Hospitality Design - December 2013 - 84

now

makkah

5. The lobby of the
Conrad features a
chandelier comprised of
small pieces of broken
gold glass.

6. A guestroom at the
Hilton Suites, where the
color scheme is based
on the color of light
during each of the five
times of ritual prayer.
7. A glimpse inside the
Doubletree's restaurant.

to Makkah posed a hurdle. "You never want any
FF&E problems on any project, but especially
in Saudi Arabia," explains Alan Benjamin,
whose company, Benjamin West, is handling
the procurement for the JODC, which includes
more than 10,000 separate items, purchased
and shipped from approximately 15 countries,
ranging from one-of-a-kind antiques to some
25,000 beds and more than eight million
square feet of carpeting. "You can't just send
in any repair crew or installer." Working
in tandem with Audit Logistics that meant
modifying shipping procedures and processes
to better document and pack the products.
Another learning curve: Saudi Arabian
product certifications, which are different than
elsewhere in the Middle East. That translated
into a fast-tracked education, explains Darlene
Henke of Audit Logistics, including a more than
20-page packet of guidelines and paperwork for
all suppliers.

Design Highlights

Besides its sheer size, the development will
be notable for its design as well. In each of the
properties, the design teams are infusing an
elegant and modern interpretation of Islamic
culture and traditions. For instance, at Wilson
Associates' 438-room Conrad, the lobby features
a custom chandelier made of small pieces of
broken gold glass and a polished marble grand
staircase, while at the Hilton Convention Hotel,
among the white and cream chevron marble
flooring and backlit quartz reception desk in
the lobby, the team crafted a custom crystal
light fixture that funnels from the ground onto
the ceiling to look like it is falling. "We were
particular about specifying durable materials
due to the number of pilgrims that will stay
in each hotel," says Abdullah, who has 35-50
Wilson team members in six of the firm's offices
dedicated to the JODC project. Grand gestures
continue at the HBA-designed Hyatt Regency:
expect Islamic motifs on the walls and floors,
a light color palette with punches of color, and
in the 29-foot-tall lobby, a large three-story
chandelier falls through the center of a spiral
staircase covered in wood.
For the 484-room Hilton Suites, the
first of the hotels to soft open in October,
ForrestPerkins focused on balance and
symmetry, says principal Deborah Forrest. "The

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interior design flows from the exterior. Because
a pilgrim's spiritual journey does not end at the
hotel, the color scheme is based on the color of
light during each of the five times of 'salat' (the
ritual prayer) throughout the day." And at the
426-room Marriott, she and her team crafted a
design aesthetic emphasizing nature, including
a courtyard reflective of Islamic gardens: they
paired the "Tree of Life," an asymmetrical,
elliptic hyperboloid sculpture formed of steel
cables and interspersed with clear, honeycolored, handblown glass balls, with an
intricate mosaic tile installation that simulates a
vegetated wall.
That garden motif continues in the Sofitel, a
Leo A Daly creation. "We took the look and feel

7
of traditional French gardens and interspersed
Arabic patterns throughout the hotel," says
Patricia Miller, vice president, managing
principal, corporate director of hospitality, who
is also working on the Doubletree, where a
traditional Arabic pattern fashions a dramatic
statement in backlit screens, etched floor
patterns, and an enveloping trellis at the entry.
At the Sofitel, vines grow in the carpeting;
a green, white, and magenta color palette is
imbued throughout; various wall patterns
resemble the design used in the Gardens of
Versailles; a floating staircase is flanked by glass
pink petals; and an overscaled living wall in the
lobby lounge creates "a garden in the middle of
the desert," says Miller.

"I just returned from London for Frieze Masters and Venice
for the Biennale. I draw a lot of things I love along the way
and these two feasts for the eyes were no exception. Especially
moving were an Emilio Terry Aubusson rug and a pair of
coral lacquered fauteuils. And the finale, the exhibition of
Napoleone Martinuzzi glass on San Giorgio Maggiore-truly
inspiring."
Roger Thomas
Wynn Design and Development
http://www.hospitalitydesign.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Hospitality Design - December 2013
