The Judges Awards

04.1 Le Gray, Beirut, by Gordon Campbell Gray, Kevin Dash and Mary Fox Linton

Le Gray occupies a four-storey sandstone building with tall windows and street-level sunshades that echo French Mandate Beirut. But the building is new. This historical sleight of hand is courtesy of architect Kevin Dash, who has introduced overt modernity in the infinity pool, the glass-walled rooftop bar and the monumental atrium. For the interior, owner Gordon Campbell Gray and design partner Mary Fox Linton have introduced Levantine flashes of orange and red to an otherwise muted palette. Custom reissues of midcentury Brazilian armchairs mix with contemporary touches, such as Valérie Boy's lightbox in the lobby and art from Lebanon, Syria, Cuba and beyond.

Martyr's Square, Beirut

Key features: A boutique hotel perfectly located in downtown Beirut, with elegant bedrooms; a vertiginous atrium that's home to a piano bar; and a rooftop bar and infinity pool with views over the old town, the Mediterranean and Mount Lebanon

Number of rooms: 87

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