Hospitality Design - January/February 2012 - 83

and limited facilities. Nowhere is this mass-market tourism more evident than in Macau. While many glittering 5-Star properties beckon, the majority of Chinese tourists prefer to plop their money down on gaming tables and restrict their visits to day trips or budget accommodations.

Antony Chan agrees. “Many decision makers don’t have the expertise for judging what is good design,” laments Chan, who established his Hong Kong-based firm CREAM more than a decade ago and is currently completing a yet-to-be-named spa hotel and residential project in Beijing. “Chain hotels are becoming very blasé and cookie cutter as a result.” Yet no one can deny that the country offers more opportunity for cutting-edge design than almost anywhere else. “One of the best things about working here is the sheer lunacy and creative scope of some of the projects,” shares Sepia Design’s Schmidt. “The worst parts are interminable smoke-filled meetings filled with screaming, staying in roach-infested guesthouses in emerging tourism areas, near-death traffic experiences, and receiving phone calls in the middle of the night from an inebriated client who has just had a ‘brilliant idea.’” Linczyc acknowledges, “This is, after all, China’s turn in the economic driver’s seat.”

Working Hard for the Money
Alongside the usual challenges of language, pace of work, and different expectations, architects and designers working in China are also finding the environment exciting. “It’s not getting any easier after twenty years,” says Rofkind. “It’s increasingly more difficult to stay on top of quality. It’s the usual construction stories: you get on site and don’t recognize what was built. We did a project in Hainan for villas that became twenty-story towers. A lot is built on speculation and it’s all about how cheaply and quickly it can be done.”

Arts and Crafts
First appearing on the Chinese horizon about six years ago, boutique hotels are sprouting across the country in destinations where guests appreciate accommodations that are out of the box. Grace Beijing is one such property. Located in the city’s eclectic 798 Art District, the renovated crystal factory was designed by former co-owner Shauna Liu. Its 30 rooms and suites boast a thoughtful play of traditional lacquer cabinets with colorful modern classics for an elegant simplicity. Yet what sets Grace apart is its thorough integration into its community. Original paintings, sculpture, and installations dominate every nook and cranny of the hotel, and it offers monthly performances ranging from chamber recitals to literary readings. HOMA Chateau is another art-driven property located in scenic Guilin. With 46 rooms including duplexes designed like mini galleries, it is nestled within a sculpture garden that showcases the best of Chinese contemporary art. Guests can learn calligraphy or pottery taught by artists-in-residence or practice tai chi lakeside. For those who don’t want to sacrifice creature comforts while seeking spiritual sustenance, the 160-room St. Regis Lhasa offers a tranquil experience with excellent views of Potala Temple. Loose furniture similar to ones found in local homes was custom made for the guestrooms, while the lobby is dominated by a 20-by-40-foot commissioned painting referencing Tibetan temples. “We took the essence of the culture and tried to integrate it into the DNA of the hotel,” says Jean-Michel Gathy, principal of Kuala Lumpur-based Denniston International, the architect and interior designer for the project who also worked on its green softscape elements. “By being introverted, it is related to the concept of meditation.”

www.hospitalitydesign.com

January/February 2012

http://www.hospitalitydesign.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Hospitality Design - January/February 2012