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Single decorated wash hand basin in standard room, double in the suite. Click to see public wash rooms
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For an hotel designer the key is making sure that the installation works as intended. I have been in hotels where the taps (faucets to our US friends) rotate in the opposite direction to normal – even one hotel where the hot and cold taps rotated in opposite directions to each other!
I have seen showers with body jets and rain heads where both cannot be used together as the plumber has not installed them correctly, and no-one checked the operation before handover.
Leaving aside installation errors however, the current lead hotels are establishing through the use of water proof televisions in showers or over baths, in showering experiences that are not just about standing under a rain head, sets the guest experience up as something that for most mortals becomes what the Luxury hotel stay is about – a sampling of luxury that they would not normally have at home.(See Le Meridien Vienna for perhaps the best hotel bathrooms around - there are more pictures of it in the Gallery at the DesignClub)
Kohler have introduced a touch of romantic fantasy in the bathrooms here with decorated wash hand basins with matching special tile finishes as well as bathing and showering experiences that are well beyond the norm. Whilst there are plenty of light fittings in the bathrooms they do not seem brightly lit, perhaps the curse of the low energy fitting striking again?
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"a touch of romantic fantasy in the bathrooms here with decorated wash hand basins with matching special tile finishes as well as bathing and showering experiences that are well beyond the norm"
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Sands restaurant still looks stylish - good design or an example of how design has failed to move since it was done?
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The Spa too is 'Kohler powered' and offers a sophisticated mix of treatments with a gym and pool. With its own pub and a sophisticated restaurant operation offering two dining venues in addition to the 'pub grub', the hotel offers a sophisticated backdrop for golfing enthusiasts as well as a worthwhile retreat for city sophisticates seeking a relaxing break.
The food operation is bucking for a Michelin level, majoring on local produce (including Haggis). A menu to complement the Spa so that an offering can be made as a healthy eating option integral with Spa treatments will extend this.
St, Andrews has two industries - golf and the University. A new Fairmont hotel offers real competition, but with new owners investing strongly, and a new management team in place, provided the goals are clear and the design professional, then the winning of an award in each of the last two decades should be a precursor of things to come.
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Main restaurant is located cleverly through the use of Celtic motifs in the carpet
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Old Course Hotel
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