ACO IBERIA MEETING

HOTEL CONFERENCE

AWARD CEREMONY

REGATTA

“It is the architect job to bring owners, operators, local population, user and the enviornment everybody together and create something that benefits all.”

/ ACO HOTEL DESIGN CONFERENCE   /


On 2 June last, ACO gathered together architects and professionals from the sector in Majorca to explain the latest trends in hotel design and architecture, and present the ACO solutions designed especially for the hotel industry.

/ Arquitecto invitado: Geoff Markham /


Geoff Markham, from the DSA Architects International and author of prize-winning hotels such as “Cap Vermell Park Hyatt” and “La Residencia”, both located in Majorca, analysed the evolution of guest needs in recent years and how they were more and more interested in finding unique sites in which to create unique projects.

/ Hotel & Spa by ACO  /


Eduard Herrero, ACO Iberia Projects Director, explained the different solutions related to the drainage, management and treatment of rain and wastewater for use in hotels. To that end, he informed the attendees about the interactive application “Hotel & Spa by ACO” (hosteleria.aco.es) which offers a virtual tour of a hotel site.

/ Interview with Geoff Markham /


Geoff Markham, architect of DSA Architects International, is behind hotel projects such as the Park Haytt Hotel in Mallorca, designed with ACO drainage channels. His studio has more than 30 years of experience, with offices in Lisbon, South Africa and Dubai, and has designed hotels for 28 different countries.

You are behind hotel projects located in Mallorca such as the Park Hyatt and La Residencia, how has the architecture in Mallorca evolved over the last few years?

Mallorca as a destination has until now successfully catered to two quite distinct markets, mass tourism with the beaches along the coast on either side of the capital Palma, and at the same time exclusive high end developments of the kind that we at DSA Architects International tend to be involved in, such as La Residencia and Park Hyatt Mallorca. The luxury side of this offer was recently given a strong boost with the location filming for the successful series The Night Manager largely set on the Island. It is pleasing to see the restoration of historic buildings, that would otherwise be derelict, and their transformation into high end hotels. We hope to continue to be involved in this kind of project, which can be quite challenging, on the island as we are elsewhere. Meanwhile our own Park Hyatt project, the first Park Hyatt resort hotel in Europe, is celebrating its first year of full operation. The Park Hyatt brand specifically requires a strong local or regional character as one of the core values of the hotel. We at DSA Architects International were happy to agree to this request and have built this relatively large scale new development in a traditional style, a complete new Mallorcan village become hotel.

 

In fact during the conference of hotels, we have been able to see that the user of the hotels has changed and the hotels also. In what situation are we now?

Fragmented. UNWTO statistics show that the number of tourist arrivals continues to increase, projected to pass 1.4 billion before 2020. At the same time a growing proportion of personal income in developed countries is spent on services including hotels and tourism. Technology has impacted the travel industry, more than three quarters of UK consumers booked their holidays on line in 2016. We also know that people travel for a variety of reasons including, business, family obligations, health and leisure. The empowered tourist is now confronted with a wide diversity of choice, sites such as Airbnb have increased the inventory of rooms to rent and innovative, sometimes extraordinarily innovative, new operators have entered the marketplace. During the hotel design conference we were able to explore some of the stranger new hotels from the graffiti artist Banksy’s Bethlehem design hotel, pay what you think is fair drainpipes in Austria  and pods high up in the Andes.

The established hotel industry has reacted to this mixture of growth with increased competition by consolidating through a series of mergers and simultaneously by targeting identifiable markets with branded hotel chains that the public will recognise when searching for a special kind of hotel. Sometimes this has led to an increased promotion of an overarching name, Accor and Belmond for example. Elsewhere many of the leading hotel operators now offer a portfolio of differently named hotel brands, following the merger of Starwoods and Marriott two of these portfolios came together and the Marriott brand webpage now lists 30 different trade names each chasing its own particular market segment.

What do hotel promoters ask architects?

Often the promoter or owner is distinct from the hotel operator and each of these two interested parties will have a slightly different set of priorities. It is the architects job to bring everybody together and create something that benefits all of the stakeholders involved including owners, operators, the local population, the end user and the environment. The major operators all maintain ‘brand standards’ including design guidelines,usually commercially confidential, these standards can run to hundreds of pages and control everything from the diameter of the laundry chute to the number of staff lockers and sun loungers. At DSA Architects International we have been involved in drawing up these standards for at least one of the well known luxury hotel chains, producing typical room plans and information that can then be used and adapted by other architects.

What role does the water channelling play in the design and construction of a hotel?

All hotels need water (except possibly the Austrian drain pipes and the Andean Sky Pods). How important water features and water channelling are increases with the type of hotel, from a city centre business hotel to a tourist hotel, spa hotel, or full scale resort hotel spread out over several buildings with its own pools, fountains, spa and ponds or streams. In the case of the recently completed Park Hyatt Mallorca water channelling was particularly important, not only for the usual reasons of making the spaces attractive, cooling the atmosphere and providing all the required facilities, but because water conservation is of vital importance on the island of Mallorca.

DSA Architects International’s design for the resort occupies a natural amphitheatre, with careful planning we were able to channel a large part of the rainwater run off from the surrounding hills around the site perimeter and into a very large underground tank where it is stored or redirected for irrigation, fire fighting water storage and other essential purposes.

Do architects find all the solutions they need for the drainage of rainwater in outdoor spaces?

NIt is not always easy to find an attractive solution to the provision of covers for drainage channels in outdoor spaces, they are an element that is too readily overlooked and forgotten. Which is why we at DSA Architects International were particularly pleased to discover the product range manufactured by ACO as beautifully presented in their book ‘The Aesthetics of the Line – Line Drainage for Unique Locations’. 21st century designers are increasingly using experimental, curved or non rectilinear geometries, therefore it is very helpful to find a manufacturer who is committed to finding new, innovative, solutions. Amongst the many available options from the ACO range we particularly appreciate the Radius Channel allowing as it does the use of curved linear drains.

And for the design of showers in the bathrooms of the rooms? What is the ideal solution for a brick shower?

In a deluxe hotel the guest room bathroom is often the place were a real feeling of luxury can be created, where a guest can feel that they are being cosseted somewhere really special, better than in their own home. Showers in all hotel guest rooms, luxury or not, must be safe, easy to use with all the controls and water jets correctly positioned and functioning properly. Everything should be within easy reach from the shampoo to the towel rail. The shower should drain freely, without any risk of water leaking where it shouldn’t and there ought to be good ventilation to stop the cubicle becoming completely steamed up. There will be grab rails for safety, foot rests and benches. It is expected today that the shower pan is at floor level without an entry step and provided with an option of overhead ‘rain’ shower and or hand held shower. The shower in a good hotel will normally be larger than the domestic equivalent found in most houses, some showers might also include horitzontal body spray jets. Beyond that a super luxury ‘experience shower’ will include steam jets, water pulses and a programmable shower where temperature, direction and type of spray, perfume and steam will vary over a pre-set length of time accompanied by mood music and changing coloured lighting. The shower interior will often be of high quality marble and the drain a discrete slot.

And how it would look the perfect “water” hotel for you?

Ice hotels, (we have never designed one of those), infinity pools, cabins suspended above The Indian Ocean, pools cascading one into one another over a precipitous jungle ravine. I do not think there is one perfect water hotel. As designers we are always looking for clues from the surroundings, from tradition and from the genius loci, the special nature of a particular place and its inhabitants. I personally believe that we should begin each project with an open mind, water is a constant presence that is true, we are informed by our knowledge and experience, but it is a journey of discovery we embark on at the beginning of the design process. Instead of one ‘perfect’ outcome there is an infinity of perfect water hotels waiting for us to find them.

ACO Iberia Head Office in Spain

Pol. Industrial Puigtió, s/n  •  17412 Maçanet de la Selva  •  Girona  •  Spain  •  aco@aco.es
Customer Services: 0034 902 17 03 12  •  © ACO Productos Polímeros S.A.U. 2017  •  Legal Notice

/ ACO HOTEL DESIGN CONFERENCE /


On 2 June last, ACO gathered together architects and professionals from the sector in Majorca to explain the latest trends in hotel design and architecture, and present the ACO solutions designed especially for the hotel industry.

/ Hotel & Spa by ACO /


Eduard Herrero, ACO Iberia Projects Director, explained the different solutions related to the drainage, management and treatment of rain and wastewater for use in hotels. To that end, he informed the attendees about the interactive application “Hotel & Spa by ACO” (hosteleria.aco.es) which offers a virtual tour of a hotel site.

/ Arquitecto invitado: Geoff Markham /


Geoff Markham, from the DSA Architects International and author of prize-winning hotels such as “Cap Vermell Park Hyatt” and “La Residencia”, both located in Majorca, analysed the evolution of guest needs in recent years and how they were more and more interested in finding unique sites in which to create unique projects.

/ Interview with Geoff Markham /


Geoff Markham, architect of DSA Architects International, is behind hotel projects such as the Park Haytt Hotel in Mallorca, designed with ACO drainage channels. His studio has more than 30 years of experience, with offices in Lisbon, South Africa and Dubai, and has designed hotels for 28 different countries.

You are behind hotel projects located in Mallorca such as the Park Hyatt and La Residencia, how has the architecture in Mallorca evolved over the last few years?

Mallorca as a destination has until now successfully catered to two quite distinct markets, mass tourism with the beaches along the coast on either side of the capital Palma, and at the same time exclusive high end developments of the kind that we at DSA Architects International tend to be involved in, such as La Residencia and Park Hyatt Mallorca. The luxury side of this offer was recently given a strong boost with the location filming for the successful series The Night Manager largely set on the Island. It is pleasing to see the restoration of historic buildings, that would otherwise be derelict, and their transformation into high end hotels. We hope to continue to be involved in this kind of project, which can be quite challenging, on the island as we are elsewhere. Meanwhile our own Park Hyatt project, the first Park Hyatt resort hotel in Europe, is celebrating its first year of full operation. The Park Hyatt brand specifically requires a strong local or regional character as one of the core values of the hotel. We at DSA Architects International were happy to agree to this request and have built this relatively large scale new development in a traditional style, a complete new Mallorcan village become hotel.

“It is the architect job to bring owners, operators, local population, user and the enviornment everybody together and create something that benefits all.”

In fact during the conference of hotels, we have been able to see that the user of the hotels has changed and the hotels also. In what situation are we now?

Fragmented. UNWTO statistics show that the number of tourist arrivals continues to increase, projected to pass 1.4 billion before 2020. At the same time a growing proportion of personal income in developed countries

is spent on services including hotels and tourism. Technology has impacted the travel industry, more than three quarters of UK consumers booked their holidays on line in 2016. We also know that people travel for a variety of reasons including, business, family obligations, health and leisure. The empowered tourist is now confronted with a wide diversity of choice, sites such as Airbnb have increased the inventory of rooms to rent and innovative, sometimes extraordinarily innovative, new operators have entered the marketplace. During the hotel design conference we were able to explore some of the stranger new hotels from the graffiti artist Banksy’s Bethlehem design hotel, pay what you think is fair drainpipes in Austria  and pods high up in the Andes.

The established hotel industry has reacted to this mixture of growth with increased competition by consolidating through a series of mergers and simultaneously by targeting identifiable markets with branded hotel chains that the public will recognise when searching for a special kind of hotel. Sometimes this has led to an increased promotion of an overarching name, Accor and Belmond for example. Elsewhere many of the leading hotel operators now offer a portfolio of differently named hotel brands, following the merger of Starwoods and Marriott two of these portfolios came together and the Marriott brand webpage now lists 30 different trade names each chasing its own particular market segment.

What do hotel promoters ask architects?

Often the promoter or owner is distinct from the hotel operator and each of these two interested parties will have a slightly different set of priorities. It is the architects job to bring everybody together and create something that benefits all of the stakeholders involved including owners, operators, the local population, the end user and the environment. The major operators all maintain ‘brand standards’ including design guidelines,usually commercially confidential, these standards can run to hundreds of pages and control everything from the diameter of the laundry chute to the number of staff lockers and sun loungers. At DSA Architects International we have been involved in drawing up these standards for at least one of the well known luxury hotel chains, producing typical room plans and information that can then be used and adapted by other architects.

What role does the water channelling play in the design and construction of a hotel?

All hotels need water (except possibly the Austrian drain pipes and the Andean Sky Pods). How important water features and water channelling are increases with the type of hotel, from a city centre business hotel to a tourist hotel, spa hotel, or full scale resort hotel spread out over several buildings with its own pools, fountains, spa and ponds or streams. In the case of the recently completed Park Hyatt Mallorca water channelling was particularly important, not only for the usual reasons of making the spaces attractive, cooling the atmosphere and providing all the required facilities, but because water conservation is of vital importance on the island of Mallorca.

DSA Architects International’s design for the resort occupies a natural amphitheatre, with careful planning we were able to channel a large part of the rainwater run off from the surrounding hills around the site perimeter and into a very large underground tank where it is stored or redirected for irrigation, fire fighting water storage and other essential purposes.

Do architects find all the solutions they need for the drainage of rainwater in outdoor spaces?

It is not always easy to find an attractive solution to the provision of covers for drainage channels in outdoor spaces, they are an element that is too readily overlooked and forgotten. Which is why we at DSA Architects International were particularly pleased to discover the product range manufactured by ACO as beautifully presented in their book ‘The Aesthetics of the Line – Line Drainage for Unique Locations’. 21st century designers are increasingly using experimental, curved or non rectilinear geometries, therefore it is very helpful to find a manufacturer who is committed to finding new, innovative, solutions. Amongst the many available options from the ACO range we particularly appreciate the Radius Channel allowing as it does the use of curved linear drains.

And for the design of showers in the bathrooms of the rooms? What is the ideal solution for a brick shower?

In a deluxe hotel the guest room bathroom is often the place were a real feeling of luxury can be created, where a guest can feel that they are being cosseted somewhere really special, better than in their own home. Showers in all hotel guest rooms, luxury or not, must be safe, easy to use with all the controls and water jets correctly positioned and functioning properly. Everything should be within easy reach from the shampoo to the towel rail. The shower should drain freely, without any risk of water leaking where it shouldn’t and there ought to be good ventilation to stop the cubicle becoming completely steamed up. There will be grab rails for safety, foot rests and benches. It is expected today that the shower pan is at floor level without an entry step and provided with an option of overhead ‘rain’ shower and or hand held shower. The shower in a good hotel will normally be larger than the domestic equivalent found in most houses, some showers might also include horitzontal body spray jets. Beyond that a super luxury ‘experience shower’ will include steam jets, water pulses and a programmable shower where temperature, direction and type of spray, perfume and steam will vary over a pre-set length of time accompanied by mood music and changing coloured lighting. The shower interior will often be of high quality marble and the drain a discrete slot.

And how it would look the perfect “water” hotel for you?

Ice hotels, (we have never designed one of those), infinity pools, cabins suspended above The Indian Ocean, pools cascading one into one another over a precipitous jungle ravine. I do not think there is one perfect water hotel. As designers we are always looking for clues from the surroundings, from tradition and from the genius loci, the special nature of a particular place and its inhabitants. I personally believe that we should begin each project with an open mind, water is a constant presence that is true, we are informed by our knowledge and experience, but it is a journey of discovery we embark on at the beginning of the design process. Instead of one ‘perfect’ outcome there is an infinity of perfect water hotels waiting for us to find them.

ACO Iberia Head Office in Sapin

Pol. Industrial Puigtió, s/n

17412 Maçanet de la Selva

Girona  •  Spain  •  aco@aco.es

Customer Service: 0034 902 17 03 12 
© ACO Productos Polímeros S.A.U. 2017

Legal Notice