Designwire Daily: from the editors of Interior Design magazine

Call for Entries: Gold Key Awards

by Sheila Kim | Monday, April 25, 2011 | 1 Comment

One of the most anticipated annual competitions, the Gold Key Awards for Excellence in Hospitality Design is now accepting entries for its 31st installment. Presented by the International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show, these coveted awards celebrate cream-of-the-crop interior design projects ranging from hotels and spas to restaurants and bars.

Entries, due July 1, can be in any of eight categories: Best Hotel Design, Guest Room, Lobby/Reception Area, Lounge/Bar, Restaurant/Casual Dining, Restaurant/Fine Dining, Spa, and Suite. However, the project must be a new design or renovation completed between January 1, 2010, and June 1, 2011. There’s no restriction on locale—nearly 200 submissions for last year’s competition represented 19 countries and territories. Some of the previous years’ winners include Paz Cabo Azul Resort & Spa by Dodd Mitchell Design, Landmarc restaurant by Clodagh, Aria Pool Deck by Graft, and the Mondrian Miami lounge by Marcel Wanders.

Interior Design and Hotels magazines will sponsor the Gold Key Awards Breakfast, honoring all the finalists and grand-prize winners, on November 14, 2011, at New York’s InterContinental Times Square. Held concurrently with the International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show, the awards ceremony will additionally announce the “Icon of the Industry” distinction, presented by NEWH, the Hospitality Industry Network, as well as the “Designer of the Year” award by Interior Design and Hotels. An added bonus: visibility in both the publications prior to the event.

The competition entry fee is $150 for the first project, and $100 for subsequent projects. (Additional entry information is available online.) A panel of prominent designers in both the hotel and restaurant industries will judge all the submissions. Tickets to the awards ceremony cost $75 each, as the event is also a scholarship fundraiser for NEWH.

The 96th annual International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show runs November 12 to 15, 2011, at New York’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. Sponsored by the AH&LA, the Hotel Association of New York city, and the New York State Hospitality & Tourism Association, the event features some 700 hospitality industry suppliers and attracts another 30,000 attendees. The show is managed by George Little Management, and is this year co-located with the Boutique Design New York show of high-end and innovative products for hospitality.