Sleeper 43 - July/August 2012

www.sleepermagazine.com

FASANO BOA VISTA

MASHPI LODGE

ISSUE 43 JULY / AUGUST 2012

JULY / AUGUST 2012

HOTEL DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT & ARCHITECTURE

FASANO BOA VISTA / MASHPI LODGE / SQUARE NINE

A STYLISH RETREAT IN SÃO PAOLO STATE 43

ECO-LUXURY IN THE ECUADOR RAINFOREST

SQUARE NINE

A BELGRADE BOUTIQUE WITH BRAZILIAN FLAIR

ERIK NISSEN JOHANSEN • PALAIS NAMASKAR – MARRAKECH • GEORGES – ISTANBUL • ENDEMICO

RECEPTION

Contents Features

Guestbook

022

022

Fasano Boa Vista – São Paolo

026

Park Hyatt – Abu Dhabi

034

Endemico – Baja California

040

Mashpi Lodge – Ecuador

048

Hotel The Exchange – Amsterdam

054

Square Nine – Belgrade

060

Palais Namaskar – Marrakech

066

Georges – Istanbul

072

Queen Victoria – Cape Town

079

L’Ardoiserie – Ardennes

104

Sweet Dreams

111

ROGÉRIO FASANO

Fasano launched his eponymous hotel group in 2003, with his first hotel in São Paulo. Since then, Fasano has opened hotels in Rio de Janeiro and Punta del Este in Uruguay. In this issue we review his latest property – Fasano Boa Vista, a country club and hotel developed with real estate firm JHSF.

ISAY WEINFELD One of Brazil’s most celebrated architects, Isay Weinfeld has worked on a wide range of public and private buildings in his home country. He was commissioned to design Square Nine – Belgrade’s first boutique hotel – after its owners were inspired by his work for hotelier Rogerio Fasano (ABOVE).

066 ALEX VARLIK Varlik was one of the original founders of The House hotel group in Istanbul. In collaboration with partner Kerim Kamhi, he has now branched out with a new project, Georges Hotel, which brings a taste of Paris to the Turkish capital, with its classic bistro, and simpleyet-luxurious guestroom designs.

Furniture

Departments 009 010 012 084

054

Welcome Check-In Drawing Board Event Diary

086 100 129 154

Event Reports Hotel Analyst The Specifier Check Out

092 ANGUS THIRWELL A stand-out speaker at the 2012 Boutique Hotel Summit, Thirwell told delegates he never intended to open a hotel when he named his chocolate company Hotel Chocolat. But the purchase of a cocoa plantation in St. Lucia led to the launch of Boucan, potentially the first in a series of resorts in cocoa-growing locations.

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

JULY / AUGUST 2012

003

TA N DEM F ROM EGOPA R IS

VISIT LEISURE PLAN’S SHOWROOM FOR THE WIDEST COLLECTION OF LUXURY OUT/INDOOR FURNITURE FROM THE LEADING BRANDS OF DEDON – EGOPARIS – FISCHER MÖBEL.

WWW.LEISUREPLAN.CO.UK

TEL +44 (0)1279 816001 SALES@LEISUREPLAN.CO.UK WWW.LEISUREPLAN.CO.UK

LODGE F R OM F ISC H ER M ÖBE L

THE WIDEST COLLECTION OF LUXURY IN/OUTDOOR FURNITURE FROM LEISURE PLAN FEATURING THE LEADING BRANDS OF DEDON — EGOPARIS — FISCHER MÖBEL.

WWW.LEISUREPLAN.CO.UK

TEL +44 (0)1279 816001 SALES@LEISUREPLAN.CO.UK WWW.LEISUREPLAN.CO.UK

RUCHÉ BED. Design Inga Sempé. ligne-roset-contracts.com

RECEPTION

Welcome All eyes are on London this summer, thanks to the Diamond Jubilee and the 2012 Olympics. And there will be no shortage of press coverage for the plethora of hotels opening in the capital in the run up to the games.

COVER STORY: Isay Weinfeld, one of Brazil’s most celebrated architects, has collaborated with hotelier Rogério Fasano and developer JHSF Group on Fasano Boa Vista, a sprawling country club an hour’s drive from São Paolo. Designs combine Brazilian woods with midventury modern furnishings from the US and Scandinavia.

No doubt London’s hotels will enjoy a bumper year thanks to the combined effect of the ‘Jubilympics’, but its benefits for the wider UK economy are less certain. As one commentator recently said, the performance of UK regional hotels can be summarised thus: “London is a bubble, the rest is a struggle.”

For our summer edition we are not reviewing the recent spate of London hotels, but looking further afield. Properties such as Square Nine in Belgrade show that development in Eastern Europe is starting to move in directions beyond the breakneck expansion of chains such as Hilton Garden Inn and Rezidor’s Park Inn, or the evermore blingtastic luxury on display in Moscow and Baku. It is fascinating that the designers of this hotel looked not to London, Paris or Dubai for their designers, but to Brazil, where Isay Weinfeld’s work for Grupo Fasano inspired them to hire his services. We also feature the latest property from Grupo Habita, who are on a roll following the launch of Downtown, their latest Mexico City hotel, and Endemico – an intriguing hospitality concept in Mexico’s little known wine country. And we return to a country only just recovering from the impact of its own major sporting event, with a review of the Queen Victoria in Cape Town, one of the first new hotels to open in he city since the goldrush in the the run up to the 2010 World Cup. Also in this issue you will find our latest supplement – ‘Sleeper China’. Following on from the success of Sleeper India last year, this time we take an in-depth look at the the hotel design and development market of this economic powerhouse, soon expected to overtake the US as the world’s largest economy.

In the near future we intend to round out our series of supplements with a special edition for Russia and the CIS countries, followed by a look at Brazil as it gears up for a double whammy of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympics.

Front Desk Editor Matt Turner m.turner@mondiale.co.uk Assistant Editor Catherine Martin c.martin@mondiale.co.uk International Advertising Sales Stephen Quiligotti s.quiligotti@mondiale.co.uk Advertising Sales Becky Thomas r.thomas@mondiale.co.uk Rob Hart r.hart@mondiale.co.uk Design Dave Bell d.bell@mondiale.co.uk Advertising Production Dan Seaton d.seaton@mondiale.co.uk Finance Director Amanda Giles a.giles@mondiale.co.uk Accounts Donna Barlow d.barlow@mondiale.co.uk Faye Riley f.riley@mondiale.co.uk Marketing & Subscriptions Laura McLaughlin l.mclaughlin@mondiale.co.uk Chairman Damian Walsh d.walsh@mondiale.co.uk Publishers Sleeper Magazine Ltd Waterloo Place, Watson Square Stockport, SK1 3AZ, UK Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8390 Fax: +44 (0)161 429 7214 www.sleepermagazine.com Retail Cover Price (where sold): £7.95 Annual Subscription Rates: (6 issues) UK: £63.00 Europe: £78.80 RoW: £105 [$168] Two year rates available on request Back Issues: (subject to availability) UK: £10.00 Europe: £12.50 RoW: £17.00 To subscribe visit: www.sleepermagazine.com or call +44 (0)161 476 8395 Sleeper (ISSN 1476 4075) is published bi-monthly

by Mondiale Publishing Limited, Waterloo Place, Watson Square, Stockport, SK1 3AZ, UK. The 2011 US annual subscription price is $168.00.

Airfreight and mailing in the USA by agent named Air Business Ltd, c/o Worldnet Shipping Inc., 156-15, 146th Avenue, 2nd Floor, Jamaica, NY 11434, USA Periodicals postage paid at Jamaica NY 11431.

US Postmaster: Send address changes to Sleeper, Air Business Ltd, c/o Worldnet Shipping Inc., 156-15, 146th Avenue, 2nd Floor, Jamaica, NY 11434, USA Subscription records are maintained at Mondiale Publishing Limited, Waterloo Place, Watson Square, Stockport, SK1 3AZ, UK. Air Business Ltd is acting as our mailing agent.

Matt Turner - Editor

Printed By Buxton Press

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

JULY / AUGUST 2012

009

RECEPTION

Name: Erik Nissen Johansen Position: Founder and Creative Director Company: Stylt Trampoli AB Website: www.stylt.se Notable hotel projects: Lydmar Hotel Stockholm, Radisson Sonya St Petersburg, Scandic Vulkan Oslo, Klaus K Helsinki, The Trafalgar London, Stenungsbaden Yacht Club, Stenungsund 010

JULY / AUGUST 2012

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

Check-In Where are we?

At Theresa’s Guesthouse, Moonhole Peninsula, overlooking the beach on the perfect island of Bequia St Vincent & the Grenadines!

How did you get here?

I was suddenly able to take six months off so I came from Sweden in a sail yacht.

Who are you sharing your room with?

With all four of my kids, who else?

Is there anything you would like waiting for you in your room on arrival?

Yeah, a large iguana, scary at first but it turns out that it’s tame and can do a few tricks!

Who’s at the concierge desk?

The local string band with JGool the singer singing out all the hints of what to do.

And the owner / manager?

Theresa – a charming old local woman (probably the mother of the whole string band) with no education but an inbuilt sense of hospitality outperforming any Swiss scholar.

Describe the hotel building, your room and the view...

The hotel is built of driftwood, stone, exotic woods, whale bones and other ‘treasures of dubious value’. Each room on Theresa’s Moonhole peninsula has a personality all

Erik Nissen Johansen is founder of one of Scandinavia’s leading hospitality design firms.

His ideal hotel stay sees him living the beach life and mixing with the locals in the Grenadines.

its own, built from natural caves with the contours of the site dictating the floor plans.

That’s why the multi-level buildings melt into their natural surroundings so uniquely. With open air showers and views of Mustique and the rest of the Grenadines, some travellers might consider this roughing it – but not me!

Fresh coconut water, Hairoun bitter lemon and Hairoun beer.

What music is on the iPod on your inroom docking station?

Well, the string band will play, but as a back up I brought all the stuff Bowie did in Berlin, and Steely Dan for the morning after.

Who designed it?

Mother Nature, with the local string band, assisted by ganja and a few bottles of rum.

What’s on the movie channel?

Who needs TV?

What’s the restaurant / bar like?

It’s the beach!

And a book at bedtime?

A midnight swim!

Who are you dining with this evening?

1. Saga 2. Tilde 3. Liv 4. Lucas 5. And ok, my wife Elisabeth.

What’s in the mini-bar for a night cap?

Another coconut.

Would you like a newspaper or magazine in the morning?

The Bequia Observer Weekly.

What toiletries would you like to freshen up with? The Aloe Vera plant next to my shower!

Who’s manning the stoves?

Uncle Bill, the local taxi driver and BBQ champion of the Grenadines for five years straight.

And what’s on the menu?

Starter: Theresa’s famous Callaloo soup Main: The lobster I caught earlier on the reef, grilled by Uncle Bill Dessert: Theresa’s famous coconut cream pie Would you like something to drink with that?

Early morning alarm call or late check out? Late check out Full English, continental or something different? Full English.

Swimming pool, spa or gym?

I prefer the ocean.

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

JULY / AUGUST 2012

011

THE DRAWING BOARD

THE DRAWING BOARD SURFERS PARADISE - AUSTRALIA // XI’AN CHINA // WOBURN FOREST - UK // BAT YAM - ISRAEL // RIO DE JANEIRO

WHARF ROAD, SURFERS PARADISE, AUSTRALIA Oppenheim Architecture + Design has been awarded the commission to design a stunning new 140,000m2 mixed-use development along Surfers Paradise Beach on Australia’s Gold Coast. The development includes a five-star resort hotel and spa, luxury residential, several restaurants, retail shops and a conference centre with ballrooms and meeting space.

012

JULY / AUGUST 2012

“Over the last 5,000 years man has worked hard to overpower the natural world through the built environment. We propose to revolutionise this position. Australia possesses one of the most beautiful and dramatic geologies in the world. It is our desire to create a new type of architecture – one that is more in the family of nature than of the built environment.” explains

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

Chad Oppenheim. Taking cues from the variety of geological outcroppings across the vastness of Australia’s landscape, he said, the Wharf Road proposal represents the translation of these features into an urban condition. Nestled between ocean and rainforest, the project aims to establish a new benchmark for ecological design within the natural environment.

“Pushing up from the urban landscape the tower at Wharf Road dematerialises as it meets the skyline. Openings allow light, wind, and nature to pass through the building, across the verdant gardens poetically perched in the sky. Earnest and timeless, the architecture is simultaneously powerful, yet comfortable; straightforward, yet innovative; casual, yet

elegant; fundamental, yet refined. The resulting experience is sensual and sensitive, intentionally reduced to what is essential – through bold, elemental forms, sincere materiality/detailing, and the integration of Australia’s bountiful natural resources both physical and ethereal,” concludes Oppenheim.

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

JULY / AUGUST 2012

013

THE DRAWING BOARD

014

JULY / AUGUST 2012

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

THE ‘SHELF’ HOTEL XIAN, CHINA

A

rchitects 3Gatti have revealed plans for a a new hotel in Xian, China, designed like a huge set of shelves, with smaller buildings aligned on each shelf.

Houses and apartment blocks on the lower levels of The Shelf Hotel will contain hotel suites, with office blocks at the top.

Two shelves will be omitted from the lower part of the tower, to create an elevated garden including a courtyard surrounded by restaurants.

Architect Francesco Gatti explains: “One main purpose of this design is to follow the needs of different inhabitants without losing the power of a strong landmark building in the cityscape.

In the common buildings, the design is a dam imposed by the architect to the mutating needs of the people and of the developing history of the city. This building wants to be an open matrix to be filled during time with the mutating expectations from a growing culture and society.

The objects that will fill the matrix will be built following the different owners’ identities, functions and real estate needs.”

Gatti says that over his seven years working in China he has learned that the construction

here follows “very strictly and spontaneously the flow of economy without many constraints from regulations, planners and building managements.”

“Usually, architects build objects where the integrity and personality is created through the beauty of the exterior shape and material, shapes and material.

These have to stay clean and unchanged until the end of the building’s life. That’s maybe possible in a country where the managements and regulations are very strict and conservative and where the economy is slow, creating no development acceleration.

This is not the case in China.

Here all architects get frustrated because they can make pictures of their beautiful creations only in the first month of the building’s life. After that inhabitants start to put unwanted attachments on the building: advertising signs, volume extensions, additional decorations and other additions according to their own living or business needs and personalities. Our design wants to make this dynamic attitude of Chinese culture the real power of the building façade; so that every change during time will give not less but more beauty to the building look and overall concept.”

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

JULY / AUGUST 2012

015

THE DRAWING BOARD

CENTER PARCS WOBURN FOREST Planning consent has been given to proceed with the construction of a new Center Parcs Holiday Village at Woburn Forest, with woodland lodges designed

by Tara Bernerd & Partners, and a spa designed by Sparcstudio in collaboration with Schletterer.

The scheme comprises 625 woodland lodges, 40,000m2 of centre buildings including swimming pools, a luxury hotel, a groundbreaking spa and self-contained spa suites, indoor and outdoor sports facilities and a range of food, beverage and retail outlets.

On and off site infrastructure is also being provided including a Biomass CHP Energy Centre that will feed the development via an infrastructure network including a district heating system.

016

JULY / AUGUST 2012

The project is one of the largest commercial leisure projects in the UK and on completion will set the benchmark for the UK short break holiday. Work has now commenced on site and the village will open in Spring 2014.

Holder Mathias is architect and lead designer for two central buildings at the heart of the development. Edmond Shipway will be acting as Project Manager, Cost Consultant and dealing with the FF&E procurement for the £250m development located on a 360 acre site just off Junction 13 of the M1 in Bedfordshire. David Stevenson, Head of Hotels and Leisure for Edmond Shipway comments: “We are delighted to have now made a start on site at Center Parcs Woburn Forest. As a leading UK leisure resort consultancy we have worked with Center Parks for over ten years and the boom in the

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

UK staycation market has seen a significant increase in workload with recent commissions from Forest Holidays and Bourne Leisure. In addition we are looking at a number of resorts in the Peak District Scotland and Wales.”

The contract will see the delivery of 625 woodland lodges to a new contemporary design with interiors concepts developed by Tara Bernard & Partners.

As well as retail, F&B, and leisure, the site will feature the next generation of Center Parcs’ award-winning Aqua Sana Spa. Designed by London-based Sparcstudio and Austrian Schletterer, the spa will feature contemporary interiors and the very latest in thermal spa experiences, an infinity pool with the stunning backdrop of the woodland and a series of treatment rooms offering the very latest treatments and pampering.

Booking with style in mind.

Loewe entertainment systems for guests who expect the very best.

Ideal for hotels – thanks to tailor-made in-room entertainment solutions.

Exclusive design – wonderfully timeless and honoured with many awards.

Customisable variety – for seamless integration with the room‘s decor.

Outstanding features – impressive sound and system solutions that leave nothing to be desired.

Loewe hotel service – always deal with the same manufacturer contact person.

Would you like to find out more? hospitality@loewe.de

LOE_AZ_MZ_Hotel_236x275_EN_v2.indd 1

14.06.12 10:50

THE DRAWING BOARD

THE SEA HOTEL BAT YAM, ISRAEL

HBA London has released renderings of their vision for the design of The Sea Hotel in Bat Yam, Israel. The aim, says HBA London was to “create a destination that would celebrate its location by the sea, resonate with the drama of biblical inheritance, and connect with contemporary Israeli culture.”

Bat Yam, poetically translated from Hebrew as “the daughter of the sea”, is a rapidly developing artistic hub with three kilometres of seaside promenade, picturesque beaches, and up-and-coming galleries and restaurants.

“The importance of the sea in the lives of Jews can be traced to the earliest records in history,” explain HBA. “From fighting wars and battling storms to the story of the Israelites crossing of the Red Sea, it has symbolised God’s power to release them from 018

JULY / AUGUST 2012

foreign bondage and lead them to triumph and liberation. Today, it continues to be a metaphor for truth, memory, knowledge and freedom.”

The inspiration of the sea has been woven into the hotel’s concept and re-imagined into a contemporary language. The design uses marine colours, patterns and textures from turquoise blue to jade green, and from sleek and glassy surfaces to those which are stormy and rippled. Bat Yam’s beaches and the beautifully oxidised traditional metalwork for which Israel is known have also influenced the hotel’s subtle palette of warm ivories and golden sands accented by rich marine hues.

Natural finishes such as intricately striated sandstone wall and floor cladding, limed oak timber framing and hand-finished plaster columns provide a neutral background against which features such as translucent capiz shell

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

chandeliers hung above reception desks fitted with aquariums can come alive.

Striking architectural focal points such as soaring metal screens with fretwork inspired by sealife patterns are complemented by cosy vignettes ideal for both relaxing and socialising. “ Elements of luxury are layered throughout the décor bringing a sense of opulence to the hotel. In the lobby atrium, for example, guests will be captivated by a stunning, oversized art feature – a biblical narrative of the crossing of the Red Sea told through an abstractly styled screen that doubles as a dramatic backdrop.

By combining such bold visual gestures with understated local touches and interpreting these through an original and contemporary lens, HBA London has cultivated a design it says will be “timeless and relevant for many years to come.”

L’Arc Paris Restaurant

Lamps in this project: VP Globe pendant (Design: Verner Panton)

PRADA, worldwide

Furniture in this project: Cloverleaf sofa (Design: Verner Panton)

Radisson Blu Scandinavia Hotel, Düsseldorf

Lamps in this project: Fun 1DA pendant (Design: Verner Panton)

Maté Night Club, Washington DC

Lamps in this project: Spiral SP01 silver pendant (Design: Verner Panton)

ICONIC WORKS FROM VERPAN Verpan develops, produces and markets an exclusive collection of lamps, furniture and textiles for discriminating design fans around the world. Through close cooperation with the estate of Verner Panton, for example, Verpan has launched or relaunched some of Danish Design’s most pioneering and iconic works. Verpan is based in Denmark, and is part of the FRANDSEN GROUP – one of Europe’s leading providers of high-end lighting.

ad-Sleeper-june-2012_V3.indd 1

www.verpan.com/projects

07/06/12 11.38

THE DRAWING BOARD

GLORIA PALACE RIO DE JANEIRO Eike Batista, founder and Chairman of leading Brazilian corporation EBX Group, has selected Jeffrey Beers International to reinvent Rio’s famed Gloria Palace Hotel.

Under Beers’ direction, the landmark façade will be restored. In addition, the entire interior structure of the five-star hotel, originally built in 1922, will be redesigned to preserve the best qualities of the original while bringing the hotel into the 21st century. When it opens in Spring 2014, the property will feature: 346 guestrooms, three restaurants, a 6,000ft2 convention and meeting centre, and five retail shops. In a dramatic gesture, Beers’ proposal 020

JULY / AUGUST 2012

encloses the existing U-shaped building plan to create a ten-storey interior atrium capped by a glass-bottomed swimming pool on the hotel roof.

“The Gloria Palace Hotel will be unparalleled in Rio,” says designer Jeffrey Beers. “We have created a destination worthy of Rio’s leading position in the global economic, cultural and political landscape.”

Beers’ plan relocates the hotel’s main lobby from the street level to the second floor. The new lobby will be the heart of the Gloria.

Accessed from the ground floor by dedicated elevators, the lobby will include guest reception, multiple seating areas, a bar with adjacent all-day dining restaurant, access to

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

the spa, and luxury retail boutiques. A grand stair will lead guests to meeting rooms on a mezzanine level. The glass-bottomed rooftop pool acts as a giant skylight, filtering dappled light through the entire atrium and lobby.

The interior design references the Moderne style of the era in which the original hotel was built yet is expressed with a contemporary sensibility. Beers’ team will source the majority of the project’s materials, including rosewood, marble, nickel, bronze, and smoked mirror, from within Brazil. A series of ‘green walls’ throughout the hotel, including four planted columns in the atrium, will pay homage to the country’s lush natural environment.

HOTEL REVIEW

Fasano Boa Vista Porto Feliz, Brazil Words: Jaclyn Sienna India Photography: Courtesy of Hotel Fasano Boa Vista

Brazil’s Grupo Fasano have created an upscale country club an hour’s drive from Sao Paolo, with designs by architect Isay Weinfeld.

022

JULY / AUGUST 2012 WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

T

here is a luxury development, placed in the heart of Sao Paolo, Brazil’s countryside, that offers the most enticing outdoor and sports activities. It’s meant to be more of a community than anything else, allowing visitors and residents, the old and the young, couples and families alike, to immerse themselves in the beauty of nature and the joy of an active lifestyle.

The Fazenda Boa Vista development is the product of a partnership between Grupo Fasano, a renowned hotel and restaurant management group and JHSF, a leading real estate company, which started in 2007. Created as an upscale country club, the ‘Boa Vista Farm’ includes a multitude of leisure facilities, over 200 built residences, and a well-designed layout that allows people to interact with one another and their lush surroundings. It is also the home of the Hotel Fasano Boa Vista, for those travelling

from afar to enjoy the property’s amenities.

The site, covered by the green and blue hues of nature, belonged to one of JHSF’s founding executives’ families. Rogerio Fasano, partner and head of Grupo Fasano explains: “We fell in love with the location.

The countryside setting is beautiful, with rolling hills and valleys, 13 natural lakes and forests. And only an hour’s drive from Sao Paulo.” With the location pinned down, the project began with the overall planning and direction of American architectural and urban planning firm, Cooper, Robertson & Partners.

After that, other architectural companies were approached to contribute to the design of the many houses and structures within the property. Finally, renowned Brazilian architect

Isay Weinfeld took charge of designing the shared grounds, most notably, the Fasano Hotel.

Nature plays an integral role in the property: the hotel’s lobby terrace allows diners to gaze out unto the lakes and the gorgeous Ipanema mountain range; trails lead hikers into the woods; landscaper Maria João D’Orey carefully integrated the gardens to the local flora. It was so important for the designers to create harmony between the hotel’s contemporary flair and the nature that envelops it. That’s why sustainability within the development was key. From a sewage treatment station to solar heating in the residences, the developers made sure they respected the site’s natural state.

OPPOSITE PAGE AND ABOVE: Isay Weinfeld’s design combines local Jacaranda woods and furniture sourced from Brazilian designers with vintage pieces such as Hans Wegner armchairs and Jean Gillon tapestries

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM JULY / AUGUST 2012

023

HOTEL REVIEW

In addition, everything in the hotel was locally sourced, from the furniture provided

by Brazilian designers and shops, to the Brazilian Jacaranda wood used for most of the hotel’s structure. Within the building’s walls, Rogerio Fasano took a very handson approach with the interior design, from selecting the books showcased on the shelves, to the artwork on display. In choosing pieces for the property, Fasano notes: “There is a slight Sixties and Seventies influence, evidenced by the vintage Jean Gillon tapestries and Hans Wegner armchairs, for example.”

It’s hard to imagine getting bored at this place. The Arnold Palmer-designed golf course, soccer grounds, tennis courts, and a unique equestrian centre, provides all the entertainment and action that guests 024

need. The restaurant and three bars on site bring guests great culinary experiences in a laid-back social atmosphere. There is also a spa and salon to cater to those who need the ultimate in relaxation from city stress.

But although most of the enticements are outdoors, guests will certainly be tempted to stay in by the modern comforts available, such as 200-thread-count goose-down pillows and Egyptian-cotton linen bedding.

Boa Vista translates to ‘beautiful view’. In fact, Rogerio Fasano shares that his favorite feature “is the way each room opens up to such a stunning countryside.” But the views are only one of the hotel’s allures.

With something to offer everyone, it surely guarantees a well-rounded stay.

JULY / AUGUST 2012 WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

EXPRESS CHECKOUT Hotel Fasano Boa Vista Rodovia Castello Branco, KM102,5 Porto Feliz, Sao Paulo, 18540 Brazil Tel: +55 15 3261 9900 www.fasano.com.br

„ 27 Deluxe Rooms , 12 Suites  Poolside Bar, Lobby Bar, Golf Bar ‰ Hotel Fasano Boa Vista Restaurant + Boardroom, Private Dining Rooms Developer / Owner: Grupo Fasano / JHSF Operator: Grupo Fasano Architecture & Interior Design: Isay Weinfeld Landscape Design: Maria João D’Orey

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM JULY / AUGUST 2012

025

HOTEL REVIEW

Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Words: Rhian Owen Photography: Richard ButterďŹ eld

Architects Perkins Eastman and interior designers Wilson Associates have created an understated oasis in the desert for developer Abu Dhabi National Hotels.

026

JULY / AUGUST 2012 WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

S

ituated on a 9km stretch of beach on Saadiyat Island, the Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel and Villas is in a prime spot on what’s dubbed as the city’s up-and-coming cultural district.

While major construction work takes place nearby on land eventually earmaked for Abu Dhabi’s proposed Guggenheim and Louvre museums, Park Hyatt remains a tranquil oasis.

Built on environmentally-protected land, the area is natural and unspoiled, and it is not unusual to spot bottlenose dolphins close to shore. The property is also a nesting ground for hawksbill turtles and a 30m boardwalk from the hotel to the beach dissuades guests from wandering around on the sand and disturbing them.

The hotel opened on 1st November 2011 and was the first Hyatt property to open in Abu Dhabi. Richard Riley, CEO of hotel owner Abu Dhabi National Hotels, which has invested AED 1 billion in the property, tells Sleeper that the Park Hyatt brand was the best fit for the development on Saadiyat Island. “I’d been a guest of Park Hyatt and I was always infatuated,” he says. “I was first struck by the Park Hyatt Tokyo many years ago and then what really did it for me was the property in Dubai. I saw the way they translated the brand – it was in the city, on the creek with a golf course, it was efficiently run, intimate and I liked the set up. We thought the island off Abu Dhabi was a unique location and the Park Hyatt brand is stylish and

exclusive, even though this is a big hotel.”

The 45,000m2, 306-key, Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi was designed by New York-based architects Perkins Eastman and Singaporebased designers Wilson Associates. The design team has created an ‘urban resort’ concept offering all of the amenities and seclusion of an island retreat, with the attractions of the capital city moments away.

The architecture and landscape has been designed in tandem to complement one another and to blur the lines between the indoors and outdoors. “We wanted to make sure the hotel felt cool and relaxing; for guests not to feel like they’re in the desert,” says Riley. “At the entrance of the hotel the water features begin, it continues

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM JULY / AUGUST 2012

027

HOTEL REVIEW

throughout the hotel and grounds, and it ends at the ocean – it’s one straight line.”

The ballroom-sized lobby is stylish, with plenty of natural light. Front desks are tucked away to the side eliminating the initial barrier between the hotel and the guest.

In addition, the brief was to create smaller proportions and the large spaces such as the lobby are broken into less daunting areas.

“As you’re standing at the entrance there are two big leather columns. Those columns are mascara; we put them there to prevent that open space,” explains Riley. “A big lobby would reverse the whole attitude and if we get rid of the columns, the intimacy would go. We don’t want guests to feel like they’re just one of the masses. There are hotels that are built as big as possible and you walk in and go, ‘wow’. The Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi is the complete antithesis.”

The hotel’s design is elegant and understated with subtle Arabian touches. A personal favourite feature is the two desert roses in the form of 2 metre wide sculptures in their own pool on either side of the lobby.

“But there is not much artwork present in the hotel,” says Riley. “I want to feel like I’m in Arabia, but I don’t want to be overwhelmed.

028

And I don’t want to turn every corner and feel like I’m in a different design concept.”

The central feature is a dramatic sand wave installation in the ceiling of the lobby made from thousands of aluminium rods. These should mimic the moving waves of the sand dunes commonly found in the Emirates. “The effect was supposed to be like it’s blowing in the wind, but this hasn’t yet been achieved, so it’s being redone,” explains Riley.

Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi’s tea lounge, The Library, is a contrast to the hotel’s neutral palette and is one of the few spaces in the hotel that is rich with colour – orange leather panels, accents of black marble, an open fire feature and soft lighting accompany the coffee specialties, home-made chocolates and pastries, offering guests a cosy break.

The Café is the hotel’s all-day-dining restaurant serving Arabic specialities from a theatrical show kitchen with a large woodburning oven. The Park Grill and Bar, which is spread over two floors and connected by a staircase, offers great views of the hotel’s grounds from the restaurant balcony – there are four pools that are lit up softly at night. The restaurant serves Western and Asian cuisine from an open kitchen and

JULY / AUGUST 2012 WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

THIS PAGE: Dining and drinking outlets include The Park Grill (ABOVE LEFT) and The Café (ABOVE RIGHT) OPPOSITE PAGE: The lobby lounge features a ‘sand wave’ installation of thousands of aluminium rods

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM JULY / AUGUST 2012

029

HOTEL REVIEW

ABOVE LEFT: Guestrooms are luxurious and elegant in their simplicity ABOVE RIGHT: The bar area of The Park Bar & Grill

ingredients are, where possible, local.

Set close to the hotel’s swimming pools and with uninterrupted views of the Arabian Sea, Beach House serves Mediterranean cuisine and is designed in a similarly minimalist way to the rest of the hotel. There is no extraneous decoration, just the sand-coloured shape of the building and its rooftop, with wood-outline canopy. With wood accents, bar tables and beach chairs, the restaurant exudes casual elegance. “We’re going to enlarge the Beach House and probably add another restaurant next year,” says Riley.

“This one gets really packed at the weekends.”

There are 306 guestrooms, suites and villas.

The hotel is set as an open-C and bedrooms either face the golf course or have a clear beachfront view. Each 50m2 guestroom has a balcony or terrace, the design is contemporary with Arabic touches such as the white marble in the guest bathroom originating from Oman. The 186m2 villas are beachfront 030

with their own private pool and deck.

Extensive meeting facilities lend themselves to a variety of events. Meeting venues within the hotel include eleven flexible function rooms, all spacious with natural light. There is also The Residence, which is designed to feel like a luxurious Emirati home as opposed to a meeting space, and can be used for business and social gatherings.

On the other side of the lobby, Atarmia Spa, which is spread out over two floors, has fitness facilities, a tennis court, sauna, steam room and whirlpool room. There are nine treatment rooms offering an array of massages including the Quiro Golf Massage, which has received a lot of attention in local press due to the proximity of the Saadiyat Beach Golf Club.

Hospitality is a theme that comes across strongly. Guests can expect a warm welcome and everywhere you go – the lobby, bar, the tea lounge – seems to be designed as an invitation to sit around.

JULY / AUGUST 2012 WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

EXPRESS CHECKOUT Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel and VillaS Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates Tel: +971 2 407 1234 abudhabi.park.hyatt.com

„ 306 guestrooms and suites ‰ The Park Bar & Grill, The Café, The Beach House

 The Park Bar, Beach House rooftop, tea lounge The Atarmia Spa + 11 flexible function rooms Developer / Owner: Abu Dhabi National Hotels Operator: Hyatt Hotels Corporation Architecture: Perkins Eastman Interior Design: Wilson Associates

furniture lighting surfaces accessories

furniture makers since 1989 www.warisan.com • sales@warisan.com • 0800 279 3207

Endemico Baja California, Mexico Words: Jaclyn Sienna India Photography: © Luis Garcia

For Grupo Habita’s latest project, architects Gracia Studio have created a series of sustainable structures with minimal impact on the landscape in Mexico’s little-known wine country.

032

JULY / AUGUST 2012 WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

HOTEL REVIEW

W

hen thinking of great vineyards around the world, Mexico might not be the first place that pops to mind. But with the emergence and growth of Baja California as Mexico’s wine country in recent years, the region is worth exploring for vino with intriguing new flavour.

Eager to share this place with the rest of the world, Grupo Habita’s Carlos Couturier and Moisés Micha, renowned hoteliers and art enthusiasts, decided to invest in yet another property in Mexico (they already have eleven boutique hotels in the country) that would allow visitors to experience the wine valley in a unique way.

In Baja California, a site called Valle de Guadalupe (also known as ‘El otro México’ or ‘the other Mexico’), offered Grupo Habita forty acres of unspoilt slopes to work with. It was here that old Mexico, with its traditional fishing and mission towns, intersected with contemporary Mexico, with its new artisanal and cultural trends – perfect for Couturier and Micha’s vision. “It’s about midday naps, slow food, early evenings. Balmy desert nights, star-filled skies, wine by a terracotta fire pit. Natural silence. Endemico is an extension of this experience,” says Couturier.

The project involved two parts, conceived at the same WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM JULY / AUGUST 2012

033

HOTEL REVIEW

THIS PAGE AND OVERLEAF: The twenty cabins that comprise Endemico are simply decorated in minimal style with furnishings designed by architect Jorge Garcia specifically for the project.

time but developed in succession.

The first half was the Encuentro Guadalupe, the winery, whose vineyards were planted to mark the earliest stage of the project. A Napa Valley enologist contributed to the winemaking process, and a restaurant and bar became an expansion of the Encuentro. The second half of the development was the Endemico Resguardo Silvestre, which included twenty cabins and a pool for the ultimate in “luxury camping.”

Gracia Studio, a San Diegobased firm, was responsible for designing Endemico’s sustainable bungalows, built from wood and corten steel.

The architects referred to the structures as ‘EcoLofts’, as they elevated the skeleton of the room to avoid contact with the soil and thus minimise any impact on the landscape. In fact, they were produced thirty minutes away in Mexicali, and carefully planted and staggered amongst the boulders to ensure the 034

JULY / AUGUST 2012 WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

YOU CAN HAVE THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS Recognised as global leaders in spa, ESPA successfully combine the creation of pioneering, natural products with the design of prestigious spas.

PRODUCTS & TREATMENTS Skin and bodycare products 99% natural Exceptionally potent ingredients Recommended by our therapists worldwide British Heritage Manufactured in our UK factory

SPAS & SALONS Advanced joint business management Marketing and sales support Pioneering treatments Award-winning teaching academy Unrivalled spa expertise Globally in 55 countries

Contact us on +44 (0)1252 742 800 or email partner@espainternational.co.uk

The Pool ESPA at The Istanbul EDITION

ESPA_TradeAd_SinglePage_SLEEPER_June2012_v2.indd 1

ESPAON L IN E.COM

13/06/2012 16:59

HOTEL REVIEW

preservation of the natural surroundings.

Besides being environmentally conscious, the designers and developers also took social responsibility by employing a local team to help in building and installing these innovative accommodations, a tradition Grupo Habita keeps with every hotel they put up. Says Couturier, “We read the surroundings and their traditions to integrate the local culture into our project.”

Inside each bungalow, everything is basic and minimalist. The rectangular rooms come in either black or white, and offer wine coolers instead of mini bars, portable radios rather than room phones, and key holders that double as lamps that guide guests in the night. Architect Jorge Gracia designed all the furnishings specifically for Endemico, and 036

JULY / AUGUST 2012 WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

HOTEL REVIEW

THIS PAGE: The wood and corten steel cabins are elevated on stilts and carefully ‘planted’ around the site to minimise their impact on the surrounding landscape.

hand-selected fun details with a cultural nod – the local linens, mountain bikes to get around, even sombreros to sport around the property. A step outside of the room brings guests to the terrace where they can sit in front of the kiva, a clay fire-pit, as they enjoy the captivating views of the vineyards below.

The pool area is also quite a scene, with beige director’s chairs suggesting “something out of the Hollywood hills and thus evoking the old movie set glamour,” as Micha describes.

Finally, to round out their stay, guests are given an opportunity to participate in some immersive activities such as learning how to create their own locally-inspired meal or make 038

their own special wine. “We named the hotel ‘Endemico’ to reinforce the meaning of the whole concept. We will only work with species and plants that are endemic to the area.

The added flavors will come from Mexican ingredients like serrano, habanero, cilantro, epazote, chiltepin – rich flavours only found in our culture,” the owners shared.

The luxury camp is slated to open by 1st July this year. “Luxury is about unique and unrepeatable experiences,” Mischa explains.

Next stop for them is another hotel in the States, this time in Austin, Texas. “We need to keep surprising our guests,” Couturier says of the unexpected location.

JULY / AUGUST 2012 WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

EXPRESS CHECKOUT Hotel Endemico Carretera Tecate-Ensenada Km 75, Valle de Guadalupe Ensenada, Mexico www.grupohabita.mx/

„ 20 cabins  Restaurant [ Infinity pool Developer / Operator: Grupo Habita Architecture & Design: Gracia Studio

MUNICH – BERLIN – LONDON – PARIS – VIENNA

CHAIRS – TABLES – BARSTOOLS – MODULAR SYSTEMS

New fabrics, colours AND combinations!

For 2012 we’re offering a new range of 270 materials to help you create the furniture of your choice.

Now you can customise seat and backrest covers in plain and patterned materials for unique combinations.

Contact us today to find out more or visit us at The Restaurant Show, Earls Court 2, stand C 49, from 8th to 10th October 2012.

40

YEARS OFFERS

We are celebrating our 40th anniversary with our customers!

A range of special offers and exciting promotions for hotel and catering furniture can be found at www.go-in.co.uk every week!

LONDON Showroom GO IN UK Ltd. Windmill Place - Unit 4 2-4 Windmill Lane Hanwell · Middlesex UB2 4NJ · United Kingdom Order your free, 450-page, 2012 catalogue

phone: 0845 021 4646 fax: 0845 021 4647 web: www.go-in.co.uk mail: info@go-in.co.uk

Mashpi Lodge Ecuador Words: Aaron Millar Photography: Kaspar Lerch

Architect Alfredo Ribadeneira has shunned the clichĂŠs of eco-lodge design in creating a new resort in the heart of the Ecuadorian cloud forest.

040

JULY / AUGUST 2012 WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM JULY / AUGUST 2012

041

042

JULY / AUGUST 2012 WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

HOTEL REVIEW

L

uxury hotels and eco-adventure aren’t always the easiest of companions, but a bold new project in the cloud forests of the Ecuadorian Andes is bucking that trend.

Mashpi Lodge is located in the heart of a 2,600-acre private forest reserve 2.5 hours northwest of Quito, and is the brainchild of one of its former mayor – Roque Sevilla. He began buying up land eleven years ago in the Tumbez-Chocó-Magdalena, one of the most ecologically-important but threatened ecosystems on the planet. “The project was born from a desire to conserve these very biodiverse forests which have suffered damaging deforestation over the last decades,” tells Sevilla, “but I soon realised I wanted to share them with people from around the

world.” The result, which has been developed by his company Metropolitan Touring, opened to guests in June 2012 and is like nothing the cloud forests have seen before.

Celebrated Ecuadorian architect Alfredo Ribadeneira has shunned the region’s wood and bamboo eco-lodge design clichés and opted instead for a minimalist steel and concrete shell, opened on every façade by vast panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows. The effect is a stunning contemporary interior of sharp angles and pure lines, a wide-open space cocooned on all sides by the natural light of the forest.

Entering the hotel, one has the giddy impression of visiting a lost Jurassic world from inside the modernity of a Manhattan penthouse. But the contrast works – I

ABOVE: Guestrooms offer floor-to-ceiling views of the surrounding cloud forest, in sharp contrast to the crisply contemporary interiors

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM JULY / AUGUST 2012

043

HOTEL REVIEW

ABOVE: The ‘briefing lounge’ where guests gather before venturing out into the surrounding forest

found myself endlessly pressed up against the windows, like a boy in a skyscraper transfixed by the view. And that, of course, is precisely what Sevilla and his team intended: “It was never our aim for the hotel to compete with nature,” he explains, “we hope that the lodge will complement the reserve and enable guests to feel connected with the forest at all times.”

Interior designer Diego Arteta – one of Ecuador’s leading designers – revealed that the vision was also inspired by dictates from the jungle - “the high humidity level made me think to design the closets for the guestrooms as open square grids that would let air go through it, and then we took that idea into the hotel as a unifying concept and created open wallcoverings that we’ve used throughout the 044

corridors. We chose furniture too that was very pure in its form and would have that same feeling of transparency. I wanted to have things that you could actually see through, and see the jungle beyond.”

But as subtle as Arteta’s vision is, it is bold in equal measure. Striking red hues – lifted directly from rocks found in the reserve – jump out from screens and floating curvilinear ceiling shapes. Slate floors and black steel pillars starkly counter-point whitewashed walls. Everywhere there is contrast – like being inside a Mondrian painting – but it is a complimentary one, the interior’s hard lines and raw primary colours accentuating the soft shapes and subtle greens of the forest and leading the eye ever outwards.

The lodge features only 22 rooms

JULY / AUGUST 2012 WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

Authentic Life 236x275+3 UK.pdf

1

16/04/12

10:21

HOTEL REVIEW

ABOVE: The two-storey restaurant offers a gourmet take on Ecuadorian cuisine using herbs, spices and plants from the surrounding rainforest, as well as tropical and temperate fruits from the region

(including three suites) and accommodates a maximum of 44 guests. In keeping with Sevilla’s ecological vision it will run 100% sustainably from hydroelectric power and – perhaps most impressive of all – employs a full time biologist, not just to improve guest experiences in the forest, but also to actively work on research and conservation in the area.

There is a small spa offering bespoke indulgences crafted from materials found locally in the reserve, an impressive doubleheight panoramic restaurant that serves local ingredients combined with traditional Ecuadorian and international recipes, two outdoor terraces and access to a rooftop 046

viewing platform. But as enticing as the lodge is, the real magic of Mashpi and the centrepiece of its guest experience, is in the forest. As well as wildlife viewing platforms, a butterfly sanctuary and network of speciallycreated guided trails, the lodge is introducing a unique aerial tram system that will glide guests silently through the upper parts of the canopy allowing them to witness hitherto inaccessible cameos of forest life on the way to scenic spots and hard-to-access locations.

Eco-adventure and luxury hotels may not be regular partners, but when they do curl up together, sparks most definitely fly.

JULY / AUGUST 2012 WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

EXPRESS CHECKOUT Mashpi Lodge & Private Biodiversity Reserve Administrative Offices: Avenida De Las Palmeras, N45-74 y De Las Orquídeas Quito, Ecuador Tel: +593 2 298 8200 Ext. 3405 www.mashpilodge.com

„ 22 guestrooms (inc. 3 suites) ‰ Dining Room & Bar Owner / Developer: Roque Sevilla Architect: Alfredo Ribadeneira Interior Design: Diego Arteta

HOTEL REVIEW

Students and alumni from the Amsterdam Fashion Institute have individually tailored the designs for 61 different guestrooms at Hotel The Exchange.

The Exchange Amsterdam Words: Guy Dittrich Photography: Mirjam Bleeker

H

otel The Exchange is the latest creation from hoteliers Suzanne Oxenaar and Otto Nan, following the nearby Lloyd Hotel and Cultural Embassy, and the temporary Llove Hotel in Tokyo. In cooperation with students from the Amsterdam Fashion Institute (AMFI) the hotel delivers 61 individually ‘dressed’ rooms.

Oxenaar, an art curator working in the public space, and Nan, an art historian, were involved in the creation of the first Supper Club in Amsterdam, the original venue for a horizontal dining concept which has since been franchised worldwide. Despite having no background in hospitality they continued their “trend of difference” with the quirky Lloyd Hote, opened in 2004. Their next project, the Llove Hotel, was a pop-up hospitality concept which ran in Tokyo for just six weeks in 2010.

Hotel The Exchange has its origins in the current financial crisis. Initial plans to roll out Lloyd Hotels across Europe were reigned in with a more pragmatic 048

JULY / AUGUST 2012

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

JULY / AUGUST 2012

049

HOTEL REVIEW

and closer-to-home expansion. Just a few hundred metres from Centraal Station, on the bustling pedestrianised street of Damrak, the new hotel is part of an urban regeneration project ‘The Red Carpet’. Oxenaar was inspired by this title to see Damrak as a catwalk which led to the idea of dressing up the guestrooms in this formerly very run down hotel. Having worked with AMFI at the Lloyd Hotel, the relationship was reinvigorated and eight students and alumni were selected using the hotel project as part of their coursework.

The hotel is opposite the former Stock Exchange from which it takes its name. So too the breakfast and lunch dining restaurant, Stock, a narrow space with access only from the street, which focuses on a central counter fronted with faceted blocks of gold bullion.

Continuing the trading analogy, next-door is a shop called OPTIONS! Spread over two floors is a great selection of homewares and more. The basement sells rolls of the student’s 050

JULY / AUGUST 2012

beautiful fabrics as used in the hotel and for which they earn commission on sales.

The reconstruction of the hotel by architects Onsawerk saw the connection of three tall, narrow buildings, the middle and oldest being from the 17th century. The alleyway entrance has a glazed ceiling that, together with other glazed internal panes, offers views between and within the buildings, allowing for an understanding of their contiguous constructs. Several operational challenges come with the unusual layout.

The reception desk occupies a very small space and is housed within a red upholstered handbag (no kidding) packing a strong visual punch. Queues are largely avoided by guests paying in advance which at least eases the pressure on check-out. The two lifts can be used instead of the steep stairs: provided housekeepers are not using them.

The involvement of the AMFI students saw first the development of fabrics

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

ABOVE: Roos Soetekouw’s ‘Misunderstood Creatures’ room OPPOSITE PAGE: The ‘Tailor’s Dummy’ room typifies the use of guestrooms as models which have been dressed in fabrics by students at the Amsterdam Fashion Institute

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

JULY / AUGUST 2012

051

HOTEL REVIEW

in conjunction with the Tilburg Textielmuseum. Experimentation with different threads and designs was undertaken in accordance with fireproofing and cleaning standards prior to production. Additionally many fabrics from the archives of Kvadrat in Denmark were used. Then the rooms were dressed.

“The students generally found it difficult to understand the ‘inside out’ approach,” explains Oxenaar of the requirement to imagine the guestroom volume as being like a fashion model. Student Roos Soetekouw, responsible for nine of the room designs, explains: “Designing is easy but putting it into a room is difficult. Like a dress it doesn’t always fit the first time and needs alterations.”

Completing such fine-tuning at a sewing machine in spare mezzanine area of the hotel, Soetekouw explains that the hardest parts are the windows and corners as the sharp edges have to be “moulded away”.

Guestroom designs are so varied that to categorise them is almost impossible. Suffice to say inspiration comes from the city skyline, Rembrandt-style collars, folded material, foam rubber mattresses, a crinoline cage and MarieAntoinette-style corset, the oversize jumper 052

JULY / AUGUST 2012

twinned with pencil skirts look of the 1980’s, mannequins upholstered in hessian.......

Additional to this miscellany of design is the crafted, hand-made approach. Mostly delicate, no wonder the hotel has an onsite handyman for ongoing maintenance.

The small three-piece (shower-only) bathrooms are standard in all rooms with black floor tiles, logoed cream wall tiles from Mosa, and Grohe brassware.

The realisation of the student’s work and the ‘dressing’ of the hotel’s public spaces were coordinated by design studio Ina Matt. As was the graphic design that includes frequent use of the triple X’s of the city’s coat of arms (in the reception, lift interiors and staff uniforms) and room numbers crudely stitched on material held taut within embroidery hoops.

The carpet runners, made from recycled yarns to Ina Matt’s design by Brink and Campman, look like long stripy socks.

The hotel’s obvious attraction to repeat guests looking for new guestroom experiences will continue indefinitely with the specifically commissioned hessian-lined rooms from Ina Matt designed to allow for re-dressing by new students as part of an ongoing project.

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

ABOVE LEFT: ‘Unaware Reality’ by Iris Kloppenburg ABOVE RIGHT: Roos Soetekouw’s Eighties Room OPPOSITE PAGE: Anne Wolters’ History Repeated room features grainy black and white photos of an old hotel room as wallcoverings

EXPRESS CHECKOUT Hotel The Exchange Damrak 50, 1012LL Amsterdam, The Netherlands Tel: +31 20 561 3699 www.exchangeamsterdam.com

„ 61 guestrooms ‰ Stock restaurant + OPTIONS! Retail Store Owner: Stadsgoed NV Operator: Otto Nan & Suzanne Oxenaar Architect: Onswerk Interior Design: Ina Matt / students from AMFI Main contractor: Van Zijtveld (electricity & water), KP (interior construction)

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

JULY / AUGUST 2012

053

HOTEL REVIEW

This new hotel in the vibrant Serb capital sees architect Isay Weinfeld mix indigenous wood finishes from his native Brazil with nautical antiques and midcentury Scandinavian furnishings.

Square Nine Belgrade Words: Matt Morley Photography: Matthieu Salvaing

T

he Balkans may not be the first place many of us think of when looking for innovative hospitality projects but this corner of postconflict Europe is slowly putting itself back on the map. While Croatia has its coastline tourism, Serbia has a gritty yet undeniably buzzy capital that is widely regarded as the region’s business and design hub.

So if a boutique luxury hotel was to pop up anywhere in the Balkans, it was always going to be in Belgrade. That, however, is the only predictable thing about the 45-guestroom Square Nine Hotel.

Perfectly positioned between the increasingly trendy Dorcol neighbourhood and the main shopping precinct, “the location couldn’t have been better” according to the affable co-owner Nebojsa Kostic.

“We decided many years ago to construct a hotel on this site as Belgrade fundamentally lacked hotel capacity, especially in the five-star segment”.

054

JULY / AUGUST 2012

Even today, after starting the project in 2005 and opening in February 2011, they are “proud to be the only independent five-star hotel in the city rather than a member of a corporate chain,” says Kostic.

Square Nine simply doesn’t do corporate, especially in an era of austerity. Rumours of an astronomical spend per key may be exaggerated but it doesn’t take a design buff to pick up on the impeccable attention to detail applied throughout the five-storey building.

Enter Brazilian architect Isay Weinfeld, who was drafted in by the owners after being inspired by his Fasano hotels in Brazil.

“We knew he was the right architect for us, we especially liked his combination of understated elegance, antique pieces and dedication to comfort,” says Kostic.

Taking care of both the architecture and interiors, Weinfeld and his collaborator Domingos Pascali began with a striking Asian Gold limestone exterior façade that blends into an off-white, smooth stucco finish

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

OPPOSITE PAGE: The hotel has a striking facade of Asian gold limestone blending into an off-white smooth stucco finish punctured with window apertures in Brazilian ipe wood

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

JULY / AUGUST 2012

055

HOTEL REVIEW

peppered with Brazilian ipe wood panels framing the street-facing window apertures.

The Brazilian wood theme continues in the ground floor communal areas where embuia and pau-ferro combine with Crema Europa limestone flooring, antiques sourced from London and New York, as well as vintage Danish modern and mid-century American furniture.

It was the wood that required the greatest allocation of resources however. “Having all our woodwork done in Brazil and then bringing those artisans to Belgrade for a year was a real challenge,” according to Kostic.

A symphony of tonal browns, yellows and beiges dominate the lobby, lounge bar and restaurant. Gold onyx makes an appearance on the reception desk and lobby bar top, cleverly offset against a neutral beige backdrop in the case of the former and more Brazilian wood in the latter. Strategic lighting then 056

JULY / AUGUST 2012

serves to accentuate these subtle contrasts between materials and finishes.

Antique globes, nautical accessories, carpets and cushions scattered liberally around the ground floor spaces help guests feel at ease, despite the intricately planned nature of the layout. Vintage black and white photographs then line the structural pillars that connect dining room with bar, offering glimpses of 19th century Belgrade and a strong visual clue to the location’s past.

A similar approach is taken on each of the five landings adjacent to the lifts where different furniture pieces, from a curved wooden high-backed bench to midcentury Scandinavian chairs, gently proffer themselves as informal waiting areas. More of those classic photos lining the walls and a concealed office for a babushka character both give furthers hints of Belgrade’s socialistcommunist history.

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

ABOVE: Public areas feature Brazilian woods such as embuia and pau ferro, combined with antique rugs, nautical ephemera and vintage mid-century modern Danish and American furniture

REFLECT THE FUTURE THE ULTIMATE IN COSMETIC CARE

Revolutionary Two-Tone-Touch lighting bathes the skin in a shadow-free soft white or warm light for the most exacting cosmetic applications. Illuminated touch sensor offers the user their choice of a cool bright daytime look or a warm night time reflection.

Cool White

Warm Light

llluminated Two-Position Touch Sensor

www.aliseo.de

HOTEL REVIEW

LEFT: Guestrooms feature Pratesi linens, Treca de Paris mattresses, leather furniture and cashmere throws ABOVE: Each of the lift lobbies in the five-storey building features framed photographs of 19th century Belgrade mixed with striking furniture pieces such as this curved wooden high backed bench. Woods were supplied by Brazilian firms Teperman and Indusparquet

Generous, wood-lined corridors lead to four different room types, ranging from 32m2 superiors to 98m2 executive suites. Signature Isay Weinfeld use of matching cumaru wood flooring and wall panels in the entrance ways immediately creates an in-room ambiance that is at once sumptuous yet unpretentious.

Neutral linen wallpaper, vintage leather furniture and cashmere throws are a study in aesthetic serenity, matched only by the Pratesi linens, Treca de Paris mattresses and underfloor heating. It’s a rare marriage of form and function worthy of an Hermes executive’s home.

The limestone bathrooms are another highlight thanks to their deep tubs, rain showers and sense of space. As Nebojsa Kostic puts it: “Our idea was not just to be 058

JULY / AUGUST 2012

a contemporary hotel in Serbia but a proper five-star experience offering all the services and amenities of a world class hotel in London, Paris or NYC.” Completing this picture is an extensive basement level wellness area featuring an 18 metre lap pool with sky light, Japanese Ofuro hot tub and Technogym workout area. Poolside loungers and a full spa menu further enhance this undeniably urban hotel’s impressive leisure offer, perhaps a subtle reference to Weinfeld’s Brazilian background?

Whatever the explanation, Square Nine successfully combines business and pleasure, and as such is a neat reflection of Belgrade’s infectious joie de vivre.

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

EXPRESS CHECKOUT Square Nine Studentski Trg 9 Belgrade 103933, Serbia Tel: +381 11 3333 500 www.squarenine.rs

„ 45 guestrooms ‰ Square Nine Restaurant  18 metre lap pool, Technogym-equipped gym, Japanese ofuro hot tub + 38m2 meeting room Owner & Operator: Nebojsa & Nenad Kostic Architecture & Interior Design: Isay Weinfeld, Domingos Pascali Project Manager: Elena Scarabotolo Design Team: Adriana Aun / Adriana Zampieri / Ilza Fujimura

Agua Line

Made in Italy

Saving water and energy without loss of comfort‌

BOSSINI UK The Agua handshowers blend the latest design trends with the extraordinary efficiency using state-of-the-art, eco-compatible solutions. They are equipped with an adjustment control device of the flow rate to ensure a reduced consumption of water while ensuring maximum comfort.

Tel: +44 (0)1785 811985 Fax: +44 (0)1785 811837 www.bossini.co.uk info@bossini.co.uk ECO FRIENDLY

HOTEL REVIEW

Palais Namaskar Marrakech Words: Juliet Kinsman Photography: Courtesy of Palais Namaskar

Feng shui meets French panache in Marrakech at Philippe Soulier’s gilded palace.

060

JULY / AUGUST 2012

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

G

ilded domes, intricately carved stonework, and pristine cream marble backdropped by sparkling turquoise water, emerald-green lawns, and sapphire-blue sky – it is rare for a newbuild to manage such timeless elegance and postcard-perfect presentation from every angle. Undeniably Moroccan, yet unmistakably French, there’s also an air of the Far East at Philippe Soulier’s gilded palace.

Palais Namaskar’s impressive form and function is especially staggering when you hear that its Parisian creator has never worked on a project like this before, let alone on this scale. The French entrepreneur, who made his money in logistics in Africa, bought a villa on this 15-acre plot twenty minutes from the medina, six years ago. Enlisting the savvy of architect Imaad Rahmouni, the FrenchAlgerian protégé of Philippe Starck, they worked together to conjure this modern-day Parisian-accented palace in Marrakech’s Palmeraie, plotting every inch according to the

ancient principles of feng shui. Landscaped to perfection, there’s a discreet nod to the five elements, fire, earth, metal, wood and water, wherever you look. If water is the symbol of wealth, this magnificent hotel is dripping in prosperity. Mughal arches and pale-stone pillars flank vast decorative lakes, sprawling pools and silver-lantern-dotted paths at this soul-soothing retreat and spa. Hidden around its tranquil, fragrant gardens amid enclaves of swaying palms are 41 villas and suites, a sultry spa, a glamorous restaurant and bar, and a gym befitting a Bond villain’s lair.

The property accepted its first guests in April 2012, many of whom had high expectations thanks to Oetker Collection’s seal of approval. Although everything was in place for the hotel to open last autumn, Soulier decided at the eleventh hour not to take on the private running of the property, and in a sage move enlisted Oetker Collection to manage his hotel. This is the family-owned group’s first foray outside of France, and Palais Namaskar is endorsed as their latest

‘masterpiece hotel’ joining the dizzy ranks of Le Bristol Paris and the Hotel du Cap-EdenRoc on the Cote d’Azur.

Suckers for the kind of sophistication one expects from an upmarket stay in the French capital or glitzy Riviera will be relieved that they don’t have to check their sybaritic sensibilities on arrival in Marrakech.

(Particularly if they arrive by the hotel’s own golden 14-seat Dassault Falcon jet which flies Casablanca to Marrakech in thirty minutes.)

Palais Namaskar demands you devote yourself to pleasure from the get-go. With public areas resplendent in special Hermès-finished B&B Italia chairs and sofas, and glorious verdant grounds that beg you to flop down on one of the leafy corners, it’s a wonder people want to retreat to their rooms.

No expense has been spared on the dramatic fittings or furnishings. Glossy marble prevails over the usual tadelakt render of Marrakech riads. Dedar, the Italian purveyor of fine soft furnishings supplied more than 7km of rich, bespoke fabric for the curtains.

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

JULY / AUGUST 2012

061

HOTEL REVIEW

Imaad Rahmouni’s design incorporates bespoke Murano glass chandeliers by Andromeda International, Hermes-finished B&B Italia furnishings in the public areas, and Minotti sofas in all suites. Carpets are

by Oliver Treutlein of Germany, with curtain fabrics supplied by Dedar 062

JULY / AUGUST 2012

Sticklers for continuity will appreciate the same swirly motif runs throughout, from the metres of lavish drapes in the Starck-evoking dining room, to the thick velvety rugs created

by Germany’s Oliver Treutlein in the suites.

Murano glass, meanwhile, isn’t only flaunted in multiple flamboyant chandeliers custommade by Andromeda International for the reception area and restaurant, but dazzles from a huge, back-lit mirrored bar in the purple-hued cocktail lounge, as well as from the graceful drinks cabinets in the suites.

Taupe-toned guestrooms open out into onto terraces almost twice the size of their indoor space, some backing onto a communal water feature, others onto the stunning main pool.

Four categories of suites offer private antiquewhite- and café-au-lait-toned oases. And for the full VIP experience, or wedding parties, there’s a two-bedroom Mountain Palace and a four-bed Water Palace.

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

Desert Modernism is evoked by the six pool villas. Here, feng shui dictates that one huge cool pool is the yin to a smaller heated pool’s yang; a hammock entices guests to relax in a shaded corner of the bougainvillea-draped walled garden; Balinese wooden loungers lure them to soak up the sun. Inside, the living space is more Mad Men apartment than Mod Maroc hotel room, with its chocolate tones, Eames-style chairs, wood-burning hearth, huge desk and drinks cabinet. Spacious sitting room and bedrooms incorporate every conceivable mod-con, oh-so-subtly. The glasswalled en suites are a sight to behold with beautiful stonework and shower cubicles big enough for a sumo wrestler; they spill out into dinky bamboo-planted courtyards resplendent with huge round marble tubs.

For those who like to entrust the professionals with their ablutions, a 650m2 spa invites guests to have a lot more than

2-3 Bankside Park, 28 Thames Road, Barking, Essex, IG11 0HZ [t] (+44)020 8591 6770 [f] (+44)020 8591 7913 [e] info@protocoluk.com [w] www.protocoluk.com

HOTEL REVIEW

© Name

the de rigeur hammam. Just gliding down the steps into the sultry wellness centre, reams of billowing muslin and the scent of orange blossom is experience in itself, assuring the senses of where you are in the world, while the mention of Ila and Guerlain products and vast array of body and beauty treatments from sweet-natured therapists remind you why you’re here.

The attention to detail at this luxury Moroccan resort is uncompromising. Palais Namaskar’s logo is beautifully incorporated everywhere from the grand stone entrance, down to the gold embossed guest notebooks.

Leather handle details adorn on chairs and chests while vast cupboard spaces speak of long stays and guests with endless wardrobe options, and private butlers are on hand and all too happy to help unpack. Simmons mattresses are clad in crisp Porthault linens, and three different Drouault pillows 064

JULY / AUGUST 2012

are offered for every guest. Scrutinise the touches in the public spaces and you’ll notice the crockery is bespoke Bernardeau, and silverware by Christofle. Find your way to the roof terrace for a cocktail at sunset and you’ll pass a whole floor of white crystal rocks. Finally, at the chic rooftop bar you have Mother Nature to thank for the wow-inducing desert and Atlas Mountain views.

With all the major luxury hotel groups such as Four Seasons and Taj now represented in these parts, Palais Namaskar still manages to pull off an extraordinary proposition, even for fans of Royal Mansour and Aman hotels: an intimate, individual boutique hotel which eschews corporate branding and never shirks when it comes to quality. Thanks to inspiring architecture, extravagant interior design and flawless five-star service, even the most discerning and fashionable Parisians will find it hard not to be awestruck.

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

EXPRESS CHECKOUT Palais Namaskar Route de Bab Atlas 88/69, Syba, Marrakech, Morocco Tel:+212 5 2429 9800 www.palaisnamaskar.com

„ 41 units comprising of three room types, four types of suites, two styles of luxury villas and two palaces ‰ Le Namaskar  No Mad Bar, Espace T [ Le Spa Namaskar, Fitness & Yoga + 12 acres of gardens, conference room Developer / Owner: Philippe Soulier Operator: Oetker Collection Architecture & Design: Imaad Rahmouni

Doublescreen-236x275.indd 1

28-06-12 16:40

HOTEL REVIEW

Georges Istanbul Words: Eileen Keribar Photography: Courtesy of Georges Istanbul

Young hotelier Alex Varlık brings an air of Parisian élan to Istanbul with his new Georges Hotel.

LEFT AND OPPOSITE PAGE: Le Fumoir restaurant at Georges Istanbul is an intimate Parisian style bistro with leather Chesterfield sofas, exposed brick walls and patterned rugs

066

JULY / AUGUST 2012

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

I

was running late and clearly one espresso behind upon arrival. Entering through a completely unmarked door on Serdar-I-Ekrem, one of Istanbul’s trendiest streets in the hip area of Galata, I find Alex Varlık, the founder, owner and manager of Georges Hotel, energetically tapping his foot while discussing breakfast service improvements with the barkeep.

Stepping in from the street, one experiences a definitive transition from Istanbul’s dusty clamour to Le Fumoir, a sharp classic bistro. A mere 28 seats, the brick-walled dining room features fresh leather banquettes and tables with crisp white tablecloths facing a blacklacquered bar buzzing with the energy of a

neighborhood café in Paris. As I’m arriving, guests are whisked through the bistro for check-in directly in their rooms, catching a whiff of fresh croissant along the way.

Having grown up in France with a French mother and Turkish father, Varlık moved to Istanbul in 2006 and quickly thereafter cast aside the legal industry. His hometown of Avedon is renowned for producing some of Paris’ most famed café owners, and Varlık seems to have caught that hospitality and service bug somewhere along the way.

An ex-partner with the group responsible for Istanbul’s growing House Hotel venture, Varlık has branched out, teaming with partner Kerim Kamhi to create a new concept based on a fresh spin of

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

JULY / AUGUST 2012

067

HOTEL REVIEW

THIS PAGE AND OPPOSITE: Guestrooms are quietly luxurious, feature Brazilian rosewood desks inlaid with hand stitched leather and Poul Henningsen lamps

old-world, classic French gastronomy, service and décor. A self-proclaimed antidote to ‘what’s next,’ Georges is an intimate 20-room hotel in a renovated historic 1860’s apartment building.

“I wanted to look at an opportunity to create something new by creating something old: a real return to service where there is a symbiosis of location, history and real gastronomy,” recalls Varlık.

Despite its diminutive size, Georges Hotel offers a few surprises – meeting rooms, a rooftop bar with incredible city panoramas, in-room yoga sessions and massages, and, despite being invisible to the guest, a service elevator – a critical element towards ensuring the level of service and luxury that Varlık is striving to achieve.

“We all ask today, what is luxury?” pondered Varlık over his second espresso. “To me, key words include privacy, relaxation, simplicity, and boundaries. One of our biggest challenges is to train our staff to be close and distant at once, to be available in a subtle way at all times.” With 23 staff members for 20 rooms, Varlık has certainly ensured a high level of attention and service.

“I’ve tried to create an environment that caters to a kind of ‘democratic energy,’ a positive place where word-of-mouth recommendations bring together empathetic world travellers who thrive on emotional intelligence to share in their experiences.” A tall order, considering that Varlık and Kamhi personally collaborated with fabricators to conceptualise, design and build out the hotel in an impressive seven month period.

After passing through Le Fumoir, guests arrive at a sky-lit sandstone staircase wound tightly around a glass elevator encased in laser-cut metalwork, shedding clean, geometric shadows to the floor. A fresh 068

JULY / AUGUST 2012

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

JULY / AUGUST 2012

069

HOTEL REVIEW

flooring of terrazzo tile with classic motifs lends a residential feel to the landing.

Guestrooms are modern and tidy, quietly luxurious in their simple detailing. Customdesigned down to the doors, the duo have lent a truly personal touch to the timeless charm of the rooms. Handcrafted desks of Brazilian rosewood integrate stitched beige leather and are graced by Poul Henningsen lamps. A carved and neatly sculptural headboard of the same materials fronts crisp white walls with animated decorative wall mouldings and is flanked by Art Deco-style bedside tables. Glass-encased bathrooms integrate black non-polished Turkish marble, teak wood and patterned tile floors, with hangers, dressoir and a minibar efficiently built into one side.

The majority of the rooms feature private balconies with impeccable views towards the Bosphorus. With vistas extending from the first bridge to the historical Sultanahmet 070

JULY / AUGUST 2012

peninsula, it is the perfect place for a tranquil breakfast before surrendering to Istanbul’s cosmopolitan energy. In an elegant twist on technology and design, balconies feature stylishly laser cut iron panels on the floors and ceilings. Backlit with LED lights, they enable the building to glow at night as the contemporary beacon it has set out to be.

Hastily eyeing a waiter and pointing out a droopy flower in the vase on our table, Varlık is excitedly discussing future plans. Next on the cards we can expect to find Georges Hotels popping up internationally, both in cities and potentially mountainous destinations.

In the meantime, Istanbul is at once a benchmark and constantly improving prototype that has quickly become embraced by in-the-know travellers and locals alike as a slice of contemporary French panache in Istanbul.

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

EXPRESS CHECKOUT Georges Istanbul Serdar-I Ekrem Sokak No: 24 Galata – Beyoğlu Istanbul, Turkey Tel: +90 212 244 2423 www.georges.com

„ 20 guestrooms and suites ‰ Le Fumoir + Meeting room and terrace suite

Give your guests first class luxury

T

ake a look at Albion’s hand made baths. Formulated from our unique IsoEnamel material, an Albion bath has all the qualities of cast iron but without the drawbacks - such as extreme weight and heat loss. With a hard, high gloss interior that’s easy to clean, an Albion bath will stand the test of time. And with 54 modern and classical models to choose from, we’ll have you spoilt for choice.

For sales enquiries: call +44 (0)1255 831605 or go to: www.albionbathco.com

ALBION

Hand made Baths directly from our factory

Sleeper May June.indd 1

12/04/2012 13:55

HOTEL REVIEW

Cape Town’s Newmark Hotels has opened its third property on the V&A Waterfront, with interiors by Francois du Plessis.

Queen Victoria Hotel Cape Town Words: Matt Morley Photography: Courtesy of Queen Victoria Cape Town

A

fter a flurry of pre-World Cup openings, Cape Town’s hotel scene took a well-deserved rest in late 2010 to 2011 while the city’s key European source markets began their descent into financial chaos.

It hasn’t all been plain sailing for Neil Markovitz, Managing Director of Cape Town’s Newmark Hotels group either.

Having negotiated a long, drawn-out deal with the previous owners Dubai World, he finally opened the Queen Victoria, his third property in the V&A Waterfront, Africa’s most popular tourist destination, in April 2011, well behind schedule.

“It took longer to negotiate this deal than it did to build it! We began discussions before the World Cup but only opened last year. It’s actually taken that long for the positive impact of the tournament to kick072

JULY / AUGUST 2012

in though, our hotels are just starting to see the real benefits in occupancy rates.”

This modest, grey converted office block containing 35 rooms and a presidential suite doesn’t look like much from outside, nor does it have a spa, pool or gym to talk of. But it’s easy to underestimate the Queen Victoria.

Neil Markovitz and his team are making a long-term investment in the Portswood neighborhood, located on an embankment above the V&A Waterfront. He currently has the perennially popular four-star Victoria & Alfred Hotel and the colonial Dockhouse in the vicinity; the former acting as the portfolio’s cash cow while the latter allows him to tap into the lucrative if seasonal five-star luxury market.

So how does the ‘Queen Vic’ fit in?

“Here we’ve gone after the FIT (Foreign Independent Tour) traveller,” says

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

THIS PAGE: Guestrooms feature plush velvets and siks from Tessa Soink, Hertex, St Leger & Viney and Mavromac OPPOSITE PAGE: A spiral staircase in white Corian with Volakas marble steps was designed to resemble a sun-bleached seashell

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

JULY / AUGUST 2012

073

HOTEL REVIEW

THIS PAGE: Crystal chandeliers enhance the glamorous feel of the interiors, with purple upholstered seating offering a nod to royalty

Markovitz, “boutique hotel customers who want to be in the V&A Waterfront but also have easy, quick access to town and a little extra peace and quiet too”.

Where the hotel really starts to make sense however is in the infrastructural synergies of a shared pool, spa and gym with the Dockhouse, a nearby destination restaurant in the Victoria & Alfred Hotel, as well as a shared executive chef and call centre across all three properties.

What was once a “blob of an office block”, as Markovitz puts it, was protected by the rules of its heritage precinct but a local team from Peerutin Architects were able to cut out the core of the building to create extra drama with a triple-height atrium, ensuring the unusable floor space in the centre eventually found a purpose. “From the start we envisioned something sculptural and freestanding to fill the hotel’s atrium.

It had to be both beautiful and functional”, says Tarryn Cohen of Cape Town-based Peerutin Architects. The answer came in the shape of a double-width lift combined with a spiral staircase made of white Corian with Volakas marble steps. “Corian, being malleable, allowed us to create a surface without joins resembling a hollowed-out, sun-bleached seashell,” says Cohen.

Contemporary and chic without being progressive, the ground floor has an almost museum-like purity so it was a natural move to start discussions with Everard Read, one of South Africa’s finest commercial art galleries, who have an outpost just around the corner in the Portswood precinct.

Rotating artworks for sale on the ground floor from the likes of local superstars Beezy Bailey, Dylan Lewis and Neil Rodger have price tags in the hundreds of thousand of Rand, providing the Queen Victoria with a strong point of 074

JULY / AUGUST 2012

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

new design centre opening August 2012 in Clerkenwell, London

very luxurious, very VADO tel: 01934 744466 email: sales@vado-uk.com www.vado-uk.com

Sleeper.indd 1

it’s a personal experience taps | showering | accessories

29/06/2012 10:21

HOTEL REVIEW

differentiation in a crowded market.

Those looking for tribal ‘Africana’ will be disappointed however, this is a subtle and sophisticated injection of South African flavour based upon an art scene that has steadily been winning international recognition over recent years; see the hugely successful William Kentridge retrospective at New York’s MOMA in 2010 for example.

“Most of what you see in the hotel in terms of furniture and fittings was sourced locally too,” said the interior designer Francois du Plessis. “We are supporting local businesses commercially while creatively showcasing South African work.”

As this is a re-modelling of an existing building, guestrooms are all unique in dimension although average between 4050m2. A strong sense of continuity from one room category to the next comes from du Plessis’ choice of colour palette.

“The inspiration was to use neutrals, 076

JULY / AUGUST 2012

taupes, greys and silvers throughout for a sense of calm and serenity in the busy waterfront setting, and we introduced purple as a nod to royalty too”.

Plush velvets and silks from Tessa Sonik, Hertex, St Leger & Viney and Mavromac, imported marble, polished steel and crystal chandeliers have all been used to add du Plessis’ trademark touch of glamour.

A top floor presidential suite also features an outdoor seating area, under-floor heating, an eight-seater wooden dining table as well as views of the V&A’s shopping quarter, working docks and Table Mountain.

Ultimately the spectacular setting is what Cape Town is all about. It’s also what Newmark Hotels are banking on to see them through the next few years, as Neil Markovitz puts it: “Hotels in tough locations in tough times will always struggle more than hotels in good locations, I know which I’d put my money on.”

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

ABOVE: The Presidential Suite balcony offers stunning views over the V&A Waterfront

EXPRESS CHECKOUT Queen Victoria Hotel Portswood Close Portswood Ridge V&A Waterfront, Cape Town 8001 South Africa Tel: +27 21 418 1466 www.newmarkhotels.com

„ 35 guestrooms and Presidential Suite ‰ Dash Restaurant & Bar Owner / Operator: Newmark Hotels Interior Design: Francois du Plessis Architect: Peerutin Architects

Perfectly tailored –to everyone.

www.humanscale.com info@humanscale.co.uk

Five star light control for the world’s hotels

Lutron® hospitality control solutions save energy, reduce costs, and save our world from unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, your guests will feel more welcome and your staff more productive.

These easy-to-use solutions combine precise control of electric light and, with our shades, natural light, too.

With Lutron you have the reassurance of dealing with premium products and services throughout the world.

Quantum® Green Glance®

To find out more, visit www.lutron.com or e-mail us at lutronlondon@lutron.com

From left to right: Entrance Lobby, The Royal Mirage Resort, Dubai, UAE; Conference Room, Dallas, Texas; Bedroom, Asia Park Hyatt, Seoul, Korea; Restaurant, Hotel Eurostars Madrid Tower, Madrid, Spain.

CLIENT:

Lutron

March

ISSUE:

PUBLICATION: COPY DATE:

22 February

International Press Production Ltd

Pico® wireless controller

European seeTouch®

Sivoia® QS shading

Q-Admin™ software

Sleeper Magazine SIZE:

Full page bleed

Tel: +44 (0) 1305 257 774

HOTEL REVIEW

L’Ardoiserie Ardenne Words: Guy Dittrich Photography: Courtesy of L’Ardoiserie

A trio of Belgian brothers have created a unique hospitality experience in the heart of the Ardenne countryside.

L

’Ardoisière is the recreation of memories of perfect childhood holidays,” explains Frédéric Huyghes, one of the three brothers behind this remarkable hospitality experience set in the green heart of the Belgian Ardenne.

The six suites offer twenty guestrooms to sleep up to forty guests. All include practicable kitchens but the fabulous traiteur (catering) service is worth sampling.

Valley views across lawns and meadows belie the original slate mining origins of L’Ardoisière: ardoise is French for slate. The mining died out a century ago and the old mine shafts are just patches of grass in the fields where now sapins de Noël, Christmas trees, are grown (a reflection of the pace of life in southern Belgium). The former fabric factory where the slates were processed is the Huyghes’ country home having been WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

JULY / AUGUST 2012

079

HOTEL REVIEW

TOP: The timber clad ‘Hut’ suite has tartan fabrics and log-cabin themeing ABOVE: The Gunnar suite, named after Swedish architect Gunnar Asplund, features a Ligne Roset Togo sofa in orange alcantara fabric, alongside Mies van der Rohe Barcelona chairs 080

JULY / AUGUST 2012

converted in the 1970s with the addition of a pool-house. Many of the original features of the pool-house have been left untouched including a colourful mural the length of the 17m pool and the swinging saloon doors to the shower but the pool has a brand new lining and heating equipment.

The accommodation comprises a series of contiguous buildings. The former mine office building, L’Escaille, unsurprisingly slate-covered, is the largest of the suites. The postbox red front door is mimicked on the first landing of the green central staircase with another leading to an all-red WC. The two up, two down layout sees, on the groundfloor, a big living room with Chesterfield sofas around a fireplace and separate dining-roomkitchen with range cooker and Belfast sink.

Then follow two double bedrooms with linear

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

bathrooms behind half-wall, half-metal framed glazed partitions. In the attic are two further rooms with three single beds each literally amongst the eaves, to the extent guests have to step over roof beams to get into bed.

A linking duplex connects L’Escaille with four adjacent suites within a barnlike structure. This all-new barn copies the original volume and floor plan of a former tobacco-drying shed. Tobacco is still grown in the Semois Valley, as witnessed by countless decrepit-looking wooden barns in the region within which the leaves are air-cured.

Each of these four suites has the same layout. A large, ground-floor living space stretches across the width of the barn allowing light to flood in from both sides. Such picture and slot windows cleverly make the most of the views. This open living area includes

Sleeper Club Advert_Layout 1 25/06/2012 09:53 Page 1

CluB ColleCtion · DesiGn philip Behrens

L I V E O U T S I D E T H E B OX s u p e r B ly C r a F t e D t e a k , w o v e n , a l u m i n i u m a n D s ta i n l e s s s t e e l o u t D o o r F u r n i t u r e

G lo s t e r , C o l l i n s D r i v e , s e v e r n B e a C h , B r i s t o l , B s 3 5 4 G G t e l . + 4 4 ( 0 ) 1 4 5 4 6 3 1 9 5 0 · Fa x . + 4 4 ( 0 ) 1 4 5 4 6 3 1 9 5 9 e - m a i l . i n F o @ G l o s t e r . C o . u k · w w w. G l o s t e r . C o m

HOTEL REVIEW

ABOVE: The former mining office building houses the largest suite L’Escaile, complete with a homely kitchen-diner

a galley kitchen, dining table and lounge with wood burning stove. Above are two double bedrooms, one also with two end-on single beds that are arranged alongside the low window, and a bathroom with Belgian Aquamass Jacuzzi bathtub. The top floor sees a further bedroom with a bed built into the eaves plus an en-suite shower.

“The boxes are the same. The themes are different,” explains Brussels-based interior designer Barbara Ferret of the studio suites’ different design stories. “We could do what we wanted,” she continues although there are common elements here too: the use of wood, wall-mounted cartography and staircases with unusual features such as a wooden kayak frame in one; an installation of the Bouroullec brothers’ ‘Clouds’ for Kvadrat in another.

In pursuing the idea of holiday memories, with a touch of fantasy thrown in, the most outlandish space is ‘Wonderland’. As in Alice.

White wood paneling and an old-fashioned street lamp are offset with baby-pink Formica and tiling in the kitchen and antique jewelled mirrors. ‘The Hut’ is a mélange of visions of a log cabin with clichéd caricatured themes 082

JULY / AUGUST 2012

including multiple images of the Matterhorn, fur-covered lampshades and an antler used as the fridge door handle.

Following a ‘form follows function’ aesthetic is ‘Gunnar’, named after Swedish architect Gunnar Asplund. The Artemide Tolmeo bedside reading lamps are representative of the cleaner lines here. There is a beautiful graphic of local themes by artist Lapin and design flourishes including a Mies van der Rohe Barcelona chair and Ligne Roset’s Togo sofa in orange alcantara. Finally, ‘Hamptons’ has a preppy-with-attitude style with tartan, bold blocks of yellow, Adirondack-style chairs and pennants from Harvard and Yale Universities develop the theme.

“No rules, no limits,” is how Frédéric describes the spirit of L’Ardoisière. Without question the sense of the enjoyment of creation shines through. The Belgian Ardenne is making a comeback as an alternative to the now-too-busy North Sea coast and L’Ardoisière sets the new design standard with its charming ‘rur’ban’ blend of local touches and urbane style.

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

EXPRESS CHECKOUT L’Ardoisière 2, reu de Sedan, B-5550 Alle-sur-Semois Ardennes, Belgium Tel: +32 61 27 19 17 www.compagniedesbois.be

„ 6 suites with a total of 20 guestrooms (sleeps ±40)

‰ In-house ‘Traiteur’ service [ 17m indoor pool + Event space in family home on request Owner: Huyghes Family Operator: Compagnie des Bois s.a.

Architect: Fredric Aixandri Interior Design: Barbara Ferret

EVENTS DIARY

Events Diary 2012 SEPTEMBER cont.

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER cont.

Asia Hotel Forum – International Hotel Investment Summit

Decorex 23-26 September 2012

RHIC – Russia & CIS Hotel Investment Conference

Shanghai

www.decorex.com

Moscow

London

6-7 September 2012

15-17 October 2012

Focus

www.asiahotelforum.org

London

Maison & Objet

23-26 September 2012

Paris

www.dcch.co.uk

www.russia-cisconference.com

NOVEMBER

NOVEMBER cont.

13-14 November 2012 www.deloitte.co.uk/hotelinvestmen tconference/

European Hotel Design Awards London 20 November 2012 www.thesleepevent.com

HI Design Asia

7-11 September 2012

Index

Bali

Sleep

Dubai

7-9 November 2012

London

Hot.E

24-27 September 2012

www.hidesign-asia.com

21-22 November 2012

London

www.indexexhibition.com

www.maison-objet.com

20-21 September 2012 www.europehotelconference.com

OCTOBER

www.thesleepevent.com

BDNY – Boutique Design New York New York

100% Design

DECEMBER

11-12 November 2012

IFF India

www.boutiquedesignnewyork.com

New Delhi

20-23 September 2012

HICAP – Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific

www.100percentdesign.co.uk

Hong Kong 10-12 October 2012

Deloitte European Hotel Investment Conference

www.hicapconference.com

London

London

6-9 December 2012 www.indiafurniturefair.com

Event Focus: 100% Design What?

Under new ownership for 2012, the interiors exhibition will see a new layout and new features, including a 45m tunnel experience delivering visitors to the main bar and heart of the show.

Special features?

• 100% Interiors will deliver the latest in product design from some of the world’s leading companies. Already lined up are Moroso, Knoll, Dare Studio, Original BTC, and Vitra.

When & Where?

19-22 September 2012 at Earls Court, London.

• 100% Office will be the first show dedicated to office and workspace design staged as part of London Design Festival.

Who? Last year’s event attracted over 18,000 visitors.

• 100% Kitchens & Bathrooms promises to showcase the latest products, materials and trends.

084

MAY / JUNE 2012

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

• 100% Eco Design & Build will address the issues affecting redevelopment projects including energy-saving technology, materials and build methods.

• 100% Future Living will engage technology, innovation and design shaping the future.

• Emerging Brands will provide a dedicated area for young designers to show their work.

More info? www.100percentdesign.co.uk

ABOVE: 100% Design will see a new layout and new features for 2012

EVENTS

10-12 May 2012 Le Meridien Lav, Split Croatia The seventh annual HI Design EMEA forum took place under sunny skies in the Croatian coastal resort of Split, with delegates enjoying 48 hours of face-to-face meetings, networking, and a stimulating seminar programme.

Words: Matt Turner Photography: Richard Pereira

C

roatia was the location where delegates gathered for this year’s HI Design EMEA forum, enjoying 48 hours of networking under bright Mediterranean skies. Attendees made their way to the coastal town of Split, founded by the Romans on the shore of the Adriatic Sea in AD305. A tour of the historic city centre, set around the Palace of Roman Emperor Diocletian, was put on for early arrivals. Other guests disembarked from their connecting flights throughout the afternoon in time for a welcome buffet reception at the Lorenzo Bellini-designed Le Meridien Lav Split hotel.

The following morning, proceedings began in earnest with an overview of the current state of hotel performance and supply pipeline in the EMEA region from Thomas Emanuel, Business Development Director for STR Global. Introduced by perennial host and regular Sleeper contributor Guy Dittrich, Emanuel began by putting European hotel performance into a global context, saying the overall picture was one of “recovery not growth” since the economic crisis of 2008, and that North America was stretching ahead of Europe in the speed of its recovery. The 086

JULY / AUGUST 2012

state of play in Europe was summarised as “Germany ahead, Spain behind, the rest are recovering.” Key cities such as London and Paris continue to be resilient, with Istanbul the star-performer due to a concerted effort to raise room rates, whilst Zurich, an expensive destination, was struggling.

Turning to the Middle East and Africa region he identified the World Cup 2010 and the Arab spring revolutions of 2011 as the two biggest factors impacting on RevPAR performance. The United Arab Emirates in particular had seen a significant drop in hotel performance since the economic crisis began in 2008, as had most other countries. Morocco on the other hand was leading the way in bouncing back towards the historical peak of 2008, driven by an increase in air routes, and new hotel supply.

Saudi Arabia was the only other country outperforming its 2008 figures, with religious tourism and corporate travel cited as the key drivers. At the other end of the spectrum Emanuel said he had heard of resorts in Egypt offering nightly rates as low as $US9 in an attempt to draw tourists back to the country following the Arab Spring.

Turning to the supply pipeline, Emanuel

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

said supply in Europe had increased 3.9% in the past 4-5 years. This growth was driven largely by the UK, Germany, Russia and Turkey, particularly by the growth of brands such as Park Inn, Hilton Garden Inn in the latter two countries. He also singled out Baku as an interesting area, with huge growth in the number of luxury hotels, and some very high Average Daily Rates, but low occupancy and a lack of mid-tier / budget accommodation.

There were signs, meanwhile, that Iraq was beginning to develop hotels again, with eight hotels in the pipeline in the northern city of Erbil, two in Baghdad and ten elsewhere.

Attendees then threw themselves into the first of four intensive meetings sessions split over the two days, with ‘buyers’ from hotel groups, architecture and design practices having the opportunity to meet FF&E suppliers from a broad range of product categories to a strictly choreographed timetable that made maximum use of the time away from their offices.

Post-lunch entertainment came in the form of a head-to-head interview conducted

by Guy Dittrich with Patrick Reardon of ReardonSmith Architects. Beginning with the thesis that “appropriate design

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

JULY / AUGUST 2012

087

EVENT

responds to and respects its environment,” Reardon laid into the current obsession with ‘sustainability’ – a “Pavlovian boxticking exercise” he claimed no-one had ever been able to satisfactorily explain to him.

A brief run-through of current Reardon Smith projects followed, including Porto Montenegro, the practice’s first masterplan where it has painstakingly studied other coastal towns to come up with a “mosaic of idioms” appropriate to the low-rise development. Echoing Thomas Emanuel’s identification of Baku as a development hotspot, ReardonSmith has six projects on the go in the Azerbaijani capital, including the Four Seasons – a hotel designed in the style of a late 19th century Parisian building.

Reardon also paid tribute to the influence of I.M. Pei – “the master of monumental simplicity, and my mentor” – on his work. A slideshow of design classics concluded the discussion, underscoring Reardon’s belief that sustainability equates to longevity, and that “timeless design does not require replacement”. Examples included the VW Beetle, Eames chairs, the Zippo lighter, the Bic pen, the Seagram building in NYC and Harry Beck’s London Underground map.

More one-to-one meetings were followed 088

JULY / AUGUST 2012

by a buyers-only networking reception, prior to an evening drinks reception at Split Art Gallery where guests could participate in guided tours of the gallery’s collection.

The following morning’s conference session saw a presentation on “Nanotechnology and Interior Design: Breakthroughs & Precautions” by George Elvin of Gone Studios – a pioneer of zero-waste, zeroenergy manufacturing. Elvin examined how the design of materials at molecular scale is changing the face of interior design.

Luminous nanofilms mean walls and ceilings can become lightsources, whilst nanoparticle coatings make the once futuristic concept of the self-cleaning building a possible reality.

The final session was a panel discussion looking at the evolution of hotel schemes from ‘Vision to Reality’, featuring George Scammell, Vice President Global Design for Wyndham Worldwide, Yves Kerihuel of Parisbased Ertim Architects and Julia Dempster, Managing Director of Interior Motives.

Scammell explained that in the franchise model followed by Wyndham, the ‘vision’ is that of the owner – their approach was ‘non cookie cutter,’ with flexible brand standards to accommodate the needs and desires of different franchisees. “No two

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

projects are alike,” he said. Julia Dempster believed the designer’s job was to “push the boundaries of brand standards” with operators policing the process to ensure those boundaries weren’t pushed too far.

The debate moved on to address the areas of keenest interest to the suppliers in the audience – namely how the specification process worked in their projects. Wyndham has a ‘Preferred Vendor Programme’ said Scammell. “We will give on pattern and colour,” he explained, “but not on performance.” Dempster said that her company tried as far as possible to ensure their specifications were followed through to the final project but said she could not always control the quality of the final materials or products chosen. “We have a constant battle with owners on [inferior products being supplied more cheaply by] Chinese manufacturers.” All agreed that procurement should be brought into the project as early as possible since the final specifications were often dictated by delivery and availability timeframes.

The next HI Design EMEA will take place from 9-11 May 2013 at the Hotel Las Arenas,Valencia, Spain

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY CMY

K

EVENTS

HD Expo 15-17 May 2012 – Sands Expo & Convention Center, Las Vegas Words: Catherine Martin Photography: Courtesy of Hospitality Design Group

The USA’s largest hospitality design exhibition sees a 10% increase in attendance, while oraganisers develop events in the UK and Asia.

T

he 20th annual Hospitality Design Exposition & Conference took place in May, attracting a record number of exhibitors and attendees. Over 7,500 hospitality design professionals flocked to the Sands Expo & Convention Center in Las Vegas to join in a programme of conference sessions, site visits, and networking events.

Keynote speaker Adam D. Tihany was the star attraction in an on-stage interview with Hospitality Design magazine’s Editor-in-Chief Michael Adams. An engaging storyteller, Tihany told of his early days designing restaurants and the birth of the profession.

His unique approach of studying the food to be served in the restaurant before putting pen to paper, has lead to designing spaces for celebrity chefs such as Heston Blumenthal, Daniel Boulud and Charlie Palmer. Tihany went on to talk of his current hospitality projects revealing that he is spearheading the restoration of Dorchester Collection’s Beverly Hills Hotel for its 100th anniversary, working in an extension of The Joule, Dallas, and redesigning The Oberoi, New Delhi, in a style that is described as a contemporary interpretation of Sir Edward Lutyens’ Indian influence and traditional Indian craftsmanship. Tihany is also working on his 090

JULY / AUGUST 2012

eighth project for restaurateur Sirio Maccioni, soon to open in The Pierre, New York.

Equally insightful was Rethinking the Lobby: Creating a 24-7 Social Space, in which senior executives from international hotel groups presented their newly-implemented lobby spaces. Vito Lotta, Senior Director Design, Hilton Hotels, explained that lobbies are no longer about arrival and departure only. As part of its newly announced online tool Hilton Design Studio, the group has divided the lobby into eight zones which include spaces to work, rest and play. George Scammell, Vice President Global Design, Wyndham Worldwide, revealed that its lobby spaces aim to attract locals as well as the staying guest, while Eric Nicholas, Director Global Brand Management, Holiday Inn family of brands at IHG, applied the trend to the midscale market.

Other conference highlights included a look at holistic spa design with ESPA founder and CEO Susan Harmsworth, and the wellattended Hotel Owners’ Roundtable, which allowed hospitality designers direct access to countless industry leaders and decisionmakers to openly discuss trends, ideas and forecasts.

Site visits to The Cosmpolitan of Las Vegas, Bellagio and Mirage added another element to

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

the programme and provided an opportunity for the groups behind the properties to showcase their latest designs. Evenings were filled with networking events, including HD’s own Party By The Pool held at Caesars Palace, soon to be the world’s first Nobu Hotel.

On the show floor, 842 exhibitors filled more than 250,000ft2 with new products designed for the contract hospitality market. Increased attendance reinforced the importance of the exhibition to the hospitality design community and lead to a buoyant show floor. Surfaces specialists 3form showcased four new designs including the modular wall treatment Edge; Mark David used its exhibition space to create two suites and a lobby designed to demonstrate its fine furnishings in situ; Architectural Systems presented Interwoven Eco-Panels, a 3D wallcovering in Walnut, Maple, or American Oak; and Humanscale showed its highperformance task chair, Diffrient World.

Carpet manufacturers were at the forefront of innovation with Brintons and Milliken both presenting collections woven in high definition technology. Brintons unveiled its newest collection, Dark Fairytale, designed in partnership with Stacy Garcia Inc, while Milliken showed Allumé, inspired by light.

Innovation took centre stage with the

launch of the Innovation Pavilion where a dozen exhibitors – including Kohler, Milliken, and Valley Forge Fabrics – displayed their forward-thinking products and services for the hospitality design market. And the best hospitality strategies in architecture and interior design were once again explored in the Radical Innovation in Hospitality competition.

Finalists presented their concepts to a jury and attendees, who subsequently voted The Koi Hospitality Complex by MM Planners as the winner. Koi brings forth the idea of hotels and public hospitality spaces built as bridges, allowing guests to experience the greatest part of a city, the water, in a new way.

As HD Expo drew to a close, Group Show Director Liz Sommerville was enthusiastic about the show’s success and announced a relocation to the USA’s fifth largest convention centre for 2013. “The energy found at this year’s show was palpable – from the enthusiasm of our exhibitors both new and experienced, to the inspirational speakers and connections found at networking events – and proves that the show gets better and better each year,” she comments. “With attendance

up almost 10% this year from last year, we’re excited to see what the future will bring in 2013 when we move to Mandalay Bay.” Further developments at Hospitality Design Group have seen a hop across the pond to host a mini-conference and networking event in London. Already an established concept for design communities across the States, CitySCENE: London gathered architects, designers and procurement specialists from the likes of Dexter Moren Associates, Wimberly Interiors, HBA/Hirsch Bedner Associates, and Benjamin West for an evening of informative seminars and networking.

Russell Kett, Managing Director, HVS, presented research on the hotel industry and predicted that London will be among the top markets in Europe according to the firm’s Hotel Valuation Index. This came as welcome news for event sponsors including Soho Myriad, Janus et Cie, Neoteric, Kohler Interiors Hospitality, and Moore & Giles hoping to expand their own businesses in the region.

Other speakers included Aliya Khan, Global Brand Director, Starwood Hotels & Resorts,

Johanna Lundstrom, Development Director, Melia Hotels, and Dan Flannery, Chief Operating Office, Morgans Hotel Group.

Lundstrom took the opportunity to unveil details of the forthcoming ME London, set to open next month, while Flannery told of growth plans for Mondrian, which includes new properties in Doha, London, Bahamas, and Istanbul. Mondrian London, slated to open in 2014, is located in Sea Containers House and will feature interiors by Tom Dixon’s Design Research Studio.

Hospitality Design Group, part of Nielsen Expositions, has also made its way East with the launch of HD Asia. The inaugural event took place at the Grand Hyatt, Hong Kong, from 18-20 June and featured insightful sessions designed to spotlight standout trends and issues in Asia Pacific’s hospitality sector.

HD’s next event, HD Boutique, will take place at Miami Beach Convention Center from 11-12 September 2012 and feature keynote speaker Alexandra Champalimaud, President and Principal Designer of Champalimaud Design.

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

JULY / AUGUST 2012

091

CONFERENCE REPORT

Boutique Hotel Summit 21-22 May 2012 – Altitude, London Report by Matt Turner The second Boutique Hotel Summit, billed as “Europe’s only B2B conference for the boutique and lifestyle hotels sectors,” took place at Altitude London, on the banks of the Thames in May, attracting more than 220 attendees from as far afield as Beirut, Dubai, Ghana, Sweden, Malta, Italy, France, the US, the Caribbean, Spain and Ireland.

A comprehensive seminar agenda featured sessions on marketing, finance, technology, art & design, sustainability, food & beverage, and much more.

Networking opportunities included a speed-dating business card swap, cocktail reception and hotel tour.

Event organiser Piers Brown said: “We’ve been delighted with the way Boutique Hotel Summit has grown and developed from last year. Attendance was up by around 50 per cent, we had a terrific list of speakers and the networking sessions really brought people together. A big thank you to all our sponsors, speakers and delegates for making the event possible.”

Hotelier Gordon Campbell Gray opened the summit with a keynote speech in which he addressed the recruitment issues faced by the hotel sector, saying it needed to communicate the glamour and opportunities for travel it offered to make it more attractive to potential employees.

He said that boutique hotels could compete with branded ones, even in cities as brand092

JULY / AUGUST 2012

conscious as Beirut, where designer clothing and car labels were very popular, with his hotel Le Gray enjoying a higher RevPAR and occupancy than its branded competitors. Campbell Gray described boutique hotel owners as “a very special breed, we should be very proud.”

Tim Smith of HVS, looked at the dynamism of the boutique sector, saying “people are moving away from the corporate box.”

He summarised the UK market overall with the pithy comment: “London is a bubble, the rest is a struggle.” But he believed there was still cause to be confident in the boutique sector, pointing to Nigel Chapman’s recent reacquisition of Luxury Family Hotels from the administrators of von Essen Hotels with backing from Patron Capital. “If someone like Nigel Chapman believes in the sector, bankers and others should.” The expansion of brands such as Motel One – a design-led budget chain, IHG’s Hotel Indigo and Sleeperz, with new properties in Cardiff and Liverpool as further cause for confidence in the sector. Ian Schrager’s reported interest in the Crowne Plaza Shoreditch demonstrated that in the boutique sector, “there is still interest in hotels and people willing to buy.”

The second day of the conference gave a rare insight into the creation of two new boutique hotel brands. Angus Thirwell said his Hotel Chocolat brand – well established in the

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

retail sector, had never intended to create a hotel, despite the company name. It was onlt when it bought the freehold for a cocoa estate in St. Lucia that it recognised the opportunity to open a resort there. In a fascinating presentation Thirwell described how his business started with “a moment of serendipity” when reading a book on cocoa plantations under a tree in Barbados, prompting him to buy the 1745 estate overlooking a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

They had survived hurricanes, disease, pests, political challenges and funding issues to create ‘Boucan’ – an eco-luxury resort and restaurant, named after the Patois for cocoa, with designs inspired by the rainforest canopy. His guests, said Thirwell, were “intelligent, discerning, ecological foodies” to whom he offered a service that was “intuitive, not grasping.”

Sary Arab, COO and founding member of Nikki Beach Hotels & Resorts EMEA, described how he had seen the opportunity to extend the successful beach and nightclub brand into hotels when looking for a partner for a hotel project in Marbella.

The collaboration in 2004 had since developed into a brand encompassing music, an events company, clothing and a magazine. Next in line is a Nikki Urban Hotel brand bringing hotels, Espa spas and lifestyle residences into major cities. These Boutique Hotel

case studies were followed by a financial case study panel featuring Phil Golding, Partner, Cedar Capital Partners; Josh Wyatt, Investment Director – Hospitality & Leisure, Patron Capital Partners; Paul Dukes, Chairman, Kew Green Hotels and Eric Gummers, Partner, Head of Hotels and Leisure, Howard Kennedy LLP. Wyatt said the boutique hotel market was cyclical: “You have to buy at the right point and if you make a mistake it’s hard to trade out compared to a 250-key fullservice hotel.” Pricing generally was not where they would like it to be, although he deals such as its acquisition of Luxury Family Hotels from the administrators of von Essen, and 26 Jarvis properties in the provinces – where the acquisition cost was “about the same as demolition” – were still feasible. Paul Dukes echoed this point saying “timing is everything.” His company had exited the boutique sector which it previously had involvement in through Myhotels, but was looking to invest in London: “The difficulty is finding properties of our bite size”.

Phil Golding said one advantage boutiques had over other hotels was that they could make money from food and beverage, and singled out St. Martins Lane and Sanderson Hotel as “boutiques which would stand the test of time.” www.boutiquehotelsummit.com

HIFI Ad-1Sleeper.indd 1

6/20/2012 3:31:05 PM

EVENTS

Sleep re-launches Student Award Scheme as part of European Hotel Design Awards 2012.

T

he organisers of Sleep, Europe’s leading hotel design event, have joined forces with ReardonSmith Architects to re-introduce a student award as part of the European Hotel Design Awards 2012. The challenge set for students is intended to be thought-provoking, inspiring and, perhaps, one close their hearts – the design of hotel staff areas.

Patrick Reardon, Executive Chairman of ReardonSmith, explains: “Far too often, staff facilities have at best been treated as an afterthought not worthy of serious design focus. This is now starting to change as increasingly hoteliers are acting on the principle that good facilities for their employees mean better motivated staff and this translates into the most important element of a hotel’s success – service. We talk a lot about the ‘guest experience’. What better than to ask young people to think imaginatively about what might be provided as the ‘staff experience’!”

The Sleep ReardonSmith Student Award is open to all undergraduates studying a full-time architectural or interior design course in Europe. The task is to create a space that is motivational, attractive and rewarding but still highly functional. It could include a restaurant, relaxation area, showers, changing areas and training room. A complete brief and all the entry requirements are available either through www.thesleepevent.com/ studentawards or studentaward@reardonsmith.com.

The deadline for entries is 15th October 2012 and the submissions will be judged by a panel including 094

JULY / AUGUST 2012

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

directors of Sleep and ReardonSmith Architects alongside key industry professionals.

The winner will have their concept displayed at the Sleep Event, visited annually by over 3,000 leading industry professionals. They will win a trip to London, with travel and overnight accommodation provided, to attend the European Hotel Design Awards dinner where they will be presented with the award. Two runners-up will also have their concept displayed at the Sleep Event.

Celebrating the very best in hotel design, the awards take place on 20 November 2012 at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, London, and provide networking opportunities to engage with those at the forefront of the hotel industry including hotel owners, operators, developers and investors. Awards categories include Conversion of an Existing Non-Hotel Building to Hotel Use, Newbuild Hotel, Lobby, Lounge & Public Areas, and Bedrooms & Bathrooms.

Gemma Butler, Brand Director of Sleep, comments: “I am delighted that we have reinstated a student award as part of the European Hotel Design Awards.

This was first instigated by ReardonSmith several years ago and resulted in a number of both novel and very worthwhile concepts. Students are an important part of our community and we are keen to engage them in the exciting world of hotel design”. www.thesleepevent.com

23RD ANNUAL

10-12 OCTOBER 2012 INTERCONTINENTAL HONG KONG

ASIA

Defying Gravity?

Patrons Hyatt Hotels Corporation IHG Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels Platinum Sponsors Accor Asia Pacific Baker & McKenzie Canyon Equity LLC Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group Expedia FSC Architects Hilton Worldwide HVS Interstate (China) Hotels + Resorts Jumeirah Group Mayer Brown JSM MGM Hospitality Milbank New World Hospitality Onyx Hospitality Group Outrigger Hotels and Resorts Paul Hastings LLP Premier Inn Proskauer QUO Red Planet Hotels Ryan Lawyers Shangri-La International Hotel Management Ltd. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. The Brand Group The Indian Hotels Co. Ltd. (Taj Hotels Resorts & Palaces) WATG Wyndham Worldwide

Media Sponsors Asian Hotel & Catering Times GlobalHotelNetwork.com Hotel Analyst Emerging Markets HotelNewsNow.com HOTELS’ Investment Outlook Perspective Magazine Sleeper Magazine TTG Asia International Newspaper Media Sponsor Financial Times Supporters Hospitality Asset Managers Association Asia Pacific International Finance Corporation International Society of Hospitality Consultants International Tourism Partnership Hosts

Patrons, Sponsors, & Supporters as of 24 May 2012

www.HICAPconference.com 120530 PW AD HICAP_HK_Sleeper Mag.indd 1

6/1/12 9:44 AM

want to win over the specifiers?

The Event Business Design Centre, London 21 - 22 November 2012

Defining Excellence in Hotels Sleep is the only event to focus entirely on hotel design excellence within Europe.

An invaluable opportunity for your company to meet and access key decision makers with serious buying power, looking to find the very latest and most innovative products and inspirations for their global hotel projects.

Headline sponsor

In association with

8887_Sleep_Advert_Artwork_final.indd 1

Main media partner

To be part of this unrivalled event and secure your place please visit

www.thesleepevent.com

Organised by

Awards sponsors

22/06/2012 17:11

just come and meet them

hidesign-asia.com GRAND HYATT, BALI, INDONESIA, 7– 9 NOVEMBER 2012

Hotel Analyst

OrientExpress looks outside of Europe A strong performance from its Brazilian properties helped deliver a positive first quarter for Orient-Express, though losses in the quarter were up compared with 2011. hotel group luxury The traditionally sees negative numbers in the quarter, as some of its resorts are closed for the winter season.

Bookings are ahead of last year, but the company did warn that in its luxury end of the market, European markets are not yet clear of the downturn. And there is still no news of a new chief executive to replace Paul White, who left in 2011.

“We are now beginning to see some softening in demand coming out of the sluggish economies of the UK and Europe,” warned chairman and interim CEO Bob Lovejoy. “That said, booking pace is currently about 10% above the same figure last year at this time.”

First quarter revenues were up 10% to USD107m, while net losses were up to USD16.2m from USD13.6m in the first quarter of 2011.

The company has improved both revenue and Ebitda for nine consecutive quarters. A strong performance in Brazil led to a 12% increase in revenues from South American hotels.

The company reported revenues up 9% in Asia Pacific, and a 7% improvement from US and European properties.

The company has undertaken a 100

JULY / AUGUST 2012

www.hotelanalyst.co.uk

number of refurbishment projects, notably at its Italian properties including the Cipriani in Venice.

In the upcoming quarter, OrientExpress will be opening its allsuite Palacio Nazarenas in Cuzco, Peru, and will be refurbishing all 121 rooms at the Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janeiro. “We will continue to focus the company’s resources where our high end product strategy can produce attractive financial returns,” promised Lovejoy.

Owned hotels in Europe delivered a 7% increase in revenue to USD15.8m, helped by the earlier opening of Italian properties. Occupancy was up to 33% from 29% a year previously.

Likewise, revenue in the US was up 7%, thanks to an improvement in room rates.

In southern Africa, revpar was up 14% in local currencies, but revenue remained flat at USD8.8m. In South America, the company’s two Brazilian hotels had their best ever quarter.

A 25% increase in room night sales to domestic customers lifted combined Ebitda to USD8.3m, and helped regional revpar to increase 16%. has been Orient-Express without a chief executive since Paul White announced he was leaving in the middle of 2011, and Lovejoy said the search continues. Following the results announcement, in May, and with still no appointment, Lovejoy passed the interim role to fellow board member Philip Mengel.

“The board has conducted an extensive search over a number of months. But to date, the board has not selected anyone. We feel the company’s management team is doing a first class job, and the company is making excellent progress.”

However, there are moves to

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

strengthen the board, with two new independent nominees, both with luxury brand experience: Ruth Kennedy, from Kennedy Dundas and Jo Malone, creator of the eponymous perfume brand.

HA Perspective: The proportion of European guests staying at Orient-Express’s hotels is in decline. The slack is being taken up by emerging markets with Asia up one percentage point increase from Asia and two percentage points from South America. The proportion of guests from Brazil is now as high as from the UK. The company clearly sees emerging markets as a key growth area. It has opened a sales representation office in Dubai, is heading to India and has doubled its sales force in Brazil.

Partly the shift reflects the enduring recession in Europe.

Demand from the US, for example, has recovered and is currently outperforming the rest of the world outside of Europe.

But, with increased sales focus on markets outside of Europe and North America, the guest mix looks set to swing towards emerging markets. The proportion of revenues from European guests slipped to 36% in the first quarter, down a full percentage point from a year ago. This relative decline seems set to continue, with or without the help of a Eurozone meltdown.

Hyatt makes Mexico pitch Hyatt saw revpar up, but profits flat in the first quarter, as the company concurrently announced a major investment to take the Hyatt Regency brand into Mexico City.

Having successfully integrated last year’s acquisition of the LodgeWorks portfolio, which is performing ahead of expectations, Hyatt management also raised the prospect of making further strategic investments to help drive its brands forward. Although fully 70% of Hyatt’s pipeline outside the US is currently in China and India, Europe was mentioned as one possible region for targeting acquisitions.

The first quarter saw revpar up 8.1%. Revenues were up to USD958m, from USD875m in Q1 2011. North American hotels led the improvement, while international hotels delivered a 5.7% revpar uplift. During the quarter, the company opened six new hotels – four in the US, and Park Hyatts in Ningbo and Hyderabad. Elsewhere, the Park Hyatt Sydney re-opened after refurbishment.

“Occupancy lift has been significant year-over-year, and we’re looking forward to rate growth later in this year,” said president and CEO Mark Hoplamazian. “The industry dynamics are generally very good.

In the US, supply is obviously still at a relatively low level. We’re seeing a lot more intra-country and intra-regional travel in places like China and India. And that is having an impact on how we’ve gone to market and how we think about driving presence in those markets.”

In Mexico, Hyatt is buying a Mexico City landmark, the Hotel Nikko Mexico, paying USD190m. A further USD40m has been committed for a three year improvement programme that will upgrade conference and event space.

In the meantime, the hotel will reopen as a Hyatt Regency, with the number of rooms reducing

to 734 as some of the existing accommodation is upgraded to create suites. Despite the upgrade plans, the hotel is in good shape.

Currently, a six year renovation programme is nearing completion, encompassing improvements to all the guestrooms and the hotel’s two Japanese restaurants. In addition to its commitment to Mexico, Hyatt has already committed to a development in Rio, which Hoplamazian has said will be ready for the 2016 Olympics.

With the success of LodgeWorks in mind, Hoplamazian said he is looking for growth opportunities in Europe. “We certainly are paying attention to and looking for opportunities there.

The tumult in the market has not generated any opportunities for us yet. But we continue to look for opportunities, especially because our presence in Europe remains relatively modest. And there are a lot of attractive markets into which we would like to further expand.”

Hyatt has also announced an internal reorganisation, running three regions – Asia, the Americas, and Europe/Africa/Middle East – supported by a Global Operations Centre.

“We’ve covered quite a lot of ground over the last few years and established a great foundation for our future,” said Hoplamazian.

“As we look forward, we recognise that our business mix will shift over time as we open hotels in our pipeline. We also recognise that the velocity of the changes in consumer behaviour is increasing.

There’s a large increase of consumers and business travellers in places like China and India.

And that will change the profile of our customer base over time.”

HA Perspective: Hyatt reckons the growth rate of its pipeline

has been 15% or so over the last few years. And it is not being shy about pointing out that it is its willingness to use its balance sheet that has helped to deliver that.

The Mexican acquisition is but the latest example. But Hyatt is equally keen to point out that it will recycle the capital deployed in this deal once it has finished its three year renovation and repositioning.

It is not saying too much though about recycling capital in the properties it has owned for longer. If it wants to maintain momentum, it is likely to need some cash from these at some point. Right now, however, Hyatt is firmly in the asset right rather than asset light camp.

The other notable feature of the conference call was the emphasis being placed on the management changes. The company is keen to emphasise how it is operationally focused, something of a departure from its rivals who continue to be brand-focused.

The incoming CFO, Gebhard Rainer, is an old Hyatt hand with extensive operations experience.

And this again plays to Hyatt’s willingness to be an owner.

Improving operations at hotels are a key driver of growth. While other big players talk about revpar, the emphasis is far more on fees.

As a significant owner, Hyatt is far more leveraged to the revpar cycle and it matters more to its bottom line that operations are improved.

CEO Hoplamazian says what matters for earnings growth is improving operations and adding additional Hyatt branded hotels.

There is no mention of fees.

Hyatt is clearly setting out its stall differently to its rivals.

Sales and an upgrade at De Vere De Vere has completed the first two of four intended hotel sales, as the company prunes its less attractive properties from its portfolio.

The Royal Bath in Bournemouth and De Vere Daresbury Park in Warrington have been sold to Britannia Hotels, yielding GBP20m. Also up for grabs are the Grand Harbour, Southampton and the University Arms, Cambridge, with De Vere saying it will invest the proceeds in developing new hotels.

In a separate announcement, recently arrived Village CEO Robert Cook revealed where some of those proceeds are to be spent. Plans to upgrade a series of deluxe rooms at De Vere Village hotels have been made public.

The superior rooms, which will borrow the airline (or cruise liner) moniker Upper Deck, were unveiled at the Chester, Swansea and Solihull hotels, ahead of a portfolio-wide refit over the summer that will upgrade 20 rooms per hotel.

The rooms get a better mattress and bedlinen, Sky TV, a Bose sound dock, Starbucks coffee and guests will have three months membership to an online club offering special deals on partner products.

Cook commented: ”With UpperDeck we are re-inventing the wheel! Across the industry, and even before the economic downturn, we saw the downgrading of the upgraded status, especially in the midmarket segment. Cost cutting to improve profitability

or just to keep your head above water has in most cases prompted the stripping back of the basics in room amenities. Meanwhile, the sector is not seeing much by way of new investment and little is on the horizon.”

“So, with all the benefits that already come with staying at a Village hotel I could see a great opportunity to offer, to both corporate and leisure guests alike, a must-have upgrade that has real benefits, both during the stay and for another three months afterwards if they maximise the benefits of the UpperDeckClub website. Through UpperDeck I can give an enhanced customer experience and more room product choice whilst still driving ARR and profitability.”

“I’ve always thought that the real potential of Village was waiting to be realised. I also believe that every weekday night away from home is begrudged so it must be as good as, if not better than, staying at home. What I want to achieve in UpperDeck epitomises my hospitality philosophy: great service, great rooms and, above all, an amazing stay.”

Also promised are new hotels developed in the company’s “Black Box” style already seen in the most recent additions to the portfolio.

HA Perspective: The De Vere restructuring is now well under way. While the company may talk up its plans to invest in hotels, first call on the cash proceeds will no doubt be Lloyds, its principal lender.

That is in no way a criticism as it is hugely to Lloyd’s credit that a company with as troubled a capital structure as De Vere is still be allowed to make capital investments of any sort. The bank has clearly decided that

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

JULY / AUGUST 2012

101

Hotel Analyst

the way out of the problem is to take a deep breath and dive deeper (while maintaining some connection with the surface).

The provincial conference business, however, looks to be in very deep water indeed. And there are no signs of the wider economy coming to its rescue.

While also down in the depths right now, the mid market Village brand probably has the best chance of surfacing soonest. Spinning off Village in a year or two would leave the De Vere Venues and De Vere four-star properties with a bit more air in their tanks to survive a bit longer.

Accor quits US economy sector Accor has called time on its involvement in American economy hotels, selling its complete portfolio of 1,102 Motel 6 and Studio 6 budget hotels to investor Blackstone.

Described by Accor as a “key milestone” in its growth strategy, the move was welcomed by commentators, with Accor shares rising on the news.

At the same time, Blackstone has grown its directly owned and shared interests in the hotel sector to portfolios reckoned to add up to 1 million rooms, in 7,000 hotels.

By cutting 107,000 rooms or 20% from its global portfolio, Accor has explained the move as one that will improve returns, and improve its asset light profile. Conversely, new owner Blackstone has plans to invest in the properties and grow Motel 6.

“This deal will provide Accor with additional resources to 102

JULY / AUGUST 2012

www.hotelanalyst.co.uk

address the tremendous growth potential in the Asia Pacific region, in Latin America and in Europe, where the leadership of our brands is one of the key drivers of our future growth,” said Accor CEO Denis Hennequin, announcing the deal. “Motel 6 has a model that was not suited to the group and had no synergies with our other activities.”

At a stroke, Accor’s portfolio interest in north America falls from 21% to just 1%, signalling a further step in a major push into emerging markets, and into the still relatively fragmented European market.

As a result of the sale, the company’s portfolio is now oriented 64% in Europe, and 22% in Asia Pacific. The company had no expansion aspirations in the USA, so the pipeline figures remain 50% in Asia Pacific, and 27% in Europe, 13% in South America and 10% in Middle East and Africa.

Hennequin has set Accor on a path to upend its current dependence on Europe, which has been responsible for 70% of its business, with just 30% elsewhere in the world. He told the German magazine WirtschaftsWoche he wants to flip the figures to 30% Europe, 70% in emerging markets.

Taking account of the latest change, and including pipeline, the figures currently stand at 56% Europe and 43% from emerging markets.

The disposal has cost Accor substantially, with the company having to pay to exit the fixed leases within the Motel 6 portfolio. Despite its best efforts in the last year, when it opened 55 new franchised hotels, disposed of 41 sites and exercised call options on 60 fixed leases, still 48% of the portfolio was either owned or on fixed leases

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

with just 35% franchised. Thus although the headline figure for the deal is EUR1.5bn, the net contribution to reducing Accor’s debt is just EUR330m. Fixed lease commitments will reduce by EUR525m, while Accor will take a book loss of around EUR600m, from the early buyout of fixed leases.The company restated its 2011 results to show that had Motel 6 been disposed of earlier, the company would have delivered better numbers.

In a hint of the direction Accor is now taking, news of the deal broke on the same day the company completed its previously announced EUR195m deal to purchase the Mirvac portfolio, adding 48 hotels in Australia and New Zealand.

Deutsche Bank analyst Simon Champion called Accor’s move “transformational”, adding: “It completes the group’s exit from U.S. budget hotels, which has been a drag on group earnings for two decades. The brand has a poor consumer image at present in our view, and had no synergies with the rest of the group.”

“Secondly, the deal frees up the balance sheet as Accor now gets rid of EUR92m of annual lease costs. And so this is a critical point in the group’s move to divest assets and realise this hidden value within the group’s real estate.”

Meanwhile, Motel 6’s new owners Blackstone have already given a hint of the direction its is planning for the chain. “We are excited about the opportunity to acquire Motel 6,” said Jonathan Gray, global head of real estate at Blackstone. “Although it will be operated on a stand-alone basis, similar to other lodging investments we have made on behalf of our investors, we plan to invest significant capital in the company’s properties and to

accelerate the expansion of the franchise base.”

Those other lodging investments include interests in Hilton Worldwide, La Quinta Inns & Suites, Extended Stay America, Mint Hotels and Columbia Sussex. The holdings are substantially leveraged, with the scale of borrowings and the stress such borrowings are under was revealed with Bloomberg reporting that Blackstone refinanced of USD2.65bn of debt against the La Quinta purchase. Funds for the two year loan extension are reportedly costing Blackstone Libor plus 4.3%, compared with a previous level of Libor plus 0.8%.

Motel 6 established in 1962, and was acquired by Accor in 1990, at which time the chain was 550 strong. In 1999, the company added critical mass by buying Red Roof Inns for USD1.115bn.

However, eight years later in 2007 Red Roof was sold on, for USD1.3bn, to Citigroup and Westbridge Hospitality.

Accor’s minimal presence in North America now amounts to just eight US Sofitels and one in Canada. There are 10 Novotels spread thinly across the continent, with seven in Canada, one in the US and two in Mexico.

HA Perspective: Exiting Motel 6 is a brave move and the courage it has taken should not be under estimated. Reducing the size of your company by 20% is not an easy thing to do, particularly the reduction involves selling-off what many might perceive as a core part of your business, namely economy hotels. The Accor rooms portfolio goes from 535,200 rooms at March 2012 to just 427,800 restated to account for the Motel 6 exit.

While the lack of corporate ego is welcome, the disposal did

highlight the hole Accor had dug for itself since buying the chain more than two decades ago.

Buying out the fixed leases will cause it to register a EUR600m loss when the deal completes on the expected date in October.

The net cash impact of the USD1.9bn being paid by Blackstone is just EUR330m once the cost of taking out leases worth EUR525m is accounted for.

The numbers look much better when the Return on Capital Employed is considered. Here, restating 2011 results based on the exit of Motel 6, ROCE rises from 12.3% to 13.9%. And the disposal barely dents growth prospects, with the pipeline shrinking an immaterial 300 rooms to 114,100 in total. In fact, if anything, growth should surely now be buoyed thanks to the lack of distraction in North America.

This year, 30,000 organic rooms are expected to be opened with a further 5,000 coming from acquisitions. Next year the organic growth is expected to accelerate to 35,000 rooms.

Despite recent talk of consolidation in the industry, Accor does not look likely to be striking any huge deals given its self imposed ROCE target which must be above 12%.

And its ambition to return to investment grade status for its corporate debt also militates against it making a major move on any rivals.

With 50% of its pipeline in Asia Pacific, there is big shift in Accor’s centre of gravity away from developed markets towards emerging markets. This shift will only be reinforced with the ongoing asset restructuring programme which is to see the sale of 400 hotels to impact net debt by EUR2.2bn by 2015.

Post the Motel 6 sales, 54% of

the portfolio is management or franchise with just 10% owned and a further 13% on fixed leases (the rest, 23%, being variable lease). Including the pipeline, 43% of Accor’s rooms are in emerging markets with barely half now in Europe. Accor is going to look a very different company.

Hotel Analyst has for several years argued in a favour of the Motel 6 disposal, pointing out that it is a management distraction in a commoditised market unlikely to yield decent returns for many years.

Despite being the focus of concerted turnaround efforts, the EUR532m of revenues last year generated just EUR15m of EBIT. In 2010 there was a EUR4m loss.

The turnaround effort had seen 55 new franchise hotels opened, bringing the total under franchise to 35% of the portfolio. Some 41 hotels were sold in the year.

Blackstone is making clear that it is not going to absorb Motel 6 into either its Hilton or La Quinta chains. Both these deals, struck at (in the case of Hilton) or shortly before (in 2006 for La Quinta) the peak of the market, have seen debt restructured. Blackstone is making the latest deals using a new real estate fund that is set to top USD12bn. The latest deals are being done at distressed prices, which have generally proved happier hunting grounds for opportunistic funds. Deals struck near cycle peaks, unless flipped quickly, have typically led to burnt fingers.

As well as Motel 6, Blackstone is dabbling in the debts of US chains such as Eagle Hospitality and Extended Stay.

With its earlier purchases, Blackstone has had to pay down debt and renegotiate terms. With Hilton in 2010 it bought back around USD2bn of debt for

USD800m and converted other debt into equity to reduce the load from USD20bn to USD16bn.

At La Quinta, it has this year removed USD415m of debt and agreed to a 3.5 percentage point hike on the rates it is paying on USD2.65bn so that it can extend the term by two years to July 2014.

The price per room for Motel 6 is around USD25,000 which is below replacement cost, although this alone is no guarantee of making money in what is an oversupplied and depressed market segment.

It is not surprising then that Blackstone recognises the need to invest in the chain and further move towards franchising.

While the current crop of deals has been struck a few years after the crash, it is probable the exit could well be at the same time as those struck before 2008. Blackstone, like other opportunistic funds, typically prefers short hold periods of under five years. The crash meant it has had to take pain and hold for longer for those earlier acquisitions.

And Blackstone made clear during its first quarter results presentation this April that it is not anticipating making an early exit with its pre-crash deals, stating that it is not yet a great time to be selling real estate.

Hotel Analyst Having read these four pages of Hotel Analyst we hope you want to find out more.

To sample visit: www.hotelanalyst.co.uk/sample For more details visit: www.hotelanalyst.co.uk or call +44 (0)20 8870 6388 WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

JULY / AUGUST 2012

103

PRODUCT FEATURE

Sweet Dreams A sound night’s sleep is imperative to a hotel’s success, but there is more to consider than comfort alone, finds Catherine Martin.

T

he single most important thing in any hotel room is the bed. When spending a night away from the comfort of their own home, whether it be for business or pleasure, what a guest really wants is a good night’s sleep: one that is comfortable and restful, from which they awaken refreshed and reinvigorated.

According to Peter Tindall, Director of UKbased mattress maker Naturalmat, what makes a good bed is a great mattress: “The perfect mattress is one that is extremely comfortable, sumptuously supportive, long lasting and consistently good.” He adds that it will have “high-quality natural fillings, be robustly made by hand, and offer excellent support, 104

JULY / AUGUST 2012

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

breathability, ventilation and insulation”, and further still, “be manufactured from fully-sustainable raw materials, organically sourced where possible, and produced by environmentally-conscious companies.”

A recent study commissioned by Sealy Global Hospitality also confirmed that the mattress is the key feature in any hotel room. America’s Research Group conducted interviews with 900 frequent travellers, defined as those who stay in hotels more than 25 nights per year, to learn more about guest satisfaction and the hotel mattress. Almost 70% of interviewees said the quality of the mattress is a ‘very important’ aspect of any hotel stay. Other findings surrounded the replacement of the hotel mattress: 66% of frequent hotel guests felt hotels should replace their mattresses more often, and 62% admitted they would favour hotels that advertise the use of the new Sealy Posturepedic® mattresses. “The

THIS PAGE (CLOCKWIDE FROM TOP LEFT): Sealy believe a quality mattress is key to driving occupancy and increasing average daily room rate; Hypnos offer a made-to-order service to ensure the bed co-ordinates with the room’s décor; and Naturalmat’s mattresses can be found in Yotel New York, and Z Hotels in the UK OPPOSITE PAGE: Dormeo has launched what it believes to be the first true mattress innovation in over twenty years

results only support what Sealy has been saying for years,” comments Leo Vogel, Vice President of Contract Sales for Sealy Global Hospitality. “A quality mattress is key to driving occupancy for hotels and an increase in the average daily room rate.”

As such, choosing the right bed is an important decision for hotels. Swedish maker, Hästens, has recently opened its first standalone London store with a team of sleep experts on hand, trained to understand sleep habits, sleep position and bodily sensations, all of which affect the selection of a new bed.

The showroom experience is quite unique with the space designed to activate the senses through the use of light and dark contrasts, as well as through tactile and olfactory elements.

There is a wide range of mattresses on the market but those tailored for the hospitality industry can offer additional benefits of being hypo-allergenic, antibed bug, and anti-bacterial, particularly

important given that hotel beds sleep a different body almost every night.

With a specialist hospitality sales team and dedicated contract factory, Hypnos makes over 50,000 hotel beds per year and has partnerships with hotel groups including Marriott International, Rocco Forte Hotels, CampbellGray Hotels, and InterContinental Hotels Group. According to Director of Marketing Chris Ward, comfort is a priority for the guest, but hoteliers also need to consider flexibility: “Hoteliers have always liked to choose a zip and link mattress and divan that allow a standard double to be turned into a twin room. Hypnos has also developed divans with extra pull out beds, and provided sofa beds and Z-beds to ultimately enable standard double rooms to be turned into family rooms. This flexibility helps maximise occupancy rates and room revenues.”

Hypnos’ latest collection for the contract

market is Lansdowne Cashmere, designed for those wanting a more luxurious sleep.

Head-to-toe support comes from the threezoned ReActiveTM pocket spring system, while naturally soft and breathable layers of wool, cashmere and eOlusTM sustainable fibre help regulate body temperature and reduce moisture. Silver infused Belgian Damask also provides a hygienic and anti-bacterial sleeping surface. In addition, Hypnos offers a madeto-order service that allows interior designers to supply their own fabric to ensure that the bed co-ordinates with the room’s décor.

Another leading manufacturer, Sealy, recently celebrated the diamond anniversary of its Posturepedic mattress, for which the brand is globally renowned. “Innovations in Posturepedic mattresses mean that Sealy beds are orthopedically-designed and proven to provide full-body support, eliminating the pressure points that cause tossing and turning and ensuring the sleeper wakes

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

JULY / AUGUST 2012

105

PRODUCT FEATURE

THIS PAGE: Hästens has opened its first stand-alone London store with a team of sleep experts on hand FOLLOWING PAGE: Naturalmat has launched its eco mattress made entirely from sustainable raw materials, while Mühldorfer guarantees a healthy and natural sleep with its new Bio-Nature range of duvets and pillows

refreshed with no aches and pains from a disturbed night,” explains Neil Robinson, Marketing Director, Sealy UK. The latest advancement, developed in its own research facility, is the Sealy Posturepedic Gel Series, introduced for those wanting the traditional comfort and support of a Sealy innerspring mattress, combined with the conformance and temperature-regulating benefits gel memory foam. OptiCoolTM is advanced, high-performance gel memory foam removes excess body heat to stabilise the body’s changing temperature. It is the only gel memory foam on the market fused with Outlast® technology that allows the foam to capture heat as the body warms, and release heat as the body cools.

Vi-Spring prides itself on the quality of its hand-made mattresses. On a previous visit to the Plymouth factory, Sleeper found that it takes a master craftsman up to three days to make each mattress. A unique system of individually pocketed springs are arranged in a honeycomb shape and then hand-sewn to keep them 106

MAY / JUNE 2012

in place. The springs are surrounded by layer upon layer of hypoallergenic natural fillings, followed by a fine satin fabric cover.

Each Vi-Spring mattress is then stitched by hand, a process that takes up to eight hours, and finished with hand-tied tufts.

Swedish manufacturer Duxiana offers a highly personalised experience with its beds.

The Dux 818, for example, features the innovative Pascal® Personal Comfort Zone System made up of a series of interchangeable pads of differing resistance allowing two people to select the perfect setting for their shoulders, lower back and legs.

Bedding is an important consideration too, particularly given the rise in allergies.

Mühldorfer guarantees a healthy and natural sleep with its new Bio-Nature range of duvets and pillows, produced using only natural materials. Carefully chosen cotton qualities are subject to a gentle process, unbleached and uncoloured. Mühldorfer also offers a specific non-allergy collection, Imprima.

The recently re-launched luxury bedding company Goose, has unveiled its collection

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

made with natural goose down filling and wrapped in 100% cotton, while Crown Bedding, a member of the Hilding Anders Group, has launched its Hotel Collection which carries the ‘Made in Green’ seal. The sustainable and eco-friendly products have been made using certified ecological fabrics and are free from harmful substances.

The eco story is particularly pertinent to bedding as natural materials are inherently hypo-allergenic. Naturalmat has launched its eco mattress made entirely from sustainable raw materials. The pioneers in natural fibre technology have utilised new raw materials including Soil Association organic lambswool, which is anti-dust mite, anti-mosquito, and anti-moth through a natural treatment using extracts of lemon, eucalyptus and lavender. Organic coir fibre, a derivative of the coconut husk, is another example of renewable natural resources, used here to enhance ventilation and spring of the mattress. Other materials found in the hotel mattress are mohair, cashmere, horsetail hair and bamboo, all from environmentally-

PRODUCT FEATURE

Don’t let the bed bugs bite...

Bed bugs continue to be a problem for the hotel industry costing thousands in cleanup costs, compensation claims, and lost room nights. And mattresses are a classic breeding ground.

© Mike Evans

According to Blitz, a manufacturer of bed bug sprays, the past six years has seen a dramatic increase in bed bug infestations globally. It forecasts that the UK is currently at risk due to the influx of people travelling to the 2012 Olympic Games.

conscious sources that are biodegradable.

In addition, the unbleached cotton mattress covers are guaranteed anti-bed bug through a treatment of natural geraniol. These credentials have lead to two large contracts being won, the supply of 686 mattresses to Yotel New York City, and 303 mattresses for the first three Z Hotels across the UK. Coco-mat also produces its mattresses from natural renewable materials such as coco fibre, natural rubber, wool, cotton, sea grass, horsehair, silk, linen, wood and goose down. The mattresses have recently been installed at the newly-refurbished guestrooms at Jumeirah Carlton Tower, London.

Meanwhile Dormeo has launched what it believes to be the first true mattress innovation in over twenty years. According to the firm, traditional spring mattresses have their problems while memory foam restricts airflow making the body hot and humid, disrupting a restful night’s sleep. To resolve these issues, designer Willy Poppe has created the revolutionary Octaspring bed.

The mattress consists of single or multiple 108

JULY / AUGUST 2012

layers of eight-sided honeycomb springs, each with innovative 3D air-mesh sides to encourage ventilation. Evolving from the metal spring bed, Octaspring takes the best that steel spring technology can offer and combines it with the best of memory foam technology. This works in exactly the opposite way to metal springs. Where metal springs push up, resisting the force that is applied to them, each Octaspring accepts the force, conforming and cradling the body.

While many of these products are designed for contract use, hotels increasingly wish to sell their sleep experience to guests.

Westin is so confident about the comfort and performance of its Heavenly Bed, it can now be purchased through Westin Home Collection. Manufactured by Simmons exclusively for the group, the 13-inch no-flip pillow-top mattress was custom designed to create the perfect foundation for deep, calming sleep, complemented by plush pillows, crisp sheets and a fluffy duvet. Sounds heavenly.

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

Sealy has developed a new technology called BugShield that is designed to combat and prevent bed bug infestations.

The BugShield fibres in the beds and mattresses contain a special form of biocide, which is guaranteed skin-safe and kills bed bugs whilst creating an inhospitable environment to prevent further infestations. BugShield offers a 100% bed bug mortality rate with 90% killed off within a period of 24 hours.

Hypnos has partnered with HHL Technology to launch Vital Protection – a revolutionary new bed treatment to help eliminate bed bugs. The fabric impregnation treatment can be added to any of Hypnos’ new mattresses and is designed to provide long-lasting protection against bed bugs. Vital Protection cannot be washed off and is completely invisible and odourless, having no negative impact on the fabric’s fire-retardancy properties.

2112 Sleeper Mag Ad 236x275 aw OL.indd 1

25/5/12 09:30:40

PRODUCT PROFILE

Image courtesy of Sancal

Flexible Furniture

T

he industry’s largest furniture exhibition, Salone Internazionale del Mobile, took place in April attracting some 331,649 visitors eager to see the latest collections from a wide range of manufacturers.

A total of 1,750 exhibitors filled 209,000m2 of floor space at Milan’s fairground with sofas and armchairs, stools and benches, tables and dressers, casegoods and consoles. Inevitably, Italian manufacturers including B&B Italia, Moroso, and Pedrali took centre stage showcasing extensions of established collections and reinventions of design classics in new finishes.

Space-saving stackable chairs once again proved to be at the forefront of innovation with designs becoming more stylish as well as functional, while trends surrounding flexible and multi-functional pieces emerged. Sancal, for example, launched Float (pictured), a sofa said to be idea for public spaces, where it can also be used as a separating screen with optional coat pegs.

Novelties made their UK debut at Clerkenwell Design Week, in which showrooms opened their doors to the community and a number of temporary exhibition spaces were set up across the design district.

The following pages feature the latest product launches from Salone Internazionale del Mobile, Clerkenwell Design Week and beyond.

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

JULY / AUGUST 2012

111

PRODUCT PROFILE

1

1

2

2

3

4

LIGNE ROSET DÉRIVE 2 To celebrate his 60th birthday in 1985, Claude Pompidou presented her friend Pierre Boulez with a rocking armchair, which she had commissioned from Pierre Paulin. Working with Paulin’s original drawings, Ligne Roset has put this rocking chair – of which only two pieces were ever made – into production for the very first time.

The harmonious shape of its rocking structure subtly evokes the musical sphere, harp or diapason. To reinforce its warm, domestic character and to bring it yet closer to its Scandinavian inspiration, Ligne Roset chose to make the structure in anthracite-stained wood and to associate this with a comfortably padded seat and back. www.ligne-roset-contracts.com www.ligne-roset.com ARPER SAYA Designed by Lievore Altherr Molina, Saya is a dining chair fabricated in oak and finished in teak and natural stain.

Colour stains include white, black, ochre and three shades of red to permit variable yet cohesive combination. The base is available in wood or chromefinish steel.

Tel: +39 0422 7918 www.arper.com

3

MOROSO TAKE A SOFT LINE FOR A WALK During Clerkenwell Design Week, Moroso hosted a special event in association with Kvadrat to celebrate a new version of designer Alfredo Häberli’s Take a Line for a Walk. Ten years after its birth, the lounge chair has been produced with padded upholstery. A zip in bright or fluo colours marks out the profile of the seat and maps out the dual function of the coat, which can be removed to provide a choice between a rigorous seat and more welcoming version.

Tel: +39 0432 577111 www.moroso.it 112

JULY / AUGUST 2012

4

RESOL GROUP DD Manufacturer of plastic furniture, Resol Group, has launched the Dd collection of chairs and tables. Lightweight, ergonomic, and low maintenance, the collection is available in a range of colours and is suitable for indoor and outdoor use. NetKat is one of the 2012 novelties, made from polypropylene and fiberglass Tel: +34 972 694700 www.resol.es

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

Sanitaryware, bathroom furniture, bathtubs, shower trays, wellness products and accessories: Duravit has everything you need to make life in the bathroom a little more beautiful. More info at Duravit UK, Milton Keynes, Phone 0845 500 7787, Fax 0845 500 7786, info@uk.duravit.com, www.duravit.co.uk

UK_Sleeper_KT008_236x275mm.indd 1

11.08.11 13:11:40 Uhr

PRODUCT PROFILE

5

B&B ITALIA J.J. Antonio Citterio’s range of J.J. armchairs for B&B Italia has been expanded with the addition of a new textured upholstery seat cover. The new design, available in both the low back and lounge version, features a pad in fabric with a diamond-shaped pattern. The polypropylene bands on the frame are also available in three new colours of dove grey, black and orange, and are repeated on the armrests.

Tel: +39 031 795 111 www.bebitalia.com

5

6

7

8

6

REPUBLIC OF FRITZ HANSEN MINUSCULE Republic of Fritz Hansen has launched Minuscule, a formal chair and table

by Danish designer Cecilie Manz.

Developed through a series of workshops that involved only material rather than a set brief, Minuscule combines the tradition of craftsmanship and industrial production. The shell of the seat is upholstered and hand stitched in a lightweight, yet durable textile and features a fine leather detail that follows the contours. Outer upholstery is available in two tones of grey, while the inner shell is upholstered in a choice of colours.

Tel: +45 48 17 23 00 www.fritzhansen.com

7

HITCH MYLIUS HM101 London-based furniture manufacturer Hitch Mylius launched new collections at Clerkenwell Design Week including Massimo Marianis’ hm101. The perfectly proportioned collection of benches offers a simple and practical seating solution for public spaces, receptions, educational and healthcare environments. The asymmetric construction of the upholstered panels and laminate tabletops allow a number of benches to be interlinked, permitting creative and interesting combinations.

Tel: +44 (0)20 8443 2616 www.hitchmylius.co.uk 114

JULY / AUGUST 2012

8

MRF S330 ZONE Following last year’s milestone of ten years in business, Mrf has recently moved to larger premises to handle a growing order book and lay down plans for new business in 2012-13.

The firm is looking to expand its presence in the hotel sector and as such is developing a new website with new designs. S330 Zone is a modular seating and low table system based on a geometric theme. The flexibility of the design makes it suitable for a variety of interiors including corporate waiting and breakout spaces, as well as café soft seating areas.

Tel: +44 (0)121 602 6942 www.mrfdesign.co.uk

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

Match‌ Ceiling Sculptures.

Design by Jordi Vilardell & Meritxell Vidal Create your own structures to form a light sculpture, on-line.

Automatic planning to integrate into your required space, with endless design combinations available.

Choose, design, create, crea.

www.vibia.com

create your project

Match

www.vibia.com facebook.com/vibia.light

twitter.com/#/VibiaLight

Specialists in exceptional lighting configuration, providing creative architectural and decorative explanations, for all applications.

LSE LIGHTING LTD. 6 Great Western Business Park. McKenzie Way. Worcester, WR4 9PT. UK. T. 0044 (0)1905 22243. M. 0044 (0)7887788707 sales@lselighting.com

PRODUCT PROFILE

9

CAPDELL ICS A multi-purpose collection, Ics by Fiorenzo Dorigo, features a metal structure shell coated with highresistance, flexible, lightly-coloured injected polyurethane. The upholstery and use of various support materials, such as wood or metal, make the chairs suitable for a variety of spaces.

Tel: +34 961 502 950 www.capdell.com

9

10

HUMANSCALE LIBERTY SIDE Developed by Niels Diffrient, the Liberty Side chair features Humanscale’s revolutionary Form-Sensing Mesh Technology, the Liberty Collection boasts tri-panel backrest construction using non-stretch mesh to provide body-fitting comfort and lumbar support. The Liberty Side chair offers a mesh seat with a frameless front edge for added comfort, while the pivoting backrest allows for a gentle recline and self-adjusting support. Liberty’s translucent mesh textiles – developed by textile designer Elizabeth Whelan to meet the unique and demanding requirements of the chair – surpass the performance criteria for contract seating textiles, and meet a variety of environmental standards in both the United States and Europe.

Tel:+44 (0)20 7566 7990 www.humanscale.com

11

MODUS PARK LANE Modus announced new product launches by French designer Christophe Pillet at this year’s Clerkenwell Design Week. Park Lane consists of a low sofa with a slim steel frame and brushed chrome legs. The collection is upholstered with generously proportioned feather cushions and is available in both two- and three-seater versions. A table and armchair complete the collection. www.christophepillet.com www.modusfurniture.co.uk 116

JULY / AUGUST 2012

10 11

12

12

MOLTENI & C LARGE Molteni & C has launched a number of new products at Salone del Mobile, including Large, by Ferruccio Laviani.

Large is a development of the Portfolio sofa shown in 2011, now with a more informal design. The project features two distinct families: one consisting of typically padded elements, the other made of semi-rigid, decorative and functional elements.

Email: contract.division@molteni.it www.molteni.it

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

the interior design show for professionals

Organised by

Register today at www.decorex.com PLEASE QUOTE INVITATION CODE DEC21

Decorex12Ad_275x236+3mm.indd 1

21/06/2012 11:40

PRODUCT PROFILE

13

13

SANCAL FLOAT Forming part of Sancal’s Flash Collection, Float is a multi-functional sofa designed by Karim Rashid. Ideal for use in public spaces, the slim floating seat with incorporated back wall doubles as a screen and has optional coat pegs. Each Float component (arms, seat, back and headrest) can be selected in a different fabric allowing for endless design possibilities and colourful combinations.

Tel: +34 968 718 074 www.sancal.com

14

15

16

16

14

MUUTO NERD Muuto’s new Nerd chair combines an impeccable sense of craftsmanship with a strong personality while still maintaining a certain simplicity.

Through the innovative integration between seat and back, the precise detailing and the organic shape, David Geckeler has created a chair that comes in natural oak or lacquered ash wood. Comments Geckeler: “While the appearance of Nerd is unique, the overall expression, material and craftsmanship all have references to classic Scandinavian design values.”

Tel: +45 3296 9899 www.muuto.com

15

PEDRALI MALMÖ Pedrali presented a number of new collections at Salone Internazionale del Mobile, including Malmö, designed by Michele Cazzaniga, Simone Mandelli, and Antonio Pagliarulo. The family is composed of a chair, armchair, and table in natural ash timber in bleached or black stained finish. The shell can be upholstered in fabric or leather.

Tel: + 39 035 83588 www.pedrali.it 118

JULY / AUGUST 2012

CASSINA LA MISE Designed by Luca Nichetto for Cassina, La Mise is a snug sofa with padded upholstery and soft, inviting cushions adorned with decorative zig-zag stitching. Nichetto has paid careful attention to the fabric, a fundamental part of the Cassina culture and the object of intensive research. In this case, an abundance of material in a single and continuous piece creates a tailor-made finish. The collection includes an armchair, a two-seater sofa in two different widths, and a three-seater sofa and is available in the UK through Chaplins.

Tel: +44 (0)20 8421 1779 www.chaplins.co.uk

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

PRODUCT PROFILE

17

DARE STUDIO HARDY Hardy is a contemporary take on the traditional wingback chair featuring a horseshoe curved high back that envelops the sitter. The collection comprises a chair and sofa, both handmade using traditional techniques.

Hardy is constructed from solid beech frame with a webbed back and sprung seat. Options include a fixed or loose seat available in a range of leathers and velvets.

Tel: +44 (0)1273 607 192 www.darestudio.co.uk

17

18

18

MINOTTI PRINCE Designed by Rodolfo Dordoni, Prince features the latest technology and most innovative materials in shapes that are reminiscent of the classic design tradition of the Fifties. A particularly complex design process gives rise to a die-cast aluminum base, a shape with changing lines and thicknesses producing an industrial design element whose aesthetics are similar to a sculpture. Prince offers a variety of finishings with different underlying stylistic interpretations. In addition to the brushed glossy aluminum, are versions in semi-glossy black, extraglossy sand and pewter. The fabric and leather upholstery in the exclusive Minotti collection fits to perfection while being completely removable.

Tel: +39 0362 343 499 www.minotti.com

19

DESIGN AT KNIGHTSBRIDGE MONDRIAN New from Design at Knightsbridge is Mondrian, a range of distinctive seating to enhance hotel lounge and reception areas, dining rooms, guest suites and social hubs. Inspired by the powerful artistry of Pieter Mondrian, the new range has been created by James A. Wright and is characterised by the painter’s idiosyncratic geometry and simple, uncluttered lines. Models 120

JULY / AUGUST 2012

19

include upright chairs, easy chairs and twin-seat sofas, all incorporating hand-holds within the frame design to avoid fabric wear and soiling. Mondrian is available in six standard finishes of Cherry, Mahogany, Natural Beech, Wenge, Walnut or Oak, and upholstered in fabric or hide.

Tel: +44 (0)1274 731 900 www.design-at-knightsbridge.co.uk

20

RYAN STRETCH Ryan has turned its focus to seating for waiting areas with the launch of the aptly-named Stretch sofa. Designed with versatility and comfort in mind, Stretch is available as a standard two- or three-seater sofa and armchair, and can be configured to any length. In addition, it can be specified with arm divisions spaced at intervals along its entire length. Stretch has a solid beech frame with legs in Wenge stained beech or Natural Oak, and can be specified in a wide range of fabrics.

Tel: +44 (0)1427 677556 www.martinryan.co.uk

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

20

PRODUCT PROFILE

21

ANDREU WORLD SAIL Piergiorgio and Michele Cazzaniga’s lightweight Sail chair is now available in a wood finish. This new option complements the multipurpose Sail design in polypropylene and fiberglass, which is ideal for all types of spaces.

Along with a hide leather-upholstered version, the collection has recently won a Red Dot Award 2012.

Tel: +34 96180 57 00 www.andreuworld.com

21

22

23

24

22

PROTOCOL GIANO A soft seating range, Giano includes a range of pieces that can be configured to a number of layouts. The single armchairs, sofas, and corner units come in two back heights and full height arms to create enclosed seating for break out or reception areas. The range can be supplied in a choice of fabrics, faux leathers or real leathers.

Tel: +44 (0)20 8591 6770 www.protocoluk.com

23

CHRISTOPHER GUY RIBBONED DRINKS CABINET Folds and folds of beautiful fabric encase this beverage storage cabinet from Christopher Guy. With an opencarved ribbon design, the cabinet features mirrored back panels and glass shelving reflecting the elegance characteristic of Guy’s designs. With a presence in 39 cities around the world, including a new London showroom, Christopher Guy has furnished some of the world’s finest hotels including The Savoy, London, Sandy Lane, Barbados, and The Bellagio, Las Vegas.

Tel: +44 (0)20 3397 2410 www.christopherguy.com

24

NOBLE RUSSELL THE WOLSELEY As part of The Wolseley café-restaurant’s ongoing refurbishment, Noble Russell has supplied a range of chairs, tables and banquette seating designed for heavy use seven days a week. Noble 122

JULY / AUGUST 2012

Russell has been producing furniture for twenty years, supplying high profile projects including The Langham, London, and St. Ermin’s Hotel, London.

Tel: +44 (0)1572 821 591 www.noblerussell.co.uk

25

STUA GAS TASK ARMCHAIR Stua’s Gas collection has been extended with the addition of the Task Armchair on castors.

Launched in Milan, it is available as a swivel, height adjustable chair on castors making it ideal for use as a desk chair within hotel bedrooms. The frame is made from chromed aluminium in a glossy or matt finish, while the seat and back come in mesh, polypropylene or upholstered in fabric or leather. The collection is available in the UK from PS Interiors.

Tel: +44 (0)161 926 9398 www.ps-interiors.co.uk

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

25

JUL235-SleeperSP_Layout 1 25/06/2012 18:19 Page 1

PRODUCT PROFILE

26

MORGAN FURNITURE METRO Morgan Furniture once again participated in Clerkwenwell Design Week to present its latest collections designed by Katerina Zachariades and the in-house Morgan design team. The new Metro two-seat sofa features an oak species frame and exactly matches the existing lounge chair with characteristic one-piece deep upholstery and angled timber arms.

Tel: +44 (0)1243 371 111 www.morganfurniture.co.uk

26

27

HOWE SKYLINE Howe has launched Skyline, a new soft seating concept for lounges and waiting areas. The pentagonal modules can be put together in multiple ways and combined with the three different back heights create a unique Skyline silhouette. The removable upholstery only increases the functionality to a concept which challenges the user and facilitates creative interaction.

Tel: +45 63416400 www.howe.com

27

28

29

29

28

ISOMI MONO COLLECTION Following the success of the Kin Collection, Isomi has launched a new range of reception desks and seating made from the solid surface material HI-MACS®. Conceived by designer Paul Crofts, the Mono Collection is modular at the point of specification and can be tailored to suit any reception area from a pre-engineered kit of parts. The desks and seating have a seamless, highly durable, impact resistant finish, making them ideal for hard-working reception areas in public and public-private spaces such as offices, hotels, airports, stadia, stations and more. Desks can be right or left handed while the seating comprises a thermoformed solid surface base with a tailor-made premium fabric upholstered seat.

Tel: +44 (0)20 7388 8599 www.isomi.com 124

JULY / AUGUST 2012

WALTER KNOLL BOA Designed by EOOS, Walter Knoll’s Bao swivelling armchair is characterised by a curved back, upholstered in the style of a leather ball. Spacious and round, the seat is upholstered in fabric.

Tel: +49 (0)7032 208 0 www.walterknoll.de

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

PRODUCT PROFILE

30

VERPAN VERNER PANTON CLOVER LEAF Verpan has relaunched the Verner Panton Clover Leaf sofa, originally produced for an exhibition in Koln in 1970. Upholstered in green velvet, the sofa can be seen in Prada stores worldwide.

Tel: +45 76 58 18 82 www.verpan.dk

30

31

THE DESIGN NET CREDENZA CHEST Created for an international hotel, this curved credenza chest with recessed plinth and six drawers shown in brown stain European oak, was born out of close collaboration between The Design Net and associated interior designers.

It is just one example of the bespoke craftsmanship and manufacturing ability of the firm.

Tel: +44 (0)20 7820 7771 www.thedesignnet.co.uk

31

32

34

33

32

WARISAN IN PROFILE Warisan custom and contract furnishing was established in Bali in 1989 as a purveyor of high quality antiques, and later modernised to a full production facility in Java to serve the hotel and resort sector. Warisan’s strength is in its craftsmen’s carpentry skills, along with the use of locally available materials.

The manufacturer is able to fulfill large contract orders as well as specialised areas within a hotel.

Tel: +62 361 421752 www.warisan.com

33

LAMATA CONIC LOUNGE Lamata has developed a new concept of stackable units that can be combined to create a unique lounge setting.

Made from polyethylene and suited for outdoor as well as indoor use, Conic Lounge is lightweight and 100% recyclable. Furthermore, LED lights can be fitted to the unit’s base.

Tel: +44 (0)1242 524 777 www.lamata.co.uk 126

JULY / AUGUST 2012

FIRA SPECIFIER SERVICES Established sixty years ago, FIRA with its unparalleled industry knowledge, raises performance throughout the furniture supply chain by offering research, information, testing, consultancy, customer service and after sales service to the furniture and DIY markets.

Selecting suitable furniture for hotel rooms, restaurants and reception areas can be difficult, especially as standards are updated regularly.

To assist the tender and selection process, FIRA has introduced FIRA Specifier Services, which provides concise and accurate information on how to select furniture for the contract market, whilst also highlighting the aspects that need to be considered to ensure that furniture is fit for its intended purpose. The website encompasses an online Specifiers’ Guide, providing free information to support anyone specifying, developing or reviewing tenders for non-domestic and contract furniture.

Tel: +44 (0)1438 777 700 www.specifierservices.co.uk

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

Selecting or specifying furniture products?

Specify only the very best Use the Furniture Industry Research Association’s extensive knowledge of furniture standards, testing and certification to help: • Create fast, accurate tenders and specifications • Understand certification schemes such as FISP (Furniture Industry Sustainability Programme) and FIRA’s Gold Certification for Product and Installation • Save time and cost with our specification and tender evaluation services

To find out more, visit www.fira.co.uk or www.specifierservices.co.uk Email: info@fira.co.uk Call: 01438 777 700 �������������������������������

������������������

The best hotels specify the best accessories that’s why they’ve been choosing Waterbury bathroom accessories for over 30 years.

T H I N K A H E A D. . . T H I N K WAT E R B U RY

TEL 44 (0) 121 333 6062

WWW.WATERBURY.CO.UK

SALES@WATERBURY.CO.UK

SLEEPER SPECIFIER

3FORM ECHO 3form is encouraging designers to be playful with structure, colour, shape, and light with its new Echo collection. Made from sustainable Varia Ecoresin with 40% recycled content, the undulating fins are easy to install and incorporate lighting. Custom designs are possible through various colour and finish combinations.

Tel: +31 (0)88 33 67 600 www.3form.eu

FLOS D’E-LIGHT It was only a matter of time before Philippe Starck turned his mind to such a popular, desirable and useful object as the iPad. And the resulting creation is a lamp that satisfies our daily need for information, entertainment and always-on connectivity.

Manufactured by Flos, D’E-light has a radical, extremely functional design, with a USB socket above the light diffuser for an iPod, iPhone and iPad so that it can double up as a dock. D’E-light also offers the advantage of recharging devices without cluttering the desk, while the addition of a wireless keyboard creates a compact working space.

Tel: +44 (0)20 3328 5140 www.flos.com

TECHNOGYM CROSS PERSONAL Combining Technogym’s experience with Antonio Citterio’s design, Cross Personal is the latest addition to Personal Line, which already includes Kinesis, the design equipment to perform over 200 exercises for strength, flexibility and balance; Run Personal, the exclusive interactive treadmill; and Recline, last year’s acclaimed stationary bike. The web connected cross trainer completes the Personal Line, while the Wellness Atelier Concept introduces unprecedented levels of customisation. Cross Personal is the first cross trainer that connects to the web through the integrated VISIOWEB display, an intuitive touchscreen with simple visual applications that allows the user to check emails and watch TV. Tel: +44 (0)1344 300 236 www.technogym.com WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

JULY / AUGUST 2012

129

SLEEPER SPECIFIER

TOTO THE MAY FAIR London’s The May Fair hotel has unveiled its newly-designed Ebony Suite featuring the very latest bathroom technology from Toto, including an illuminated bath, colourchanging heat-sensitive basin controls, and a fully automated Washlet toilet, complete with remote control. Spanning an impressive 110m2, the suite comprises a large lounge with four-seater dining table, 52-inch flatscreen TV, kitchenette, king-sized bed, and a private terrace with views across Mayfair. Taking pride of place in the centre of the master bedroom, the Toto tub is elegantly positioned on a raised platform, partially enclosed by Japaneseinspired paneling for extra privacy. Designed to provide an ambient, luxurious space in which to relax and unwind, the bathtub’s unique Luminist material allows soothing, colour-changing lighting effects while the guest soaks. For a more awakening 130

JULY / AUGUST 2012

experience, the Toto Gyrostream shower with its horizontal streams of pulsating water massage and refresh the whole body.

The luxury double Toto sinks also feature colour-altering technology, changing in response to the temperature of the water.

Guests can also experience the advanced Toto Washlet. Its futuristic design features a heated seat and integrated bidet with water temperature and massage functions, all operated via a wall-mounted remote control panel. General Manager at The May Fair, Anthony Lee, comments: “The Ebony Suite combines luxury and comfort with the latest in technological advancements. A bedroom, a bath – these are not just functional: they’re experiential. At The May Fair we offer our guests an exciting, memorable experience and the Ebony Suite truly embodies this.” eu.toto.com www.themayfairsuites.co.uk

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

THE NEW MULTI-FUNCTIONAL LOUNGE CONCEPT FROM LAMATA

L E & NA BL IO KA CT AC UN ST TI-F L MU

CONIC LOUNGE

ECO-FRIENDLY OPTIONAL LED LIGHTS

EXCLUSIVE REGISTERED DESIGN

The Barlands | London Road | Cheltenham Gloucestershire | GL52 6UT | United Kingdom T + 44 (0) 12 42 52 47 77 | F + 44 (0) 12 42 23 30 31 E info@lamata.co.uk | www.lamata.co.uk 12LAM0001_AD_SLEEPERS_206x120.indd 1

5/06/12 13:56

SLEEPER SPECIFIER

BOLON NEW LONDON SHOWROOM Swedish flooring manufacturer, Bolon, continues its expansion with the opening of a new showroom in Clerkenwell, London. Also home to Bolon’s UK partner, Flooring Concepts, the 200m2 showroom opened during Clerkenwell Design Week, to display its latest joint venture: Bolon by Missoni. The fabulously colourful collection is based on the classic patterns of the Italian fashion house, which Bolon has filled with new life and depth thanks to the latest weaving technology. “The United Kingdom is an important market for Bolon and we see tremendous potential here,” comments Annica Eklund, Managing Director. “Bolon offers a fresh and innovative alternative to the textile floorcoverings that are generally popular in the UK. Increasingly, many younger architects and designers have opened their eyes to the unique advantages and creative potential that the Bolon collections bring to interior design. Property owners and tenants also appreciate the strengths of our product when it comes to more practical aspects such as maintenance and long life.”

Tel: +44 (0)844 561 0918 www.bolon.com

TOP FLOOR ESQUIRE EVOLUTION The highly acclaimed Esquire rug from Top Floor is now available in a dramatic new version, Esquire Evolution. Designed by Esti Barnes, the crystalinspired surface has been updated for 2012 to include a mesmerising colour graduation. The collection can be seen at Top Floor’s Chelsea Harbour showroom, along with hundreds of other contemporary designs.

Tel: +44 (0)20 7795 3333 www.topfloorrugs.com

DOMUS PICO Designed by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, Pico is a return to the raw aspect of traditional earth floors or handmade cement, letting the material convey its natural characteristics. The collection comes in three base colours of blanc, gris and terre, and features an irregular dotted texture known as ‘down’ to describe sunken dots, and ‘up’ with elevated dots. Pico is available in three sizes plus two mosaic models.

Tel: +44 (0)20 7458 4000 www.domustiles.co.uk

132

JULY / AUGUST 2012

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

Furniture LU XU RY A LUMINIUM SEATING

Ergo II Flex Back chair

Tables

Glasstrends provides a customised design and fitting service for frameless glass showers, steam room and sauna doors. Surveyed and installed to your complete satisfaction.

Come and visit our flagship showroom to experience the beauty of our frameless glass products first hand.

FRAMELESS SHOWERS AND BATHROOMS DESIGNED FOR YOUR SPACE

CALL 020 7223 4017 to receive our brochure or visit www.glasstrends.co.uk/sleep Please quote ‘SL28’ when calling.

Visit www.glasstrends.co.uk/trade for our Trade Loyalty Scheme.

TWIST contemporary stackable seating

sales@efchairs.com www.excalibur-furniture.com

163a St John’s Hill, London SW11 1TQ.

GLASSTRENDS

SLEEPER SPECIFIER

ABOUT GOLF GOLF SIMULATOR AboutGolf, a leading provider of golf simulators, has partnered with London architects Squire and Partners to offer the ultimate hotel golfing experience. With its innovative 3trak system, AboutGolf offers the most technologically advanced, fully immersive golf simulators, measuring every drive, pitch, chip and putt in unprecedented detail and accuracy. For the first time, the simulators are now available to be custom-built into private residences and hotels, combining world-class architectural design with cutting-edge golf technology. From Pebble Beach to St. Andrews, golfers can now play fifty of the world’s top courses indoors on a custom simulator. Henry Squire of Squire and Partners

comments: “We are delighted to be part of this project and join AboutGolf to offer a first class service to hotels who want to bring the world’s leading golf courses within their reach. We can tailor the design of the room around the simulator so it is integrated beautifully into the hotel facilities. This truly is at the cutting edge of sporting entertainment.” Leading indoor golf operator Urban Golf has recently installed the simulators across all of its London venues, allowing golfers to tee up on their lunch break and after work. www.aboutgolf.com www.squireandpartners.com www.urbangolf.co.uk

BAGNO DESIGN MIRROR TV Bagno Design has launched Mirror TV, a bathroom solution that allows for the integration of a television into a mirror. Available in a range of sizes, Mirror TV can also be custom-made to fit almost any space. Bagno Design – the retail division of the Sanipex Group established in Dubai in 1994 – is soon to open a new showroom in Clerkenwell, London.

Tel: +971 4 5076000 www.bagnodesign.org

LEBATEX SPEAKEASY Stacy Garcia has designed a Speakeasy-inspired drapery and upholstery collection for LebaTex. Launched at HD Expo, the four patterns combine Art Deco sophistication and the lavishness of the 1920s. The grouping includes ‘Fitzgerald’ and ‘Cabaret’, which come standard with acrylic backing and NanoTex® for upholstery end use. ‘Moonshine’ and ‘Bubbly’ complete the collection and feature sunburst and fan motifs. www.stacygarcia.com www.lebatexinc.com

134

JULY / AUGUST 2012

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

photo Š G.Lizardos

Sunbelievable parasols

www.sywawa.com Frou Frou - design by Davy Grosemans Sywawa is a brand of Symo Parasols www.symoparasols.com

SLEEPER SPECIFIER

ARCHITECTURAL SYSTEMS INTERWOVEN ECO-PANELS Leading international distributor of architectural and sustainable materials, Architectural Systems, has launched Interwoven Eco-Panels, a textured wooden wall surface. The panels are offered in a range of rich, natural colourations with seamless, interlocking installation.

Tel: +1 800 793 0224 www.archsystems.com

TUUCI F-1 MAX Tuuci’s F-1 MAX High Tension Shade Parasol – featuring a stainless steel high-tension cable system, graceful curves and expansive size – made its North American debut at HD Expo in May. “We are constantly imagining new ways for our clients to provide their customers with extraordinary shade experiences,” comments Chief Shade Architect Dougan Clarke. “Our team is deeply committed to working with the hospitality industry to create outdoor environments that enhance guest experiences and improve overall guest satisfaction, which is certainly good for business.”

Tel: +1 305 634 5116 www.tuuci.com 136

JULY / AUGUST 2012

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

LUTRON HOSPITALITY SOLUTIONS Lutron presents the latest in stylish and scalable hotel light control technology.

Designed for use in single guestrooms or entire hotels, the Guestroom Solution provides the ultimate in energy-efficient, easy-to-use light control technology that also allows for control of curtains and blinds in guestrooms. With both wired and wireless solutions available, Lutron’s Guestroom Solution provides the perfect answer to demand for a control system that can manage any load with elegant but intuitive and commands. In addition, Lutron offers a full range of Hospitality Solutions that enable hoteliers to save energy and reduce costs. These include Lutron’s GRAFIK Eye® QS Wireless system for controlling lights and mood in public spaces, Radio Powr Savr Daylight sensors, and Occupancy/Vacancy sensors.

Tel: +1 610 282 3800 www.lutron.com

SKOPOS MINERVA July sees the launch of a luxurious new collection from the Accents range by Skopos. Minerva, an opulent, chenille velvet, delivers textural interest and a radiant lustre across 27 fashion-inspired colours ranging from neutrals through to a rich palette of jewel-like tones.

Available in an inherent FR curtain / bedding quality, Minerva presents a soft drape and silken handle, while as upholstery, it is a durable, heavyweight contract option delivering 50,000 Martindale rubs.

Tel: +44 (0)1924 465191 www.skoposdesignltd.com

NEW & EXCLUSIVE HAYON Diamante

C.P. HART CONTRACTS

0845 600 1980

www.cphart.co.uk/contracts

C.P. Hart Contracts is a specialist development team dedicated to working with architects, interior designers and builders. Enquiries welcome, to Carolyn Harrison or Ian Dutch.

SLEEPER SPECIFIER

BRINTONS DARK FAIRYTALE Brintons and Stacy Garcia have unveiled their latest collaboration, Dark Fairytale, which combines Brintons’ Axminster weaving expertise and Garcia’s insight into unique and distinctive designs.

Created specifically for the hospitality sector, the collection is described as mysterious and sensual, theatrical and staged, inspired by our desire to escape. Embellished with shadowy imagery, forest tones, dark feminine motifs, and Gothic influence, Dark Fairytale narrates a story of what lurks in the shadows. The collection was unveiled at HD Expo in Las Vegas and is the fourth range produced from the partnership.

Tel: +44 (0)1562 635 665 www.brintons.net

BOLEFLOOR BOLEFLOOR Dutch company Bolefloor has introduced the world’s first manufactured hardwood floors with naturally curved lengths that follow a tree’s growth.

The new, sustainable technology not only allows for more floors per forest, but also creates aesthetically appealing surfaces. While only a limited part of every tree is used for conventional straight plank flooring, Bolefloor utilises around 20% more, leaving less waste on the sawmill floor. Each floor made with the innovative technology is as unique as each individual tree. The floors are installed in private residences, restaurants, hotels, retail premises, offices and ski lodges and are suitable for any setting where an intimate and natural aesthetic is desired.

Tel: +31 620 554 575 www.bolefloor.com

FOSCARINI BIRDIE After the successful introduction of Birdie table and floor lamps, Ludovica+Roberto Palomba’s designs have been developed into an entire collection. Foscarini has recently launched Birdie in small table, ceiling and wall versions, each featuring the characteristic diffuser and rod.

Tel: +39 041 595 3811 www.foscarini.com

AXO LIGHT MUSE Axo Light has expanded its popular Muse collection with new square-shaped wall and ceiling lamps, and two new suspension lamps. Designed

by Sandro Santantonio, Muse is composed of a white metal frame and removable and washable elastic fabric covering, available in a range of colours.

Tel: +39 041 584 5193 www.axolight.it

138

JULY / AUGUST 2012

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

  

 

 





 New From

Contract Fabrics

MINERVA Dramatic Opulent Velvets

Trust the Experts www.skoposdesignltd.com

LOVE

AT FIRST SIP. LE • RESE TT

LE • RESE TT

ABLE BO AL

ABLE BO AL

ITALIAN TASTE, POSITIVE ENERGY. EUROFOODBRANDS illycaffè – Sole Distributor

T: 01604 821234

E: sales@eurofoodbrands.co.uk

Inspired Solutions Our skills extend beyond pure manufacturing excellence – we work with Europe’s leading designers to create solutions both practical and beautiful.

Contact: tel 020 7253 4777 email lstokes@idealstandard.com

www.burgessfurniture.com Stacking Chairs | Tables | Accessories

Introducing the NEW

ORVIA

Tel: +44 (0)20 8894 9231 Fax: +44 (0)20 8894 2943 Email: sales@burgessfurniture.com

BurgessOrviaTab_Sleeper_206x120_Final.indd 1

18/2/12 14:48:08

Event partners

a Media 10 event

Sleeper_magazine.indd 1

29/06/2012 16:26

HB_RHF_2012:Layout 1 27/06/2012 15:15 Page 1

home > > >

new website new products available on ipad / iphone

british / designers / manufacturers /

www.hbgroup.co.uk

noblerussell.co.uk Tel 01572 821591

A NEW CONCEPT IN HOSPITALITY

Vitmen – virtual menu A hand held electronic menu that will create that WOW factor your clients will remember.

Technology complementing tradition

www.vitmen.ie 00353 719640758 email: helen@vitmen.ie

The hot favourite

w w w . c a t c h p o l e a n d r y e . c o m

Product Portfolio

Huet’s SAS 52 interconnecting doorset with a 55 Rw dB acoustic rating has been chosen for the Staybridge Suites and Holiday Inn, London-Stratford City, which boasts spectacular views of the Olympic Park for London 2012. www.huet-doors.co.uk

Grace & Webb works closely with architects and designers to develop tailor-made designs and luxury surface finishes for the high-end hospitality, interior and architectural markets. www.graceandwebb.com

Thanks to popular customer demand, leading kitchen and flooring installation products manufacturer Unika has extended its innovative range of worktop protector rods to help hoteliers increase the life of their luggage areas. www.unika.co.uk

Craster’s Flexible Buffet Table range comprises folding frames, removable table tops, and six types of trolley designed for compact storage and protection of the tables. www.craster.com

New from Davroc is Luna, with a long curved spout that is elegant and uniquely sculptural. It curves from the wall to the basin or shower. Manufactured by Graff, the Luna collection is available in polished chrome and brushed satin nickel finishes. www.davroc.co.uk

Building on foundations set by the revolutionary Insaver CFL range, Lumiance has now brought its flagship range into the LED era. With various sizes and outputs, Insaver LED suits a variety of applications. www.havells-sylvania.com

New from Eclipse Furniture is the Forest collection of chairs and stools. Available with legs, swiveling, or on wheels, it is an object perfectly suited to both indoor and outdoor use. www.eclipsefurniture.co.uk

Glassdomain has recently secured a large project to design and manufacture Curved Glass Side Tables, specifically commissioned for the new Tune Hotels located across the country. www.glassdomain.co.uk

FLAT® is a hydraulic levelling and stabilising technology that enables any product with legs to sit level on uneven surfaces through a series of hydraulic actuators that redistribute fluid to provide a stable foundation. www.flattech.com

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

JULY / AUGUST 2012

149

Designers Directory Below you will find contact details for some of the interior designers of the hotels reviewed in this issue, as well as some of those whose work has appeared in Sleeper Magazine in the past.

We hope that you find this resource useful in allowing you to contact designers you may be interested in working with on your own projects in the future.

PARK HYATT ABU DHABI Wilson Associates 9 Tampines Grande 05-18 Singapore 528735 Tel: +65 6327 5787 www.wilsonassociates.com

QUEEN VICTORIA Francois du Plessis Interiors Unit B109 The Buchanan Building 160 Sir Lowry Road Cape Town South Africa Tel: +27 (0)21 461 1 166 www.fdpinteriors.co.za

PALAIS NAMASKAR Imaad Rahmouni 8 Passage de la Bonne Graine 75011 Paris France Tel: +33 (0)1 40 21 01 05 www.imaadrahmouni.com L’ARDOISIERE Barbara Ferret 2 Rue de Sedan B-5550 Alle-sur-Semois Ardennes Belgium Tel: +32 61 27 19 17 www.compagniedesbois.be

SQUARE NINE Isay Weinfeld Rua Wisard 305 72 Andar 05434 080 Sau Paolo Brazil Tel: +55 11 3079 7581 www.isayweinfeld.com

JULY / AUGUST 2012

MASHPI LODGE Alfredo Ribadeneira Arquitectos HOTEL THE EXCHANGE Ina Matt Riegeweg 14 8749 TD Pimngjum The Netherlands

FASANO BOA VISTA Isay Weinfeld Rua Wisard 305 72 Andar 05434 080 Sau Paolo Brazil Tel: +55 11 3079 7581 www.isayweinfeld.com

150

ENDEMICO Gracia Studio 651 Progressive Avenue Suite #200 San Diego California 92154 USA Tel: +1 619 795 7864 www.graciastudio.com

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

Advertising Index 100% Design Aliseo GmbH Germany Bossini SpA Burgess Furniture Ltd Catchpole & Rye Cetis Inc. Christopher Guy (Europe) Limited Consentino CP Hart Curtis Dare Studio Decorex Design LSM Distinction Furniture and Beds Duravit EE Smith Contracts Ltd ESPA Euro Food Brands Ltd Excalibur Furniture Fashionizer Couture Uniforms FIRA International Ltd Glasstrends Gloster Furniture Ltd

144 057 059 143 147 021 037 045 137 140 146 117 146 127 113 163 035 141 133 110 128 133 081

GO IN GmbH HB Design HI Design HICAP HIFI Hospitality Services Plus SA Humanscale Hypnos Ideal Standard

039 145 097 & 099 096 093 065 077 109 143 International Hotel Investment Summit 095 Julian Chichester Designs Ltd 123 Lamata Contract Furnishers 131 Laufen Bathrooms AG 107 Leisure Plan 004 & 005 Leisure Plan 006 & 007 Loewe 017 LSE Lighting 115 Lutron 078 Maher Reynolds Furniture Ltd 139 Morgan Furniture 121 Noble Russell 146 Orsjo Belysning AB 083 OW Hospitality 002

Procure It Direct Protocol Ltd PS Interiors Roset Hotels Sanipex LLC Skopos Design Ltd Sleep SMD Contract StoneKAST Symo Parasols The Albion Bath Co Ltd The Design Net Limited The Natural Carpet Company Tuuci Europe BV Unlimited Light (Light Kits Ltd) Vado Verpan Vitmen Vitra Warisan Waterbury

085 063 119 008 047 139 098 135 142 135 071 164 125 148 131 075 019 146 089 031 128

The 2011 US annual subscription price is $168.00. Airfreight and mailing in the USA by agent named Air Business Ltd, c/o Worldnet Shipping Inc., 156-15, 146th Avenue, 2nd Floor, Jamaica, NY 11434, USA. Periodicals postage paid at Jamaica NY 11431. US Postmaster: Send address changes to SLEEPER, Air Business Ltd, c/o Worldnet Shipping Inc., 156-15, 146th Avenue, 2nd Floor, Jamaica, NY 11434, USA.

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

JULY / AUGUST 2012

151

akula sleeper ad_Layout 1 14/02/2012 13:14 Page 2

ALL WEATHER RATTAN FURNITURE

DESIGNED F OR LIFE

PREMIUM QUALITY WITHOUT THE PREMIUM PRICE TAG w | akulaliving.com t | +44 (0) 1937 862 705 e | info@akulaliving.com

Coworth Park, Ascot

T I L LY S T: 0 2 3 9 2 2 5 2 5 2 5 E: sales@tillysinteriors.com W: www.tillysinteriors.com

Tillys PO Box 330 Waterlooville PO7 9BX

The next big thing is here...

TAP TO BUY

TM

www.smartposter.co

Wool Classics specializes in providing bespoke axminster, wilton, hand tufted and hand knotted carpets and rugs in a diverse range of fibers to the world’s leading hotels.

For more exclusive service please visit our show room in Chelsea Harbour. 1st Floor South Dome, Design Centre Chelsea Harbour, London, SW10 0XE Tel: +44 (0) 20 7349 1560, Fax: +44 (0) 20 7352 0108 pr@woolclassics.com, www.woolclassics.com

SLEEPER SHOWCASE

Luxurious doorset finishes for World– renowned hotels Tinted, varnished okoume & mahogany Acoustic rating 45 Rw dB Fire rating FD 30 S Shangri-La Hotel, Paris

The Vitrifrigo A+++ energy efficiency luxury range of minibars from 25 to 55 Litres chosen by the world’s leading hotels.

www.a3solutions.co.uk Call: 020 7199 8210 info@a3solutions.co.uk

www.huet-doors.co.uk

Ref: 0712

Protect your furnishings with

Help increase the life of your luggage areas and furniture with our contemporary and versatile protector rods. Ideal for use on most surfaces.

Tel: +44 (0)20 8205 0050 Email: info@aguafabrics.com Web: www.aguafabrics.com

Mattresses made by hand in Devon

hotel 99 Talbot Road, London, W11 2AT 020 7985 0474 info@naturalmat.co.uk www.naturalmathotel.co.uk

T: +44 (0) 191 259 0033 sales@unika.co.uk www.unika.co.uk

CHECK-OUT

Family photo The developers of London’s new Mondrian hotel celebrated the Diamond Jubilee with the display of a giant photograph of the Royal Family over the façade of Sea Containers House.

Described as ‘The largest ever photograph of the Royal Family’, the giant picture measured 100m by 70m and weighed nearly two tons. The image was erected by a team of eight people over 45 hours, and was scheduled to be left in place until the end of June.

The picture was snapped by an unknown photographer during the Silver Jubilee in 1977, and depicts Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip and their children. Jonathan Ofer, Managing Director of The Deerbrook Group, which asset manages for the owner, Archlane Ltd. explained: “When this Silver Jubilee photo was taken 35 years ago, the South Bank was an unvisited stretch of the Thames – not the centre of business, tourism and culture that it is today. It is the owner’s tribute for this very special occasion, when on Sunday 3rd June, the Jubilee Flotilla passes by and the country celebrates sixty incredible years of everything that makes Britain great.”

Sea Containers House is being transformed into a luxury Mondrian hotel – the first to be open in Europe by operators Morgans Hotel Group. The work is being carried out by Design Research Studio under the direction of Tom Dixon.

154

JULY / AUGUST 2012

WWW.SLEEPERMAGAZINE.COM

45 Park Lane, London

Right on the Button

TDN CONTEMPORARY BRITISH FURNITURE THAT’S RIGHT ON THE BUTTON for more information on the Betty Button Chair and any of our other products, visit our web site or call 020 7820 7771

www.thedesignnet.co.uk