Dezeen promotion: a cluster of luxurious tents in the Namibian desert and a hotel set amongst verdant gardens in Marrakech are some of the projects shortlisted in the Middle East and Africa heats of this year’s AHEAD awards.
The AHEAD MEA awards give praise to outstanding hospitality projects that have launched, opened or reopened across the Middle East and Africa between January 2019 and February of this year.
Zannier Hotels Sonop, a group of guest tents in Namibia, is on the shortlist
Entries were initially organised into 15 categories, which acknowledge everything from a project’s guest suites to its landscaping and outdoor spaces.
A shortlist was then composed by a judging panel of leading experts from the hotel industry. This year it includes figures such as Leila Abdul Rahim, design director of Hilton Worldwide, and Pallavi Dean, founder of studio Roar.
Another project on the AHEAD MEA awards shortlist this year is Dubai’s Opus hotel
Among the projects on the shortlist is Zannier Hotels Sonop, a group of 10 tents that perch over huge granite boulders in the Namibian desert.
Decadently designed to evoke old-world safari charm, inside the tents have been decorated with vintage maps, binoculars and telescopes.
Also on the shortlist is The Oberoi Marrakech, which is surrounded by lush gardens
Other projects on the shortlist include the Opus hotel in Dubai designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, which is set inside a cuboid glass building that’s punctuated by an irregularly shaped void.
Also on the shortlist is The Farmstead at Royal Malewane, an intimate lodge that looks out over the tree canopies of a national park in South Africa, and The Oberoi Marrakech, which is nestled amongst 28 acres of Mediterranean gardens and citrus trees.
Additionally on the AHEAD MEA 2020 shortlist is The Farmstead at Royal Malewane
This year – due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic – the final stages of judging will take place over a series of video calls between 30 September to 1 October, where those on the panel will review projects one last time before deciding on their favourites from each category.
Winners will then be announced on 9 November at the awards’ inaugural “hybrid” event, which will involve a digital screening for overseas audience members and a localised on-the-ground ceremony for people part of the AHEAD MEA community.
See the full shortlist below:
Bar, Club or Lounge
Archer Bar & Eatery at Marriott Hotel Melrose Arch, Johannesburg, South Africa
Twenty Three Rooftop Bar at Grand Plaza Mövenpick Media City, Dubai, UAE
Siddharta Lounge by Buddha Bar at W Muscat, Oman
St. Trop at Waldorf Astoria Dubai International Financial Centre, UAE
Guestrooms
Four Seasons Hotel Doha, Qatar
Lekkerwater Beach Lodge, De Hoop Nature Reserve, South Africa
The Farmstead at Royal Malewane, Hoedspruit, South Africa
The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi, UAE
Hotel Newbuild
Marriott Hotel Melrose Arch, Johannesburg, South Africa
ME Dubai at Opus, UAE
The Museum Hotel Antakya, Turkey
The Social House Nairobi, Kenya
Landscaping & Outdoor Spaces
Anantara Sahara Tozeur Resort & Villas, Tunisia
Le Palais Ronsard, Marrakech, Morocco
The Farmstead at Royal Malewane, Hoedspruit, South Africa
The Oberoi Marrakech, Morocco
Lobby & Public Spaces
Le Palais Ronsard, Marrakech, Morocco
Marriott Hotel Melrose Arch, Johannesburg, South Africa
ME Dubai at Opus, UAE
Vida Hotel Emirates Hills, Dubai, UAE
Lodges, Cabins & Tented Camps
Abelana River Lodge, Phalaborwa, South Africa
andBeyond Ngala Treehouse, Timbavati Private Game Reserve, South Africa
Habitas Namibia
King’s Pool, Linyanti Wildlife Reserve, Botswana
Lepogo Lodges’ Noka Camp, South Africa
Puku Ridge, South Luangwa National Park, Zambia
Zannier Hotels Sonop, Namibia
Renovation, Restoration & Conversion
andBeyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge, Namibrand Nature Reserve, Namibia
Four Seasons Hotel Doha, Qatar
Le Palais Ronsard, Marrakech, Morocco
Long Lee Manor, Shamwari Private Game Reserve, South Africa
Resort
Al Wathba, a Luxury Collection Desert Resort & Spa, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Anantara Sahara Tozeur Resort & Villas, Tunisia
The Oberoi Marrakech, Morocco
W Muscat, Oman
Restaurant
Bull & Bear at Waldorf Astoria Dubai International Financial Centre, UAE
Keystone at Marriott Hotel Melrose Arch, Johannesburg, South Africa
Mina’s Kitchen at The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi, UAE
Nammos Restaurant at Four Seasons Resort Dubai, UAE
Restaurant
Bull & Bear at Waldorf Astoria Dubai International Financial Centre, UAE
Keystone at Marriott Hotel Melrose Arch, Johannesburg, South Africa
Mina’s Kitchen at The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi, UAE
Nammos Restaurant at Four Seasons Resort Dubai, UAE
Suite
Anantara Sahara Tozeur Resort & Villas, Tunisia
Four Seasons Hotel Doha, Qatar
Le Palais Ronsard, Marrakech, Morocco
Marriott Hotel Melrose Arch, Johannesburg, South Africa
Source: Rooms - dezeen.com
