Hotel Spec looks at two stunning hotels in Cairo, which have been recently completed by hospitality design firm Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA).
Photo: The Fairmont Nile City
On the banks of the Nile, in one of the world’s most intriguing cities, HBA has created a new and uncompromising classic of luxury hospitality interior design.
The Fairmont Nile City is one of the most cosmopolitan luxury hotels in Cairo. Its interior architecture connects the Nile’s natural beauty with Egypt’s ancient and modern forms, imbuing the Fairmont Nile City with a dramatic, timeless mystique. HBA was engaged to create a sophisticated environment, suited for the world traveller, while evoking the romantic Cairo of the 1920s; when modern elegance itself was defined.
Photo: The Fairmont Nile City
To that end, HBA delivered a comprehensive present-day retelling of the Deco period in Cairo, giving guests the sense of having stepped back in time. The look is modern, but not contemporary; understated and refined, the Fairmont Nile City’s interior design inspires nostalgia without being trite. The colours are truly natural: gray, camel and black predominate. The finishes create deep, rich sumptuousness.
The guestrooms have two distinct styles, one more traditionally masculine, and the other more delicate. In the king rooms, sage, camel and black predominate. A black leather, floor-to-ceiling tufted headboard, embedded with a mirror, is the room’s signature piece. Architectural details include 20cm carved cornices also in black. The room is intimate; walls are covered in a dusky green. The custom furniture features Deco forms, complete with bow-shaped armoires, black oval desk, and chrome and glass lighting.
The other style room maintains the same design element, but the palette is much lighter. Here, the headboards are cream as is the bedding, accented with black or camel piping. Curtains are cream with teal accents and cream-coloured stones are used in the bath.
The ballroom carries over the renewed Deco theme: walls panelled in metallic leather, tall doors with deco handles. Textured velvet draperies in muted green and purples tie together the custom carpeting. Dramatic sculptural lighting runs the width of the ballroom, and on the walls, long crystal candle holders sparkle. The functional space features grey tables and tan leather chairs. The pre-function is adorned with deco alcove and alabaster urns.
The Fairmont Nile city is a vibrant entertainment destination, resurrecting Cairo’s café culture and offering an ambiance that draws well-heeled Egyptians, as well as international guests. A Havana-inspired cigar bar, the jazz-themed Onyx Bar and the rooftop Sky Bar, with extraordinary views of Cairo, were developed as destinations for the people of Cairo. The hotel’s restaurants include the Napa Grill and Saigon Bleu, which bring subtle touches of California chic and Asian elegance to the underlying styles. Photo: The Fairmont Nile City
With an eye toward attracting local sophisticates, the Fairmont’s art program is one of the most distinctive commercial collections of contemporary Egyptian art anywhere, featuring artists as diverse as Mostafa Abdel Moity and Mohamed Al Fayoumi. Sourced with the help of consultants from a major Cairo gallery, the collection defies expectations. HBA’s direction was that the art be entirely unique, unlike competing hotels. Carefully planned and cohesive, works were collected and commissioned from a select group of international prize-winning painters and sculptors, whose work is featured in important collections around the world.
Saraya Gallery in the Cairo Marriott
HBA has also recently completed the design of the Saraya Gallery in the Cairo Marriott. The luxury hotel in Egypt, built around the “Al Gezira” palace, still houses rooms from the former royal residence. The palace was originally built for Princess Eugenie, the wife of Napolean III, to accommodate her during her trip to Egypt for the opening ceremony of the Suez Canal. With that in mind, the 5-star hotel in Cairo, appointed HBA to resurrect the royal tale through the renovation of one of its old restaurants to its former Ottoman glory.
During the renovation of Saraya Gallery, HBA sought to keep the style of the Cairo restaurant authentic and similar to the original palace. Al Gezira palace was carefully designed to relay strong French influences all over the structure, carefully mixing European and Ottoman influences to result in an elegant, sophisticated yet comfortable scene.
HBA wanted to bring back the palace’s former glory and create wonderfully dramatic and intimate spaces throughout Saraya Gallery’s grand high rooms.
Creating a high level of comfort was central to HBA throughout the development of the design. The designers wanted to create a sense of wonder yet comfort for the guest. All of the furniture in Saraya Gallery was custom designed. The leather and fabrics were imported from the finest continental fabric houses and the beautifully thick and luxurious carpets were handmade in Cairo.
Photo: Saraya Gallery, Cairo
HBA’s aim was to make the Saraya Gallery a “breathtaking” experience people will continue to talk about. The attention to detail applied throughout Saraya Gallery was of the utmost importance including the uniforms, flower arrangements, stitching details on chairs, custom table settings, comfort tested sofas, as well as the restored antiques featured in the design. The design and detailing all came together beautifully with the grand original features that can now be admired in their full splendour. The result is a harmonious combination of a Royal Palace and an urban modern restaurant.
Hotel Spec asked Inge Moore, principal at HBA about the company’s plans for the future, and she commented: “We realise that the market wants sub brands that can find solutions for all your hotel design requirements. So we are finding the right partners to align ourselves with that so we can give you the specialist services you require, F&B, art, lighting, the 3-star market budget driven project, the boutique sector.
“I believe we have a very exciting portfolio to offer the industry all based on the systems and documentation standards built up over more than 40 years in the industry but reinvented to suit the ever changing hotel design industry.” She continued: “We are currently working on a fabulous historical renovation in Milan, shaking off the dust and putting a grande dame in Seville back on the map, a first for a new contemporary brand in Istanbul, working within cutting edge architecture in Amsterdam and a shabby chic with a twist, home from home, in the English countryside... we have a wonderful multi cultural team in London and some truly amazing design opportunities”.