Revealed on wallpaper.com and fortune.com and in the September issue of Wallpaper* and the August 17th issue of Fortune, the 10 Best Business Hotels of 2009 are:
* The Park Hyatt Shanghai & The Four Seasons Florence (joint winner)
* Distrito Capital, Mexico City
* Mondrian South Beach, Miami
* Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus
* Kempinski Hybernská Prague
* Cape Grace Cape Town
* Shangri-La Hotel Tokyo
* Park Hyatt Beijing
* The Dolder Grand Zurich.
In an opening essay, Sara Henrichs writes, “With the needs of business travellers in mind, our expert panel of judges picked 10 winners from a field of 50 hotels that opened or reopened around March 2008 to March 2009.”
Europe puts in the strongest showing, claiming four of the top ten, with Asia taking second place with three winners, two of which are from China.
Wallpaper* editor-in-chief Tony Chambers (pictured) says: “Today’s business traveller is looking for a lot more than a trouser press and a decent breakfast, especially in the current climate. Price, extra amenities and the blurring of business and leisure have never been more important. With Wallpaper’s authority in design and Fortune’s business credentials, this is a real accolade for those hotels judged the cream of the crop.”
The judges include Pearl Lam, gallery owner; Yves Behar, designer and founder, Fuseproject; Kevin Carrigan, creative director, CK Calvin Klein; Ulrik Garde Due, CEO, Georg Jensen; Chris Bangle, former head of design, BMW; Damien Dernoncourt, CEO, John Hardy; Raphaël Le Masne de Chermont, executive chairman, Shanghai Tang; Chuck Porter, co-chairman, Crispin Porter + Bogusky; Elizabeth Blau, founder and CEO, Blau and Associates; and Gabrielle Schooley, US business director, Moët & Chandon.
