bathrooms are generously sized, here with separate shower and whirlpool bath

Art in hotels is frequently pastiche, sometimes formulaic and rarely art. Here well chosen canvases in the lounge area were complimented in the corridors by a series of more decorative paintings which served as location ‘keys’ to guests on each floor. The art in the reception lounge was reminiscent of the Stella’s of the late 70’s and added a sharp notation in colour to the interior scheme. The large booth type seating blocks in which the art is displayed create smaller private areas within the larger space enabling small family groups to gather, or informal business meetings to take place with a degree of privacy.

The space is also used in the evenings for a ‘wine hour’ when guests are invited to come down for a free glass or two of wine before dining. With Reception on one side and the restaurant bar/brasserie visible through its glass door the guest is easily able to see the hotel major offerings.

Art in the lounge provides sharp accents. Rollover to see generous desk space in the bedroom Corridors are spacious and dramatic, with the red lampshades providing a punctuation of the spaces and enough room for settles, curtains etc. to just dress the space properly.

The access to the bedroom areas is of either side of the reception space as the form of the hotel is a hollow square. This gives large corridor spaces as one would expect from a building originating as the nations Post Office headquarters. The corridor areas have been strikingly handled by the designer, and the large red light shades provide a strong punctuation of the space, and this is helped by the use of rugs set on the marble floors. With the addition of the large abstract paintings and the occasional seating area the corridors are given sufficient clues for the guest to have a sense of location when seeking their room.

The use of white also adds to the slightly surreal feel of the corridors, as it enhances the contrast with the red shades. the use of white again continues through into the bedrooms, but it can sometimes create a starkness where a slightly softer shade of white would have relieved the contrasts.

The bedrooms were large and spacious, with equally generous bathroom spaces. With large working areas there was plenty of space to lay out papers and the laptop, and once again free high speed internet access made staying in contact with the office easy. I find it extraordinary that so many hotels offer free high speed internet, such as Kimpton here in the States and Radisson SAS in Europe yet other hotels can rip off the guest for internet connection just as they used to for the telephone links prior to the profusion of cell phone networks. The free internet access alone would be enough to make the Kimpton chain my hotel of choice but the level of comfort provided in the bedrooms would be another.