The 16th Bund Design Hotel Awards & International Forum was successfully held on January 8 at the Bellagio by MGM Shanghai. Meng Fanhao, Co-Founder and Chief Architect of line+ studio, was invited to deliver a keynote speech and was honored with the Best Inventive Architect of the Year award.
“Rising to fame with the Songyang Stray Birds Art Hotel, Meng Fanhao has had a remarkable year. He designed the Ji Yun Yao Resort in Guangzhou and also launched the iFLYTEK Global Headquarters, unveiling his strategic vision across various architectural fields.Whether it's a hot spring resort in Guangzhou, a cliffside hotel on a small island in Zhejiang, or the Huangshan Kimpton Hotel currently in development, Meng Fanhao consistently places the local cultural context at the core of his designs, creating one-of-a-kind cultural destinations.”
For the past 16 years, the Bund Design Hotel has served as a benchmark for the hotel industry, an advocate of hotel aesthetics, and a practitioner of fashionable escapism. It has consistently looked forward, paving the way to uncover designs that represent global trends. Since its inception, the Bund Design Hotel Awards has adhered to the philosophy of "opinions, not subjectivity; leadership, not blind following," selecting hotels and designers that are truly shaping the future of the industry, making it a leading indicator in global hotel design. "Fashionable escapism" symbolizes the industry's elite, signaling the future direction of travel trends and guiding both design and hospitality to new heights.
At this grand event, which gathered over 200 top masters from the hotel, design, culture, and art fields, Meng Fanhao shared the stage with renowned lighting designer Akira Miuchi from Japan, famous designers Cedric Jaccard, Wu Bin, Zhou Guangming, and other distinguished guests. With his unique perspective and deep insights, he joined the conversation on the future trends of hotel design and the aesthetics of life, offering a fresh interpretation of the concept of "fashionable escapism."
Meng Fanhao, using the Shenzhen Yunhai Forest Service Station and Zhejiang Lishui Guyanhuaxiang Art Center as examples, explores how to deeply integrate the design of travel destinations with everyday life scenes. From the differentiated travel experience at Ji Yun Yao Resort, to the site-responsive design of the Zhejiang Shengsi Cliff-Edge Hotel on Huaniao Island, which adapts to the island's natural texture, to the Huangshan Kimpton Hotel’s spiritual retrospection and reconstruction, he uses design to respond to the concept of "local experience." Bridging the gap between city and nature, tradition and modernity, he creates places with profound significance.
In an era where consumption is becoming more measured, details and warmth have emerged as new key concepts. In 2025, line+ will continue to explore the multiple possibilities of architecture in hotel settings, driving innovation and promoting the integration of design with lifestyle, paving the way for new trends in the hotel design field.
