Press Release
Belmondo Suites Stay and Savor by Hilal Ustun Caner Wins the Silver A' Design Award in Hospitality, Recreation, Travel and Tourism Design
Hilal Ustun Caner honored for hospitality, recreation, travel and tourism design by the international grand jury of the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 21, 2025 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Belmondo Suites Stay and Savor by Hilal Ustun Caner has been granted the Silver A' Design Award in the Hospitality, Recreation, Travel and Tourism Design category. The result belongs to the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
About the Silver A' Design Award
The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.
Regarding Belmondo Suites Stay and Savor
This design seamlessly blends past and present, preserving historical elements while introducing modern functionality. It respects original architecture while integrating contemporary needs. Meticulous craftsmanship, thoughtful materials, and an intuitive layout emphasize comfort and aesthetic harmony. Interiors reflect neo-classical elegance, modern rustic warmth, and Scandinavian simplicity, with handcrafted furnishings and natural materials enhancing tactile depth. This approach creates a timeless, practical, and elegant space that honors heritage through refined design.
About Hilal Ustun Caner
Hilal Ustun Caner graduated from ITU in 2008 with a double major in Architecture and Landscape Architecture. Shortly after her graduation, she stepped into the world of design by collaborating with one of Walt Disney’s designers, Valerio Mazzoli, on Turkey’s first theme park, Landora. Following her coordination role at Vialand Theme Park, she went on to design Viasea Theme Park, leaving her mark on a series of successful projects. With over 17 years of experience, she continues her practice at Hucre Architecture, where she explores the intersection of design, narrative, and craftsmanship.
Award Record
This recognition makes Hilal Ustun Caner a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
About the A' Hospitality, Recreation, Travel and Tourism Design Award
The A' Hospitality Design Award is an international hospitality design competition recognizing good hospitality designs by best hospitality designers worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to hospitality designers, architects, hospitality brands and hotel chains from all countries. Typical entries include hotels, restaurants, resorts, cafes, bars and cruise ships. The awarded hospitality designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/hospitality
About A' Design Award & Competition
Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://designers.org/171363
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/171363
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!171363
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/367181
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://hucre.co/
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
###
Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Belmondo Suites Stay and Savor
- Function
- Stay and Savor
- Category
- Hospitality, Recreation, Travel and Tourism Design
- Discipline
- Service Design
- Industry
- Food & Hospitality and Sports
- Colors
- Black, Dark Slate Gray, Dim Gray, Dark Olive Green and Saddle Brown
- Images
- 5
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Hilal Ustun Caner
- Country
- Turkiye
- Recognition
- Silver A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2024 - 2025
- Design ID
- #171363
Credits
- Image Credits
- Main Image Credits : Semih Tiryaki Photography, 2024 Optional Image #1 / Credits : Osman Ozcan Photography, 2024 Optional Image #2 / Credits: Osman Ozcan Photography, 2024 Optional Image #3 / Credits : Osman Ozcan Photography, 2024 Optional Image #4 / Credits : Osman Ozcan Photography, 2024 Video Credits: Osman Ozcan, 2025 All images and videos presented in this project were created by Osman Ozcan and all publication rights belong to Hilal Ustun Caner.
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- This design seamlessly blends the past and present, preserving historical elements while introducing modern functionality.Its unique strength lies in its ability to respect the original architecture while integrating contemporary needs.Key features include meticulous craftsmanship, thoughtful material choices and an intuitive layout that emphasizes comfort and aesthetic harmony.This approach creates a timeless, elegant space that honors heritage, distinguishing it from conventional design.
- Inspiration
- My inspiration stemmed from the multi-layered history of Kaleici, where diverse cultures have shaped its architectural fabric over centuries. Rather than imposing a singular design language, I embraced the palimpsest nature of these spaces, preserving their memory while seamlessly integrating contemporary elements.The balance of past and present guided my approach, creating an experiential dialogue between history, craftsmanship and modern elegance.
- Research
- We leveraged qualitative research methodology through site analysis,historical archives of traditional Turkish houses in Kaleici and interviews with past residents of the mansions.The objective is to strengthen cultural heritage,enriche hospitality experiences and set a model for sustainable,history-conscious design.Tools included sketches,3D modeling and material sampling.Insights revealed how layered histories shape spatial memory.
- Challenge
- The core challenge lay in merging historical preservation with modern functionality. Adapting the building's heritage for contemporary hospitality required thorough research and innovative solutions. Structural limitations, legal regulations, and the creation of unique materials and spatial layouts that reflected the character of each area were key. This approach honored the spirit of each space, seamlessly bridging historical heritage with modern functionality, connecting the past and present with precision.
- Realization and Technology
- My design approach was rooted in a deep analysis of the historical layers, using a palimpsest methodology to preserve and reinterpret existing elements. I employed meticulous restoration techniques, retaining original wooden floors, slatted ceilings and stone walls while integrating handcrafted furniture and bespoke materials.The balance of traditional craftsmanship with modern production technologies, such as precision joinery and custom ceramic work, ensured authenticity and refinement.
- Operation and Interaction
- The adaptive reuse of historical mansions in Kaleici into boutique hotel and restaurants creates a center of social life, serves as a shared space where guests can experience both hospitality and gastronomy in a setting reminiscent of the past.The continuity between open, semi-open and enclosed spaces allows visitors to engage with the historical structure in a warm atmosphere. All rooms is uniquely designed with handcrafted elements, respecting the original layout while ensuring modern comfort.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project commenced in December 2022, with on-site construction work initiated in April 2023. The first phase, comprising 16 rooms within two historic mansions and an Italian restaurant, was completed in October 2024 and opened for operation in November 2024.
- Specifications
- The project encompasses four historic mansions, transformed into a boutique hotel with 30 uniquely designed rooms, two restaurants, a wine house, and a patisserie.The first phase, completed in October 2024, introduced 16 rooms within two mansions and the Belforno Italian Restaurant.This design harmoniously merges historical authenticity with contemporary luxury, preserving original architectural elements while integrating modern comforts.
- Keywords
- Adaptive reuse, Traditional Turkish house, Boutique hotel design, Heritage preservation, Contemporary reinterpretation, Spatial memory, Unique design and bold contrasts, Eclectic material palette, Cultural storytelling, Immersive spatial experience
