From historic hotels undergoing contemporary makeovers, to luxury new-build properties debuting in capital cities, there is plenty to talk about when it comes to hotel design. Here are some recent developments you're clients may want to keep an eye on.
Hyatt Debuts New Okinawa Property
Hyatt Hotels Corporation just debuted its tenth property in Japan, Hyatt Regency Naha, Okinawa.
Set between Naha’s main street of Kokusai Dori and Tsuboya Yachimun Dori, a historic street lined with traditional pottery workshops, the hotel’s interior has a “soothing” color scheme with accents of red and blue, and pottery and glassware inspired by the Ryukyu culture. The 294 guestrooms and suites have 40-inch flat-screen televisions with satellite programming, complimentary Wi-Fi, and a designated working area for guests to transition from business to leisure.
Hyatt Regency Naha, Okinawa offers four different dining venues. Milano | Grill, the hotel’s signature fine-dining restaurant, serves Italian cuisine prepared in open ovens and grills, while Sakurazaka offers a more relaxed dining space with both indoor and outdoor seating. Adjacent to Milano | Grill on the hotel’s 18th floor is The Bar, affording panoramic night views of the Naha skyline. On the first floor, The Lounge’s outdoor terrace affords views of the hotel’s landscaped gardens.
The Regency is an event space on the second floor and can comfortably accommodate up to 50 guests. Located on the third floor is the first exclusive hotel fitness center in Naha, equipped with TechnoGym machines, a whirlpool, a 55-foot outdoor swimming pool, and a shallow pool for children.
Swissôtel Bali Set to Open in Late 2017
The new Swissôtel Bali, set to open in late 2017, is situated on a cliff top in Bukit Pandawa, an upscale master-planned resort development. The property will be designed by Studio TONTON, a firm with experience in high-end hotel development across Indonesia. Guestrooms will offer views of the Indian Ocean from outdoor balconies. The property will also have a private beach club, four dining venues including a bar, the brand's signature Pürovel Spa & Sport facility, and 4,300 square feet of indoor meeting space with outdoor function areas.
Boston Park Plaza Continues Revitalization Project
Boston Park Plaza announced the completion of phase two of its renovations last month. Beginning in late December 2014, the property underwent the second of three renewal phases, leading to a complete redesign of the hotel's main entrances, lobby, meeting spaces and mezzanine levels designed by Parker Torres Design based in Sudbury, Massachusetts.
The main lobby now offers customizable seating areas, floor-to-ceiling columns fitted with ceramic, new flooring, adjustable LED lighting and updated check-in stations. Also located within the lobby area is Off The Common, the property’s new restaurant and lounge.
The hotel gained an additional 6,000 square feet of meeting space by relocating an on-site office space from the mezzanine level to the third floor, while Boston Park Plaza's ballroom was updated to include a new charcoal and ivory color scheme and fully restored crystal chandeliers.
Other additions to the property include STRIP by Strega, a 5,700-square-foot steakhouse concept by Boston-based restaurateur Nick Varano, and a 19,000-square-foot fitness center by DavidBartonGym.
Phase three of Boston Park Plaza's renovation is scheduled to begin November 1, with a completion date slated for June 2016. The last phase will see a complete update of all guestrooms, suites, bathrooms and corridors, as well as the replacement of all furniture, fixtures and equipment.
Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center to Get a Contemporary Makeover
Rowland+Broughton Architecture and Urban Design (R+B), a Colorado-based architecture firm, has been selected by Hyatt Hotels Corporation to oversee the renovation of the Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center.
The 60,600 square feet of event space will have a contemporary new look throughout its 35 meeting rooms and pre-function areas, including the 30,000-square-foot Centennial ballroom and 14,000-square-foot Capitol ballroom.
The interior designs will draw on local geography for inspiration, with particular emphasis on the nearby Rocky Mountains. Layered textures and natural earth tones will decorate the properties interior, along with contemporary modular furniture, benches, seating pods and moveable acoustic screens.
The project is scheduled for completion in fall 2015.
Woods Bagot and Oxigen to Design New Aloft Adelaide
Slated to make its debut in early 2018 is the Aloft Adelaide, a new-build hotel in Australia which will form the centerpiece of New Mayfield, a mixed-use development.
Designed by architecture firm Woods Bagot and local landscape architectural firm Oxigen, the property will have 200 loft-like guestrooms, an indoor glass bottom rooftop pool, 24-hour fitness center with a rooftop running track and 5,382 square feet of flexible meeting space. The Aloft brand's W XYZ bar, will offer views of the capital city underneath the cantilevered glass bottom pool.
As part of phase two of the New Mayfield development, guests staying at Aloft Adelaide will have access to a mix of sustainably designed residential, retail and dining spaces, cycle-ways and an integrated village square with public art installations and water features.