196+ forum Milan: Maison Heler Metz | A Curio Collection Hotel by Hilton, France, wins “Hotel Design Award 2026”

Milan – This year’s winner of the “Hotel Design Award” is Maison Heler Metz | A Curio Collection Hotel by Hilton, France. The prize was awarded at the 196+ forum Milan yesterday.

The clear trend in hospitality investments is towards projects which are out-of-the-box – projects which are unique, which are attracting attention, and which even might be polarizing. The three finalists of the Hotel Design Award 2026 share this uniqueness. The two finalists are very small but pay homage to a location / historic building. The winner Maison Heler Metz is the latest masterpiece by Philippe Starck, the hotel design maverick who helped create some of the most noteworthy hotels in the world, including the Faena in Buenos Aires and the Rosewood in Sao Paolo

Michael Widmann, Global CEO of PKF hospitality

The award criteria include the originality of the architectural and design concept, the resulting quality of the building and facade, as well as the interior design. The focus is on the design approach to a compelling hotel concept.

The interdisciplinary jury selected ten nominees from the 25 hotel applications from 13 European countries. Of these nominees, the following three hotels were selected for the final (in alphabetical order):

• LILLØY Lindenberg (Bergen, Norway)

• Maison Heler Metz | A Curio Collection Hotel by Hilton (Metz, France)

• Villa Pétrusse (Luxemburg, Luxemburg)

Johannes Adler, Director Project Sales Occhio and member of the jury: “From an impressive field of entries across Europe, these three outstanding finalists were selected for their exceptional design vision, and ability to redefine the guest experience.”

Maison Heller Metz, Curio Collection by Hilton articulates a compelling dialogue between historical reference and contemporary architectural expression. The interplay of architecture, interior, and narrative creates a cohesive and highly distinctive identity.

LILLØY Lindenberg challenges conventional hotel typologies by foregrounding community as its central premise. Architecture, interior, and storytelling converge into a singular, creative proposition with a strong sense of identity — A Home far away from home.

Villa Pétrusse stands out for its nuanced transformation of historic fabric into a calm, contemporary hospitality experience. Architecture and interior design are seamlessly interwoven, resulting in an elegant, almost residential character.

Each project demonstrates a distinctive approach to space, storytelling, and hospitality at the highest level distinguished by their design excellence, originality, and thoughtful integration of concept, context, and guest experience.”

The ten nominated hotels in alphabetical order:

1. Casa Cook Madonna (Madonna di Campiglio, Italy)

2. Huus Quell (Gonten, Switzerland)

3. Kimpton Main Frankfurt (Frankfurt am Main, Germany)

4. LILLØY Lindenberg (Bergen, Norway)

5. Maison Heler Metz | A Curio Collection Hotel by Hilton (Metz, France)

6. Palais Mailberger Hof (Vienna, Austria)

7. SAX Paris, LXR Hotels & Resorts (Paris, France)

8. Steigenberger Icon Europäischer Hof Baden-Baden (Baden-Baden, Germany)

9. The Florentin by Althoff Collection (Frankfurt am Main, Germany)

10. Villa Pétrusse (Luxemburg, Luxemburg)

Hotels that were completed and opened in Europe between October 2024 and March of this year were eligible to apply. The competition is aimed at architects, operators, designers, owners and developers of hotels in Europe.

Images are available at the following link: HDA 2026_Nominees. Please refer to the copyright information for photo credits. If no information is available, please state the hotel name.