Boutique Design - May 2013 - 46

LUXE
FOR LESS
The designs of the ALT, MOXY and Country Inns & Suites hotels
exemplify the movement toward affordable chic.
BY MAT THEW HALL

A GROWING NUMBER OF hoteliers

are seeking to attract today’s younger,
tech-savvy travelers by creating
locales that are luxurious without
being too pricey. But designing hotels
that achieve those seemingly contradictory goals is no easy task.
At Groupe Germain Hospitalité’s
ALT Hotels, for example, designers
excised what company co-founder/
co-president Christiane Germain
describes as “gratuitous details.”
“Our ALT hotels reflect a major
trend in accommodation, especially
in Europe and Asia, of offering design,
atmosphere and decor at the best
possible price,” says Germain. “It’s
a bold concept that makes a strong
46

boutiquedesign.com MAY 2013

impression by not being hampered by
such gratuitous details as extravagant
fountains in the lobby, ostentatious
ballrooms or guest rooms brimming
with floral bedding, gold frames and
antique tubs.”
The ALT locales, by contrast,
offer environments that Germain
describes as “luxury made simple.”
This approach involves keeping a
luxe look and feel only at important
customer touch points, rather than
in a ubiquitous fashion. “For example,
we don’t have mini-bars, but we do
have a hip lounge,” says Germain.
In keeping with that ethos, ALT’s
interiors—which were created by
LEMAYMICHAUD Architecture

Design—feature lots of natural materials, such as stone and wood, interspersed with pops of color; lobbies
outfitted like large-scale living
rooms, including fireplaces and pool
tables; and guest rooms where the
main emphasis is on what Germain
describes as “ultra-comfy beds” and
spa-style bathrooms.
Thus far, Germain has opened
three ALT Hotels, in Montreal,
Quebec City and Toronto. A fourth
will open this month (a 169-key locale
in Halifax, Nova Scotia) and the
company has plans for three more
in 2014 (in Ottawa and Winnipeg,
Canada, along with a second locale
in Montreal). “This type of chic-



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Boutique Design - May 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Boutique Design - May 2013

Boutique Design - May 2013
Contents
From the Editor
In This Issue
The Buzz
The Edge
Dining Nirvana
Luxe for Less
Spirited Reuse
Tech Specs
Farm Fresh
Products: Indoor Furniture
Last Detail
Boutique Design - May 2013 - Intro
Boutique Design - May 2013 - Boutique Design - May 2013
Boutique Design - May 2013 - Cover2
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 1
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 2
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 3
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 4
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 5
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 6
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 7
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 8
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 9
Boutique Design - May 2013 - Contents
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 11
Boutique Design - May 2013 - From the Editor
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 13
Boutique Design - May 2013 - In This Issue
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 15
Boutique Design - May 2013 - The Buzz
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 17
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 18
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 19
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 20
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 21
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 22
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 23
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 24
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 25
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 26
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 27
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 28
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 29
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 30
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 31
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 32
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 33
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 34
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 35
Boutique Design - May 2013 - The Edge
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 37
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 38
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 39
Boutique Design - May 2013 - Dining Nirvana
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 41
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 42
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 43
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 44
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 45
Boutique Design - May 2013 - Luxe for Less
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 47
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 48
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 49
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 50
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 51
Boutique Design - May 2013 - Spirited Reuse
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 53
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 54
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 55
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 56
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 57
Boutique Design - May 2013 - Tech Specs
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 59
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 60
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 61
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 62
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 63
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 64
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 65
Boutique Design - May 2013 - Farm Fresh
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 67
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 68
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 69
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 70
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 71
Boutique Design - May 2013 - Products: Indoor Furniture
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 73
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 74
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 75
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 76
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 77
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 78
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 79
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 80
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 81
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 82
Boutique Design - May 2013 - 83
Boutique Design - May 2013 - Last Detail
Boutique Design - May 2013 - Cover3
Boutique Design - May 2013 - Cover4
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