Copyright © 2025 Motivate Media Group. All rights reserved.
Our congratulations to the architects and designers who've reimagined the art of hospitality.
The id shortlist for hospitality interiors includes stunning contemporary hotels by the region’s foremost architects and interior designers. Our judges looked for a combination of style, substance, and the architect’s ability to blend local culture with a cosmopolitan vision.

To create the magnificent interiors of this hotel, MKV Design worked with the developer to imagine a concept that was contemporary, timeless and which distinctly belongs in Abu Dhabi, but also speaks to the needs of the cosmopolitan traveller.
Despite its grand size and the soaring volumes of its public areas, there is a human, intimate scale to the hotel achieved with its use of colour, light and texture. Its understated elegance strikes a sophisticated tone designed to appeal to both international guests and the local community.

Gensler was appointed to lead the design of a mixed-use development in Kuwait City for Alshaya Incorporated, which includes the new five-star Four Season hotel. It includes 250 rooms, two large ballrooms, an expansive pool-level terrace, three restaurants, and world-class spa and fitness facilities.
The design concept was developed around the regional architectural language of mashrabiya to provide solar control for the building. The building strives to create an aesthetic and functional continuity, identifying and distinguishing itself from the surroundings, responding to the climate, while also enhancing the experience of guests.

The only member of Design Hotels (TM) in the Middle East, Architecture Studio’s design brief focused on four key areas: timeless and relevant aesthetics (material and color), guest practicality, operational productivity and cost efficiency.
To address timeless and relevant aesthetics they focused on key design features from the proven Art-Deco era, converging to neutral colors, geometric motifs, rounded forms, and sharply defined outlines. The key features of the rooms are the custom-designed furniture, a focus on suspended furniture allowing for effective use of space, increased transparency and airy spaces.

Mysk Al Mouj is the flagship hotel for the Mysk by Shaza hotel group. The brief for GAJ was clear: design a contemporary hotel that would equally appeal to both sophisticated business travellers and leisure guests.
The final client-approved design is in line with the client’s vision to create an internationally branded mid-market hotel, catering primarily to the corporate market, and also the weekend leisure market visiting the city of Muscat.

Designed by Claire Craig, the brief was to create a design for Marriott’s newly-branded Renaissance Hotel, a first in the region. Aimed at the ‘discovery’ business traveler, as well as the ‘curious’ leisure traveler, it was created to appeal to those seeking authentic and unexpected experiences.
WA International’s concept was to blend an urban hotel – an extension of the city- with a strong sense of location. These directives, achieved through the hotels impeccable art works and design details, were combined with and to provide unique design solutions and concepts for the contemporary traveler who want the amenities and comforts of a 5-star luxury hotel, but are also seeking new, meaningful local experiences.
View the complete list of this year’s shortlisted projects here.

During Downtown Design, we interviewed the team at Huda Lighting in addition to designers Tom Dixon and Lee Broom.
The fair will run its second edition at JAX District
We discussed the concept of 'Sustainable Futures' with Inge Moore of Muza Lab and Rakan Jandali at KCA International.
During Dubai Design Week 2025, identity held a panel at the Ideal Standard x Villeroy & Boch showroom in City Walk, on shaping experiences for hospitality.
Here’s how you can bring both sophistication and style to every room
Messara Living and Vincent Sheppard Unveil “Outdoor at Its Best 2026”
A modernist landmark is reimagined as a global stage for collectible design, contemporary art, and cultural dialogue.
Presenting the winners of 2025 identity Design Awards.
Here are the winners of the identity design awards 2025
Set along the bend of a quiet river and sheltered within a mature, tree-lined enclave of Toronto, this riverside residence offers a dialogue between structure and softness, restraint and warmth
The “Red in Progress” installation marks a powerful first step toward the city’s full-scale 2026 edition
A conversation on passion, timeless design, and bringing Italian craftsmanship to the world