AHEAD, the Awards for Hospitality Experience and Design, has recognised legendary designer Adam D. Tihany with the Outstanding Contribution award at AHEAD Americas 2022.

Widely regarded as the pioneer of restaurant design, Tihany has been revolutionising the hospitality industry for the last 40 years with his multidisciplinary atelier Tihany Design.

The studio’s relationship with AHEAD is longstanding, having scooped the coveted Hotel of the Year at AHEAD MEA 2017 for the Four Seasons DIFC, and being shortlisted in the Transport category at AHEAD Americas two years later for Seaborne Ovation . This year, Tihany’s work on the Mandarin Oriental Bosphorus in Istanbul is also shortlisted at AHEAD Europe.

Speaking to Sleeper in 2020, Tihany said: “I’m a problem-solver, I like solving problems. Finding a solution to a problem no-one else can, or even finding a better solution to a problem someone has already solved; I didn’t know this was my calling at the time, but that’s what I’ve come to realise.”

In addition to his interior design work, Tihany also develops products for the likes of Poltrona Frau, Giorgetti, Unopiu, Kartell, Bernardaud, Christofle and Roda, under the banner of Tihany Product Design.

Organised by industry-leading publication Sleeper, AHEAD comprises four regional annual awards programmes concluding in a global finale. The series celebrates the achievements of those shaping the hospitality industry across Asia, the Americas, MEA and Europe, before the regional winners go head-to-head at AHEAD Global to establish an ultimate winner in each category.