New Hotel [antikvár]

New Hotel is a snapshot of new design solutions and trends in contemporary hotel design; it is not a travelogue or a list of my favourite hotel destinations. I have carefully focused on the main elements that shape our perceptions of hotels, what projects their images and what locates them in their various marketplaces. My book concentrates on interior design as opposed to architecture because although some notable architectural statements have been made in purpose-built hotels, I have found that there Is often an imbalance between the exterior and Interior design In these buildings. Some of the most contemporary buildings I have seen have been lumbered with disappointingly banal and derivative interior design. Conversely, I have found existing buildings that have been sensitively and Imaginatively converted to provide exciting new design statements. The rise of the 'branded hotel' is evident when charting the influence of the Aman hotels or Four Seasons hotels. On the other hand, the 'nonbrand' hotel has become a marketing tool as hotels seek to enhance their status by seeming to be independent. Hotels want to be seen as fashionable, but, in reality, the costs of construction and the length of time required to defray hefty expenditure result In a degree of safety and predictability in the middle road of design, where innovation is restricted by fear of costly mistakes. In these pages I have tried to be objective about design in order to increase understanding of how the industry can learn from people's mistakes and from their successes. I have broken down the process into manageable sections In order to guide designers and operators through the entire process, and, crucially, to help them arrive at their own conclusions about the merits of the different designers' work. I would like to thank everyone at Conran Octopus for their invaluable support and enthusiasm during the production of this book.