:: Panoramic Views

•  BEDROOM •  SUITE •  PUBLIC AREA BAR

International chains have a reputation for blandness and predictability. This has driven the rise of the boutique hotel which have had stronger emphasis on design. This has sometimes been at the expense of operational efficiency and I agree with the hotel designer who said she preferred an hotel where the shower worked to one where it looked good but didn't. To a traveller or business person it is more important that the quality of standards and service are monitored and maintained rather than have some quirkily designed hotel where the light switches are in the wrong place or the guest room furniture is the wrong size. Chain hotels have years of experience in ensuring that standards meet traveller’s expectations, something not always achieved by boutique hotels where the style often triumphs over content.

International groups not only try to maintain these standards but now also aspire to some of the design values that characterise boutique hotels, (see the previous review of the Hilton Del Mar in Barcelona for a good example of this ‘boutique’ thinking in a chain hotel) making their interiors a little less predictable. Sheraton were strongly criticised locally because of the external design of this hotel, but architecturally they stuck out for a more modern solution in this location despite pressure to fall in line with the more traditional forms typified by the castle that provides the backdrop. The hotel is formed around the now popular atrium concept which gives an internal ‘court’ for food services and bars, and it would be nice to think that, for a change, the hotel was designed from the inside out as every good hotel should be.

The use of an atrium such as this (see the Review of the Radisson SAS at Stansted for another good example) works because it follows one of the unwritten design ‘rules’ of hotel design. This says that when the guest is on the way to the bedroom they should be presented with glimpses of all the attractions the hotel has to offer so that when they get to their room they are eager to leave it and explore the bars, restaurants and other facilities offered in the attempt to part them from more of their money. An atrium not only lays it out as they pass through but also enables them to look down into it from their walk to their room and see the offer

The al fresco dining simulation of the atrium can be tried for real in what would be called in England a beer garden, show here in the rain. Rollover to see the view of the Vistula from the front of the hotel.

Bedroom design is very conservative, with strong use of black in timber and fabrics. Rollover to see the bathroom,where colour palette works better.

An atrium can also allow the building designer to flood the public area with light, and that has been done here. Although the staff commented on the problems occasionally suffered when there is a heavy fall of snow, a combination of automatic opening lights, sun sensitive shades etc. linked in to the hotels air conditioning and heating systems can ensure that there is a comfortable environment, even under glass, all the year around. Not simple to implement such atria need anemometers to measure windspeed so that blinds don’t get blown out through vents and deposited miles away, thermostatically linked controls intelligently placed so that they are not in direct sunlight and lighting designed to handle the shift in light quality that comes from large areas of glass.

The appearance of al fresco dining is enabled by the atrium and is without the drawbacks of ‘outer space’. It makes for pleasant restaurant areas and the use of umbrellas creates areas of privacy for diners too. Surrounding zones can be linked in, as the bar is here, so that they are under the rooms but without a wall blocking them off from the atrium area. The Merton Hotel in Jersey for example uses the atrium effect as a boulevard spine allowing guests to almost promenade past the social scene before choosing their spot for dining or relaxation. The quality of interior space planning allows even smallish hotels to offer this attractive feature if it is thought through from the beginning of the project. This hotel majors by having a sheltered external dining area as well as the atrium.