To really understand how Fairmont Windsor Park has emerged as one of the UK’s new luxury addresses, Hotel Designs asks the experts from House of Rohl how the team approached the bathroom design…
A gentle 60 minute walk from what was the Queen’s favourite royal castle, the Fairmont Windsor Park sits within 40 beautiful acres adjacent to Windsor Great Park. The country house hotel is one of the most exciting openings in the UK in recent years, combining regal splendour and understated luxury. Once a private Jacobean manor house, the Fairmont Windsor Park was rebuilt over four years, with a key focus on referencing the original exterior.
Image credit: Fairmont Windsor Park
The drive and passion for the unique project derives from Surinder Arora, the UK’s most successful independent hoteliers. His design team, under South African designer Margaret Morgan’s guidance, commissioned the House of Rohl to supply the critical bathroom fittings.
Bathrooms are always a litmus test of a hotel’s quality and design credentials. Ryan Nichols, the hotel General Manager, explains that the property the Arora group had purchased was “a bit of a mish-mash” – it needed to be redone, and brought back to its glorious self. “In terms of brand and the owner,” he said, “we wanted a particular style that would fit right for the luxury traveller. Bathrooms are very important! They are key facilities for our guests. Not only from a functional perspective but aesthetics as well; people need to feel that sense of luxury, specifically when they come to a hotel such as the Fairmont Windsor Park.”
House of Rohl proposed baths and basins from Victoria + Albert. The company’s proprietary material, QuarrycastTM, is made from Volcanic LimestoneTM. This produces a strong yet light material, warm to the touch and suited to sculptural shapes with crisp edges. Their Eldon model is a perfect hotel bath, with the profile of an elegant freestanding bath but the practicalities of a back-to-wall format. The long, elegant ledge is equally suitable for Molton Brown or Moët & Chandon. In the suites, these are matched to shapely ‘his-and-hers’ Victoria + Albert Barcelona basins, countertop-mounted.
Image credit: House of Rohl
Other bathrooms showcase the elegant and refined Worcester freestanding bath. Featuring a classically ribbed plinth and rim detailing originally found in stonework, it embodies a rich history that resonates in Windsor. With a discreet void space underneath to conceal waste plumbing, it is also a practical choice.
Arora had not come across Victoria+ Albert before, but expressed his impression when speaking to Hotel Designs. “When I saw the product and what the [House of Rohl] team had done, I was really excited,” he said. “We’re delighted with the end result.”
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Main image credit: House of Rohl
