Q&A with Matt Turner, Editor-in-Chief of Sleeper Group and AHEAD Awards Director, the leading international media brand for hotel design, development and architecture. Sleeper, the global magazine for hotel design, today announced the launch of AHEAD, the Awards for Hospitality Experience and Design, including the Middle East and African region, AHEAD MEA, which will be announced on the 15 November 2017 at the W Hotel - Al Habtoor City, Dubai.
Q&A with Matt Turner, Editor-in-Chief of Sleeper Group and AHEAD Awards Director, the leading international media brand for hotel design, development and architecture.
Sleeper, the global magazine for hotel design, today announced the launch of AHEAD, the Awards for Hospitality Experience and Design, including the Middle East and African region, AHEAD MEA, which will be announced on the 15 November 2017 at the W Hotel - Al Habtoor City, Dubai.
1. What is the most outstanding hospitality project in the region (referring to GCC) that you have experienced in recent years?
I can’t really say for fear of upsetting many of the fantastic designers and developers who have created incredible projects across the region. Although I haven’t visited them personally, the Alila and Anantara hotels in Oman are high on my list of places to visit. Rove has brought something different and fresh to the Dubai hotel scene. And the Four Seasons DIFC is a gem of a property. I’m also excited to see some of the new projects coming through from Jumeirah and Emaar.
2. What is the biggest challenge for the hospitality industry when it comes to interior design and architectural elements?
I believe the biggest challenge is the way many projects are structured and delivered. We often see projects where the designer has had a fantastic vision but it has been diluted / lost along the way with the result that the end product doesn't meet expectations. Value engineering is a constant challenge in this context.
3. What is the one design piece you can’t live without?
If I’m honest it would have to be my iPhone, with which I have a love / hate relationship. Try as I might to minimize the time spent scrolling and staring at the screen, ours smartphone have become an integral part of most people's lives. I’ve also become very attached to my Horizon Studios suitcase (with built in GPS and USB charging) as we’ve been travelling the globe setting up AHEAD – a beautiful and clever piece of design.
4. What differentiates AHEAD MEA from other regions?
We’ve tweaked the categories for AHEAD to reflect the specific markets in each region. For example in Europe there are many hotels which are conversions / restorations of historic buildings, whereas new build is much more prevalent in the Middle East. We also introduced a brand new category for Lodges & Tented Camps for the MEA awards, as there were some amazing projects across Africa in this field. We also spend a huge amount of time trying to ensure that each awards event is tailored to the region in terms of the visuals, food, music, dress code etc We’re really hoping to bring some ‘desert chic’ to our MEA Awards. Think Burning Man meets Bedouin camp!
5. What are you looking forward to at Downtown Design? (if attending) – otherwise: In which way fairs such as Downtown Design add value to the design scene?
Everything! I have to admit I was skeptical when I first visited D3 as it was a bit of a ghost town with little infrastructure around it. But when I returned for Downtown Design last year I was blown away by how quickly the design scene in Dubai has matured and developed. It’s also encouraging to see the emergence of an indigenous design culture across the Middle East, with its epicenter in Dubai, rather than just shipping in big name architects and designs from overseas.