DESIGN
LIVING
STORY the Contributed by BILL BENSLEY
DESIGNER BILL BENSLEY ON HOW HE CRAFTED THE FANTASTICAL NARRATIVE OF JW MARRIOTT PHU QUOC – AND BROUGHT IT TO LIFE , ONE ANTIQUE AT A TIME .
Designer Bill Bensley with one of his best friends
Ihave designed dozens of beach resorts , but I would never vacation at one . I like places of great culture and ancient architecture . I don ’ t like big hotels , either . Who does ?
In 2015 , I was hired by Sun Group to design a JW Marriott in Phu Quoc , Vietnam . The brief was to build 250 rooms , with deli , all-day dining , bar , pools , yadda yadda yadda . A big hotel on the beach .
Undeveloped Phu Quoc , exactly the same size as Phuket , once a naval base and prison camp , is not exactly a culturally rich milieu . Sun nailed a 200-meter sliver of gorgeous beach , and the property was being developed quickly . I was scared that it would be too ordinary , and I was scared of the scale . I needed to break it down and add an adventure . What ’ s a designer to do ?
November 2017 hotelsmag . com 47