5 minute read
Domes Zeen
from Sleeper - Issue 92
Domes Zeen CHANIA
Inspired by the Greek concept of Ef Zeen, Domes Resorts’ Cretan outpost delivers a soulful take on the Mediterranean escape.
Words: Matt Turner • Photography: © George Fakaros
Located in Chania on the Greek island of Crete, Domes Zeen originally opened for its first full season in summer 2019, as the first family-friendly outpost of Casa Cook – the boho-chic resort concept launched in 2018 by Thomas Cook with adult-only hotels in Kos and Rhodes.
How things have changed in the intervening twelve months. In September 2019, Thomas Cook collapsed dramatically. Such sights are becoming more commonplace now in the advent of Covid-19, but back then, the sudden grounding of planes and cancellation of bookings, with countries scrambling to repatriate stranded travellers, was a rare and shocking occurrence.
The fallout left a number of hotels owned, part-owned or franchised by Thomas Cook facing uncertain futures. Hotel investment had been a relatively recent diversion for the company, traditionally a tour operator, and most of the properties were held by Thomas Cook Hotel Investments Ltd in a joint venture with Swiss investment company LMEY. This afforded a degree of insulation from the parent company’s perilous financial state, and just before the liquidation of Thomas Cook Group, the investment fund was renamed Westfort Capital, distancing it further.
Inevitably, given the sprawling nature of the group’s interests, the subsequent restructuring, including its hotel
assets, has been complex. Independent travel agent Hays acquired the UK travel stores. A consortium backed by Norwegian entrepreneur Petter Stordalen and private equity groups Altor and TDR Capital took over Ving Group, in which most of Thomas Cook’s North European assets were held. EasyJet and Jet2 took the airport slots. A variety of national subsidiaries were either disposed of piecemeal or liquidated. The group’s other hotel brands including Sentido, Aldiana and Sunprime are being sold off.
So what now of Casa Cook? In November 2019, Chinese conglomerate Fosun International announced it had purchased the Thomas Cook name and logo, along with the Casa Cook and Cook’s Club hotel brands, for £11 million. The original hotel in Rhodes continues to trade as a Casa Cook. Fosun also announced the launch of a new Casa Cook alongside a Cook’s Club hotel, both developed and operated by Orascom under a franchise agreement, on the shores of Egypt’s Red Sea in June 2020. Fosun has promised an accelerated expansion programme, its Chairman and CEO Jim Qian saying: “Casa Cook is a fresh and modern lifestyle brand that brings a completely new idea of hotel luxury. We will continue to invest in the concept design and experience to grow Casa Cook into a global hotel brand.” Remo Masala, the original creative force behind the brand, will continue to be involved going forward through his branding and marketing agency Vision Alphabet.
Meanwhile, the Kos and Ibiza Casa Cooks have now been rebranded as OKU Hotels, under the ownership of LMEY Investments, with plans for further properties in Mykonos, Bali and Miami still in the pipeline.
Back in Crete, the owner and developer of Casa Cook Chania, Domes Resorts, has rebadged the property under its eponymous brand, renaming the resort Domes Zeen – a Luxury Collection Resort. The partnership with Marriott’s soft brand makes sense given its other properties – Domes Noruz and Domes of Elounda (also in Crete) and Domes Miramare in Corfu – already have marketing and distribution agreements with The Luxury Collection.
By-and-large, the original hotel remains intact, notably its stunning design and architecture, a collaboration between Lambs and Lions Berlin, K-studio and Kristina Zanic Consultants.
Described as “a modernist village for the luxury wanderer,” and “a manifestation of discreet luxury, slow-living and mindfulness,” the design concept is centred around the Greek concept of ‘Ef Zeen’, one of those hard-to-translate concepts of wellbeing (think ‘hygge’ but with added sunshine).
The resort’s interiors are an Instagram-friendly combination of stone, wood, linen and wicker, all put together in a casually bohemian way, but with a designer’s keen eye for space, contrast and composition. Clean-lined, mid-century furniture sits against rough, organic surfaces, alongside a carefully curated selection of artworks and accessories. Naturally tactile textures and traditionally handmade pieces bring a sense of timelessness, simplicity and sophistication. Communal spaces and guestrooms alike blur the boundaries between inside and out, with 101 accommodations – ranging from suites to villas to pavillion-style bungalows clad in concrete and timber – descending towards the sea in a visually arresting programme of interlocking terraces, graphic forms and floating planes.
According to Lambs and Lions founder Michael
Shickinger: “The architectural language of the buildings set along the coastline, including the beach club, concept store and pool transition to a bolder; more brutalist aesthetic, better prepared for the exposure to the sea and salt air.”
New features introduced by Domes for the 2020 season include a gastronomic restaurant, Enino, promising a ‘six-dish dive into the ingenuity and zest of Crete’s food’, to complement the existing, familyfriendly Beach House bar and restaurant. The more spacious villas and pavilions now offer a ‘haute living’ enhanced level of service. The Jungle Spa has been completed, with its open-air treatment zones blending seamlessly into the cascading landscape of the rest of the resort and the natural surroundings of the Cretan countryside beyond.
“The resort is a choreographed interplay of light, shadow and texture,” concludes Shickinger. “The smooth concrete forms gradually separate and transform into more brutalist structures that seem to emerge, almost mythically, from the sand.” EXPRESS CHECK-OUT Owner / Operator: Domes Resorts Architecture and Interior Design: Lamb and Lions Berlin, K-studio, Kristina Zanic Consultants Landscaping: Fytron www.domeszeenchania.com
