Huddle in everyone… Editor Hamish Kilburn here to serve up your weekly dose of hotel design and hotel development news and features. This week on the editorial desk we unveiled our latest live roundtable, explored the art of lighting; shared hotel development news from several hotel groups and, in addition to this (and more), we rounded up the latest products that have emerged on our radar…
In the week before the industry gathers for The Brit List Awards 2021 – we are ready to put on a show – the energy pulsating through the veins of the hotel design and hospitality industry, on an international scale, is pointing towards signs of serious recovery. From brands announcing that they’re doubling their current portfolio of hotels by 2025, to other leading groups that have, this week, debuted in new territories, it suggests that 2021 will be rounded off with ambitious plans laid out on the table. And following the industry’s awakening since its forced hibernation, why not be aggressive when strategically looking ahead?
In the meantime, while hotel groups and brands jostle for position on the international stage, suppliers have come out of the wings, performance ready, with new products to attract designers’ attention. In addition, industry experts are excited about the boundless possibilities that lie ahead. One wellness guru, Ari Peralta, Founder of Arigami, exclusively reveals some game-changing qualitative research that we are excited to share with you!
To make sense of the latest headlines and features, from all corners of the industry, here are our top stories of the week.
St Regis to almost double portfolio of hotels by 2025
Image credit: St Regis
Hotel brand St Regis Hotels and Resorts has announced ambitious plans to expand its portfolio of luxury resorts in desired destinations for the next generation of luxury travellers, including locations within the Caribbean, North America, North Africa, Middle East and Asia Pacific.
St. Regis currently has 49 hotels and resorts open worldwide, with a further 29 hotels and resorts in its pipeline, representing expected growth of nearly 60 per cent over the next five years in both urban and leisure destinations.
Inside Rosewood Villa Magna, the brand’s debut hotel in Spain
Image credit: Rosewood Villa Magna
Set in the heart of the Spanish capital city’s distinguished Salamanca district, the reimagined icon, now Rosewood Villa Magna, represents a milestone for the brand as well as Madrid’s hospitality landscape.
Renowned Spanish architect Ramón de Arana led the remodel of the building’s striking façade and entryway into the hotel, adding a sense of grandeur to the arrival experience via a striking staircase and a pair of reflecting pools that draw attention to the centuries old, 30-metre-high cedar and carob trees adorning the property.
Industry insight: Digital interactive art – technology for tomorrow’s hotel
Image caption: ‘Internal Visions’ by Daniel Kersh. | Image Credit: Daniel Kersh Studios
Technology is shaping the way in which hotel buildings are built and designed. Inside the hotel, technology is altering how guests use and journey through spaces as well as how they view interior design. In our latest article in the Hotel Designs Lab series, Ari Peralta, Founder of Arigami, explores the rise of digital, generative and interactive art; a new genre that has the potential to transform guest experiences.
Nobu expands its footprint in Saudi Arabia
Image credit: Nobu Hotels
Nobu, the global lifestyle brand founded by Nobu Matsuhisa, Robert De Niro and Meir Teper, has just revealed plans to launch a new hotel, Nobu Restaurant and Nobu Residences in the Eastern Province city of Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia, by 2024. Here’s what we know.
Live roundtable: The art of lighting
Image credit: Dish Creative/James Munson
In Hotel Designs’ first live roundtable since the beginning of the pandemic, in association with Dernier & Hamlyn, we gathered leading interior designers to discuss the art of lighting in 2021 and beyond – from downlights to pendants and the pitfalls in-between. Scroll down to meet the panellists and to catch the conversation.
Product watch: Venti20 collection by Gessi
Image credit: Gessi
“Great design has emotional power and an innate ability to instil beauty into everyday objects,” states bathroom brand Gessi when discussing the new Venti20 range, which captures the essence of the era and allows us to rediscover the spirit of the ‘Roaring 20s.
Aeon: A wellness hotel setting new standards in architecture & design
Image credit: Alex Filz/Noa architecture
Designing the Aeon hotel, which shelters an innovative wellness concept that plays on striking architecture and thoughtful design, was all about connection and context for the architects and designers at noa* network of architecture. It was also about shifting and blurring lines, looking at the boundaries between inside and out – the visible and the invisible – between dream and reality. The studio’s use of colour in the interiors does exactly this; it creates divisions, yet blurs the lines. There is the feeling of standing firmly on the ground, while at the same time being able to touch the clouds.
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