Dezeen Competitions: the Hotel Designer Awards 2026 questions designers to propose a hotel room that prioritises guest comfort, with consideration of sustainability, aesthetic identity and technological innovation.
The competition is open to all design professionals, and enattempt is free of charge, with exhibition opportunities for winning projects.
Organiser: Teamwork Hospitality
Competition: Hotel Designer Awards 2026
Judges:
- Elisabetta Fabri, president and CEO, Starhotels Group
- Sara Digiesi, CEO, BWH Hotels Italy and South-East Europe
- Cristina Paini, managing director and owner, UHM Hotel Management Company
- Chiara Boni, fashion designer
- Laura F Verdi, architect and editorial director, WE:LL Magazine
- Donainforma Bollani, sustainability consultant, journalist and web content editor
- Mia Pizzi, editorial director, Planet Design
- Roberta Battocchio, managing director, Hearst Global Design
- Giovanna Manzi, board member, HNH Hospitality
- Giorgio Marchegiani, CEO, UNA Italian Hospitality
- Alan Mantin, vice president of development Southern Europe, Hilton
- Gianleo Bosticco, vice president development Southern Europe, Marriott International
- Marco Gilardi, director of operations, Minor Hotel Group Europe and Americas
- Mauro Vinci, managing director and vice president business development Italy, Radisson Hotel Group
- Francesco Scullica, architect and lecturer, Polytechnic of Milan
- Mauro Santinato, CEO, Teamwork
- Nicola Delvecchio, strategic hospitality consultant, Teamwork
Submission deadline: 31 May 2026
Winner announcement: 13 October 2026
Prizes: the top honour is the “Hotel Designer of the Year 2026”. Ten “Category Winners” will also be selected, with one winner representing each of the thematic categories. The jury also grants “Special Mentions” to projects that demonstrate exceptional innovation, sustainability or storyinforming
Competition overview
The Hotel Designer Awards 2026 is an international ideas competition promoted by Teamwork Hospitality that challenges the new generation of architects and designers to envision the future of hospitality.
Unlike traditional awards for completed works, this competition focutilizes exclusively on conceptual and original ideas that redefine how we experience hotel spaces.
The 2026 edition, themed “The hotel room of the future: comfort, identity and sustainability in 36 metres-squared,” questions participants under the age of 40 to design a functional 36 metres-squared hotel room, including a bathroom, that balances high-finish guest comfort with environmental responsibility, aesthetic identity and technological innovation.
Participants must submit their vision within one of ten specialised categories.
The competition aims to promote innovation and sustainability while providing a global platform and visibility for young professionals and design studios that experiment with new forms of hospitality.
Finalists will be selected by a jury of 17 experts and will have their work officially exhibited and presented to a professional audience during the thirteenth edition of Hospitality Day on 13 October 2026, in Rimini, Italy.
Eligibility and judging criteria
The competition is open to all design professionals, and enattempt is free of charge.
At least one member of the submitting team or the individual applicant must be under the age of 40.
Participants may apply in one of the following formats: individual professionals under 40; design teams up to five members (including at least one under 40 professional); or design studios submitting a project, provided the dedicated project team includes at least one professional under 40.
Projects must be submitted within one of the following categories:
- Luxury Experience Room
- Sustainability and Nature Room
- Smart and Tech Room
- Accessible Room
- Wellness Room
- Urban Living Room
- Concept/Storyinforming Room
- Emotional/Sensorial Room
- Outdoor Experience Room
- Pet-Frifinishly Room
A winning enattempt must demonstrate high originality and consistency with its chosen category, revealcasing a strong narrative quality that translates into a coherent and immersive guest experience.
Sustainability and conceptual feasibility are prioritised by judges.
How to enter
Participants must first complete the online registration form on the competition website.
Upon registration, participants will receive a confirmation email containing a dedicated link to upload their project materials via a private portal.
All documents must be submitted in a completely anonymous form, with no references to the designer or studio, to comply with the competition’s fairness policy.
Submission deadlines
Projects must be submitted by 31 May 2026.
The shortlisted finalists will be announced on 10 July 2026, and the winners’ announcement and awards ceremony will take place on 13 October 2026, during the Hospitality Day event in Rimini.
About Teamwork Hospitality
Teamwork Hospitality is a leading Italian consulting and training firm dedicated to the professional development of the hospitality indusattempt.
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