The 20th edition of the Hotel Show Dubai took place from 17th to 19th September at Dubai World Trade Centre showcased some of the UAE\'s leading interior designers and fit out contractors competing in the event\'s newest feature: The Hotel Room Design Challenge.
Competing teams had a designated space within the event to create their room set design, based upon a theme Dubai: A World of Possibility, A Lifetime of Stories. Visitors at the event voted for their favourite room set design during the first and second days of the Hotel Show, and the winning team was awarded at the Middle East Hospitality Awards on 18th September at the Ritz Carlton DIFC.
The Hotels Market Report by Ventures Onsite indicates that the \'GCC is expecting an additional 58,761 hotel rooms to enter the market in 2019. Dubai\'s hotel room supply alone is expected to reach 132,000 in 2019, with the Emirate aiming to complete 160,000 hotel rooms by October 2020\'.
The Ventures Onsite Report further predicts that the overall GCC interiors and fit-out spend in the hotel sector is expected to be worth US$ 2,984 million in 2019, and the UAE and KSA emerge as high spenders in interior design and fit-out sector in the GCC.
Godwin Austen Johnson, Gensler, and STYLIS NSG were the participating and curated teams for the competition.
Sejal Patel, Design Director at Gensler said, "People will forget what you said, People will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. The inspirational quote by Maya Angelou serves as the backbone to our approach for this exciting competition.
"The Hospitality industry is an essential part of our region's growth and hotels are a key facilitator into the surrounding communities. Whether we are on the road for business or for a long-awaited holiday, the hospitality industry becomes the lynchpin to our travel plans. A hotel is, and will always be, a home away from home".
"We have chosen the team based on their passion for the project. It is an exciting initiative and we want to ensure that we have people working on it who are going to see it as a platform to showcase their creativity and technical skills. The challenge will be led by two of our young up and coming designers", said Jacinda Raniolo, lead creative designer at Godwin Austen Johnson
Talking about the theme for the first edition of the Competition, Emilia Bielemuk from STYLIS NSG said, "We would like to highlight the link between the old and new Dubai, where the modernity and cosmopolitism are tangled with tradition and Arab heritage connected to the desert".
Award-winning interior designer Yasmine Mahmoudieh added, "I like to come up with ideas that no one has executed in the same way before".
Nathan Waugh, Portfolio Director - Hospitality Division, dmg events said, "Every year, at the Hotel Show, we look to improve and refresh our feature content, to ensure that the event remains fresh, relevant and inspirational for all our stakeholders. In particular, this year, as we celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Hotel Show, we wanted to include a feature which allows designers the opportunity to express themselves, and challenge themselves to represent the past, present and future of Dubai through design. I speak for the whole team when I say that we can\'t wait to see how some of the region\'s leading design and fit out companies fulfil the creative brief".
During the Middle East Design and Hospitality Week 2019, The Hotel Show Dubai will be co-located with INDEX, Workspace, The Leisure Show, Surface Design Middle East, FIM, and INDEX Home.
Here are a few moments from the competition:
dmg events is an organiser of face-to-face events and a publisher of trade magazines for the international Construction, Energy, Coatings, Transport, Hospitality & Design industries.
