You may have bought many luxury brands’ products, but now you can raise your brand awareness to new heights – by staying at their hotels, write Delia Yin and Claire Lin
Today’s luxury-brand executives aren’t just interested in you wearing their products… they want you to live them, by staying in one of their hotels. As more and more of these brands branch out into interior design and hotels, are we witnessing a revolution in the hospitality industry?
In truth, marketing is the main motivation for brands putting their names to hotels – they don’t own or manage the properties, instead they collaborate with partners. One thing is for sure, however: they only pick seasoned hands to work with. The following hotels boast luxury, creativity and a focus on detail – after all, they each have to maintain their brand’s long-established spirit and direction.
Hotel Missoni Kuwait
This is the second joint project between hotel group Rezidor and Italian fashion brand Missoni. It opened in March – the first property opened in Edinburgh, Scotland, about two years ago – and the hotel showcases Missoni’s penchant for sharp colours and exotic patterns. More Missoni hotels are planned for Oman, Turkey and Brazil, among others.
The 169-room hotel is located in Kuwait City and is part of the Symphony Centre in the main retail and commercial district. Creative director Rosita Missoni has combined the signature patterns and bold colours with cultural characteristics of the Arabian Gulf and Kuwait, creating interiors that are both eye-catching and homely at the same time. The local flavour is presented through a mix of gold, turquoise and light brown.
Aesthetics aside, the hotel is also technologically advanced. As well as the Bang & Olufsen TV, another TV hides behind the mirror, which you might not notice if it isn’t pointed out to you. Room rates include breakfast, laundry service, wifi, local calls, movies and even the minibar.
The hotel is equally comprehensive with its food and beverage outlets. Cucina offers Italian fare in an interior of vertical lines with colourfully patterned sofas and black, leather-bound chairs. It sounds like an odd mix but somehow they all come together well. On the 18th floor is Luna offering Arabian and Mediterranean cuisine, and there is also Choco Café for light meals – no matter what you choose, everything is a treat to both the palate and the eyes.
The 1,500 sqm Six Senses Spa includes 10 treatment rooms, manicure and pedicure stations, two yoga studios, a resting area and juice bar, and there is also a gym, sauna and steam rooms. The hotel staff comprises members from 17 different countries who speak 14 different languages.
Palazzo Versace Gold Coast
Until next year, when another Palazzo Versace opens in Dubai, this is the only Versace-branded property – as it has been for a decade. Opened in 2000, it was a pioneer of the designer hotel trend. Although the founder of the brand passed away in 1997, his legacy lives on, especially in this hotel where the Medusa logo is omnipresent and everything from the flooring in the lobby, chairs and tables, headboards and even trays for cups are produced by the Italian fashion house. All this serves to remind you of one thing: You are in a luxurious world created by Versace.
The hotel lobby is decorated in mostly gold and pale beige, with the chequered floor paved with marble from Italy and Australia. The front is a full-length window, and parts of the ceiling are also skylighted, ensuring ample natural illumination in the interior. At its centre is a century-old antique chandelier, hanging above an intricately designed mosaic that again features the head of Medusa – we are told that this is modelled after the Miami home of the late Gianni Versace.
This Gold Coast property is about 100 metres from the lapping waves of the beach and next to the fashionable shopping centre of Marina Mirage. A US$200 million palace, it has more than 200 rooms and 72 two- and three-bedroom hotel-style condominiums. These individual units, naturally, reflect all the decadence that Versace stands for: the golden theme continues throughout and exclusive facilities include a swimming pool with waterfall, outdoor terrace, and private balconies with Jacuzzi. Versace bathroom amenities and fragrances are at guests’ disposal. A regular room starts from 36 sqm and a suite 60 sqm. The ultimate Imperial Suite offers 160 sqm of space.
There are four food and beverage outlets at this property: Il Barocco is the all-day dining spot, Le Jardin the bar, Vanitas the Italian restaurant and Vie an alfresco eatery. For leisure there are many offerings such as the spa, a gym, yoga and tai chi classes, and indoor temperature-controlled swimming pool. To make the most of the Queensland sun the outdoor pool is a favourite spot, and the property also has a private yacht jetty for those who fancy spending a day on the ocean.
The largest conference facility is the banquet hall measuring 467 sqm, which can be divided into three rooms; there are also two other conference rooms for 10 to 500 people. Of note is the patterned purple carpet: it is made with New Zealand wool using an Italian technique – to cover 400 sqm, costing several million Australian dollars.
The Armani Dubai
Opening April last year as the first ever Armani hotel, this property is noted not only for its fashion pedigree but also its location – the 163-storey Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. For those who don’t deal with excessive heights well, worry not, as the hotel takes up the first eight levels of the building as well as the 38th and 39th floors. But it is actually the heights of luxury and the designer’s touch in the décor for which the property is noted.
When you arrive, perhaps the first thing that grabs your attention is the strict security measures – metal detectors are set up at the lobby on the third floor. However, once you have passed through that, all you need do is admire the royal Arabian-style interior from the hands of one of Italy’s most celebrated designers.
You will notice – and this can lead to some confusion – that the lobby has neither reception nor concierge desks. All you see are two small desks on one side, because all your needs are taken care of by an assigned “lifestyle manager”, who is at your service even before your arrival. You can request to be picked up at the airport or have your errands run for you – it’s just like having a personal assistant. (Another thing that you might notice is all of the staff members are good looking.)
The interior here is in mainly grey, brown and gilded, with rich tapestries throughout the property – even the hallway is stunning. Arriving at the door of your room you’ll discover there is no doorknob – all you need to do is put your key card to the sensor and the door opens to welcome you in. The 160 guestrooms start from 50 sqm and, unsurprisingly, each features amazing and amusing design concepts such as curvilinear sliding walls, while in the living area all furniture is custom-made, including a dining table that can be hidden in a wooden chest. The floor-to-ceiling windows offer tantalising views of Dubai’s skyline and the iconic fountain.
For guests’ convenience every room has a multifunctional remote control that can work the window shade, lighting, TV and even the door (visitors at the door can be seen on a 42-inch TV). All units also feature free wifi, a Bose iPod docking station and Nespresso machine, and many of them have walk-in closets. Bathroom amenities are all, of course, from Armani.
There are eight food and beverage outlets in the hotel to cater to all tastes, with cuisines ranging from fine Indian, served with a rhythmical fountain show, to Italian, Mediterranean and Japanese, as well as a coffee shop and a nightclub. Other facilities include a spa with eight treatment rooms, an outdoor pool, spacious gym, a banquet hall that can hold up to 450 people, and six meeting rooms.
A second Armani hotel is set to open in Milan in November, with properties in London, New York, Tokyo and Shanghai expected to follow.
The Bulgari Resort, Bali
This is the renowned jeweller’s second hotel property after opening its first in Milan in 2004 (London will be next in 2012). Bulgari also has two Italian restaurants in Tokyo, in Ginza and Omotesando.
Although the property is already five years old, it still represents the epitome of luxury on the Indonesian holiday island. Designed by Antonio Citterio and Partners in Italy, the hotel blends Balinese traditions with Bulgari’s distinct Italian flair. The whole resort feels like a medieval castle; under the characteristic thatched roofs are white units that blend local styles with the natural environment, using hand-cut volcanic rock, indigenous timber and intricate hand-woven decorations. Building materials are all sourced locally, providing the island with a lot of work opportunities. Even the staff’s uniforms have been sourced from Bali, and all the appliances, glass containers, dining ware, pottery and woven products come from collaborations between local craftsmen and Antonio Citterio and Partners.
It would not be The Bulgari Resort, of course, if you did not get to see the brand’s own luxury products. The property is home to Bali’s only Bulgari boutiques, and other than the signature fine jewellery, watches, accessories, leather goods and fragrances, there are also exclusive products only available in this location. All cosmetic and skincare products used in the resort are, obviously, by Bulgari.
The hotel is situated on a cliff 150 metres above the Indian Ocean and consists of 59 individual sea-view villas, including three two-bedroom units and the 1,300 sqm Bulgari Villa. All of them have their own swimming pool, balcony, tropical garden and butler.
This location neighbours the established resort area of Pecatu, as well as Pura Luhur Uluwatu Temple, built in the 11th century. Denpasar International Airport is 20km to the north, and a 40-minute ride takes you to the island’s tourist hotspot of Kuta. The elevated location of the property ensures a fantastic view, and should guests want to take a walk along the 1.5km white-sand beach below, they can ride a smooth inclined elevator down to the sea.
As well as scenery that is out of this world, the hotel also boasts a comprehensive range of food and beverage, and leisure facilities such as Italian and Indonesian restaurants, a bar and swimming pool by the cliff, a spa, and a gym with private trainers available.
Maison Moschino
This unique hotel in Italy’s fashion capital Milan, which opened last year, is unlike other fashion-branded counterparts in that it does not emphasise opulence but presents a classy sense of humour and whimsicality, leading guests into a magical “kidult” world.
The structure was originally a neoclassical train station built in 1840, and its transformation has been the combined effort of the Italian fashion house and Hotelphilosophy under hotel group Mobygest. The exterior has been preserved, but inside you enter a totally different world.
The building of the hotel was done under the direction of Moschino’s creative director Rossella Jardini. It features 65 guestrooms on four floors, including two suites; each room is named after a children’s story such as Alice in Wonderland or Little Red Riding Hood and designed accordingly. The designer used elements from these tales to create surreal spaces, for example using wool as the main theme for the ceiling and couch in one room, or a rose petal-themed bed and re-created forest… despite the wild variety, all seem to have a single purpose: to let guests fall asleep in their own personal fantasy world.
According to Jardini, the bedroom is where people dream, so why not make it a space where you can see roses “grow” in the bed, sleep amidst a forest, or sleep in a bed that has a headboard that is dressed in an evening gown, with the bed sheet designed like a skirt? And how about animal-shaped couches, teacup tables, cake pillows and dress lampshades? In Maison Moschino, there is no limit to this imaginative world.
Fantasy aside, the leisure facilities here are no child’s play: the dining outlet Clandestino Milano is under the helm of creative chef Moreno Cedroni, and the spa is managed by renowned Italian wellness brand Culti. There is also a meeting room for up to 10 people. You can also take a piece of the hotel home from the boutique – the rose-petal bedding, the rose sofa, dress lampshades and handbag table lamps, as well as the Moschino dining ware, are all for sale.
The hotel’s website is equally exuberant; perhaps that’s the whole point of a hotel – getting away from it all and escaping to a world of spontaneity and imagination.
Behind the scene
While some fashion houses brand their own hotels, other designers prefer a more subtle way of getting involved, by offering their expertise to established hospitality brands.
Royal treatment
After having been a long-time customer of Claridge’s, a grand dame of hospitality in London with a rich history linked to aristocrats and royalty, American fashion noble Diane von Furstenberg (right) made herself part of the hotel forever by designing 20 DVF rooms and suites. They were von Furstenberg’s first interior design project and these units bearing the style of the “queen of print” finally opened in June.
Without altering the rooms’ original features, the designer created bespoke fabrics and furniture with her iconic prints and bold colours. She re-created the spaces by gaining inspiration from the ardent traveller inside herself, making them relevant to today’s lifestyle and the hotel.
This new collection by von Furstenberg starts with an elegant open-plan studio in art-deco style, including two 1930s-inspired armchairs, a bespoke private bar, a king-size bed, black-and-white marble bathroom and tailored dressing table with round hanging mirror above. That’s combined with modern amenities such as two 37-inch plasma TVs. The design concept goes all the way up to the third-floor piano suite, which comes with one or two bedrooms and von Furstenberg’s iconic Ikat pattern. The entrance hall is adorned in gold hues with a leopard-skin patterned rug, while inside Murano glass lights ooze elegance and the herring-bone patterned hardwood floor is accentuated by other rich prints. The designer also adds her own collectibles such as trunks in the master bedroom to reflect her love for being on the road. Photographs von Furstenberg took on her travels around Europe, Africa and Asia hang on the walls, further emphasising the designer’s globetrotting lifestyle.
Mix of styles
Under its Sofitel brand, recently repositioned as a player in the luxury hotel market, Accor has launched another line of properties for the young and urbane, Sofitel So, with Mauritius being the launch destination late last year.
Located in one of the world’s most exclusive holiday destinations in the Indian Ocean, Sofitel So Mauritius Bel Ombre combined the genius of Thai architect Lek Bunnag and legendary fashion designer Kenzo Takada. The 14 hectares of landscaped gardens border a 520-metre-long serene white-sand beach. The contemporary structure incorporates elements inspired by Indian and local Creole cultures, with 86 suites starting from 60 sqm, six beach villas each measuring 100 sqm and two occupying 200 sqm, all gracefully blending with the surrounding natural tropical beauty.
The Japanese designer used the local flora as inspiration for everything from dining ware, vases, clothing patterns, beach bags, beach towels and souvenirs for the guests. Drawing from his experience in creating fragrances, Kenzo also partnered with local parfumier Jean-Patrick Farret to concoct aromas that are designed to make spa experiences at the resort unique.
In designing the uniforms, Kenzo highlighted the country’s cultural diversity while injecting his signature creativity, designing styles that are sharp looking and practical at the same time. According to the designer, while working the staff members should be able to “dance like butterflies” and complement the environment.
The next Sofitel So is due to open in Bangkok later this year, with design by Smith Obayawat, managing director of OBA and a leading figure in the Association of Siamese Architects. The interior is based on the five elements of Water, Earth, Wood, Metal and Fire, and designed by five Thai designers Pongthep Sagulku of August Design, IAW Design’s Vitoon Kunalungkarn, the award-winning founder of 49 Group Nithi Sthapitanonda, Somchai Jongsaeng of Deca Atelier and Rujiraporn Wanglee of PIA Interior.
