The welcoming category of hospitality developments – whose projects were described as a 'warm embrace’ from the capital – has obviously been badly affected, certainly in an operational sense, by the ravages of COVID-19. But the shortlist still managed to comprise a wide variety and scale of projects in hotels, restaurants and bars, shops and markets. Anything, in fact, said the expert assessors, that puts London’s ‘best foot forward’ to the world.

Projects included hotels at both budget and luxury ends, small to large-scale, some using modular, shipping container construction, others often with ground floors designed to appeal to non-guests. The shortlist also included exquisite restaurant pavilions and sustainable reuses of existing buildings that focus on storytelling and history, servicing the needs of the community and guests alike.

There is still time to cast your People’s Choice vote! Support your favourite project by voting here by November 6th.

The Standard
Benjamin Prosky: ‘I think that type of building [the previous council offices], though probably innovative when it was built, kind of faded away and became unloved. They really made it lovable again’
Dominique Alba: ‘I like the fact that they challenged the building from the 1970s. We need to challenge them’

Benjamin Prosky: ‘People have been doing wonderful things with shipping containers but this is one of the most successful ones I have seen.’

Hotels, restaurants and bars, markets and shops that welcome guests and enhance the leisure offers and hospitality experience for visitors and Londoners alike.

Citicape House, City of London by Sheppard Robson Architects LLP

Duke of York Restaurant, Kensington and Chelsea by Nex—

Hyatt Hotel at Great Scotland Yard, Westminster by EPR Architects

Illuminated River, Southwark by Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands

Stow-Away Hotel, Lambeth by Doone Silver Kerr

The Hoxton Southwark, Southwark by Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands

The Londoner, Westminster by Woods Bagot

The Standard, London, Camden by Orms, Archer Humphryes