With 2019 on the horizon, and the focus in the international hotel design market being firmly fixed on what the future brings, Hamish Kilburn reviews the week’s headlines…
Who would have thought that a colour – especially one that is as calming as Living Coral – could create so many divided opinions? Now that we have thrown it back to review this year’s major product launches, Hotel Designs is looking ahead to understand how the future predictions in trends will effect the look and feel of hotels around the world.
This week’s headlines have been full of colour. Hotel Indigo finally arrives in Manchester, Condé Nast Traveller highlighted its editors’ favourite hotels who one London-based hotel even unlocked the door to a guestroom that resembles the womb. It’s never a dull moment on the editorial desk at Hotel Designs, and here are the stories that grabbed the attention of the industry over the last five days.
1) Design-led NHow Hotel to arrive in London in Summer 2019
Designed by Project Orange, the 190-key nhow London will arrive in the British capital in summer 2019. Located between Islington and Shoreditch within the ‘250 City Road’ development designed by acclaimed architectural firm Foster + Partners, the four-star hotel will be NH Hotel Group’s second property in the UK.
2) Inside the London guestroom designed to resemble the womb
Launching today, Cuckooz has opened unlocked to a new sleeping experience by launching a guestroom that has been designed to resemble the womb.
The nine-month project, which resulted in The Zed Room being opened, was inspired by the safety and ‘snugness’ of the womb and comes complete with muted lighting, soft-pink walls and a high-tech mattress.
3) Pantone’s colour of the year divides opinions
Pantone determined that 2019’s colour of the year will be Living Coral, or Pantone 16-1546. Since then, though, there have been suggestions that the peachy orange shade, which is a clear and defiant move away from this year’s colour of choice, Ultra Violet, has been compared to cheap bridesmaid dresses or budget toilet roll, as well as it being considered as 60 per cent of the world’s remaining reefs are now at risk of being destroyed by human activity.
4) Condé Nast Traveller reveals its editors’ all-time favourite hotels from around the world
With 78 hotels ranging from game-changer Heckfield Place in Hampshire, to the romantic Castello di Vicarello in Tuscany, the nostalgic St. Regis New York and plenty to choose from in far-flung destinations, Condé Nast Traveller shines a rather bright and dynamic spotlight on the most wonderful places to stay next year with The Gold List 2019:
5) Hotel Indigo arrives in Manchester
Hotel Indigo® Manchester – Victoria Station has arrived, marking the brand’s debut in one of the UK’s largest cities, which was described earlier this year as a hive for hotel design. Famous for its cotton mills and its role in the industrial revolution, Manchester is a vibrant city that is rapidly expanding and regenerating, complementing its historical setting and its quirky contemporary feel.
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Main image credit: Ellerman House, Cape Town