The 2025 HD Awards Project Winners

LIFESTYLE HOTEL PUBLIC SPACE
Fidelity Hotel, Cleveland, Ohio

Downtown Cleveland received a burst of fresh energy when a 103-year-old Neoclassical structure was converted into the Fidelity Hotel. On the ground floor, one-time retail bays with large storefront windows were turned into a series of distinct spaces that organically flow into one another. Off the art-filled foyer is the lobby, where the reception desk is animated by two works from local multimedia artist Lauren Pearce. It spills into the Club Room, the all-day restaurant, bar, and lounge awash in coral hues and anchored by a banquette framed by arched interior windows. Here, a salon wall showcasing more than 35 pieces of ephemera—from pennants to matchbooks and news clippings—introduces diners to Cleveland’s fascinating history. In the intimate Snug Room, the ceiling is covered in a mural depicting verdant foliage, while the handpainted scene on display in the private dining room reinterprets the Cleveland skyline. “Given the handsome lines of the building and its tucked-away location off a bustling main thoroughfare, there was a longing to both allude to the grandeur of its architectural magnificence while layering in contemporary touchpoints and gestures,” says Daniel Pierce, cofounder and design principal at Curioso. It’s reverential while also forward-leaning.”

Architecture Firm: Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture, Chicago | Interior Design Firm: Curioso and Looney & Associates, Chicago | Owner’s Representative: JLL | Owner: NuovoRE | Operator: New Waterloo | Purchasing Firm: Benjamin West