From Germany’s first Capri by Fraser apartment hotel in Frankfurt to a number of property updates and renovations, here’s a roundup of the latest news in hotel design from around the world.
A Fresh New Look at Four Seasons Resort Lanai
Four Seasons Resort Lanai will complete its renovation with upgrades throughout the entire property in early 2016. The property is located on a 90,000-acre Hawaiian island near Maui.
The project includes a revamp of the hotel’s 217 guestrooms and suites, the lobby and spa, as well as the addition of the Nobu Lanai restaurant, new luxury retail offerings, and a Pro Shop at the 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature Manele Golf Course.
The property’s fresh, contemporary island-inspired aesthetic will include art and sculptures curated from the South Pacific, with teak and zebra wood walls, artisan-crafted Nepalese lokta paper and mahogany floors with wool area rugs.
In addition, the hotel also will have an adults-only, lagoon-style pool with new dining outlets.
JOI-Design Creates Interiors For Germany’s First Capri by Fraser
Capri by Fraser just opened a new apartment hotel in Frankfurt’s district of Europaviertel (“European quarter”), with designs by JOI-Design.
The property affords 153 studio and one-bedroom apartments, with a color palette of grey and white and hints of citrus. Furnishings and upholstery use houndstooth and pinstripe patterns in an effort to mimic traditional business attire, along with seamed leatherwork and stitching, while a round area rug with abstract floral motifs provides a more residential feel.
All studios are equipped with a kitchen and are tech-enabled with multiple electrical charge points, while the lobby offers a large open space designed to reflect a living room. There is also a communal workstation with bookshelves that double as room dividers to break up the space into private nooks.
For dining, Caprilicious restaurant offers seating options for both small and larger gatherings, including both low and high back chairs and a self-service bar for tableware.
Additionally, Drinx bar has bespoke wall coverings with an abstract monochromatic pattern, a leather-lined bar and assorted seating. A “constellation” of pendant lights stretch across the ceiling, while the color scheme includes a mixture of blues, greys and blacks, with bursts of accent colors in the throw cushions and tinted glass cocktail tables.
Yoshio Taniguchi to Redesign Hotel Okura Tokyo’s Main Building
Hotel Okura Tokyo's main building is set to be transformed in a four-year reconstruction that started on September 1. The project will cost more than $980 million and is scheduled for completion by spring 2019.
Yoshio Taniguchi, the son of the Okura’s original architect, designed the two glass towers that will reach 41 stories, containing 510 rooms and 18 floors of office space. Some facilities currently housed within the main building will be relocated to the South Wing, which will remain open during reconstruction.
The hotel is slated for a spring 2019 opening, and will comprise a 38-story high-rise affording 550 rooms. Design-wise, Hotel Okura Tokyo’s new hotel, will inherit the traditional look of its predecessor while also introducing new functions.
Along with the added rooms and new design, approximately half of the hotel’s area (roughly 1.3 hectares), will be saved for greenery while the upper floors of the property will be reserved for commercial tenants.
Bacara Resort & Spa to Reveal New Look in November
After investing more than $20 million into the renovation of the 78-acre Bacara Resort and Spa, Pacific Hospitality Group has projected the update to be completed in November.
The property will include a new Foley wine tasting room, a coffee bar, a refreshed seaside restaurant and an upgraded poolside bar.
All 358 rooms, suites and luxury retreats, are also undergoing a more modern transformation while still honoring the resort’s Spanish Colonial style. Kay Lang + Associates is responsible for the guestrooms’ new design, which will include four poster platform beds, upholstered headboards, pillow top mattresses and bedding by Frette, along with custom-designed embroidered shams and throws.
Rooms will also have 48-inch LED televisions; four-fixture marble bathrooms with soaking tubs, and walnut bathroom vanities with added storage; locally-inspired artwork and vintage Santa Barbara photography.
Other offerings will include iPad minis with a Bacara-branded mobile app for ordering room service, as well as spa, valet and restaurant services.
During the renovation process, more than $150,000 worth of the property’s previous guestroom furnishings was donated to Habitat for Humanity, Catholic Charities, Hands and Feet and other local organizations.