The 18th annual Radical Innovation Award ceremony took place on October 24th, at Current on Chelsea Piers in New York. With 130 hospitality, design, and real estate leaders in attendance, the event—produced by the Hardy Group—celebrated innovation across the industry.
Hosted by Dan Ryan, founder of the Defining Hospitality podcast, the night was marked by its first keynote speaker. Mike Scott of Thayer Investment Partners, in conversation with Hospitality Design editor in chief Stacy Shoemaker Rauen, shared insights into early-stage investments and technology’s growing role in hospitality.
HD editor in chief Stacy Shoemaker Rauen interviewed keynote speaker Mike Scott
The Student Product award went to the H2O Loop, a water-recycling shower system designed to minimize waste, submitted by Wu Yi-Chen and professor Li Kai-Chu of Ming Chi University of Technology in Taiwan.
Meanwhile, the Student Project award was presented to Cielo Colca Hotel, submitted by Jeroboam Amador Bernal Rivera, Ximena Berenice Valentina Mejia Sotelo, and Ana Maria Diaz Gonzalez at the Instituto Tecnológico Y De Estudios Superiores De Monterrey Campus Toluca in Mexico. The team received $5,000 and the opportunity to apply for an assistantship and full scholarship with the Radical University Partners.
The main event featured professional finalists Mayte Idarraga from HKS Architects and Ryan Christensen and Enrique Greenwell from Leo A Daly. Following project video presentations, a Shark Tank-style Q&A session allowed jurors and the audience to evaluate each concept.
This year’s winner—selected through a record 2,000-plus votes—was BBBL3, a collaboration between HKS Architects and Roam Interior Design. This project offers a fully immersive experience, blending technology with biophilic design to inspire new connections with space, community, and self.
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