On Wednesday, Oct. 4, Surface celebrated winners and finalists of the first annual Surface Travel Awards with an intimate cocktail reception at La Piscine at Hôtel Americano, led by Surface’s travel editor, Nate Storey, and former director of editorial product development at Travel + Leisure, Peter Frank. Grammy Award–winner Solange Knowles served as the Master of Ceremonies, greeting guests of the evening prior to presenting the Travel Designer of the Year Award to renowned architect and designer Anda Andrei.
“Travel remains at the core of inspiration for my work, my vision, and how I see and experience the world,” said Knowles. “As I continue to explore design, architecture, and innovation in my own art, I’m honored and excited to celebrate with Surface magazine those who are pushing the boundaries further with such impact and power.”
Joining Knowles, Andrei, and Surface Media CEO Marc Lotenberg, guests in attendance included: Dror Benshetrit, Freja and Thompson Harrell, and Nancy Friedman, among others.
The Travel Awards Program honors the best and most thoughtfully conceived spaces, products, designers, and innovators who inspire, empower, and connect travelers. This year’s list of winners is expansive in scope, from a blockbuster cultural institution in Germany (Elbphilharmonie Hamburg) to an ethereal resort on a windswept Mexican shore (Mar Adentro Hotel, Cabo) to Seoul’s new raised public park and botanical garden, which wends its way through the urban center (The Skygarden). The winners were chosen by an esteemed panel of judges including Dana Cowin, Elizabeth Diller, Murray Moss, Roopal Patel, Michael Rock, Troy Conrad Therrien, and Adam Wells; to see the full list of winners, read more here.
Special thanks to Hôtel Americano for hosting the event and to Cosentino for custom-designing the awards.
(Photos: Andrew Toth/Getty Images for Surface Media)
