The judging panel for AHEAD Asia - comprising architects, interior designers, hoteliers and industry commentators - follows a carefully developed judging process to ensure a rigorous and balanced approach, with the criteria for success based not only on creative excellence guest experience but commercial viability.
Adrian led the Interior division overseeing both Dubai and Hong Kong studios at LW Design. He is a creative innovator and leader in design, sensitive to the client and project needs, Adrian’s expertise in spatial design hallmarks drama with contemporary elegance.
Adrian’s numerous accolades include AHEAD, ID and CID. His creative thinking and process combines practical business sense, ingenious planning and original storytelling, active in the design community, Adrian has contributed on the jury for AHEAD MEA, and World Interiors News London, he is a confident speaker within the design community he participated in design thought leadership discussions at Hi Design, HOFEX and Downtown Design.
Partner at DesignLab, Alvaro Paredes began his career in his native Spain and London before moving to Asia to work with a prestigious hospitality design firm. With nearly 15 years of design expertise in residential and hospitality projects, he has cultivated a flexible style, combined with an interest in the local culture and architecture of the different countries where DesignLab is working. His portfolio includes prestigious brands such as Aman Resorts, Park Hyatt, Mandarin Oriental in different locations as varied as Europe, Asia and Middle East.
Billie Khoo is the Senior Design & Project Direct for Hilton Architecture, Design & Construction (AD&C), APACx It is a diverse region that spans North Asia, Southeast Asia, Australasia, Pacific Islands and the South-Asia subcontinent.
Educated in Singapore and a trained architect with a Master of Architecture, Billie has worked with established regional and international hospitality design firms such as SCDA, Maps Design and Wilson Associates during her career of 21 years. She has wide-ranging experience in both masterplanning, architectural and interior design aspects of hospitality creation.
Billie and her team are responsible for design overview of all Hilton’s 18 brands in the APAC for both pipeline projects and capital expenditure projects. This involves ensuring that the hotels and resorts achieve their brand equity and are relevant to the markets. It also includes a constant review of brand standards and designs for the regions and to have the finger on the pulse of the hotel developments and hospitality trends in globally.
Since joining Hilton in 2012, Billie has worked with the AD&C team to deliver successful openings and property rejuvenation across all brands, and she continues to be intimately involved in flagship hotels in gateway cities. Some of the hotels include market-leading ones such as such as Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi, Conrad Osaka, Roku Kyoto and Waldorf Astoria Bangkok. She is currently working on Waldorf Astoria Tokyo Nihonbashi, Waldorf Astoria Osaka and Waldorf Astoria Jakarta which will be the next flagship properties for Hilton Worldwide.
Being in a region of high growth in the travel industry, Billie is also involved in Development for the technical review of new opportunities in the constant drive to grow the number of new hotels and rooms with an operator that has one of the largest pipeline in the world.
Chris Godfrey is an award-winning Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Chartered Architect, with over 22 years’ experience producing highly considered and finely crafted designs. Educated at the Glasgow School of Art, Chris set up his first design studio at age 29, Scape Architects, which achieved international acclaim. In 2014, Chris went onto establish HBA Residential in London, a boutique division of Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA) before his appointment as CEO of the HBA Group in 2022.
Chris leads 25 HBA offices worldwide. He continues to apply his principles throughout the firm in cultivating a holistic design approach and retains a passion for the education of the next generation of designers, having lectured in Interior and Spatial Design at Chelsea College of Art in London and Lasalle College of the Arts in Singapore.
Design Director and one of the two founders of the studio, David is an award-winning architect and interior designer, with over 22 years of experience.
British born David received his Master’s in Architecture and Interior Design from the Royal College of Art in London prior to setting up Studio Noor at age 26.
David is a focused, passionate designer who brings a fresh design eye to each and every project. His continual interest to explore new materials, design narratives and a more bespoke design language has resulted in successful projects with well know hoteliers and operators such as Adrian Zecha, Aqua Expeditions, Raffles, Saltbae, One & Only, Design Hotels amongst others.
Together with his business partner Luc Lejeune, David has taken Studio Noor from a local Vietnam dimension to all corners of the world, with their signature tailor-made hospitality projects.
Jeff has built an international portfolio of significant projects in his 25-year practice in architecture and design. His comprehensive experience includes a multitude of architecture projects for corporate, municipal, institutional, industrial and hospitality clients. As Design Principal, Jeff oversees the design of HOK projects in the Asia Pacific region. He leads multidisciplinary teams through the design process and successfully deliver projects to clients. Jeff holds a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from University of California, Berkeley, and Masters of Architecture from Harvard University in the United States
Jon Kastl, LEED AP, brings to his role of Vice President of Interior Design at Marina Bay Sands, over 25 years of experience in hospitality, restaurant and residential design. Since joining MBS in 2020, Jon has been focused on the repositioning of the integrated resort through the implementation of the Las Vegas Sands corporate initiative of “Design Excellence”. Additionally, Jon is engaged on the design and development of Marina Bay Sands expansion plans in Singapore.
Prior to joining MBS in 2020, Jon was a Partner and Studio Director with Champalimaud Design where he worked on several signature projects including the historic renovation of Raffles Singapore, the relaunch of the iconic Hotel Bel Air, Los Angeles, and the Halekulani Okinawa.
Jon holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Cincinnati’s acclaimed College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning.
With 25 years of solid design experience in the design industry, covering UK, Asia and the Middle East, Karen was formerly the co-founder and Director of Stickman Tribe Ltd, a Dubai and Hong Kong based design firm. In 2016 she established her own design clan IN-dulge in Hong Kong, with a cutting edge focus on luxury Interiors for Hospitality, working with many of the world’s leading hospitality and leisure hotels and resorts.
Harnessing her Scottish heritage, international experience, entrepreneurial spark and keen sense of sustainability, combined with a few years working in a reparatory theatre designing, building and painting sets. Today, she remains hands on and her theatrical story-telling flair certainly shines through her projects.
Recognised for her successful, and award winning projects Karen is regularly invited as a guest speaker at industry conferences throughout Asia, including talks to several of the hotels’ operation teams on F&B trends and strategies.
Michael is leading the Apara Hotel Design and Project Management Group with field experts including all design disciplines required to put a quality hotel together. With his extensive experience in overseeing all aspects of the complexity of hotel projects from initial design planning through opening and post opening, he is able to pass his knowledge of "what to do" and equally important, "what not to do" in investing and building a hotel.
Prior to Apara, Michael was with Marriott over 26 years where he formed and led, Global Design Asia Pacific at Marriott International. Under his leadership at Marriott, he and his team opened over 1,000 hotels and worked on more than 700 hotels in the pipeline in Asia Pacific across 23 countries.
Michael is a Registered Architect of State of Maryland in the United States and a member of American Institute of Architects and holds a BA from the University of Houston undergraduate architectural program. He also successfully led the Marriott E-Cornell University Certification program for "Hotel Planning the Marriott Way" in 2019 and since 2014, Michael had conducted countless "Hotel Design and Planning 101" lectures throughout Asia to share his expertise and knowledge on hotel design. As part of his passion for learning, he recently completed the MIT program on Artificial Intelligence for Business, Harvard Business School program on Driving Performance and Cornell program on Business Negotiation Skill.
Paul Semple has worked with his life collaborator Matthew Shang for more than 15 years. That collaboration lead to the pair re-establishing their hospitality focused ID studio MSDO in 2020.
With more than 20 years of experience Paul has worked throughout South East Asia, China, the Middle East and Australia, and since 2004 has been based in Singapore.
Paul has overseen and led projects ranging from opulent luxury retail spaces, large scale hospitality venues, city hotels, small resort properties and award winning bar projects such as Manhattan Bar, Atlas and 28 Hong Kong Street.
Paul has honed his skills with a diverse range of firms, from the boutique design studio Distillery to one of the world’s largest developers and led the global hospitality team at Hassell for more than 5 years. Paul has journeyed back to his own studio where intimate, client focused and joyful design is the driving approach that he brings to his work and the ethos that is the foundation of MSDO.
Paul is the Vice President of Design & Construction at Four Seasons for the Asia Pacific region. He leads a team that is currently developing 16 newbuild hotels and resorts across the region as well as numerous CAPEX projects within the existing portfolio. He has presented keynote speeches and has participated in panel discussions at various hospitality and architecture conferences within the Asia Pacific region and is active in researching and publishing future trends and theory in hospitality design, drawing upon the professional experience he has accumulated across the globe over the past 25 years.
Piya is a Principal and Senior Creative Director for EDG Design based in Singapore. With over 20 years of experience with the firm, she is an industry maven who is involved in all facets of the design process, leading the design team through each phase of work from initial concept until project completion.
As the creative lead for EDG’s hospitality and F&B projects in the region, Piya brings true international expertise to bear and each project she embarks on is conceptualized to create an evocative journey for the guest, told through the lens of a deeply rooted design narrative.
Many of Piya’s projects have earned awards and accolades from the design community including AHEAD, and her involvement has ensured that EDG is a preferred consultant for brands including Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott, Hilton, IHG, Accor and Alila, as well as scores of independent hoteliers and restaurateurs.
Stephen Luk is the Regional Vice President of Design Services for Hyatt’s ASPAC region. He is also specifically supporting the expanding Hyatt development in the Greater China and Australia portfolio. He and his team steer Hyatt’s design and brand concept, hotel planning and development, and hotel opening and transition across all Hyatt brands in the region. The goal is to ensure that, through a collaborative and inclusive process, realise brand focused, creative, and economic design solutions that enhance preference for our guests, our owner developers, and our colleagues and associates.
Stephen spearheaded the first Hyatt Centric in Melbourne Australia. He is also currently bringing the first Caption by Hyatt, Hyatt House, JDV by Hyatt and Unbound Collections by Hyatt to Australia. He is supervising the design and development across Hyatt’s 27 brands in the Asia Pacific region.
Before spending six years at Hyatt Hotels, Stephen spent more than five years in Shanghai with another international hospitality brand. He has also spent 13 years practicing in both hospitality Architecture and Interior Design in New York City. He obtained his Master degree from Columbia University in NYC and Bachelor degrees from University of Melbourne.Born and brought up in the U.K., Toby joined the Swire group as a Management Trainee in 1991 after graduating from the University of Bristol. During his tenure at Swire, Toby has held positions within the group’s shipping and aviation sectors, which has taken him to countries as diverse as Papua New Guinea, Vietnam, Australia, Turkey, Sri Lanka, France, Singapore and Hong Kong.
In 2017, Toby joined Swire Hotels as Managing Director, overseeing the day to day responsibilities of Swire Hotels and its two brands, The House Collective and EAST. He has now been promoted to Deputy Chairman and leads the growth and development of the group.
Prior to joining Swire Hotels, Toby was the General Manager of Sales and Distribution at Cathay Pacific Airways.
Vincent graduated with a Master’s degree in Architecture and Urban Planning in Amsterdam and a Masters in Interior Design in Maastricht. With nearly 20 years of working experience stretching over multiple respected offices in urban planning, architecture and interior, and in both Europe and China, Vincent is both an exceptional architect engaging with traditional concepts and cultural ‘big picture’ ideals, and uniquely capable of seeing a project from the inside out. He has a Dutch practicality and warmth, and his design practice fuses strength with optimism and new, inspired considerations of community.
Evan Kwee is the Head of Hospitality and Design for the Pontiac Land Group, a privately held property developer, owner and operator based in Singapore. He previously lead the Group’s business development arm for 15 years but now focuses on all their new hospitality developments. Pontiac Land’s asset under management is in excess of SGD$13 billion.
Evan is also the Vice Chairman of the Capella Hotel Group, where he oversees all product and brand innovation working closely with designers, architects, and engineers constantly seeking to improve hospitality design and experiences. Evan graduated from Babson College with a Degree in Business Administration and Management.
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RH Contract provides a business-to-business partnership like no other in the industry. With our multi-category product assortment, unparalleled product design and curation capabilities, uniquely integrated interior design approach, the benefits of RH’s purchasing power, and our global supply chain and logistics scale, RH Contract has proven to be a unique, valuable project partner.
Visit siteThe brand Lasvit, founded in 2007 by Leon Jakimič, sheds new light on Bohemian glass and takes it into the next millennium. Lasvit combines the authenticity of glass craft with innovative technologies and creative craftsmanship. In a few short years, Lasvit has established itself as the authority delivering bespoke lighting sculptures and art installations made from hand-blown glass.
Collaborations with renowned designers and artists produce also unique glass collections. Nendo, Ross Lovegrove, Daniel Libeskind, Maarten Baas, Czech legends René Roubíček and Bořek Šípek are among those who choose Lasvit in order to embody their unconventional artistic vision, endow it with the precision and mastery of our glassmakers, and produce impressive creative oeuvre. This is a manifesto of Lasvit’s uncompromising mission: To transform glass into breathtaking light and design experiences.
Visit siteTOPHOTELPROJECTS is the heart of a global community of suppliers and decision-makers which initiates and supports the communication relating to building, design, furnishing, and operation of hotels.
We are a German research firm covering global hotel constructions, that over a decade branched out into hospitality events, media, and hotel design.
No other company comes close in supporting the hotel industry by efficiently combining different business areas into one integrated solution.
Ever since the hotel industry veteran Rolf W. Schmidt founded the company in 2009, our core activity is building the world’s most comprehensive directory of:
We took the complex, ever-evolving global hospitality industry and introduced it to our German sense of efficiency and sheer hard work.
Our research team of some 25 experienced professionals spends 1,800 hours a month researching hotel projects around the world.
Our database has been 10 years in the making, during which we gathered information on over 24,000 hotel projects and 120,000 related companies. Currently, our database has information on more than 6,500 ongoing hotel projects worldwide – important details included.
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Visit siteAkula, a leading manufacturer of marine-grade outdoor furniture has established itself as a trusted partner for the world’s leading hospitality and cruise operators, offering an extensive range of solutions designed to meet the unique needs of these demanding environments.
With a unique dual focus on custom manufacturing and quick-ship capabilities, Akula stands out. This approach allows them to provide personalised solutions that cater to specific design and functionality requirements while running a quick-ship program that ensures timely delivery to meet tight project timelines. This makes Akula a preferred choice for clients who require bespoke designs and efficiency.
Engineered to withstand the rigors of outdoor environments, Akula's products are built to last. Every piece is manufactured to endure extreme conditions, including UV exposure, seawater, chlorinated water, and fluctuating temperatures, with minimal maintenance required. This commitment to durability ensures that Akula’s furniture not only enhances outdoor spaces but also offers long-term value.
Akula's global footprint, with offices in the UK, USA, UAE, and Hong Kong, underscores its worldwide reach and ability to serve clients across the globe. This international presence facilitates a deep understanding of market needs and ensures that Akula is not just a name but a global standard in outdoor furniture.
Akula’s success is rooted in its dedication to quality, innovation, and customer service. By continuously pushing the boundaries of design and technology, Akula remains at the forefront of the outdoor furniture industry, delivering solutions that are as robust as they are elegant.
Visit siteKALDEWEI – your worldwide partner for iconic bathroom solutions shaped from superior steel enamel. KALDEWEI’s extensive range of bathtubs, shower surfaces, and washbasins are ideally suited to the demands of the hospitality industry delivering an increased level of health and wellbeing awareness for your hotel. The smooth, non-porous glass surface not only gives you security against germs and dirt but is also the material of the future. KALDEWEI steel enamel is made of 100% natural materials and is 100% recyclable, so it’s good for your guests and the planet too.
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Visit siteFounded in 1892 in Switzerland, LAUFEN has become one of the world's leading companies for sanitary ceramics. Today LAUFEN Bathrooms provided integrated bathroom concepts with high-quality products, ranging from sanitary ceramics to bathtubs and shower trays, furniture, faucets, and accessories.
Visit siteMaison&Objet (SAFI, a joint subsidiary of Ateliers d'Art de France and RX France) has been leading and bringing together the international decoration, design, and lifestyle community since 1994.
Its trademark is its ability to elicit productive international meetings, to drive the visibility of the brands that join its exhibitions and its digital platform, but also its singular instinct for highlighting the trends that will set the heart of the interior design planet racing. Maison&Objet's mission is to reveal talent, to offer opportunities for discussion and inspiration both online and offline, and to facilitate the development of businesses.
With two annual exhibitions and Paris Design Week in September, Maison&Objet serves as an indispensable barometer for the entire sector. Online since 2016, MOM (Maison&Objet and More) allows buyers and brands to continue their exchanges, launch new collections, and make contacts beyond physical meetings. Weekly launches of new products provide an ongoing boost to the industry. In 2023, Maison&Objet rolled out new digital services, and MOM also became a marketplace.
On social networks, discoveries are made on a daily basis by a community of almost 2 million active professionals on Facebook, Instagram (+1M followers), Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Xing, WeChat, and now TikTok.
Spearheading the Paris Capitale de la Création label, Maison&Objet is a catalyst for positioning Paris as a major magnet for international creative talents.
Visit siteDesigning and manufacturing everything in bathrooms.
Roca began life as a family business manufacturing cast iron radiators at a factory in Gavà, near Barcelona in 1917. Over the years, the portfolio gradually expanded and by 1929, Roca entered the bathroom environment for the first time. With an attentive focus on social changes, Roca has since been pioneering when tackling issues surrounding sustainability, design, and technology, and remains at the forefront of these innovations today. Today, Roca reaches over 170 countries, supplied by 76 production plants with more than 20,000 employees worldwide. After one hundred years, Roca is still proud to call itself a family business.
Visit siteVilleroy & Boch, formed in 1748, is a leading ceramics manufacturer steeped in European culture and history, and one of the biggest international premium brands in the areas of bathrooms and wellness.
Villeroy & Boch offers the finest and most innovative bathroom products and furnishing concepts for both private customers and property developers. The company is a pioneer in the realm of ceramic product design and innovation. Villeroy & Boch beautiful, high-quality products are hallmarks of French design flair and German engineering efficiency.
Visit sitePreciosa Lighting elevates the heritage of Bohemian crystal through contemporary lighting designs since 1724. The company is built on centuries of tradition and the unique art of master glassmakers from Crystal Valley. We honour this heritage and craftsmanship by creating innovative lighting products that stand the test of time.
Our lighting styles range from individual luxury lighting to dynamic and interactive installations. As a global company, Preciosa cooperates with designers worldwide to create exclusive lights that reflect our spirit. Our historic chandeliers and contemporary projects can be found in hotels, resorts, fine restaurants, luxury residences, cultural institutions and on board yachts and cruise ships in locations as varied as New York, Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai, Moscow or London.
Preciosa Lighting can create unrivaled emotional experiences by combining the traditional art form of chandelier craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology. This knowledge is what drives our intention to unveil the symbolic as well as the aesthetic power of decorative lighting. It led us to create Preciosa’s Signature Designs which are highlighted by countless customization possibilities to perfectly fit the owner’s desires.
Signature Designs are authentic, timeless, and celebrate design. We are inspired by the allure of crystal combined with light. Creative craftsmanship is evident through the versatility of each light; customizable for space and its uses. Preciosa’s advanced use of technology is seen in every element of the design. They present contemporary styles with a timeless quality.
Visit siteEstablished in 2002, FOH® is a women-owned global foodservice and hospitality company that manufactures smart, savvy, commercial-grade products including plateware, drinkware, flatware, hotel amenities, and more. Driven by innovation, FOH® is dedicated to delivering that WOW experience that restaurants and hotels crave, all while maintaining a competitive price. All products are fully customizable, and many are also created using sustainable, eco-friendly materials, such as straws and plates made from biodegradable paper and wood and BPA-free drinkware. FOH® has two established brands: Front of the House®, focused on tabletop and buffet solutions, and room360®, which offers hotel products. Check out our collections today at
Visit siteBorn in 2017 under the creative direction of Gil Saul, SOPHSTONE speaks to a niche clientele
which values individuality over current trends. Driven more by creativity than profits,
SOPHSTONE remains steadfastly independent. A family-owned boutique manufacturer,
providing the flexibility required to incorporate age-old techniques and old-world craftsmanship
absent in a market saturated by global brands.
Within the picturesque surroundings of the Malang Region of East Java, Indonesia, Gil borrows
inspiration, not from concrete and steel, but rather the harmony of living within nature. There is a
realization that tradition, craftsmanship, and innovation can coexist. Overcoming the familiar and
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corporate project, SOPHSTONE is there to meet and exceed all expectations, on time and on
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Visit siteFor nearly a quarter-century, TUUCI has revolutionized outdoor spaces with durable, innovative shade platforms featuring nautically inspired designs. Founded by Dougan Clarke in 1997, The Ultimate Umbrella Company, Inc., (simply known as “TUUCI”), was born from seaside roots in Miami, Florida where Dougan began his career as a marine outfitter for high-performance yachts.
With a keen eye on design and a passion for form and function, Dougan applied his craftsmanship to the shade industry to create TUUCI’s unique brand of marine-grade, shade architecture. Today, TUUCI’s distinctive shade designs and furnishings may be experienced around the world and are sought by leading design professionals within the architectural and residential design community.
TUUCI’s primary manufacturing campus is in Miami, Florida, and serves as the company’s global headquarters. The organization maintains two additional, wholly-owned manufacturing centers in Northern Europe and Southeast Asia providing localized customer service including fully integrated internal sales teams and distribution support across each continent.
TUUCI’s sense of community is a cornerstone of the company’s foundation, providing charitable outreach across a host of environmental and humanitarian concerns. The company’s broad mission is to provide sustainable comfort and accessibility around the world.
Visit siteFor 30 years Gessi has been designing and creating concepts to enhance the use and benefits of water with the commitment to realise the aspirations of style, personalisation, physical and mental wellbeing of individuals in the most private of living spaces. Creating a new sector, the Private Wellness sector, Gessi has transformed places that were previously utilitarian into environments capable of exciting and regenerating those who live in them on a daily basis.
Created in a zero impact green park, the company's creations bring a message of beauty, love of nature, attention and safety for the user into the homes of those who choose them. The serenity and passion with which they are made, engraved in each object, give a positive vibration to whoever uses and enjoys them.
A global reference for lifestyle, innovation, design and sustainability, the Gessi collections furnish the world's most beautiful hotels, public spaces, yachts and private homes.
Visit siteThe Awards were first launched at the House of Lords in 2016 to recognise, celebrate and reward accessibility across hotels, restaurants and other public venues worldwide.
The judges focus on style, thoughtful design, innovation and liberty that delivers exceptional accessibility. The aim is to encourage hospitality industry bosses, architects and designers worldwide to consider ways in which they can address the current and future needs of disabled guests.
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