Designing an Escape: Three new Design Hotels Properties Push the Boundaries of Design with Spectacular Results
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Claus Sendlinger was ahead of his time. 17 years ago, predicting design would become an integral part of the hotel industry, the German-born publicist and event-planner created the concept for Design Hotels.
What began as a marketing company for contemporary hotels has, over nearly two decades, evolved into a global lifestyle brand. Today, Design Hotels includes more than 180 one-of-a-kind, handpicked properties around the world. True to its name, the brand is based on thought-provoking architecture and distinctive interiors. While each hotel reflects the vision of an independent hotelier, their common thread is extraordinary design strengthened by practicality and exceptional service. At a time when the term is used to describe everything from cookie cutter grand-hotels to hotel chains, the “design hotel” is going back to its roots.
Aesthetic integrity may be its foundation, but the concept is far from one dimensional. Design Hotels places significant value on the abstract: thought, feeling, emotion. Every hotel is a story told by an architect and hotelier, an idea that becomes an authentic experience. At the core of each hotel is a soul that makes it unique.
Daniele Kihlgren remembers the fateful day he saw the medieval village of Santo Stefano di Sessanio in Abruzzo, Italy. “It was a dreamlike vision,” he says. “It seemed as though everything was frozen in time.” Hoping to revive the village’s cultural and culinary traditions, the hotelier/ philanthropist/entrepreneur opened the historically accurate, meticulously restored Sextantio Albergo Diffuso.
In 2009, Kihlgren extended his vision to The Sextantio Le Grotte della Civita. An extraordinary sensory experience, the hotel is set in ancient abandoned caves in the Basilicata village of Matera, Italy. Kihlgren and his partner Margareta Berg created 18 immaculate rooms, integrating traditional design and local materials to preserve this UNESCO World Heritage Site. With contemporary amenities and a 2,500-year-old backdrop, a stay at the surprisingly luxurious Sextantio Le Grotte della Civita is a once-in-a-lifetime experience (assuming you can resist the urge to return).
Kihlgren keeps things local, but one Design Hotel is going global. Hotelier Rudi Kull and designer Albert Weinzierl compare the Louis Hotel to a traveler who explored the world and brought inspiration home. It’s no wonder then that this serene space offers a marvelous escape.
Bringing foreign lands to Munich, Germany, the Louis Hotel’s international perspective shines through its design. Steamer trunks, hand-knotted Persian and Turkish kilims, and tiles from the Paris Métro adorn a warm, mellow interior for an atmosphere Kull calls “relaxed luxury”. The hotel’s Emiko restaurant is a gastronomical treasure from Asia. Looking to traditional Japanese culture, Tokyo-trained chefs serve guests according to the communal Japanese sharing principle signature cocktails at the Emiko bar infuse ingredients like plum sake, ginger, and Thai basil to highlight the kitchen’s aromatic scents. Equal parts hip and relaxed, The Louis Hotel seamlessly blends cultures and traditions. Explains Kull of the project, “Whenever you’re in love with something, you want it to be perfect.”
In Paris, the partnership between hotelier Shahe Kalaidijian and architect/designer Christopher Pillet raised eyebrows at first. Pillet graduated from the prestigious Domus School in Milan, working with Martine Bedin and Philippe Starck before setting out on his own. A classically trained hotelier and polo aficionado, Kalaidijian grew up in Beirut, working in restaurants to learn about the industry. Both men want to break the mold both have notoriously strong personalities. But when these two come together, they make a unique brand of hotel magic.
The Hotel Sezz Paris – their first project – opened in 2005. Tucked away in the city’s 16th arrondissement, thoughtful details lend a warm, charming feel to the hotel’s minimal aesthetic. Its 72 rooms are each spacious by Paris standards, and set the perfect stage for distinguishing design elements: cool, khaki-grey stone from Cascais, Portugal and a chic Parisian palette of slate, blue-gray, and red leather. The overall feel is sharp-edged but decadent.
Later this summer, Pillet and Kalaidijian will unveil the Hotel Sezz Saint-Tropez. They say the only thing the two properties have in common is their name and inspiration: fresh air, the Mediterranean sunshine, the deep blue sea, lush green grass, and purple lavender fields. “Imagine both of us are writers and we are telling two different stories,” explains Pillet. “Hotel Sezz Paris is an urban story and the next volume is a vacation story. The only common point is that it is the same writers with the same style and vision.” If the story comes from this duo, the ending will be worth the wait.
For bookings visit www.designhotels.com.
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| Read full story in REAL's September issue |
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