NEWH - Spring 2019 - 52

COVER STORY

Inviting Approach
Brintons continues its centuries-old wool carpet practice
By Alia Akkam
Photography courtesy of Brintons

eautifully plush, sound-absorbent, and durable-
comfortable and functional wool is one of the most
desirable carpeting options available to the hospitality
market. One such leader in this realm is Brintons-purportedly the
single largest end-user of British wool-which has been turning
out bespoke carpets since its founding in Kidderminster, England,
in 1793. With roots in the European residential sphere, Brintons
carpeting evolved to grace royal palaces, tony cruise lines, and the
commercial sphere. In the 1950s, for instance, Brintons pioneered
a blend of 80 percent wool and 20 percent nylon, a luxe, longwearing union of fibers that fast became the go-to among hotels
across all sectors.
"If you look at the definition of hospitality it reads the friendly
and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or
strangers" says Mark Oldfield, senior vice president of operations
for Brintons Americas. "We feel that our carpets are the perfect
way to invite someone into a space. Having a wool-rich Axminster

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product on the floor of your property will immediately tell your
clients that they are important and welcome. You cannot deny the
warmth and depth of color that you can achieve with wool."
Hotel companies are inclined to agree. Brintons has worked
with many high-profile brands, including Marriott International,
Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt, and Four Seasons. One recent project is
the just-opened Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center in
Aurora, Colorado, in collaboration with Dallas design firm Looney
& Associates and Orlando- and Long Island City, New Yorkbased procurement and purchasing company the Carroll Adams
Group. Brintons supplied almost 75,000 square yards of custom
Axminster broadloom for the hotel's public spaces and corridors.
The personalized approach for which Brintons has long been
known is even more appealing to today's customers, who prioritize
distinctive design narratives that forge a connection between
interiors and locations, points out Oldfield. "It's commonplace now
for us to design custom carpets into a floorplan, effectively making
the footprint of the property our blank
canvas. Axminster carpets are an ideal fit as
there is no limitation in terms of color range
or pattern repeats."
High-coloration carpets have been
a Brintons specialty for over a decade.
And although the ability to weave with 32
different hues is impressive, "the process is
virtually the same as choosing the standard
eight or 12," says Oldfield. "We find that
people are still picking balanced, smaller
palettes and the additional colors that
Brintons can offer simply take the design
to the next level by using shading and
textural effects that can only be achieved by
increased channels."
Hotels are also turning to the new Wilton
variants from Brintons woven in either 100
percent cut pile or a textural mix of cut-andloop pile. Simple and elegant, they provide
a level of underfoot softness that cannot

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NEWH - Spring 2019

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