On 5 October over 200 guests including professionals from hospitality, investment, design, brand, and development, gathered for the 10^th annual Radical Innovation Awards at the New Museum in New York City.

Two professional finalists, Driftscape and Nesting, presented their concepts to a live audience. The Radical Innovation jury and audience posed questions designed to test the concept’s feasibility for future development, and following this question and answer session, audience members voted for the idea they felt had the power to change the hotel industry.

HOK’s Toronto office, the creators of Driftscape, received the grand prize of $10,000 and the chance to have their idea further developed in the marketplace. Runner-up, Paris-based MM Architects Designers & Planners, received a $5,000 prize for their concept Nesting. Meanwhile the student winner, Juan Orduz of the University of Nevada Las Vegas was awarded $1,500 for his concept Space View Inn.

Inspired by the fundamental human urge to wander, HOK’s Toronto office designed Driftscape as a way to provide a fully immersive, significantly heightened guest experience. Driftscape is a mobile, self-sustaining hotel that, through the use of drone-technology, allows guests to touch down in diverse locations unattainable to traditional hotels.

The proposed hotels are comprised of modular units: the Driftcraft, an autonomous guestroom pod; and the Oasis, the amenity and service base. Each Driftcraft is designed to accommodate two guests, and support untethered excursions of two-three days before returning to the Oasis to be refreshed with necessary amenities.

“Driftscape meets growing market demand for authentic, immersive experiences with a concept that is entirely new and original,” said John Hardy, CEO of The John Hardy Group and Founder of Radical Innovation. “The audience was won over not only by the romance of the idea, but the amount of research supporting its feasibility.”

The professional runner up, Nesting is a hospitality concept that reimagines how we utilise urban parks and shared green spaces by forming a partnership between private and public entities. In response to rapid worldwide growth, MM Architects Designers & Planners were inspired to create a hotel concept that would play a unique and relevant role in tomorrow’s urbanity. Nesting’s modular structure is multi-functional, compact, light, and integrated, allowing it to be placed within a wide array of urban and green spaces.

The winning student project was Space View Inn by
Juan Orduz, a graduate student at the University of Nevada Las Vegas pursuing a Master of Architecture degree with a concentration in Hospitality Design. Identifying the hospitality industry as key to private space development, Orduz designed Space View Inn to address the twofold design and operational obstacles of space travel. By adapting and building on current space architecture standards, the design supports leisure and hospitality activities for up to 64 guests. The concept introduces a “Space Lottery,” intended not only to secure additional funding and offset the large costs of the project, but also allows space travel to be a more inclusive experience.

The event was co-produced by The John Hardy Group with support from founding sponsor Global Allies, official partner Sleeper magazine, and media partner Architizer. Special thanks to Moderator Tara Mastrelli (President, Studio Tano) and the 2016 Radical Innovation award designer Chris Hardy.

Radical Innovation Jury:

• Michael Medzigian, CEO and Director, Carey Watermark Investors
• Jena Thornton, LEED AP, Managing Director, Eagle Rock Ventures
• Simon Turner, President, Global Development, Starwood Hotels
• James Woods, COO, The Bowls
• Wing T. Chao, Founding Principal, Wing T. Chao Architect
• Claude Amar, President, The John Hardy Group International

www.radicalinnovationaward.com