JOURNEY TO THE WILDE SIDE

LOCATED IN DOWNTOWN CALGARY, THE LATEST ADDITION TO MARRIOTT’S AUTOGRAPH COLLECTION IS AN ODE TO OSCAR WILDE.

Awomen-led team of designers and developers have forged a new destination in downtown Calgary. Developed and owned by PBA Group and designed by award-winning interior design studio CHIL, The Dorian marks the arrival of Marriott’s premium Autograph Collection into Alberta’s largest city.

CHIL Interior Design has realized a unique vision for the 136 room hotel. The Dorian’s bespoke interiors carry forward the wit of author Oscar Wilde, along with the eclecticism and boldness of 19th-centuryinspired interiors.

A notable addition to CHIL’s extensive hospitality portfolio—which includes the likes of the Fairmont Chateau Laurier, Hotel Belmont, M Gallery, and Shangri-La Toronto—The Dorian offers an unparalleled hospitality experience throughout its guestrooms and suites, ground level bar and café, rooftop restaurant, fitness space, and events hall.

Design Inspiration

The Dorian’s name references The Picture of Dorian Gray, the iconic 1891 novel written by Oscar Wilde.

Throughout The Dorian, eclectic material and colour choices evoke the interiors and fashions of Wilde’s era, along with his hallmark eccentricity and biting wit.

Contrasting materials, bold colours, and the reinterpretation of traditional patterns such as tartans, houndstooths, and tweeds make for an experience that is richly layered, defined by contrasts, and underlined by a recurring sense of surprise.

A significant investment in downtown Calgary’s role as a hospitality destination, The Dorian aims to capture the city’s unique spirit. Instead of relying on cliches, The Dorian channels downtown Calgary’s independence of thought through its bold, directional, and unapologetic design.

The Lobby: An introduction to Oscar Wilde

The Dorian’s lobby represents CHIL’s ability to creatively interpret the hotel’s connection to Wilde.

This is most evident via the lobby’s shattered mirror, which references a pivotal moment in The Picture of Dorian Gray. The theme of shattering is carried forward across the lobby’s tiled floor and its check-in desk: an angular block of faceted brass.

A recurring material throughout The Dorian, brass exudes a sense of historic character and serves to reference the era of The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Similarly, the Victorian period’s appreciation for saturated colours and bold patterning is further evoked with contrasting surface materials, like marble, dark wood, and floor-to-ceiling floral wallpaper.

Guestrooms & Suites:

Regal escapes

In guestrooms, custom wallcoverings are designed to match upholstered chairs and sofas, reflecting the flair and whimsy of 19th century interiors. This bold patterning is contrasted by understated brass accenting and leather headboards.

Suites contain expansive, independent sitting rooms that feature hardwood floors, custom-upholstered sofas, and unique artwork.

The use of smart technology, like sensor lights on nightstands and bathroom counters, conveys The Dorian’s elevated level of experience and considered attention to detail.

“BRINGING THE AUTOGRAPH COLLECTION TO CALGARY REQUIRED CREATING A HOTEL THAT WAS NOT ONLY UNIQUE WITHIN THE CITY BUT THE ENTIRE COUNTRY OF CANADA. CHIL HAS FULLY REALIZED THAT VISION. TOGETHER, WE’VE DESIGNED A HOTEL THAT’S FULL OF SURPRISE, CHARACTER, AND A REFINED SENSE OF INDIVIDUALITY.”

Patricia Phillips, CEO of PBA Group

Conference & Event Areas

The Dorian features a 3,345 sq-ft ballroom, an executive boardroom, and prefunction areas.

The recurring use of brass, from inlay detailing to ceiling coves, establishes a sense of continuity with the hotel’s other interior spaces.

Both conference and prefunction areas feature custom Axminster carpeting.

The Fitness Centre

Adjacent to The Dorian’s lobby, a generous fitness centre is cloaked in an overscale plaid wallpaper. Contrasting the heavy tones of the cardio machines, free weights, treadmills, and Peloton bikes, the bleached wood flooring is illuminated by overhead spotlights and backlit mirrors.

“THROUGHOUT THE DORIAN, WE’VE PAID AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF ATTENTION TO DETAIL. FROM THE MATERIALS TO THE LIGHT FIXTURES AND EVEN THE ART, WE WANT VISITORS TO FEEL THAT EVERY MOMENT WAS CONSIDERED.” Adèle Rankin, Principal & Global Design Lead of CHIL Interior Design, Executive Director and Global Interior Design Lead of Surbana

The Wilde: An upscale dining destination

The Dorian’s 27th floor is home to The Wilde, an upscale restaurant helmed by Chef Joshua Dyer. With 7-foot glass windows and an outdoor patio space, The Wilde offers visitors expansive views of Calgary’s downtown from inside an atmospheric interior.

Upon exiting the elevator, guests enter a moody lounge housing low acrylic tables, a cluster of overhead puckshaped lights, and bold carpeting. Another reference to The Picture of Dorian Gray, a series of digital screens display the movement of a peacock.

In the dining space, dark wood floor, tiled pillars, custom lighting, and bespoke art exude a rich sense of atmosphere and depth. Maroon chairs and green benches nod to The Dorian’s historic inspirations, while brass accenting creates a thread of continuity with the lobby and other spaces.

The Prologue: A lobby bar inspired by history

A café by day and an atmospheric lobby bar by night, The Prologue features a wraparound bar, large communal tables, semi-private banquettes, and round café tables.

Publicly accessible from both 5th Avenue and The Dorian’s interior, The Prologue carries forward the tradition of great and historic lobby bars as places where both visitors and locals mingle together.

The Prologue is carefully designed to evoke a distinct sense of place and time. Brass is found across light fixtures, seating, and tables. Tartan wallpaper, along with hunter green barstools, nods to the history of British interiors and fashions, while mosaic floor tiles reference both 19th-century English apothecaries and classic Parisian bars.

“THE PROLOGUE EMBODIES OUR AMBITIONS FOR A HOTEL THAT IS NOT ONLY A PLACE TO BE ENJOYED BY VISITORS, BUT AS A DESTINATION FOR CALGARIANS TOO. THE DORIAN IS AN IMPORTANT ADDITION TO OUR CITY’S HOSPITALITY SCENE.” Patricia Phillips, CEO of PBA Group

“WHAT WE’VE CREATED IS FULL OF SURPRISE, HUMOUR, AND ENDLESS ATTENTION TO DETAIL. FROM START TO FINISH, WE AIMED TO PRODUCE AN EXPERIENCE AT THE DORIAN THAT PROPELS DOWNTOWN CALGARY’S HOSPITALITY SCENE FORWARD.” Adèle Rankin, Principal & Global Design Lead of CHIL Interior Design, Executive Director and Global Interior Design Lead of Surbana Jurong Group