The 2025 Australasia-Pacific Hotel Design Awards

The Australasia-Pacific Hotel Design Awards celebrate excellence in hotel interior design for projects located in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific (including Hawaii) and completed and opened during 2024.

The four awards – for new-build properties, conversions, refurbishments and an overall winner, the Paul Davis Award – recognise exceptional projects that demonstrate design innovation, a commitment to sustainability design practices and deliver exceptional guest experience.

Nominations open: Feb 3, 2025
Nominations close: March 21, 2025

Winners announced and awards bestowed at Design Inn Symposium, Hilton Adelaide on Tuesday May 6, 2025.

2024 Winners

  • Hotel of the Year (new-build)
  • Moxy Sydney Airport
    Maed Collective with Group GSA

  • Hotel of the Year (conversion)
  • Adina Pentridge and The Interlude
    Chada

  • Hotel of the Year (refurbishment)
  • Rydges Melbourne
    Luchetti Krelle and EVT Design and Development

  • 2024 Paul Davis Award for the Australasia-Pacific Hotel of the Year
  • Moxy Sydney Airport
    Maed Collective with Group GSA
     
    Read more about the 2024 Australasia-Pacific Hotel Design Awards here.

    FAQs

    Who can enter?

    The awards are open to all market segments in the Australian, New Zealand and South Pacific (including Hawaii) hotel industry. Properties of all sizes and in any location in the region can be entered. Entries are open to new-build properties, conversions and refurbishments.

    NOTE: While designers, hotel representatives, and owners may enter a project, the designer’s input is required to ensure judges have all of the necessary information about a project.

    Eligibility

    N.B. Strict word limits are in place for each answer and must be adhered to. Projects may be deemed ineligible if the word limit is breached. 

    New-build hotels and conversions must have opened in 2024 and refurbishment projects completed in 2024 to qualify.

    How are projects assessed?

    The Australasia-Pacific Hotel Design Awards celebrate design-focused hospitality projects from across Australasia and the Pacific that demonstrate innovation and provide exceptional guest experiences.

    Judges will consider the following in each category:

    Design Concept:

    Provide a brief project summary for the jury. The statement will also be published in the online award gallery (word limit: 50).

    Function:

    Describe the hotel project (word limit 200). Your response should include information about significant elements of the project, such as brief, vision, planning and volumetric design, site, budget and programme considerations, opportunities and constraints.

    Impact:

    Describe why the project is an example of excellent hotel design (word limit 150). Your response should describe how the design contributes to the guest experience of the hotel, and how it has met or surpassed the client’s ambitions for the project.

    Innovation:

    What are the truly innovative aspects of the design of this project (word limit 100). This may include consultant or community collaboration/engagement, innovation in design and/or planning, utilisation of technology, etc.

    Sustainability:

    How has the hotel design achieved sustainable outcomes (word limit 200). This may include design methodology, procurement and construction, and operations.

    About Paul Davis

    The award honours Paul Davis – renowned hotel architect and designer; a passionate and pivotal figure in hotel design in the Asia Pacific region.

    An architect by trade, Paul was instrumental throughout his career in the planning, design and operational review of numerous international hotels throughout the Asia Pacific region.

    Paul spent 18 years working for the Southern Pacific Hotel Corporation (SPHC) and InterContinental Hotels Group across the Asia Pacific Region managing over 50 hotel and resort projects in 14 countries.

    Paul also served as Chairperson of the Property Council’s NSW Tourism Committee and in 2012 founded his own company – Paul Robert Davis International.

    AHICE and Design Inn APAC are proud to honour Paul Davis with this landmark industry design award. His love of design and excellence in his career which saw him involved in numerous hospitality projects across the globe has left a lasting impression on both the design and hotel industries.