Bringing together the leading experts in commercial architecture and interior design, the 12th Annual Contract Design Forum took place in Del Mar, California, November 9–11.

A voice-activated personal assistant and a mobile professional networking platform have been championed by Marriott Hotels in Europe and the developers now have the opportunity to pilot their products in a Marriott Hotel for six months, in addition to benefiting from a mentoring program and training led by industry leaders.

Singita Lebombo and Sweni Lodges in South Africa’s Kruger National Park have teamed up with U.S-based Tesla Energy Products and SolarAfrica to use Tesla’s Powerpack energy storage systems, utility-scale rechargeable batteries designed to store energy for large power systems, with a goal of cutting generator usage by as much as 70%. The program is the first of its kind to be paired with an off-grid site in Africa.

“Some of those hotel magnates years ago knew what they were about when they included lots of high terraces,” says Edwin Frizzell, general manager of the 28-floor Fairmont Royal York, Toronto, Canada.

Hospitality interior design firm Hirsch Bedner Associates led the design of the newly opened Kempinski Beirut, located along the city’s waterfront.Kempinski Beirut took inspiration from natural elements such as the cedar tree forest, the endless sunshine and blues of the Mediterranean Sea.

This year’s Collective Design saw Fernando Mastrangelo turn heads with his ethereal Drift Collection.Interior Design awarded him Best in Show at the inaugural NYCxDESIGN Awards before he hauled the collection cross-country to exhibit at the recently-opened THE NEW Gallery in Los Angeles.