Hospitality Design - September 2011 - 138

2005 HONOREE

Principal, Foda Design Atlanta
Back in 2005, Jennifer Kleen was director of spa design for HBA. Since then, she has started her own ﬁrm, Foda Design, still specializing on spas with these projects to her credit: the Ritz-Carlton Spa at LA Live in Los Angeles, the Blue MedSpa in Atlanta, and the renovation of the Hard Rock spa in Punta Cana (shown). For the latter, “The hotel wanted the spa to reﬂect the ‘Hard Rock’ lifestyle, but not be literal in its reference. So we designed the interior with graphic details, accents of metallic ﬁnishes, and references to fashion, to allude to this legendary brand. “We introduced chocolate, tangerine, and Caribbean blue as the accent colors to balance the existing cream, neutral palette and create a sense of place. Custom satin drapery and a velvet rope and capiz shell chandelier provide a backdrop to the reception desk and anchors the spa reception. Mega tattoos are printed on the locker room walls, to transition the color from cream to tangerine— they are also found in the treatment corridors. The hydrotherapy pools are illuminated with candlelight for a romantic atmosphere and are cocooned in chocolate woven panels to balance the palette. And the jetted pool in the ‘Water’ area is surrounded by ﬂowing ice blue drapery and pierced silver lanterns, while canopy beds surround a reﬂecting pool with candles and ﬂoating reﬂecting balls in the ‘Fire’ area.”

2006 HONOREE

Jennifer Kleen

Carlos Couturier, Rafael Micha, Jaime Micha, and Moises Micha
Founders Grupo Habita Mexico City
The three brothers and a friend this month opened Hotel Americano, their 11th hotel in 11 years. And it may be their most signiﬁcant: as the name implies, it’s the ﬁrst hotel stateside (it’s in New York), and their ﬁrst hotel outside of Mexico, where the boutique hoteliers have made a cultfollowing name for themselves. “New York is at its best— globally it is the hottest city,” says Carlos Couturier. True to form, this one will not disappoint in terms of design. Located amongst the art galleries and garages in Chelsea, its glass- and metal mesh-clad 10-story façade by Enrique Norten blends into the surroundings. “It feels like the neighborhood,” says Couturier, the creative arm of the group, “it’s conducive to the grittiness.” For the public spaces, Parisian designer Arnaud Montigny created a modern ethos that is at the same time industrial and a throwback to the ’50s and ’60s. The open lobby is inspired by the nearby galleries, with its simple modern furnishings, cement ﬂoors, and gray stonewalls. The ground ﬂoor restaurant opens up to a garden terrace outﬁtted with stone slab communal tables and black wire chairs. And there’s a dedicated elevator to take guests up to the rooftop pool and restaurant. Meanwhile, the 56 rooms are more almost Japanese at heart, with low wood platform beds, some cocooned in wood paneling, black wood closets, modern pendant lights, ﬁreplace orbs, and for a touch of whimsy, beanbag chairs. And the foursome is not slowing down anytime soon. Next up is their fourth hotel in Mexico City in an historic 17th century palace, another hotel in the U.S. in Austin, a 10-bungalow property in Tulum, Mexico, and probably their most original: Hotel Endemico, which is situated in the middle of a vineyard in the Baja wine region of Mexico, with rooms that look like cabins built with the site as to not interfere with the land. The hotel will also boast its own wine school. Says Couturier: “Hotels are like children—they each have their own personality and character, much of which is given by the people who stay there. This is what we do—understand our neighborhood and the microcosm around us.”

2010 HONOREE
138

Rafael Alverez and Brannen Brock
Partners Alvarez+Brock Design New York
The duo is working on the 40-room Spa Hotel in Beijing, Strip Bar at the Monte Carlo in Las Vegas, Ballo at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, and Coppa Bar & Lounge (shown) and Arrosola and Higuero, both in Santo Domingo.

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Hospitality Design - September 2011