Designer digs
Boutique hotels are all the rage in Hong Kong and, increasingly, China, says Lucy Davis
Ever since Andree Putnam teamed up with Morgan’s Hotel in New York in 1983 to create a stylish property aimed to leave a lasting impression on guests, many other hotels have followed suit, all aiming to provide a chic alternative to the identikit feel of the big brand hotels. These so-called boutique properties are usually diminutive with less than 100 rooms although larger hotels with strong design principles now fall into this category.
Hong Kong has many boutique hotels, including the Hotel LKF on Wyndham Street (it opened in 2006) where minimalist rooms are illuminated by striking pieces of photography, and the uber-minimal Philippe Starck-designed JIA, which opened in Causeway Bay in 2005. With surrealist influences and sumptuous fabrics and colours, the 2006-built Luxe Manor in Kowloon is another super-cool property, while luxury boutique brand W Hotels, opened its doors in West Kowloon this August.
In an attempt to stand out from the increasingly crowded market, boutique hotels are currently taking the mainland by storm. JIA Shanghai scooped Best Hotel Design of the Year award in the annual Interior Design China (IDC) Hospitality Design Awards this June. “I think the judges liked the fact that we managed to create a contemporary, whimsical hotel yet retained the 1920’s architecture of the building, and injected the European interiors with Chinese touches in a subtle and sensuous way which we feel reflects the personality of Shanghai,” says JIA’s founder and owner Yenn Wong, who appointed three different designers to create the interiors of JIA Shanghai.
The rooms and suites were designed by Melbourne-based BURO Architects in association with Hecker Phelan and Guthrie Interiors, while the lobby was dreamt up by award-winning interior designer, André Fu, of Hong Kong architectural firm AFSO.
Other boutique gems in the city include the 2007-built Ivy, which has butlers on hand 24 hours, the Lapis Casa, which opened in 2006 in Xintiandi and is infused with the spirit of 1920s Shanghai, and the Zen-like URBN on Jiaozhou Road, which has its own garden. URBN opened this year and is the city’s first carbon-neutral hotel.
Not to be outdone, the Chinese capital is also getting in on the boutique act. Stylish properties that have opened this year include the Opposite House, the first hotel in the world to be designed by world-renowned architect Kengo Kuma. Hotel G, meanwhile, is also attracting attention thanks to its novel rooftop restaurant Gilt with a Tibetan-style tent and open fireplace, designed by Philippe Starck-protégé Imaad Rahmouni.
As business and leisure travellers alike continue to demand more unique and memorable accommodation experiences, boutique hotels will undoubtedly flourish. While the hotel chains may offer a reassuring sense of familiarity, individuality, it seems, is now a key factor when travellers are selecting their accommodation.
|
