Learn more about the qualifications for the Indie Awards and nominate a deserving hospitality icon here.
Tamm is a farmer, horticulturist and floral designer who works in cannabis, farm education, permaculture, agroforestry and urban farming. The social justice advocate grew up in Brooklyn and craved more nature. Now she is fighting to establish a farm in Central Park as a way of promoting New York City’s food sovereignty while creating a reminder of the history of Seneca Village and bringing diversity to Central Park. She leads the food justice division of Dan Barber’s Kitchen Farming Project, where she grows food for Black and Brown chefs who then prepare food for low-income communities in New York City.
Dutch East Design creates tailor-made environments with artistry and technical precision. The studio is passionate about design and committed to the quality of all aspects of its projects. The team thoughtfully evaluates the unique nature of each project by listening, identifying the social, functional, aesthetic, and fiscal needs.
The studio’s team is a powerful collection of New York’s best talent, whose skill and enthusiasm is harnessed by a love for transforming ideas into reality. As much a business resource as designer, the company fosters a culture of collaboration, working with owners, operators, and consultants, bringing to bear extensive experience, as well as re-examining industry norms to find opportunity for innovation.
As You Are is an invitation. It’s also a restaurant, bakery and bar on the ground floor of Ace Hotel Brooklyn, with a menu inspired by the multitude of culinary traditions brought to Brooklyn from around the world, As You Are celebrates Brooklyn as a place of welcome for generations, and as a home of acceptance for those who continue to gravitate here — claiming space in the comfort of their own identity.
Niio is an art streaming service that allows you to turn screens into digital art canvases at up to 8K quality. Works of more than 7,500 artists, galleries and museums – NFTs included – available for purchase and streaming on any screen. Create your own playlist, enjoy curated ones. Support artists, live with creative energy around you.
Catbird is an independent hotel in Denver’s RiNo neighborhood that blurs the line between hotel and home. It’s a welcoming space designed to be every bit as intriguing as its home in the city’s hippest area. Not just a base camp from which to go out and see cool stuff, but one of the very places you look forward to seeing. Put yourself in the heart of the city’s vibrant creative center and experience all the feelings that travel should inspire.
The Piaule hotel is located just outside the town of Catskill and about 20 minutes from Hudson. Off a country back road, it comprises a clutch of standalone cabins on stilts, with floor-to-ceiling glass walls which slide open to let the birdsong in (but not the bugs, thanks to a nifty screen). A large cedar lounge, which doubles as breakfast salon, and raw cedar spa with yoga rooms, sauna, and lap pool are places for groups of friends visiting from New York City to congregate in slippers and bathrobes between stints in the steam room and sun bathing on the loungers beside the pool.
Maison de la Luz is a distinctive new guest house from Atelier Ace. A place for reverie and proper Southern swoon, for prophetic visions or quiet inspiration, Maison de la Luz finds beauty in the curious and defines luxury as moving through the world with grace. With 67 resplendent suites, private sanctuaries and bespoke concierge service, Maison de la Luz is a lighthouse for the senses, reverent of elegance, irreverent of convention and is marked by generosity of spirit.
Newly renovated, and refreshingly cool; Gansevoort Meatpacking is an iconic hotel that has called New York City home for more than 15 years. The 186-room hotel features a full service ground-floor restaurant, year-round rooftop bar and restaurant, a 45-foot heated outdoor pool, and indoor and outdoor space where guests can enjoy unobstructed, 360-degree views of the Manhattan skyline. Located on Ninth Ave and 13th Street, Gansevoort is an anchor in Manhattan’s vibrant Meatpacking District, which has transformed from an industrial district into a hub for fashion, design, culinary excellence and the arts. Gansevoort’s top-to-bottom renovations, reflecting the atmosphere of its iconic local, has secured its title as Most Innovative Hotel Design.
Inspired by the natural abundance of Napa Valley, FARM features an elevated menu by Chef John Carney based on locally sourced produce, including ingredients from the restaurant’s own 1,300 square foot organic raised-bed gardens. Complement your meal with an extensive selection of wines, craft beer, or a hand-crafted cocktail. A stylish and modern take on the Napa farmhouse, FARM offers a casually luxurious indoor and outdoor setting highlighted by a cathedral ceiling, natural lighting and a living room-style al fresco pavilion with cozy firepits.
Curator Hotel & Resort Collection is all about the independents. We’re here for the kind of guest who loves unique experiences, and the kind of hotel that loves to offer them. We believe variety is the spice of hospitality, so we stay true to what makes each destination individual, and help each guest follow their own stars.
Jason is paving the way to develop a concept called impact hospitality, where social impact and giving back to the community are the epicenter of the hotel business plan. Jason partners each week with local brands, artists, entrepreneurs, non-profits, and other local changemakers to kick start their businesses.
Curacity, a new customer acquisition channel, focuses on harnessing a variety of content creators and their audiences to drive direct bookings and revenue. Curacity’s industry-leading data analytics tools enable hotels to measure the impact of top-of-funnel marketing tactics and drive downstream revenue. The result: more and better bookings.
The Ranch program and staff are dedicated to creating a safe, secure and sacred place to allow for personal awareness and life transformation; physically, mentally and spiritually. We believe that health is the ultimate luxury. Through a guided fitness regime, wellness support and properly calibrated nutrition, our immersive programs allow guests to detoxify their bodies in a healthy, sustainable way, all while getting back to basics in nature. Our programs give one the opportunity to determine where they are on the road to balanced and healthy living along with the knowledge and tools to make sustainable healthy changes in their daily lives.
Featuring a watering hole hosting DJ sets & live bands, this venue also includes a hotel & studio.
This trendy hotel in a restored 1950s redbrick building is a 4-minute walk from the Asbury Park Boardwalk and 5 minutes’ walk from the Asbury Park train station. Chic rooms have desks, flat-screens and free Wi-Fi, plus sleek bathrooms with rainfall showers. Upgraded rooms include sitting areas; suites add minifridges and separate living rooms. Upgraded suites feature dining areas and Nespresso machines. Simple TV-free dorms have bunk beds and sleep up to 8 people. There’s an airy, cool lobby bar and a pool table. Other amenities include a rooftop lounge, plus an outdoor pool, and a beer garden with food trucks.
Wine & cocktails, including various mint juleps, on a chic hotel rooftop perch overlooking the city.
Set 2 blocks from hip boutiques and restaurants in trendy SoHo, this sleek hotel is a 3-minute walk from the nearest subway station and 2 miles from High Line park. Contemporary rooms with a Scandinavian vibe offer complimentary Wi-Fi and flat-screens, plus Bluetooth speakers and USB charging stations. All have minifridges, desks and rainfall showers; some feature bunk beds and/or city views. Upgraded rooms add furnished terraces. Loaner bikes are offered. Amenities include a hip New American restaurant and 2 bars (1 set on the roof), plus a 24-hour market, a courtyard and co-working space. Parking and meeting facilities are available.
Bringing Honolulu back to Waikiki. The Surfjack Hotel & Swim Club is a swell little spot in Waikiki. More than just a hotel, the Surfjack’s brand promise to visitors is to bring an authentic and vibrant Honolulu experience back to Waikiki. At its core, the Surfjack is a unique, urban place that is all about reflecting the Honolulu of today, from sustainable cuisine and coffee, to art, fashion and culture. Because the Surfjack has collaborated with Honolulu’s creative community, it offers a uniquely authentic guest experience which is why it’s been so well received. While at the Surfjack, guests can dine at the restaurant, Mahina & Sun’s, known for its elevated home cooking style, shop aloha at the hotel’s onsite sundry shop featuring Banks Journal, or attend any of the nightly live music events, movie screenings, flower crown workshops or mixology lessons that the hotel hosts.
Outdoor hangout in the High Line Hotel courtyard offering cocktails & Italian small plates.
ILC’s Annual Start Something Award is presented to a member of the independent hospitality sector who has demonstrated a commitment to service within the community and innovation within the hospitality industry.
This accolade originates from Big Brothers Big Sisters mission to celebrate and inspire forward-thinkers who have and continue to “Start Something.”
