From Brooklyn to San Luis Potosi, Mexico, we bring you the latest trends in hotel design. Take a look.
Espacios Design Studio Designs The Brooklyn A Hotel in New York
In New York The Brooklyn A Hotel is set to open August 25 between Crown Heights and Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Inspired by the textures, colors and art of the surrounding neighborhood, the 34-key property is the brainchild of Espacios Design Studio, a firm located in Long Island City.
Ceilings will be nine to 15 feet tall, and complemented by exposed brick walls. The lobby will have cobblestone floors, original wood columns and designer Gabriel Scott's Kelly chandelier composed of asymmetrical metallic blades and silver chains.
The lobby bar will be outfitted in Colombian walnut wood with sustainable velvet-like upholstered furniture, a communal table made from black basalt stone and porcelain hexagonal tiles by Settecento adorning the walls.
In the guestrooms, expect complimentary Wi-Fi, Nespresso machines, LG flat screen Smart TVs and Simmons Euro-top beds with 300-thread-count linens. The oversized bathrooms will have white Porcelanosa tiles and gray recycled porcelain tiles from Piemmegres, rainshowers and L'Occitane bath amenities. Bathrooms will also be outfitted with one-piece Corian countertops with integrated sinks, and custom accent tiles from Brooklyn's Lazer Marble.
Espacios Design Studio commissioned photographs of the borough from Brooklyn-based printer Brian Merlis. Each photo will be accompanied by a gallery-style placard identifying the subject and explaining its significance to Brooklyn.
The Brooklyn A Hotel will also have a restaurant serving American fare, plus a rooftop bar. Both are scheduled to open in early 2016.
Ochoa Arquitectos and Profettional Design Helm Conrad San Luis Potosi
The 135-room new build Conrad San Luis Potosi is set to open in Mexico in mid-2016, marking the first Conrad hotel in the country.
Designed by Ochoa Arquitectos and Profettional Design, the nine-story steel building with a glass curtain wall will have a restaurant and bar, more than 10,000 square feet of meeting space, a fourth-floor outdoor swimming pool and a fitness center.
Conrad San Luis Potosi will also offer the Conrad Concierge mobile app that gives travelers the ability to customize details of their hotel stay before, during and after each visit via a smartphone or tablet.
The site for Conrad San Luis Potosi will be near such attractions as the UNESCO World Heritage Site within Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, the Royal Road of the Interior Land.
JOI-Design Renovates Reichshof Hamburg
Finally, in Germany, the Reichshof Hamburg just opened as part of Hilton's boutique Curio collection following a revamp by JOI-Design.
Located in Hamburg, at the market opposite the central train station, the hotel first opened in 1910 with a design inspired by the city’s maritime history and reputation as a Hanseatic mercantile center. The Art Deco façade was added in the 1920s.
For the revamp of the public areas and guestrooms, JOI-Design highlighted and restored the hotel’s Art Deco details, including the marble columns, timber paneling and brass detailing.
The lobby of The Reichshof is the largest and longest in Hamburg, as well as having one of the tallest ceiling heights. JOI-Design reconfigured the lobby by demolishing the mezzanine level, which had been added decades after the hotel's initial opening.
Areas that emanate from the central lobby include the reception desks and daytime bar/bistro/café/sushi bar on one side, and Bar 1910, the “vinyl lounge” and slowman restaurant on the other side.
Relocated from the entrance to the back of the lobby, the reception desk is right across the lifts. Split into stations, there are designated podiums for check-in and out and dining reservations. There is also a new central lounge.
Located at the far corner of the lobby is a “vinyl lounge”. Designed with shades of grey and purple, it has turntables, vintage records and headphones.
The property also has chandeliers crafted with pink resin to a bespoke style by JOI-Design, while red pendant lights hung in the lounge’s wall.
Key elements in the property also include: leather sofas mixed with leather lounge chairs and organically shaped poufs, a collection of contemporary and vintage black and white photographs, artwork and adverts from Hamburg to emphasize the building’s heritage. Seating arrangements can be reconfigured for different group sizes. There are also electrical outlets to charge digital devices, as well as nesting coffee tables.
Hung above the new bar is a sepia-toned photograph of the hotel lobby as it looked in the past. Meanwhile, introduced near the entrance are counter displays of food. There are also fountains dispersed throughout the hotel and the “grab-n-go” refrigerator in the lobby.
The slowman was relocated to the Reichshof from a former site. It is backed by Michelin-starred chef turned restaurateur Christian Rach.
The initial concept of the space was by Herr Langer, who was inspired by the SS Cap Polonio, a transatlantic cruise ship built in Hamburg. JOI-Design preserved the interiors, including original features such as the satin timber paneling and the marble, copper and gold columns. The space has new furniture and fittings.
There are also high tables and barstools located next to an enlarged buffet area. Meanwhile, the kitchen opens directly onto the buffet space. However, a corridor placed at a 90-degree angle prevents diners from viewing the preparation areas.
A reconfiguration of the layout for the marble tables provides increased seating numbers and options for different group sizes, with open-lattice screens for privacy. The restaurant’s staircase leads to a dining gallery adjacent to the conference rooms. There is also a newly added service lift.
The original timber joinery and embossed ceilings of Bar 1910, formerly called M&M Bar, were similarly renewed. It now has low ceiling, leather tub chairs and marble cocktail tables, and wall lamps and recessed soffit lights.
JOI-Design reduced the room count from 300 to 278 guestrooms, six junior suites and three one bedroom suites, all refreshed with allusions to the Art Deco era. On one side of the bed is a white cabinet, and on the other a pedestal nightstand. Above each are charging points for guests’ mobile devices. The headboard was crafted as an asymmetric composition of panels, with padded leather headrests and timber segments inset with backlit sections that emit diffused light. Affixed to the wall behind the bed are pendant lights with crystal globes. A ribbon pattern stretches across the floor’s carpet and onto the wallcovering. Other elements include: lounge chairs in neutral tones and a side table with triangular legs.