Hospitality Design - September 2013 - 156

3

4

5

Hotel Indigo, InterContinental Hotel

Group’s boutique brand, has landed in
Hong Kong. The fourth property of its kind
in Asia, it’s set in the heart of historic and
vibrant Wanchai. Owner Tai Hung Fai
worked with the local office of design firm
Aedas on a complete package for the project:
architecture, interiors, and landscape
design, while HBA was responsible for the
Skybar, with a rooftop terrace overlooking
Victoria Harbour.
Working with a tight site, Aedas created
a 138-room jewelry box that provokes a
dialogue with its community. A portecochère marks a dramatic arrival point for
guests, with a Chinese restaurant on one
side and a double-height glass atrium lobby
on the other. “The forecourt gives a sense
of ceremony to guests arriving,” says Max
Connop, Aedas’ director in charge of the
project.
One of the design highlights is an eco
screen to reduce solar gain. “We found that
there was no need for the screen to be all
over the building—there were hot spots,”
says Connop. “We connected the dots and
developed a pixilated screen with louvers
around the building, in burnished bronze
with the shimmer of lighting. Our client
immediately felt that it resembled a dragon.”
Aedas carried the mythological theme

156

September 2013 hospitalitydesign.com

further with one of the hotel’s most striking
features: a rooftop pool cantilevered 29
stories above Queen’s Road East. “We
needed a pool of a certain length but it
was difficult fitting it into the site,” says
Greg Farrell, Aedas’ executive director.
“Hanging it off the roof resolved the problem
while providing unexpected drama for the
architecture. It engages the neighborhood
while being something aspirational.” Guests
can enjoy mountain views or interact with
the cityscape below as they float to the pool’s
edge; passersby on street level are intrigued
by the shadows of swimmers above.
Local artist Alexis Ip created 3D
artworks referencing the district to grace
guestroom corridors. Meanwhile, every
guestroom includes a feature wall behind
the bed: a colorful abstract mosaic subtly
containing the hotel’s shell logo and
depicting a dragon, butterfly, or postal box in
reference to the historic Wanchai post office
that sits directly across the hotel. “Mosaic
tiles reflect the old tea houses common in
Wanchai in the past,” says Farrell. “It was
one of the ways we brought the community
into the hotel.” Pendant lamps above a
brightly colored sofa are reminiscent of bird
cages from a bygone era. Stylist Thomas
Milazzo developed a program of posh inroom amenities such as shopping bags

printed with neighborhood street names and
bathmats printed with swimming goldfish.
Café Post, the hotel’s all-day dining
restaurant, offers an open family-style
kitchen embellished with a back wall
of blue and orange tiles and an outdoor
terrace. It faces the library, a lounge, and
casual meeting space where some of
those guestroom products are available as
souvenirs for purchase. “The look is from
sleek to rustic as you go from the library to
the restaurant,” says Connop. “We treated
the spaces like a villa, and the interiors
reflect the fluid nature of the rooms.” hd
ae das. com; hotel i ndi go .co m/ h o n g ko n g
http://www.aedas.com http://www.hotelindigo.com/hongkong http://www.hospitalitydesign.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Hospitality Design - September 2013
