AHEAD Americas 2026 shortlist announced

After receiving more than 160 entries, the AHEAD Americas judging panel has finalised the 2026 shortlist.

Comprising the most compelling new hospitality ventures from Canada to Chile, the 45 finalists will go head-to-head in 15 categories.

The winners will be announced at AHEAD Americas held at Gotham Hall on Thursday 15 October. Tickets are available now.

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Bar, Club or Lounge

Andy’s Rooftop Beeline Bar at Appellation Healdsburg – California, USA
CCS Healdsburg Hotel / Appellation Hotels / Hart Howerton / John Hill / EDG Design

The Garden Room at Pier Sixty-Six – Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA
Tavistock Development / HKS / Nelson / Jeffrey Beers International

Momentum KC at Cascade Hotel, a Tribute Portfolio by Marriott – Kansas City, Missouri, USA
Capital Management / DLR Group

Rose Bar at Delano Miami Beach – Florida, USA
Cain International / Ennismore / Elastic

The Schar Bar at JW Marriott Reston Station – Reston, Virginia, USA
Comstock Holding Companies / Crescent Hotels & Resorts / WDG Architecture / Nunzio Marc DeSantis Design / EDG Design

Event Spaces

Appellation Healdsburg – California, USA
CCS Healdsburg Hotel / Appellation Hotels / Hart Howerton / John Hill / EDG Design

Hotel X by Hyatt – Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Princes Gate Hotel Limited Partnership / Hyatt Hotels Corporation / DS Studio / Denizens of Design

One&Only Moonlight Basin – Big Sky, Montana, USA
Lone Mountain Land Company / Kerzner International / Olson Kundig / Ben Young Landscape Architects

Pier Sixty Six – Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA
Tavistock Development / HKS / Nelson / Jeffrey Beers International

Waldorf Astoria – New York, USA
Strategic Hotels / Hilton Worldwide / Skidmore, Owings & Merrill / Pierre-Yves Rochon

Guestrooms

Delano Miami Beach – Florida, USA
Cain International / Ennismore / Elastic

Hotel Daphne – Houston, Texas, USA
Wood Lane Partners / Hyatt Hotels Corporation / Blanchard A+D 

The Nickel Hotel – Charleston, South Carolina, USA
Capital Square / Method Co. / Morris Adjmi Architects / Method Studios

Rosewood Mandarina – Riviera Nayarit, Mexico
RLH Properties / Rosewood Hotels & Resorts / MCEstudio / Idea Associados / Bando x Seidel Meersseman

Hotel Sevilla – Yucatan, Merida, Mexico
Grupo Habita / Zeller & Moye / Salomón Sacal

Hotel Conversion

The Ann Savannah – Georgia, USA
Tidal Real Estate Partners / Sage Hospitality / Cook Architecture / INC Architecture & Design

The Farmhouse at Inns of Aurora Resort & Spa – Aurora, New York, USA
Inns of Aurora / Hart Howerton 

Nobu Hotel – Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Madison Group / Nobu Hospitality / Turner Fleischer / Studio Munge

Populus – Seattle, Washington, USA
Urban Villages / Aparium Hotel Group / The Miller Hull Partnership / Curioso

Sixty DC – Washington DC, USA
The Valor Companies / Sixty Hotels / M.A.Bowers / Perkins Eastman / The Plant Collection

Hotel Newbuild

Albert Hotel – Fredericksburg, Texas, USA
New Waterloo / Clayton Korte / Word + Carr Design Group

Hotel Daphne – Houston, Texas, USA
Wood Lane Partners / Hyatt Hotels Corporation / Blanchard A+D / McDugald Steele

Faena – New York, USA
Faena Group / Bjarke Ingels Group 

Kimpton Mirador Pacific Grove – California, USA
Cypress 16 / InterContinental Hotels Group / RRM Design / Narrative Design Studio

One&Only Moonlight Basin – Big Sky, Montana, USA
Lone Mountain Land Company / Kerzner International / Olson Kundig / Ben Young Landscape Architects

Hotel Renovation

Alila Mayakoba – Riviera Maya, Quintana Roo, Mexico
RLH Properties / Hyatt Hotels Corporation / Cuaik / CDS

Delano Miami Beach – Florida, USA
Cain International / Ennismore / Elastic

The Ritz-Carlton Bacara – Santa Barbara, California, USA
Brookfield Properties / Marriott International / Melzer Deckert Ruder Architects / Meyer Davis / M Studio

The Shelborne by Proper – Miami Beach, Florida, USA
Cedar Capital / West Dale / King Street / Proper Hospitality / BA Architects / ADC & Tuneu / L&ND

Waldorf Astoria – New York, USA
Strategic Hotels / Hilton Worldwide / Skidmore, Owings & Merrill / Pierre-Yves Rochon / Anderson Kenny Architecture / AvroKO

Lobby

Delano Miami Beach – Florida, USA
Cain International / Ennismore / Elastic

The Nickel Hotel – Charleston, South Carolina, USA
Capital Square / Method Co. / Morris Adjmi Architects / Method Studios

Populus – Seattle, Washington, USA
Urban Villages / Aparium Hotel Group / The Miller Hull Partnership / Curioso

St Regis Cap Cana Resort & Residences – Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Campagna Ricart & Asociados / Marriott International / Acebal Canney Arquitectos & Asociados / Chapi Design

W Hotel – Austin Texas, USA
Ryman Hospitality Properties / Marriott International / Blur Workshop

Lodges, Cabins & Tented Camps 

Casa Gallareta – Villa La Angostura, Patagonia, Argentina
Casa Gallareta / Organic & Joyful Architecture

One&Only Moonlight Basin – Big Sky, Montana, USA
Lone Mountain Land Company / Kerzner International / Olson Kundig / Ben Young Landscape Architects

Red Cliffs Lodge Moab – Utah, USA
Garn Development / Azul Hospitality / Marriott International / Vanzeben Architecture / Atwater Inc. Studio / Sormeh Rienne

The River Electric – Guerneville, California, USA
MKOR Holdings / Boundary Works / Jessie Galloway Design / Ground Studio Landscape Architecture

Resort

The Inn at Sundance – Utah, USA
Broadreach Capital Partners / Cedar Capital Partners / Maritz Wolf Broadreach Capital Partners / Bull Stockwell Allen / Fettle

Naples Beach Club, a Four Seasons Resort – Naples, Florida, USA
BDT & MSD Partners / The Athens Group / Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts / Hart Howerton / ODP / Champalimaud Design / Outside Productions

One&Only Moonlight Basin – Big Sky, Montana, USA
Lone Mountain Land Company / Kerzner International / Olson Kundig / Ben Young Landscape Architects

Rosewood Mandarina – Riviera Nayarit, Mexico
RLH Properties / Rosewood Hotels & Resorts / MCEstudio / Idea Associados / Bando x Seidel Meersseman

The Sanderling – Outer Banks, North Carolina, USA
Brookfield Properties / CBRE / Ward + Gray

Restaurant

Bazaar Meat at The Palazzo at The Venetian Resort – Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Vici Properties / Apollo Global Management / José Andrés Group / KGA Architecture / Studio Munge

Lex Yard at Waldorf Astoria – New York, USA
Strategic Hotels / Anderson Kenny Architecture / AvroKO

Seahorse at W New York, Union Square – New York, USA
Marriott International / Mercer Street Hospitality / Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners / Rockwell Group

The Penrose Room at The Broadmoor Hotel – Colorado Springs, Colorado USA
The Anschutz Corporation / The Broadmoor-Sea Island Company / James W. Nakai & Associates / Tihany Design

Reflections The Garden Terrace at Rosewood Hotel Georgia – Vancouver, Canada
Pacific Reach Properties / Rosewood Hotels & Resorts / Ste Marie

Spa & Wellness

One&Only Spa at One&Only Moonlight Basin – Big Sky, Montana, USA
Lone Mountain Land Company / Kerzner International / Olson Kundig / Ben Young Landscape Architects

Spa Nalai at Park Hyatt Hotel – New York, USA
Hyatt Hotels Corporation / Studio Whynought

The Spa – The Retreat at Hotel Jackson – Jackson Hole, Wyoming, USA
Darwiche Family Companies / FFKR Architects / TruexCullins Architecture + Interior Design

Sundara Spa + Studio at Oil Nut Bay – Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands
Victor International Corporation / CID Design Group

Suite

El Artista Villas at Hotel Belmar – Monteverde, Costa Rica
Belmar Family / Garnier Arquitectos / NAAS Interior Culture / Mariam Wo Ching / Savia Paisajismo 

Nobu Hotel – Toronto, Canada
Madison Group / Nobu Hospitality / Turner Fleischer / Studio Munge

Maile Presidential Suite at Four Seasons Maui Wailea – Maui, Hawaii
BDT & MSD Partners / Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts / Meyer Davis / MDR Architects

The Presidential Suite at Sofitel – New York, USA
Keck Seng / Accor / DYAMI Architects / HBA (San Francisco)

Rosewood Mandarina – Riviera Nayarit, Mexico
RLH Properties / Rosewood Hotels & Resorts / MCEstudio / Idea Associados / Bando x Seidel Meersseman

Sustainability

1 Hotel – Seattle, Washington, USA
KHP Capital Partners / AXIS Architecture + Design / Studio Collective

Mira Earth Studios – Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California, Mexico
Kendall Family / Juniette Bermudez / Nacion Verde / Felipe Ricalde Saucedo / Angel David Olguin / Fernando Moreno / Andres Gomez

Populus – Seattle, Washington, USA
Urban Villages / Aparium Hotel Group / The Miller Hull Partnership / Curioso 

Sendero Hotel & Villas – Nosara, Costa Rica
Rivella Group / Loop Design Studio / Cola Blanca / Vida Design Studio

Treehouse Silicon Valley – Sunnyvale, California, USA
Starwood Capital Group / Starwood Hotels & Resorts / 10 Design / Steinberg Hart / Crème / RIOS