Best Urban Hotels 2013: the judges

Cynthia Chua
Founder, Spa Esprit Group, Singapore

When Cynthia Chua first opened Spa Esprit, a beauty salon in Singapore, in 1996, few would have bet on her still being around 17 years later. These days her global empire includes  salons in New York, London, Shanghai, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta and Bangkok, a holistic beauty emporium  and concept store in Singapore, and a food and beverage arm of coffee roasters, cafés, pizzerias and hotdog stands. Chua currently spends almost a third of the year travelling - by 2014, it'll be 50 per cent - scouring the world's urban hot spots for inspirations  for her next project. A hotel and a restaurant chain are currently in the pipeline.

150,00 Miles flowen per year
24 Trips taken per year
24 Hotels visited per year

Photography: Darren Soh

Nick Tobias
Founder, Tobias Partners, Sydney

As a 21-year-old architecture student, Nick Tobias met renowned designer John Coote, who invited him to Europe. After a few weeks admiring traditional architecture in Ireland, Scotland, France and Italy, Coote told Tobias to return to Sydney and start his own business. And so he did, founding the interior design and architecture practice Tobias Partners in 1999. Now 37, Tobias is already an extraordinary presence in Australian architecture. Tobias Partners has multiple Australian Interior Design Awards under its belt. His projects are known for their clean lines, natural light and premium materials, and reflect a midcentury aesthetic. Tobias also serves on the Foundation Council of Sydney's Museum of Contemporary Art and makes regular appearances at art fairs such as Sydney Contemporary and Design Miami.

15 Hotels stayed in per year
06 Trips taken per year
06 Countries visited per year

Photography: Carine Thevenau

Gordon VeneKlasen
Director, Michael Werner Gallery, New York

As a partner of the Michael Werner Gallery, Gordon VeneKlasen is on a plane every couple of weeks. The art dealer, who helped establish the gallery in New York in 1990 and its London outpost last year, regularly travels between the two galleries, the world's art fairs and his homes in New York, the Hamptons and Los Angeles. Along with his business partner, art dealer Michael Werner, VeneKlasen has also set up VW (VeneKlasen/Werner), a contemporary art, film and performance platform in an old movie theatre in Berlin. In addition to art, he is also an avid collector of antiques and furniture from the Ming Dynasty, Mexico and Brazil, which he seeks out on his travels.

150,000 Miles flown per year
15 Hotels stayed in per year
30 Trips taken per year

Photography: Mark Mahaney

Jaclyn Sienna India
Founder, Sienna Charles Travel, New York

Travel agencies may seem charmingly old-fashioned in the digital age, but Jaclyn Sienna India proves the personal touch still counts. A self-styled 'travel designer' - with a background in contemporary art and an eye for style - since 2006 she has built up an encyclopaedic knowledge of the travel industry through visits to trade fairs and hotels around the world. She and her husband, Freddy Charles Reinert, launched Sienna Charles in 2008 with the aim of delivering a personal experience. To this end, she meets every client to draw up a bespoke itinerary. She also runs a boutique in Palm Beach which sells travel accessories and has launched a magazine. India says a good hotel is about the whole package. 'The best hotels remember we are in the hospitality business. It's about caring and showing someone the best time.'

100,000 Miles flown per year
175 Nights spent in hotels per year
25+ Trips taken per year

Photography: Claudia Uribe

Thorsten Schmidt
Restaurateur and chef, Aarhus/Copenhagen

Noma's René Redzepi calls Thorsten Schmidt one of the true pioneers of Nordic regional cuisine. After spending several years working and travelling extensively throughout Europe and Asia, Schmidt opened Malling & Schmidt with his wife Rikke Malling in 2005, on the outskirts of Aarhus, Denmark. The restaurant was acclaimed for its use of foraged, local produce prepared in fresh, innovative ways. Since its closure last year Schmidt has joined forces with local ceramics manufacturer Kähler Design on two new ventures: Kähler in Tivoli in Copenhagen and Kähler Villa Dining, in the premises of his old restaurant, which has once-a-month, 20-course tasting menus. Schmidt says his travels have inspired his nonconformist approach, as travel allows him to 'connect with other passionate people, creating new ideas and new gastronomic experiences'.

7,000+ Miles flown per year
35+ Hotels stayed in per year
10+ Trips taken per year

Photography: Sacha Maric