Hospitality Design - December 2014 - 32

perspectives

sketchbook

bayreuth
youth hostel
> "We are in the age where Gen Y travelers want funky design,
a special identity, access to online and community, and unique
experiences-not just a clean bed and a shower," says Tobias Wallisser,
director of LAVA's (the Laboratory for Visionary Architecture) Berlin
office. It's from these principles that the firm is designing a modern
youth hostel in Bayreuth, Germany, with construction set to begin early
next year. The 180-bed Bayreuth Youth Hostel, created for the Bavarian
Youth Hostel Association, will cater to active and sports-minded guests,
with access to the property's sports fields and gardens paramount in the
design concept.
Constructed in a Y shape, the property's design offers easy access to
the building's public spaces, including a central atrium-with a skylight
that brings in natural light-and an amphitheater that connects the
hostel's different levels. The reception area, meeting rooms, bistro,
kitchen, and gaming facilities are spread over two floors, connected by
the atrium. "LAVA chose the Y shape because it generates a connective
central space," Wallisser explains.

A new room typology for the hostel includes a flexible, wooden,
modular wall system-walls can be moved and replaced between the
rooms-and built-in furniture that accommodates the bathrooms and
bed niches. Materials such as wood and concrete floors and ceilings
create an industrial aesthetic, while bright yellow and green infills on
ceilings and floors, and black and white neutral areas enhanced with
graphics referencing sporting activities add to the lively, contemporary
hostel model.
"It may be a budget accommodation," says LAVA director Alexander
Rieck, "but the integrated concept goes beyond the hostel model
'experience community' to 'experience the unexpected'-it's not like the
hostel as we know it."

the curtis, a doubletree
by hilton
> "There's humor in it," says Staci Patton, senior design associate at
DLR Group, of the themed floors and rooms of the Curtis, a DoubleTree
by Hilton in Denver. With 16 overall themes (13 on each floor with
three suites)-including Star Trek, Ghostbusters, Talk Show Hosts, and
Knock Knock, the property offers just the right amount of kitsch mixed
with thoughtful design. On each floor, the corner king room is set aside
for a "hyper theme," where the design is more focused.
Working with ownership group Sage Hospitality and Nine Dot Arts,
Patton says the goal was to incorporate pieces from local artists into the
rooms. The art was meant to create balance, allowing guests to embrace
their desire for nostalgia while also being fun, enjoyable, and "to remind
guests of their childhood a little bit," she explains.
For example, in the Jimmy Buffet room, an island aesthetic is
employed in the wallcovering with a wood grain effect that "makes
you feel like you're in an old wood tiki hut," Patton says. On the wall
above the bed is a Hawaiian floral pattern wallcovering, and a mural by
Think Big-which translates Buffet's songbook through illustrations-
adorns another wall. Meanwhile, in the Talk Show room-a standout to
Patton-the Mark Hall-commissioned wall mural features caricatures

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December 2014 hospitalitydesign.com

Photo by PAUL BROKERING PHOTOGRAPHY

of famous hosts, including Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, and Oprah.
"We provided a playful environment that creates a sense of fun in a
sophisticated modern way that appeals to guests," Patton says.
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