
Hotel AKA Alexandria Nods to its Historic Surroundings
2023 Best of Year Winner for Domestic Hotel Transformation
Piero Lissoni, an Interior Design Hall of Fame member and master of all genres, adds yet another to his portfolio: his debut U.S. hotel. Located in charming Old Town, Alexandria, just minutes from downtown D.C., Hotel AKA Alexandria melds Italian élan with regional historicism. The architect’s New York studio touched every aspect of the property, from the existing facade, updated with new glazing and chic anthracite paint, to the surrounding landscape, now totally transformed—not to mention design of all public and private interiors encompassing 150,790 square feet. Lissoni’s signature move is the dramatic darkened-steel staircase connecting reception and terrace. Strictly unique, though, is the hotel’s galleryesque vibe. Adorning the lobby are artworks specially mounted on custom screens, which serve as a cocooning backdrop to contemporary furnishings from such upscale Italian sources as Porro, Living Divani, and Kartell.

See Interior Design’s Best of Year Winners and Honorees
Explore must-see projects and innovative products that took home high honors.


PROJECT TEAM
piero lissoni; stefano giussani; christine napoli; stephanie rieger; tania zaneboni; roberto berticelli; giacomo lattanzio.
read more
Projects
5 Premier Residential Communities Offering Enriching Amenities
From Atlanta to São Paulo, new-build to retrofit, today’s residential developments boast enriching amenities, whether man- or Mother Nature–made.
Projects
Kengo Kuma Unveils An Eco-Conscious Island Retreat
Kengo Kuma’s curvaceous architecture seamlessly blends with Kristina Zanic’s characterful interiors in St. Regis Red Sea Resort’s graceful renovation.
Projects
Stay Awhile in This Picture Perfect Guesthouse by the Beach
Take a closer look at the 2023 Interior Design Best of Year Awards winner for Small Beach House by Roger Ferris + Partners. Learn more.
recent stories
Projects
DLR Group Crafts A Cutting-Edge Carbon-Neutral Hub For Swarthmore
DLR Group infuses Swarthmore College’s Dining and Community Commons with sustainability and style, using Northern pine glulam beams to sequester carbon.
Projects
How A 19th-Century Princeton Building Looks To The Future
In New Jersey, Verona Carpenter Architects’s renovation of Princeton University’s Prospect House honors the past while embracing the diversity of today.
Projects
Rapt Studio Crafts A Bold Modernist Office With Artistic Flair
Rapt Studio reimagines a 1960s modernist building into Macquarie Group’s Philadelphia office with a sculptural staircase and plexiglass lighting.