Jeremy Heyes, senior vice president at WATG, has more than 20 years of experience in planning and architecture both in the UK and overseas. Here he discusses issues that influence hospitality design, as well as his most memorable project, the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi.
What are your influences and how do you get inspiration when starting a project?
“Location is by far the greatest influence, whether it’s a site on the beach in Mauritius, or an urban site in Marrakesh; it is important that the design is informed by the local climate and culture.”
What has been your most ambitious and memorable project to date?
“The most ambitious project to date has to be the Emirates Palace, regarded as the world’s most expensive hotel; this 270,000m² property was designed and completed in three and a half years. This is something that could not have been achieved without a cooperative client and a highly motivated team of local consultants and construction managers.”
Photo: Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Challenge: The design challenge was to create the finest example of a grand civic building in the UAE that would be both culturally sensitive to the styles and traditions of Abu Dhabi, and a conference hotel of the highest quality ever built.
Solution: Built in the style of a majestic palace rising from the sand, an elaborate and luxurious design combines a conference centre, guest palace and two luxury Kempinksi hotel wings. Modern techniques of etching and casting allowed traditional patterns to become an integral component of the façade design. Traditional materials and motifs were blended with the latest technology. The building’s exterior of marble, granite and stone includes self-cleaning glass spandrels and balcony fronts.
Result: The Emirates Palace showcases the beauty of Arabian culture, adhering to traditional themes and providing an affinity with the national identity of the UAE.
Which factors do you think will influence hotel design over the next five-10 years?
“Sustainability and technology in all its guises will definitely affect the design of all the hotels, whether that is the correct specification of materials from sustainable sources to the use of smart Wi-Fi technology, it will be very interesting.
“WATG has explored this theme in a number of award winning competitions, the first sustainable suite called The Haptik Suite won first prize at HD Expo 2010 in Las Vegas. Re-Inhabit Hotel won first prize for Tomorrow’s Hotels at the European Hotel Design Awards in London 2010.”
Who do you consider to be the five most influential people in the hospitality design industry?
“That’s difficult. Essentially the most influential people have always been the developers with money. However, with speed of communication, the power is shifting to the guest who, through websites like Trip Advisor will vote with their feet – if they don’t like it they won’t come!”
How would you describe the legacy of WATG?
“I think this is summed up beautifully in our company’s mission statement, “Designing environments that lift the spirit.”
What would be your dream project?
“This would be the opportunity to design a world class resort hotel in the UK. We spend our lives designing and delivering beautiful resorts all over the world, yet there has not been an outstanding purpose build luxury resort on the UK coast since Victorian times! We have a fantastic coastline and I would love to design one here.”
What plans do WATG have for the future?
“WATG has an inclusive culture of embracing new designers and talent. The projects in the pipeline show a shift in our design direction. From the London office we have a number of stunningly contemporary designs in the emerging market.”
Tell us about the latest project you are working on.
“We are currently working on a new coastal resort in Sochi as part of the Olympic delivery for the 2014 Winter Games. It is another time critical project which has to be completed by June 2013. It will be the first international 5-star purpose built resort hotel in Russia.”