Tag: Hotel Design

View All Tags

/ / / /

Five on Instagram: The Best Hotel Photos This First Full Week of February

February 9, 2012 at 5:58 PM | by | Comments (0)

With all the design details in hotels, it's no wonder they're the perfect place to get creative with Instagram photos. We're kind of obsessed with browsing the #hotel tag, and every other week, we'll bring you 5 of our favorite shots that impart major wanderlust. And don't forget to follow our own shots on Instagram under "hotelchatter," "jaunted" and "vegaschatter."

· Photo via rcallahanphoto — The famous in-bathroom sign at Soho House (and all the Houses).

· Photo via betle4 — A Moscow hotel that's still quite influenced by the days of Communist housing blocks.

· Photo via esteveduque — Love this. We do it too, meaning stand underneath lobby chandeliers whenever possible to capture their geometry.

· Photo via grandlifehotels — The Tribeca Grand screens the Super Bowl. Looks comfy.

· Photo via beverlywilshire — Ooh—a wine specially bottled for the Four Seasons.

[Photo above: jetsetcd/HotelChatter on Instagram]

/ / / /

Now THIS is a Hotel Bedside Table

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 7 Raffles Avenue, Singapore, Singapore
February 9, 2012 at 11:54 AM | by | Comments (0)

Check it out. This is a bedside table found in the rooms of the Ritz-Carlton Millenia, Singapore. Technically there are two, one for each side of the bed, and though easily overlooked they are some of the most well-designed pieces of functional hotel furniture we've ever seen.

Tomorrow we'll take you further into a Deluxe room at the hotel, but for now, let's geek out over furniture design. Here's why we love this table:

· Control panel—for both the room lights and the shades—stashed in table, camo as a middle drawer.
· Drawer closest to bed has single universal outlet with plenty of room around it for Apple Magsafe adapters and cord storage.
· Double level means you're able to take all the hotel stuff (notepad, breakfast menu, alarm clock, phone) and put it underneath glass panel, meaning total space for putting your own things (laptop, magazines, Moleskine, guidebooks, water bottle) and have it all fit.
· Glass top means no worrying about cup rings and using coasters on wood
· Contemporary design with the light beaming through glass panel edges makes it look super cool

[Photo: HotelChatter]

/ / / /

Who Needs A Club Lounge When Your Hotel Has Its Own Mini Library?

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: Gamboa, Panama
February 9, 2012 at 9:12 AM | by | Comment (1)

Wandering around Gamboa Rainforest Resort in Panama recently, we were excited to discover the hotel had its own private library, accessible via a small staircase leading up from the lobby.

Which is, in many ways, far superior to the usual "VIP" club lounge experience. For starters, all guests are welcome, it's always quiet and peaceful, and you can actually educate yourself about your surroundings with bookshelves full of texts on Panamanian history and wildlife. Plus, it kind of reminded us of the library scene from Beauty and the Beast—except way smaller. And in the middle of a rainforest.

Check out our photos after the jump!

more ›

/ / / / /

A Room at The Saguaro Hotel Comes with a Private Design Consultation

February 8, 2012 at 1:08 PM | by | Comments (0)

As you can see from this room shot above, what makes The Saguaro Scottsdale stand out from most other hotels is the abundance of eye-popping colors. And these happy hues aren't found just in the guest rooms but rather throughout the hotel's public spaces and even down by the pool area.

The duo responsible for the colorful look is the design team of Peter Stamberg and Paul Aferiat of Stamberg Aferiat Architecture who used "12 vibrant tones found in native desert wildflowers" as the foundation for the color scheme. The colors also follow the light spectrum which then creates different perspectives of the hotel depending on the time of day. It's crazy scientific yo!

While we recommended that other hotels start using more happy colors as part of our New Year's resolutions for hotels, it turns out you can learn how to use color in your own home, thanks to The Saguaro's new The Colors of Modern package which includes a private home consultation with Peter Stamberg and Paul Aferiat!

more ›

/ / / / / / /

Whatever They're Planning, It Better Not Be Another Westin Times Square Eyesore

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 212 E 42nd St , New York, NY, 10017
February 6, 2012 at 12:35 PM | by | Comments (4)

Two weeks ago, we learned that Host Hotels had purchased the New York Helmsley and was planning on re-making it into a Westin. Now, we find out that $65 million is being poured into the building for what they're calling an "extensive re-branding initiative."

Fine. The part that gets us, though, is when they mention that the entire facade of the building is gonna be transformed as well. Ah, real monsters! We desperately hope Westin isn't sketching out a repeat of their purple-and-blue stripey Times Square mess (which we once upon a time dubbed one of the ugliest hotels alive). For a 774-room hotel in midtown Manhattan, we're not sure what kind of "statement" Westin will be going for, but hopefully nothing big. A nice scrub-down and maybe some window replacements should do the trick nicely.

more ›

/ / / / / / / / / / /

A Quick Look at Some Cool Hotel Designs Coming in 2012

February 2, 2012 at 9:50 AM | by | Comments (0)

Remember the guys who brought you the sperm-shaped urinals at Trump Panama? Well, in the spirit of our recently-launched (and super hot topic-y) 2012 Master List of Hotel Openings, we were a little curious to see what else the design wizards at HBA had cooking on the stove.

Though their total project list spans 21 properties, a few in particular stand out: Four Seasons Guangzhou, Park Hyatt Hyderabad, Sheraton Fuzhou, and Waldorf-Astoria Ras Al Khaimah are all places we'll be keeping a close eye on as they gear up for their respective 2012 grand openings. We love nothing more than unique, well-executed, culturally-relevant design, and these places have it all.

Though we can't quite make out the white sculpture at the far end of Park Hyatt Hyderabad's atrium (above)—some sort of cat? or god?—we love the scale of those high black marble columns and curvy chandelier over the low rounded bench below. Proving, once and for all, you don't need urinals with tails to really make a lobby pop.

more ›

/ / / / / /

A Look at The Kimpton Surfcomber's Beefed Up Decor and Pool Scene

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 1717 Collins Ave [map], Miami Beach, FL, United States, 33139
January 31, 2012 at 11:15 AM | by | Comments (0)

Guess The Hotel Revealed!

How did you go with our last Guess The Hotel game? Did you identify the home of those cow statues by the pool as The Surfcomber? If not, you're dead wrong!

We took a peek at the new Kimpton-on-the-beach the other day, and found a spacious lobby with lots of designy quirks and an awesome pool deck with cabanas a-go-go and plenty of space to stretch out on regular ol' daybeds and outdoor beanbags in the sand, too.

According to a Kimpton press release,

Surfcomber’s new design-driven spaces marry the eclectic style of European Bohemia with a down home American front porch appeal. The design creates an inviting and comfortable atmosphere, with elements of surprise throughout. Combined with Kimpton’s warm and welcoming service, the hotel offers guests a retro, breezy atmosphere and a distinctive South Beach experience that is as cool as it is friendly, and as sexy as it is fun.

more ›

/ / / / /

Men Get A Little Something Extra In The Bathrooms at Trump Ocean Club

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: Calle Punta Colon, Punta Pacifica, Panama City, Panama, 0833-00321
January 31, 2012 at 9:15 AM | by | Comment (1)

There's no accounting for taste

We stopped in at the newly-opened Trump Ocean Club in Panama recently, and of all the hotel's glittering features (infinity pools, ocean views from every room, a Louis Vuitton-inspired wine bar), our curiosity was perhaps most piqued by these inverted semen-shaped turquoise urinals, found near the 15th-floor lobby. Nothing like a urinal with a tail on it to get you nice and relaxed!

These are the only urinals in the hotel with this specific design—the rest of the bathrooms (public and otherwise) are much more traditional, including the women's bathroom next door, which, for obvious reasons, has no use for turquoise urinals. The employee who showed us around the place explained, "This is what happens when you let a woman designs a men's bathroom."

more ›

/ / / /

Five on Instagram: The Best Hotel Photos This Last Week of January

January 25, 2012 at 2:30 PM | by | Comments (0)

With all the design details in hotels, it's no wonder they're the perfect place to get creative with Instagram photos. We're kind of obsessed with browsing the #hotel tag, and every other week, we'll bring you 5 of our favorite shots that impart major wanderlust. And don't forget to follow our own shots on Instagram under "hotelchatter," "jaunted" and "vegaschatter."

· Photo via boweryhotel — Bo the Bear comes out of hibernation

· Photo via iamjeffmendoza — "Awkward morning," indeed.

· Photo via thestandard — The Standard Hollywood seems to have revamped a parking lot space into a zen garden

· Photo via victorcsnap — Suspending wine bottles from the ceiling is a good way to get hotel conversations going.

· Photo via sbooth1391 — CASTLE HOTEL!

[Photo above: jetsetcd/HotelChatter on Instagram]

/ / / / /

The Shangri-La Singapore Has Its Very Own Orchid

January 19, 2012 at 4:34 PM | by | Comments (0)

"Dendrobium by Shangri-La Singapore." It sounds like a perfume, right? Close, as that is the full name of a variety of orchid that graces several vases in each room at the Shangri-La Singapore hotel. Yes, this hotel has its very own flower and, though you'll spot larger, white orchids around the property as well, these sweet little greenish yellow blooms with their faint violet shading are the ones to watch for.

And if you thought we were joking with that official name of the flower, here's the full details (for you gardeners and flower geeks):

A long-lasting specialty orchid named after the golden sunsets of the Palolo Valley in Oahu, Hawaii. Dendrobium by Palolo Sunshine is the mother plant. The father plant is Dendrobium Pink Spider, a Singaporean hybrid created from Dendrobium Black Spider and Dendrobium Lucian Pink. The Dendrobium by Shangri-La Singapore was named in commemoration of Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore's 35th Anniversary.

[Photo: HotelChatter]

/ / / / / /

Grand Hyatt's Club Lounge Goes Au Naturel

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 109 East 42nd Street [map], New York, NY, United States, 10017
January 18, 2012 at 9:00 AM | by | Comments (0)

It's time to reveal the identity of the butterfly Club Lounge! And if you guessed Grand Hyatt New York (which two people did), then you're right!

For an extra $100 per night, guests can bump up to a Grand Club King (starting at around $299), which allows them access into the Grand Club's sprawling, beige-accented lounge area. Like in other club lounges, breakfast is laid out here every morning, snacks are available all day, and the whole space has a feeling of peace and quiet. It helps that it's way up on the sixteenth floor. And yes, nature is kind of a theme here, with those dried butterflies, and a piled rock sculpture (which is actually made of wood), and bright bursts of greenery coming from the terrace outside.

For a full photo gallery, see below!

more ›

/ / / / /

You Can't Miss Fairmont Chicago's Reception Desk

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 200 North Columbus Drive [map], Chicago, IL, United States, 60601
January 17, 2012 at 9:35 AM | by | Comment (1)

Wow. It has been a while since we last stepped into the lobby of The Fairmont Chicago. In fact, the hotel came out of a $50 million renovation in 2010 and we only saw the place in its shiny newness just last month. First impressions? Niiiice. Oh, it's still vanilla enough to please the majority of travelers, but there's a hint of an Amazon jungle in those dark woods and LED underlights.

Specifically our attention was drawn to the reception backsplash—an undulating wave pattern of lights that begins at the ceiling, and flows down underneath the desk, out towards the center of the lobby floor. We like it and yet...

Does this look like a Fairmont to you?

[Photo: HotelChatter]

Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy (Revised 08/01/2011). © Condé Nast Digital. All rights reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast Digital.
Ad Choices