Exotic or earthy? Hotel design opinions tend to differ, but now there is a clear trend in hotel design that is locally tied, designs which explore the property’s relationship to environment and nature. In short, you might say – designs that leave you firmly grounded.
New examples from around the world show concept, as TOPHOTELPROJECTS, an information provider for hotel chains and hotel construction projects, has found through its research.
The small beach resort Uxua in Brazil (shown right) is a prime example. Its twelve converted houses and villas (“casas”) are comfortably furnished and 99 percent of it comes from local materials exclusively made by local craftsman. In terms of style, authenticity and sustainability, Uxua definitely is equal to the nearby World Cup base of the German national football team – built by the Munich real estate investors, “Campo Bahia“.
Equipping facilities with local materials is relatively simple, with eucalyptus wood for example. Unsurprisingly high are the costs of these noble features in the beach villas – the price for one night is about $490 U.S. dollars.
Cost are almost half for a room in another “jungle hotel”. The “urban jungle” rooms in the new Berlin Design Hotel 25hours Hotel Bikini Berlin, have an affinity to the environment and are designed with concrete and some supple wood (shown below).
Lending bicycles hang in the room – “the” transportation in the city – and floor-to-ceiling windows look to the zoo; in the morning we were woken up by tiger’s roar and monkey noise. The furniture and object designer Werner Aisslinger’s unique and at the same time peculiar blend succeeded. Fabric-covered cubes sprawl in the lobby, as if listening to their own sound. The reception looks like a service station in the subway (actually the turquoise tiles originate from the Berlin underground from central Alexanderplatz) with hammocks guests can relax in after a tedious journey. Casual chic and a free range of form, colour and style are here inconspicuously normal, like a wool cap in summer.
Hotel design may be naughty or an expression of pure joy. Not everything has to be thought out and rigorously planned, as the Generator Hostel shows in Barcelona. The common room (bar/lobby shown below) is dominated by colorful lights and seems like a Tibetan prayer room. The 300 lanterns are reminiscent of a traditional annually-held Lantern Festival.
Wood can be used with elegance to perform magic- and sustainably. This is perfectly demonstrated by the InterContinental Resort in Davos which opened in December with its distinctive wooden facade in the middle of the Alps (a celebrated concept by Matteo Thun). Also new – and even more impressive – is the Andaz Hyatt Resort on the Papagayo Peninsula in Costa Rica. Large nests appear entrance and lobby inspired by the dwellings of an indigenous species. The rooms are decorated with weavings and artwork from local craft.
