The announcement of the winners of the European Hotel Design Awards on 31 October showed that, despite the difficult year experienced by the industry, hoteliers and designers have continued to strive to take the industry forward, said Patrick Reardon of Reardon Smith architects and chair of the judging panel.

“The issue of design within the successful development of international brands as well as individual hotels is now understood to be significant. The challenge for everyone who cares about our industry is to ensure that design continues to evolve so that we can go on offering our guests an experience they will chose to purchase and will wish to return to,” he said.

Winners on the evening included City Inn Westminster – designed by Bennetts Associates - and Radisson SAS, Glasgow – designed by Gordon Murray & Alan Dunlop – which jointly took the best new hotel award for architecture, while Hotel Aleph in Rome, owned by the Boscolo family and designed by Adam Tihany took the award for best new hotel interior design.

The best public areas award went to Park Hyatt, Paris Vendome, (designed by Design Realisation); best guestroom design went to Hotel Continentale, Florence (designed by Michelle Bonan) and best spa and leisure environment went to Intercontinental Hotel, Berlin (designed by Deckelmann Wellness).

The innovation award went to Haus Rheinsberg Hotel, Lake Rheinsberg, Germany for being “both a fully accessible hotel and beautifully designed – it is the benchmark for inclusive design.”

The Reardon Smith Student Award for the best design of an accessible hotel bedroom and bathroom was won by Kenny Tsui. The judges said the entry was “a comprehensive analysis of the issues of accessibility but also the attractive design suggested a room which would prove inclusive for both disabled and able-bodied guests.

The awards, now in their sixth year, were compered by Gyles Brandreth and included 450 guests from across the European hotel industry. They were preceded during the day by a conference examining hotel design and development, called Thinking Outside the Box.