DESIGN : THE ALPINA GSTAAD
THE ALPINA GSTAAD , THE FIRST NEW 5-STAR HOTEL IN THE PRISTINE SWISS VILLAGE IN 100 YEARS , AIMS TO COMBINE HOMEY COMFORTS WITH SOPHISTICATED STYLE . by ANN BAGEL STORCK , MANAGING EDITOR
Opening a new-build luxury hotel is never an easy task , but The Alpina Gstaad faced a distinctively daunting set of circumstances : The 56-room property , which opened in early December , was the first new 5-star hotel to debut in the Swiss Alpine village in a century .
“ Gstaad has strict building codes and preservation laws , but the owners always wanted to design a hotel with Swiss Alpine architecture that would fit in the village ,” says Onno Poortier , advisor and representative for owner Grand Hotel Alpina Gstaad AG .
Gstaad-based architects Jaggi & Partner AG and lead interior design firm HBA London created a contemporary interpretation of traditional Swiss architecture using as many local materials as possible . The wooden areas of the facades , for example , feature reclaimed wood from centuries-old farmhouses and barns in the area .
Inside , even as Asian design elements are showcased in areas such as the Six Senses Spa and Japanese restaurant Megu , local touches also abound . “ Rooms are clad in local — and sometimes classically carved — reclaimed timber , and the boulders that surround the large lobby fireplace are from the local rivers ,” explains Nathan Hutchins , senior associate at HBA London . “ Such elements created a strong base palette , which gave us the opportunity to introduce soft , tactile materials to counterbalance the ‘ masculinity ’ of the interior envelope .”
34 HOTELS January / February 2013 www . hotelsmag . com