Much like its name suggests, the annual Radical Innovation Award celebrates bold, forward-thinking ideas within the hotel sphere. Students and professionals alike are invited to submit their 2017 concepts online from January 17 through April 22.
If you have a big new idea for hotels, this is your opportunity to get discovered and find funding. Among the past winners is Zoku, the grand-prize winner in 2015, which opened its first property in May 2016 in Amsterdam. The home-office hybrid is suitable for long stays boasting the services of a hotel with the feel of a lively neighborhood.
Zoku Loft; images courtesy of Zoku Amsterdam
Last year’s winning concept was a drone hotel from design firm HOK’s Toronto office. Dubbed “Driftscape,” the project proposed autonomous, drone-powered guest room pods that are connected to a main hub but free to fly to a given location chosen by their inhabitants. Just imagine the aerial views! That’s the kind of creative brainstorming sure to secure you the honors.
Driftscape by HOK; images courtesy of HOK
Organized by The John Hardy Group, a leading development services firm in the realm of hospitality, the competition is juried by bold-faced names in the trade, from the award’s founder, John Hardy, to Simon Turner, formerly of Starwood Hotels & Resorts. The selected finalists will present their ideas at an event in Fall 2017 at the New Museum, where an audience of hospitality, design and business leaders will gather. A live vote will determine the grand prize–winner (the recipient of a $10,000 cash prize) along with a runner up (the recipient of a $5,000 prize).
The student winner will receive $1,500 and the offer of a graduate scholarship in the Masters of Architecture program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Big-minded thinking is encouraged, but pitches have to be grounded in reality and realizable within a three-to-five-year time period after the award. Entries require a straightforward but impactful brief, along with design renderings and cost analysis capturing how the effort would be achieved. The concept must be marketable to investors, owners and operators. For the complete competition guidelines, head here.
© Jason Hales
The Radical Innovation Award trophies; images courtesy of Radical Innovation
“We always want people to use their imagination but to problem-solve, as well. ‘How can we make the hotel experience more inspired?’ is the question we pose. And we’re typically delighted by the responses,” says Hardy.
The 2017 Radical Innovation Awards are brought to you by The John Hardy Group, official partner Sleeper magazine, media partner Architizer and founding sponsor Global Allies.