There is just under a week to go until the Wallpaper* Design Awards and every day during the run-up to the awards ceremony we are presenting the shortlist for the ten International Judges' Awards, exclusively on Wallpaper.com. Day 4 sees the contenders for best new hotel. All winners will be announced on the 11th of January.
DuoMo, Rimini
The DuoMo's location in Rimini's historical centre, its diminutive size (a mere 34 rooms and nine suites), radical Ron Arad design and nightclub-with-rooms concept sets it apart from the package-tour behemoths. Running the full length of the bronze-clad façade is NoMi bar and club, furnished with Arad's signature 'Ripple' chairs and a bronze-topped bar. Beyond the silver-ringed reception, bedrooms sport ethereal Corian bathroom pods.
www.duomohotel.com
Gramercy Park, New York City
Ian Schrager's revamp of the Gramercy Park Hotel, overlooking
one of Manhattan's rare green spaces, opened to great acclaim. Artist Julian Schnabel oversaw the design of its 185 rooms.
Its restaurant, Park Chinois, the brainchild of Alan Yau, specialises
in northern Chinese regional cuisine served up with a French sensibility. The Rose Bar and Jade Bar are hung with art by the
likes of Andy Warhol, Cy Twombly and Damien Hirst.
www.gramercyparkhotel.com
Home, Buenos Aires
Located in Buenos Aires' hip district of Palermo Viejo, Home was designed by architects Rodrigo Cunill and Juana Grichener. The exterior may be austere but the interiors are warm, light and airy thanks to a 300 sq m garden and 10m x 4m pool. All 17 rooms have their own distinct style with a retro theme mixing vintage European wallpapers, Chilean wool rugs and custom-made watambu wood beds with CD and book libraries, MP3 players and Wi-Fi.
www.homebuenosaires.com
Hyatt Regency, Kyoto
Takashi Sugimoto of Super Potato has gone for a contemporary Japanese look in the Hyatt Regency Kyoto using washi paper lights, kimono fabrics, pale wood and granite bathrooms. Executive suites come with a tatami-floored living room and cedar bath tub that overlooks the hotel's Japanese garden. The restaurant, Touzan, has a sushi counter and a sake bar. Guests can also visit Riraku Spa for acupuncture, moxibustion and herbal facials.
www.hyattregencykyoto.com
St Regis, San Francisco
Few architecture firms do luxe-hip interiors like Canadian company Yabu and Pushelberg and its latest tour de force confirms its status as the king of large-scale hotel cool. Set in a new, 40-floor tower by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the St Regis's 260 rooms are among the city's largest, decked out with a mix of organic elements such as zebra wood floors and warm leather walls. There's a grand ballroom lit with Czech crystal chandeliers and a 9,000 sq ft spa.
www.stregis.com
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