**Celebrating Excellence in Hotel Design: The 2019 ahead Global Hotel Awards**
Guy Dietrich, the editor-at-large of *Sleeper* magazine, finds himself at Ham Yard in London, where he is celebrating the very best in hotel design. The event marks the culmination of the ahead 2019 Global Hotel Awards, which took place simultaneously in both London and New York, with a live feed connecting the two cities. This prestigious gathering serves as the finale to the ahead regional awards, which have been held over the past two years across four different regions worldwide.
At the heart of these awards lies the mission to recognize designs that create unforgettable atmospheres and experiences for guests. Guy emphasizes that the industry is in a vibrant state, with tonight’s winners showcasing an incredible variety, quality, and ambition. The ultimate global winner, Earlier Yangshou, stands as a testament to the enduring power of heritage and exceptional guest experiences.
### Award Highlights
1. **Best Human Conversion: 1898 The Post in Ghent, Belgium**
This remarkable transformation breathes new life into an abandoned post office that had been vacant for years. By repurposing the building into a hotel, the architects have preserved and celebrated its original atmosphere, capturing the essence of the period when it was first constructed.
2. **Best Suites: Venice Simplon-Orient Express**
The Venice Simplon-Orient Express, a historic train, has recently unveiled three luxurious suites for the first time. Among these, the Grand Suite has won top honors. Every inch of these meticulously designed spaces tells a story, offering guests an unparalleled experience.
3. **Best Tented Camp: Belmont Eagle Island Lodge in Botswana**
Located in the remote Okavango Delta, this tented camp is a marvel of design and sustainability. Constructed in one of the most challenging environments, it is designed to be entirely removable, leaving the landscape untouched and preserving its natural beauty.
4. **Best Renovation: 11 Howard in New York**
This renovation project in New York City represents a journey of understanding the city’s unique character and infusing that essence into the design. The result is a space that resonates deeply with guests, creating lasting memories.
### Future Trends in Hotel Design
Guy reflects on the future of hotel design, noting that it is increasingly focused on delivering memorable experiences. Hospitality is blurring boundaries with other industries, offering guests encounters that transcend traditional expectations. These awards not only celebrate past achievements but also inspire a vision for the future, adding new destinations to one’s bucket list.
### Conclusion
The ahead 2019 Global Hotel Awards are more than just a celebration of design; they are a recognition of the hard work and creativity that go into crafting exceptional guest experiences. For those involved in these projects, seeing their efforts acknowledged by peers and colleagues is a source of immense pride and fulfillment. As Guy Dietrich concludes, this evening’s achievements remind us all that the future of hotel design is bright and full of exciting possibilities.
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enmy name's guy dietrich i'm the editor-at-large of sleeper magazine we're at ham Yard in London and we're here to celebrate the very best of hotel design at the ahead 2019 global Hotel awards the awards took place in London and New York simultaneously with a live feed between the two venues the hit global awards are the finale of our head regional awards which have taken place over the last two years in four different regions around the world what we're looking for with your head global awards is that real sense of creating an atmosphere and experience for the guests that will live in their memory the head Awards ultimate global winner the earlier yangshou shows that the brands can still really do it that heritage can be celebrated and that designers can really pull off a great guest experience you only have to look at the variety the quality and the ambition that we've seen in tonight's winners to see that the industry is in a great place for me it's one of the awards that has the best recognition because it's part of the industry this evening we went the ahead global award for the best human conversion for 1898 the post in Ghent Belgium it's the revival of the no post office that has been empty for years so we gave by making it a hotel this all sense this whole atmosphere of the building from that period when it was constructed we won the head global award for the best suites for the Venice simplon Orient Express we have recently created three suites for the first time on this historic train and the grand suite was actually won this category such detailed feasts of design where every single square millimetre counts and we also won the award for the best tented camp for the Belmont Eagle Island Lodge in the Okavango Delta in Botswana it's a very difficult place to actually build and it's got to be a place that can actually be removed and leave the landscape completely untouched the future for hotel design I think is all about experiences we're moving in a space where hospitality is blurring with other worlds and one thing that I can take away from these awards is my bucket list is getting very long this evening we won the ahead global awards for the best renovation for 11 Howard in New York it's a first party in New York having the opportunity of actually working there and making this happen was journey in itself trying to understand the nature of the city and infusing it into the project feeling that there's a certain response and resonance in what we do you get actually really happy and really proud the process of doing it is what creates value for us and when that gets recognized by your peers and your colleagues in the industry it just feels absolutely amazing youmy name's guy dietrich i'm the editor-at-large of sleeper magazine we're at ham Yard in London and we're here to celebrate the very best of hotel design at the ahead 2019 global Hotel awards the awards took place in London and New York simultaneously with a live feed between the two venues the hit global awards are the finale of our head regional awards which have taken place over the last two years in four different regions around the world what we're looking for with your head global awards is that real sense of creating an atmosphere and experience for the guests that will live in their memory the head Awards ultimate global winner the earlier yangshou shows that the brands can still really do it that heritage can be celebrated and that designers can really pull off a great guest experience you only have to look at the variety the quality and the ambition that we've seen in tonight's winners to see that the industry is in a great place for me it's one of the awards that has the best recognition because it's part of the industry this evening we went the ahead global award for the best human conversion for 1898 the post in Ghent Belgium it's the revival of the no post office that has been empty for years so we gave by making it a hotel this all sense this whole atmosphere of the building from that period when it was constructed we won the head global award for the best suites for the Venice simplon Orient Express we have recently created three suites for the first time on this historic train and the grand suite was actually won this category such detailed feasts of design where every single square millimetre counts and we also won the award for the best tented camp for the Belmont Eagle Island Lodge in the Okavango Delta in Botswana it's a very difficult place to actually build and it's got to be a place that can actually be removed and leave the landscape completely untouched the future for hotel design I think is all about experiences we're moving in a space where hospitality is blurring with other worlds and one thing that I can take away from these awards is my bucket list is getting very long this evening we won the ahead global awards for the best renovation for 11 Howard in New York it's a first party in New York having the opportunity of actually working there and making this happen was journey in itself trying to understand the nature of the city and infusing it into the project feeling that there's a certain response and resonance in what we do you get actually really happy and really proud the process of doing it is what creates value for us and when that gets recognized by your peers and your colleagues in the industry it just feels absolutely amazing youmy name's guy dietrich i'm the editor-at-large of sleeper magazine we're at ham Yard in London and we're here to celebrate the very best of hotel design at the ahead 2019 global Hotel awards the awards took place in London and New York simultaneously with a live feed between the two venues the hit global awards are the finale of our head regional awards which have taken place over the last two years in four different regions around the world what we're looking for with your head global awards is that real sense of creating an atmosphere and experience for the guests that will live in their memory the head Awards ultimate global winner the earlier yangshou shows that the brands can still really do it that heritage can be celebrated and that designers can really pull off a great guest experience you only have to look at the variety the quality and the ambition that we've seen in tonight's winners to see that the industry is in a great place for me it's one of the awards that has the best recognition because it's part of the industry this evening we went the ahead global award for the best human conversion for 1898 the post in Ghent Belgium it's the revival of the no post office that has been empty for years so we gave by making it a hotel this all sense this whole atmosphere of the building from that period when it was constructed we won the head global award for the best suites for the Venice simplon Orient Express we have recently created three suites for the first time on this historic train and the grand suite was actually won this category such detailed feasts of design where every single square millimetre counts and we also won the award for the best tented camp for the Belmont Eagle Island Lodge in the Okavango Delta in Botswana it's a very difficult place to actually build and it's got to be a place that can actually be removed and leave the landscape completely untouched the future for hotel design I think is all about experiences we're moving in a space where hospitality is blurring with other worlds and one thing that I can take away from these awards is my bucket list is getting very long this evening we won the ahead global awards for the best renovation for 11 Howard in New York it's a first party in New York having the opportunity of actually working there and making this happen was journey in itself trying to understand the nature of the city and infusing it into the project feeling that there's a certain response and resonance in what we do you get actually really happy and really proud the process of doing it is what creates value for us and when that gets recognized by your peers and your colleagues in the industry it just feels absolutely amazing you\n"
