Unique and timeless development
Unless they've been living under a rock for some time, everyone in the country will be familiar with the hotel developments taking place in Dubai. But what inspires the designers of some of the most famous hotels - and how easy is it to design a high-end luxury hotel for a world famous company in such an environment? Stefan Appleby spoke to Wilson Associates to get the gossip behind the Park Hyatt Dubai...
Designing and building a stand-out hotel in an area with one of the fastest rates of development is never going to be an easy task. With more than 30 four and five star hotels currently in development - as well as over 100 in the planning stages, including the Dubailand development which will contain 50 hotels of 1,000 rooms each - making a hotel stand out from the rest but fit in with the surroundings is an unenviable task. Especially when that hotel is a luxury Park Hyatt hotel.
Wilson Associates were the designers behind the Park Hyatt Dubai, a 225 room ‘urban resort' adjacent to the world-famous Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club and located just minutes from the city centre.
The original brief for the design was to combine Greek, Mediterranean and Arabic styles for the interiors while juxtaposed within a more simple and crisp Grecian architectural building. To achieve this in a waterfront setting, Wilson Associates picked up on the natural elements of the water and nautical styles for the inspiration behind the resort's design. All guestrooms, suites, and the majority of the public areas have stunning views of the creek, allowing guests to take in the surroundings and connect with nature. Overall the feeling achieved is that of a "luxury waterfront retreat."
The Wilson design team worked very closely with the client and operator to fine tune the design brief and they allowed the company to interpret that brief into the final vision. Further, they tried as much as possible to utilise local materials that brought out the true Middle Eastern flavour to the design while keeping the overall feel elegant and contemporary. Carefully placed details in the interior architecture allowed patterns, texture and shadowing to bring about the feeling of calmness and relaxation within the neutral-toned interior.
Achieving a feeling of luxury in an area renowned for the extravagant hospitality it provides is a monumental task. I asked Wilson why the Park Hyatt Dubai hotel is so special: "For many reasons! First of all the hotel is a Park Hyatt, the high-end brand for Hyatt International, which means the guest can expect impeccable service and attention to detail. This hotel is designed to be a luxury retreat within the frenetic city of Dubai, a place where guests can truly unwind in a resort-like setting but yet be only a short distance away from major points of interest. The low-rise architecture lends itself to create this resort oasis setting amidst the growing forest of soaring skyscrapers.
"The guestrooms and suites in this hotel are single-loaded, which means all rooms have views which address the creek and surrounding views. King guestrooms are in a wider module which allows the bed to face the view instead of the TV. The open bathrooms are spacious and have a freestanding, sculptural bathtub and walk-in closets.
"There are multiple food & beverage offerings within the property, giving the guest a myriad of choices. The All-Day Dining Restaurant, Cafe Arabesque, is an extension of the lobby area and continues the modern Arabian theme in a casual setting. The Thai Kitchen offers "Thai tapas" within four show kitchens in a dark and intimate setting. For fine dining, the French Restaurant Traiteur draws upon the creek for inspiration for its theatrical super-yacht setting where the polished open kitchen lets the chefs be "on stage." With so many exciting dining options and features such as wood-fired ovens, elegant private dining rooms and open-plan kitchens, the hotel brings a real sense of drama to everyday dining.
"Amara, the exclusive day spa, features eight private Park Spa treatment rooms, including a treatment suite. All rooms feature a private garden with rain-shower for the ultimate in relaxing and rejuvenating rituals and treatments. The well-appointed fitness studio is equipped with the latest generation of Technogym equipment."
Some of the main focal points of the hotel from a design point of view are the food and beverage outlets, clustered together in the centre of the property to form the heart of the site. By grouping them in this way, these very thematic and exciting dining experiences are centered around a main piazza which opens up to the boardwalk, gardens, yachts, and the creek. The public areas terrace down towards the Dubai Creek, taking full advantage of the dramatic view. Therefore, they have emphasized a connection with nature throughout the hotel.
Aside from the interior area, a hotel has to integrate with its surroundings. This is something that Wilson Associates concentrated a deal of time and effort on. "Integration with the environment was a key element to this hotel. We tried emphasizing the guests ability to visually connect with nature and the immediate surroundings, as evidenced by the numerous windows allowing direct views to the landscape and the acceptance and integration of natural daylight into the interior space. For the guestrooms, we created a single-loaded corridor so that all of the 225 rooms and suites have incredible views to the surrounding Dubai Creek. The color palettes are earth-toned and more neutral overall, allowing the guests to experience the interior spaces at a leisurely pace without overwhelming them with decoration.
"A hotel has a specific requirement to cater to its guests, whether they are staying in the hotel or patrons who simply enter off the street. As such, hotels are inherently their own ‘mixed-use development' within the mixed-use development. They are living and breathing entities that must adapt to its users and its environment at all hours of the day and night. Generally a hotel can be very iconic and act as the heart of a development, but it begins with the architectural statement. By highlighting the hotel as the key element of the overall master plan, interior designers are then given the opportunity to showcase how special the hotel can be among the other uses, whether they be shopping mall, office building, residential apartments, etc. But even as a focal point, we see shared integration and mutual benefits by sheer proximity to its other uses - whether they are guests looking for a comfortable place to sleep, shoppers looking for a good bargain, office workers booking rooms for their clients, or hungry diners seeking the latest in culinary artistry. Each use benefits from the other."
Putting together a design for a world-renowned company like Hyatt International can be both an honour and a huge challenge. The task of maintaining the brand standards whilst creating something that is new and exciting is a tremendous challenge for a designer to undertake. Wilson Associates agree: "As we all know, different chains have their own style and branding that make them identifiable to their guest profile. Working with Hyatt International on the Park Hyatt Dubai, they were extremely knowledgeable about the target market and competitive product, and allowed us a lot of freedom in interpreting the design brief for the hotel's interior design. We believe our responsibility is to understand and respect the elements that make up a hotel brand, from its marketing, service and quality rating, design style, demographics, operations, etc, and manifest that into the physical product in a unique and timeless manner."
In addition to the brand standards required by a company like Park Hyatt, the other main considerations for Wilson Associates were the cultural significances of constructing a building in the Middle East, and especially the United Arab Emirates, and the big news story involved in all construction projects at the moment - sustainability. "In terms of interiors, partnering with the right clients who share your vision for world-class design, a feasible working schedule, and availability of local materials and resources.
"When designing in the Middle East, Arabic culture and religion has to be respected as well. For example, the following must be considered: sense of place (men and women must be separated in all areas of the spa), alcohol licensing laws, choice of artwork, etc. We believe each property should relate to its surroundings and have a "sense of place." With most of the properties we are involved with in this region, we try to introduce references that allude to the history and culture through either subtle or literal adaptations of in the design and detailing. Of course, how and how much this is interpreted into the interior design is determined early on with the client and operator. But overall, we try to ensure that a guest knows they are in a hotel in the UAE and that the design is relevant and appropriate."
"Sustainability for a hotel is of paramount importance. We always try to design in harmony with the building's architecture and environment to create spaces that are unique, livable and timeless. We look for locally viable materials and resources, and think of creative uses for them in our interiors. The environments we create must work as much aesthetically as operationally and each space should maximize their revenue generating potential for our clients to help ensure the hotel's success and survival. We have also been fortunate to partner with forward-thinking operators like Hyatt who are at the forefront of environmental responsibility in its operations and management.
The boom in hotel construction in the Middle East, and especially Dubai, shows little sign of slowing down. Wilson Associates certainly want to be a part of it for as long as it happens. "Will the boom slow down? We hope not! This booming retail and hospitality construction is fantastic for designers because they have the opportunity to explore different aspects of influential design. Designers and architects want to go here because there is so much work. What is happening differently in the UAE is that they are much more willing to accept cutting edge design."