Hospitality Design - May/June 2009 - 40

news Vegas Mind Freak Since the Las Vegas Cirque du Soleil show Criss Angel BeLIEve parallels Lewis Carroll’s classic literary work, Through the Looking Glass, the design team at Hamilton Anderson Associates (HAA) had to make sure the look of show’s box office, retail space, and bar/lounge at the Luxor was just as dramatic and surreal. “[MGM’s] Barrie Borovsky began the project by bringing together the Cirque creative team along with the design team of HAA to discuss theme, feel, and Jersey Boys Manhattan nightlife impresarios Eugene Remm, Mark Birnbaum, and Michael Hirtenstein of EMM Group recently expanded for the first time into New Jersey, with the opening of the Chandelier Room in Hoboken just across the Hudson River from the city. And for the design of Manhattan skyline views have been cleverly integrated into the architecture—framed as art on the wall and visible in between bottles lining the marble bar’s backbar. “The space is blessed with classic proportions, river views, and an expansive terrace—three key ingredients for an archetypal Great Room,” Ohayon adds. Up next: the two companies are working together again on Abe & Arthur’s and Simyone Lounge, both set to open in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District this summer. www.icravedesign.com; tenjunenyc.com creative vision they were creating for the actual show,” says Kirk Phillips, the design lead for HAA’s Las Vegas office. “The design of the stage sets and the proscenium arch clearly reflected [Lewis’] Victorian ideas. With these themes in mind, we felt it was in order to create a unified design to bridge the show’s visuals.” Modern and stark materials (metal, glass, and mirrors) transport theatergoers to the alternate reality that is the show. At the entrance stands the box office, done in glowing translucent glass that leads to the lobby lined with forest-like imagery. The “Next Room” or transition/gathering space is darker, more saturated, where familiar, yet chilling portraits (Angel’s head, a bunny, both in front of a desolate background) hang on the walls in baroque frames. And in the bar, red and black prevails, and a massive bar backed by glowing glass boxes acts as the focal point. “I think that each theatrical show on the Strip has associated spaces that typically represent the design of their theatrical experience with similar materials and details that are found during the show,” explains Phillips. “Here we attempted to reinterpret the show’s materials and details in order to provide a parallel experience while remaining true to the theme of the show.” www.hamilton-anderson.com; www.cirquedusoleil.com/Believe their first-ever hotel lounge (it’s located in the new W Hoboken), they turned to a design firm they trusted—New York City-based ICRAVE, who designed Tenjune for them two years ago. “Hoboken was an ideal market to tap into with our first hotel-bar venture, as more and more young professionals in the area are looking for a sophisticated after-work environment that can evolve into a nighttime spot,” Remm explains. As its name implies, the focal point of the indoor-outdoor 4,000-square-foot space is a “chandelier to end all chandeliers—a glossy, glamorous f ixture, oversized and scaled to fantastic proportions,” says ICRAVE president Lionel Ohayon. “Like something from a fantasy dollhouse, this piece cascades down from the ceiling to become a playful and inhabitable sculpture that captures the amazing height of the room. It engages, it masks, it flirts; guests can actually sit in the crystal ‘drop’ chairs that appear to hang from its from its merlot-colored boughs.” Elsewhere, rich and warm colors and textures prevail—think copper tiles, glazed cognac leathers, chocolate velvets, tortoise tones, absinthe-colored accents, and plush seating. And heady river and The New College Try “The opportunity to create a concept that has strong relevance to its location, is authentic, current and sophisticated, was very gratifying,” says developer Paul McGowan of Hospitality3 of 40 hospitalitydesign www.hdmag.com
http://www.icravedesign.com http://www.tenjunenyc.com http://www.hamilton-anderson.com http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/Believe http://www.hdmag.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Hospitality Design - May/June 2009
