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Web-based hotel guide Tablet has teamed up with Jovoto, the online collaborative community, to launch a public design competition seeking a new solution to one of the oldest problems in urban hospitality: bringing people together. Entrants must create the ultimate social hotel – not just a photogenic lobby or a highly exclusive nightclub but a hotel that’s a true creative crossroads, where guests and locals alike make serendipitous connections of all kinds.
Judges include such industry insiders as Brent Hoberman, founder of lastminute.com; Shuwa Tei, architect of Tokyo’s Claska Hotel; Mark Sainsbury, co-owner of London’s Zetter Group; industrial designer and creator of "scenarios for living" Matali Crasset; and award-winning Dutch architect Rob Wagemans, co-founder of Amsterdam’s Concrete Architectural Associates – as well as Laurent Vernhes, Tablet’s co-founder and CEO.
"The most promising concept will join Tablet’s online selection," said Mr. Vernhes, "where it will be tested against its real-world competitors by the most demanding judges we know: our customers." This final round of judging will provide invaluable feedback about this virtual hotel’s prospects, and will help to refine the concept in hopes of helping it eventually achieve a real-world launch.
The competition can be found on Tablet and is open through May 30th. Entries will be rated within the Jovoto community on an ongoing basis until the deadline, and then the judges will deliberate for one week to select the winning concept from among the top-rated entries. The winner will receive a prize package worth up to $20,000, including a 5-night stay at a Tablet hotel.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
