The 19th annual Radical Innovation Award Ceremony took place on October 23rd in New York. Held at Current at Chelsea Piers, the event drew a distinguished audience of 140 industry visionaries, designers, architects, and real estate leaders. Dan Ryan, founder and host of Defining Hospitality, served as Master of Ceremonies for the inspiring evening.
Guests enjoyed cocktails and hors d’oeuvres against the backdrop of the Hudson River. The program featured a keynote conversation with Jim Deters of Gravity Haus and Mike Scott of Thayer Investment Partners, moderated by industry leader Stacy Shoemaker Rauen. Scott paired his investor experience with Deters’ entrepreneurial background insight to explore how bold hospitality concepts can move from vision to reality.
The ceremony began with the two Student Product finalists, introduced by mentoring juror Josh Owen. The Student Product award went to Sondr, a system designed for compact living that consists of an air purifier with garment care and a noise-reducing curtain, submitted by Yu-Hsiang Cheng of National Taiwan University of Science and Technology.
Next, the two Professional Product finalists presented their designs. The Professional Product award went to Neptune, a fully customizable, integrated backlit pool cladding system, submitted by SICIS.
Then, the Student Project category followed, with presentations from two student finalist teams. After showcasing their videos, the award was presented to Duna Sagra, which was submitted by Sara Osorio Alanis, Gabriel San Román RodrÃguez, Alan Ignacio Ortuño Moreno, and Blanca Paola ColÃn Reyes from the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Campus Toluca. The team received a $5,000 prize and the opportunity to apply for an assistantship or scholarship through Radical Innovation’s university partners; University of Illinois, the University of Las Vegas Nevada (UNLV), and NYU Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality.
The main event featured James Lee from IA Interior Architects and Graeme Labe from Luxury Frontiers. Following project video presentations, a “Shark Tank”-style Q&A session allowed jurors and the audience to explore each project’s creativity, feasibility, design, and potential impact on the hospitality industry. With a record-breaking 4,200-plus combined jury and public votes, the Passage, presented by IA Interior Architects, emerged as the winner. The adaptive reuse project transforms abandoned railway bridges into immersive hospitality destinations, reducing the need for new construction.
For further details on the event and this year’s visionary winners, visit radicalinnovation.io.
Radical Innovation is produced by the Hardy Group with the incredible support from sponsoring companies: DFL Legal, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Hospitality Design, Thayer Investment Partners, Allied Group, Noble Investment Group, AHLA Foundation, Archivism, BERMANFALK, Beyer Brown & Associates, Continental Contractors, Cooper Carry, DLR Group, Evenline, Ferguson, Gessi, Global Allies, Heller, Hospitality Logistics International, IA Interior Architects, Marc Phillips Decorative Rugs, RIVUR, Dr. Bharat & Milan Shah, Single Speed, Spinneybeck, Summa International, Valley Forge Fabrics, and Whirlpool. Radical Innovation education partners are UNLV School of Architecture, UNLV Black Fire Innovation, the University of Illinois School of Architecture, and NYUSPS Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality.
2025 Jurors
Project Jurors: Claude Amar, managing director, the Hardy Group International; Eran Chen, founder + executive director, ODA; Mark Friesen, principal, Beyer Brown & Associates; John Hardy, chairman + founder, the Hardy Group; Rika Lisslo, VP of development Hyatt Americas; Alexandra Lopatynsky, principal + managing director, Cooper Carry; Larry Traxler, SVP, global head architecture + design, Hilton; Stacy Shoemaker Rauen, hospitality design icon + visionary leader; Christina Zimmer, senior VP of design and development, Newbond Holdings.
Product Jurors: Claude Amar, managing director, the Hardy Group; Dan Dobin, cofounder + chairman, Valley Forge Fabrics; John Edelman, president + CEO, Heller; John Hardy, chairman + founder, the Hardy Group; Issac Kubryk, CEO, Global Allies; and Josh Owen, Vignelli Di.
