Hospitality Design - March/April 2014 - 72

2. Claridge's Map Room,
designed by LINLEY, is a
business center in what
used to be the hotel's
barbershop.

4. The Berkeley's Bamford
Haybarn Spa & Treatments
recalls the English
countryside, but with
added city touches.

3. The Opus suite at the
Berkeley is André Fu's first
major European project-
a glamorous yet homey
space.

2
3

4
suite are impressive, and André is a genius with
flow, layout, and light.

You just launched the Bamford Haybarn
Spa & Treatments in the Berkeley as well.
How did this come about?
We have worked with Lady Bamford for many
years, offering her organic British bath products
in all our rooms and suites across the group.
Together with her interior designer Spencer
Fung, we set out to create a space that speaks to
the spirit of the Berkeley as well as Bamford's
values. The Bamford Haybarn Spa evokes the
countryside, but with city touches like the use of
metal and darker wood stains. The result is an
ideal solution for that space.

How important is art in your hotels?

Art plays an important role in each of our hotels,
but this is particularly evident at the Connaught,
where our collection stands at more than 3,000
pieces. Guests experience art at every turn and
many even find original pieces in their rooms and

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March/April 2014 hospitalitydesign.com

suites, ranging from 19th-century pastoral oils to
Josef Albers prints. The list is quite extensive, but
the collection includes art from Julian Opie,
Nic Fiddian Green, and Damien Hirst. We
created the water feature "Silence" on Carlos
Place, designed by [Japanese architect] Tadao
Ando in collaboration with Grosvenor Estates,
because of our shared commitment to London's
Mayfair district.

Is art an example of how the Maybourne
Hotel Group has adapted to meet the
needs of today's luxury traveler?

In luxury today, whilst the material aspects,
location, and heritage are important, what
ultimately differentiates a company and its brand
are its heart and soul. Luxury travelers not only
want a beautiful guestroom and flawless service
but a complete experience.

And where does design ﬁt in?

The quality of design has an effect on the quality
of life. My personal mantra has always been to

create places where people want to be. How
a place makes you feel is what counts and
that is the starting point of every brief we
give to the designers with whom we work
very closely.

You have designers come back six and
12 months after the project is complete
to make sure everything is still how it
should be, which shows a great loyalty to
the original vision.

Since we both (management and designers)
invest considerable amounts of time in developing
a scheme for a project, I feel it is critical we pay
great respect to what we have created together.
It breaks my heart to see a scheme compromised
when the integrity of the original intent is lost.

What's next for the hotel group?

I look forward to the day Maybourne Hotel Group
will be involved in creating equally fine hotels as
our London properties in other global gateway
cities. hd
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