DESIGN : HILTONS AT FRANKFURT AIRPORT
The Fifth Lounge & Bar is positioned in the Hilton ’ s light-flooded atrium .
AG and Frankfurt-based Fraport AG worth approximately € 1 billion ( US $ 1.3 billion ), construction of The Squaire began in 2007 , and the hotels opened at the end of December 2011 .
The two hotels each house distinct design features by Hamburg , Germany-based JOI-Design ; the Hilton Garden Inn offers signature brand elements such as the Pavilion Pantry , and the Hilton provides amenities including all-day dining restaurant Rise , The Fifth Lounge & Bar and two executive floors with 10 meeting rooms . “ This is a location that definitely needed some good-quality new hotels ,” says Andrew Flack , vice president of global brand marketing , Hilton Hotels & Resorts . “ By providing the fullservice Hilton brand and the focusedservice Hilton Garden Inn brand , we were able to fill both the general market need for significant new hotel capacity as well as the wide-ranging need for different types of services .”
High- and low-tech In crafting a design aesthetic for the properties , JOI-Design aimed to contrast the high-tech , futuristic appearance of the building as well as the area ’ s focus on mobility with a theme of relaxation and low-tech , organic forms . One example JOI-Design Managing Director Peter Joehnk highlights is the Hilton lobby , which features “ golden wings ” above the reception area that help cushion the space ’ s acoustics in addition to setting the tone for flowing forms seen throughout the hotel . “ The gold wings also bring back the human scale to the building ,” Joehnk notes .
Sofas and tall silk floor lamps in the Hilton lobby also reflect fluid forms while humanizing the space , while a retro style is seen in the lobby ’ s leather armchairs .
As in the lobby , the restaurant Rise in the Hilton forced JOI-Design to bring a large space down to a smaller scale , Joehnk says . High-backed banquettes and sculpted timber features help achieve this , while the restaurant ’ s name is interpreted in a sunrise color palette of gold , orange , red and purple .
JOI-Design tried to incorporate The Squaire ’ s architecture into the hotels ’ design as well , Joehnk adds . For example , the Hilton ’ s executive lounge includes six enormous double-sided chairs with a rounded shape resembling the larger building .
Warm atmosphere For the guestrooms at both hotels , JOI-Design prioritized comfort while emphasizing natural materials such as wool and leather . “ It ’ s a warm , embracing atmosphere when you enter the rooms ,” Joehnk says . “ Public areas can be dramatic , but in the rooms you require a relaxed atmosphere , and that ’ s what we tried to achieve .”
In the Hilton , to make guestrooms seem as large as possible , light colors
44 HOTELS March 2012 www . hotelsmag . com