Clients worldwide have become more demanding. They want aesthetically and creatively appealing designs, better technology to have everything at their fingertips, and facilities that allow them to indulge or relax, just a call away. Also, gone are the days of heavily formal designs in hotels. The new breed of adventurous designers and travelers has made the hotels rethink their set beliefs about guest service and hotel design.

Travelers want to be surprised or wowed each time they walk in. The reason for a more casual ambience in hotels can also be attributed to the need of frequent travelers to feel at home. Only a decade back, renovations and would be carried out at a gap of five to seven years. The periodicity has now increased to three to five years. Additionally, as business travel has increased all across the globe, new hotels are constantly being built in major destination cities.

Sponsored by the Modular Building Institute and administered by the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS), the program challenges students to learn about modular building techniques and systems in the design of a modern and sustainable Miami Beach hotel. The competition is designed for North American design students of all ages. Total prize money is $7,225, including $2,500 for the first place winning design.

www.aias.org/modularbuilding