A Shigeru Ban-designed boutique hotel in Japan and a resort that hides amongst the Malaysian rainforest are among the projects to be shortlisted in this year's AHEAD Asia awards.
The AHEAD Asia awards honour exceptional hospitality projects that have been launched, opened or reopened on the continent between September 2018 and August 2019.

All submissions were first sorted into 15 categories, which acknowledge everything from a project's guestrooms to its lobby and public spaces.
A shortlist has then been compiled by a judging panel of industry experts. This year it includes figures such as founder partner of AvroKO, William Harris, managing director of Swire Hotels, Toby Smith, and curatorial director of BAR Studio, Rowena Hockin.

One of the projects to be shortlisted is Shishi-Iwa House, a boutique hotel designed by Pritzker prize-winning architect Shigeru Ban. It's has just 10 rooms, which are nestled amongst the forested woodlands of Karuizawa in Japan. Another project in the running is Tokyo's one-room hotel Trunk House ? it takes over a 70-year-old building that once served as living quarters for geishas, and even includes a miniature nightclub for guests.
Also on the shortlist is the Taj Rishikesh Resort & Spa, a high-end hideaway in India which lies at the foot of the Himalayas, and The Datai Langkawi, a contemporary hotel that's set against the dense rainforests of Malaysia.

In the 2019 edition of the AHEAD Asia awards, the much-sought-after Hotel of the Yea...