The Middle East and Africa's most eye-catching hotel design projects were crowned at Bluewaters Forum in Dubai, where more than 350 hospitality designers, developers and hoteliers gathered to celebrate the tenth edition of the AHEAD MEA awards.

The night's big winner was Four Seasons Resort & Residences Amaala at Triple Bay, part of Saudi Arabia's ambitious Red Sea tourism development, which picked up Hotel of the Year as well as prizes for both Hotel Newbuild and Guestrooms. Designed by U+A with interiors by Goddard Littlefair for developer Red Sea Global, the resort is a flagship for Amaala, Saudi Arabia's ultra-luxury corner of the northwestern coast. The same developer's Four Seasons property at Shura Island also took Spa & Wellness for its Foster + Partners-designed spa at Hanak.

Dubai and Abu Dhabi stacked up plenty of hardware too. Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab won Resort, Tattu Restaurant & Bar at Ciel Dubai Marina took Restaurant, and the W Penthouse at W Residences Palm Jumeirah won Branded Residences. Over in the capital, Saikindō at Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi on Al Maryah Island was named best Bar, Club or Lounge.

Africa had a strong showing beyond the city hotels. InterContinental Table Bay in Cape Town won three categories — Hotel Renovation, Lobby and Suite — thanks to a refurbishment by LW Design Group. In Kenya's Laikipia region, &Beyond Suyian Lodge won Landscaping & Outdoor Spaces, while Gorilla Forest Lodge, an A&K Sanctuary in Uganda's Bwindi National Park, took the Lodges, Cabins & Tented Camps category. Sediba Sa Rona in Botswana's Khwai community area won Sustainability, and Oman's Al Bait Al Sharqi in Muscat won Hotel Conversion.

Other winners included Sofitel Riyadh for Event Spaces and Dubai-based Envi Lodges as New Concept of the Year, an up-and-coming nature-lodge brand from founders Chris Nader and Noelle Homsy.

For travellers, this list doubles as a cheat sheet of where high-end design is heading across the region — and where to book next. Saudi Arabia's Red Sea giga-projects are now producing award-winning, open hotels rather than just renders, while Cape Town, Muscat, Laikipia and Bwindi offer design-forward stays well beyond the Gulf's usual glitz. The regional winners will now go head-to-head with counterparts from the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific at the next AHEAD Global event, where worldwide champions will be named.

Full story credited to Sleeper Magazine.