The sitting area of the spa , in the Department of Physical Education , employs a mushroom theme inspired by “ Alice in Wonderland .” The building was part of an old Vietnamese fishing village .
The multi-hued buildings include the departments of oceanography , mammalogy and ichthyology .
ENDINGS AND BEGINNINGS What I learned from all of this is , while I never copy myself , I would build another hotel with a strong narrative , because guests love it . Our industry , for the most part , is too safe . Climbing out of the box is defined by a hot pink bar stool . Our industry doesn ’ t give enough credit to the intelligence of travelers – thus , we tend to dumb down design to the lowest common denominator .
The most important thing to me is story-telling , whether the story is about the neighborhood or history of the place , or a completely new story , like Lamarck . If you can teach a guest something , no matter how small , they will remember you .
Most 5-star resorts take themselves too seriously . Resorts can be a place where laughter comes easily and where we all can be transported to another time and place . If you design a resort for everyone , it will appeal to no one . We have to get out there and disrupt the f ** k out of hospitality .
A HOTEL , LIKE A MOVIE , SHOULD HAVE AN ENDEARING PLOT WORTH WATCHING MORE THAN ONCE .
Interior of the Department of Ichthyology , where dozens of fish prints line the walls
A villa in the Department of Entomology ( note the insect mosaic in the pool )
54 hotelsmag . com November 2017