Case study: Designing the bathrooms inside Scotland’s debut YOTEL

Contemporary bathroom inside YOTEL Edinburgh framing views of the Old Town
730 565 Hamish Kilburn
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Case study: Designing the bathrooms inside Scotland’s debut YOTEL

Scotland’s very first YOTEL, centrally located in Edinburgh’s bustling Queen Street, combines contemporary modern interiors with the classic design of the city’s famous ‘Old Town’ architecture. Its playful ‘cabin’ style rooms feature bathrooms using a bespoke solution and innovative solid surface material Surfex® exclusively from Roca…

Contemporary bathroom inside YOTEL Edinburgh framing views of the Old Town

YOTEL Edinburgh is the brand’s first city centre opening in Europe. Its premium location is perfectly placed, allowing guests to experience all of the city’s historic charms and top attractions within walking distance of the hotel. The sleek and modern interior is testament to the ethos of the brand; creating an innovative, smart hotel for tech-savvy travellers.

The hotel has 276 compact cabin rooms, inspired by the feeling first class travel provides in terms of luxury and comfort. Each room is equipped with YOTEL’s signature features including luxury bedding, relaxing mood lighting and Smart TVs. This helps to enhance the smart experience YOTEL is renowned for and evokes contemporary style and convenience. The rooms are designed to have a modern feel, and its minimalist white interior highlights the brand’s close attention to detail.

“The main purpose of the cabin rooms at YOTEL is to provide guests with functionality, practicality and above all, high quality, “Stuart Douglas, YOTEL Edinburgh General Manager said during the launch phase. “The uncompromising design of the rooms and bathrooms ensures guests have the essential elements of luxury hotels but redesigned into a compact, smart space.”

Working closely alongside YOTEL at the design stage of the project, Roca created a bathroom solution that closely aligned with the brand standards. This included the Gap wall-hung WC and a bespoke vanity unit, in addition to bespoke washroom countertops for the public areas of the hotel.

Manufactured in Poland, the bespoke units were made using Roca’s innovative Surfex®, a malleable solid surface material formulated from a combination of minerals and resins. The unique properties of Surfex allow it to be poured into a production mould, enabling complex designs with no joints or seams. The materials properties also permit ‘on-site’ changes to the finished product, catering to different guestroom sizes and configurations. At YOTEL Edinburgh the advantages of Surfex were harnessed to create a wash basin bowl with an integrated unit that maximises countertop space, providing ample storage space for toiletries and grooming products.

Image of modern duel-basin sink

Image credit: YOTEL

The addition of The Gap wall-hung WC further complemented the design aesthetic. Created by renowned industrial designer Antonio Bullo, The Gap features modern and stylish lines whilst delivering both a compact and functional bathroom solution.

“We worked in close partnership with the YOTEL team to deliver a bespoke solution that fitted their requirements and those of their guests,” comments Jon Bond, Head of UK Projects at Roca. “The end result is a bathroom that seamlessly integrates the modern feel of the cabin rooms, with the contemporary ethos of the YOTEL brand.”

Roca is one of our Recommended Suppliers and regularly features in our Supplier News section of the website. If you are interested in becoming one of our recommended suppliers, please email Katy Phillips.

Main image credit: YOTEL

Hamish Kilburn / 05.05.2021

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