoration

Eaton DC, Washington DC, USA
Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, USA
The LINE Austin, Austin, USA
Troutbeck, Amenia, USA

Landscaping & Outdoor Spaces

Belmond Cap Juluca, Anguilla, Caribbean
Rosewood Baha Mar, Nassau, Bahamas
Solaz Los Cabos, San José del Cabo, Mexico
Vidanta Los Cabos, San José del Cabo, Mexico

Lobby & Public Spaces

Casa Madrona Hotel & Spa, Sausalito, USA
Perry Lane Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Savannah, USA
Rosewood Baha Mar, Nassau, Bahamas
The Maven Hotel at Dairy Block, Denver, USA

Resort Hotel

Belmond Cap Juluca, Anguilla, Caribbean
Chablé Maroma, Riviera Maya, Mexico
Headlands Coastal Lodge & Spa, Pacific City, USA
Park MGM, Las Vegas, USA

Restaurant

Dean's One Trick Pony at The LINE Austin, Austin, USA
Louix Louis at The St. Regis Toronto, Toronto, Canada
Pérgula at Belmond Copacabana Palace, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The NoMad Restaurant at NoMad, Las Vegas, USA

Spa & Wellness

Laja Spa at Belmond Casa de Sierra Nevada, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
Sense Spa at Rosewood Baha Mar, Nassau, Bahamas
The Phoenician Spa at The Phoenician, Scottsdale, USA
Wellness Centre at Eaton DC, Washington DC, USA

Suite

Gold Diggers, Los Angeles, USA
Hutton Suite at Hutton Hotel, Nashville, USA
Fantasy Tower Presidential Themed Suites at Palms, Las Vegas, USA
The Tower at St. Jane, Chicago, USA

Transport

Celebrity Edge
Crystal Symphony
Seabourn Ovation
Symphony of the Seas