Magnificent interior spaces capture the modern economic energy and rich cultural history of China’s largest municipality.
CHONGQING – Global interior design leaders HBA, Hirsch Bedner Associates, have revealed a locally inspired, sophisticated interior design for the new Hyatt Regency Chongqing, launching the Hyatt Regency brand in western China’s most storied and significant city. Unique to its location, HBA’s Hyatt Regency Chongqing is delightfully energetic and natural in design, paying homage to Chongqing’s rich cultural and historical attractions, combined with the beauty of its river-crossed mountains.
Thematically, HBA’s design concept fits perfectly within the framework of the steeply hilly territory. The design team was led by Alicia Loo, Partner at HBA. “We wanted to evoke the idea of discoveries that might happen along a mountain journey, suggesting that the farther you travel into the mountains, the more rewarding the experience will be,” said Loo. The property is located in Jiangbei District, overlooking the quiet Jialing River as it curls around the central business district, and in the far distance, row upon row of terraced houses and commercial buildings that climb the hills.
“We felt the combination of indigenous influences – including architectural detailing and materials – with contemporary elements depicts the sweep of Chongqing’s history. We are depicting its evolution over thousands of years,” said Loo.
The lobby palette consists of tooled stones with rugged natural patterns, Seppiagianti marble flooring, two tones of warm natural honey walnut and black walnut wood accented with metal finishes.
The sense of place is further established by nods to two of the Chongqing’s most beloved historical sites. The lobby walls, for example, are art features in themselves, tiled with delicate porcelain. This installation references Ci Qi Kou, the fabled “ancient porcelain village” known as the center of porcelain productions during the Ming Dynasty. Farther into the lobby stands an 8 meter bamboo motif “city gate”, which opens into the hotel’s private areas. This gate pays homage to the several ancient city gates that afforded entry into the city, one of which still stands today. To bridge the gate into contemporary times, HBA’s version is adorned with hundreds of hanging strands of LED fiber optics.
As guests climb floors in the hotel, they are indeed rewarded, first with a food and beverage level that comprises both art gallery and meeting hub, styled around the Chongqing shop house tradition. The Porcelain House, Ceramic House, Wood House and Stone House are named after the materials used by local artisans to finish the walls.
The property’s guestrooms offer a soothing mountain retreat, using the natural elements of stone and wood in sleek linear shapes. In effect, the crispness of high technology is softened with subtle and unique organic patterns, such that the guest is brought to the here and now, without forgetting the preceding millennia on which Chongqing is built.
“HBA always appreciates the opportunity to work with Hyatt Hotels, one of the most notable hospitality brands,” added Loo. “The importance they place on the guest experience is reflected in Hyatt’s appreciation of and attention to the large and small details of executing the design.”
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