GREAT ESCAPE
What ’ s Hot : DESIGN
WHAT ’ S HOT
DESIGN
PROMISING BOTH THE CHANCE TO ESCAPE REAL LIFE OR STAY AS CONNECTED AS POSSIBLE , THE HOTTEST HOTEL SPACES ARE ALSO EMBRACING THE GREEN MOVEMENT , THE ONGOING WELLNESS TREND AND CUTTING-EDGE ARTWORK .
By Ann Bagel Storck , managing editor
GREAT ESCAPE
With lifestyles demanding they be plugged in 24 / 7 , guests are looking for hotels where they can check in and tune out . One of the hottest new escapes is Danang , Vietnam — formerly a key U . S . military base during the Vietnam War — that is now establishing itself as one of Southeast Asia ’ s top
InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort is embedded in the hills of Vietnam ’ s Son Tra Peninsula , and its 197 guestrooms draw in the nearby jungle and bay .
vacation destinations thanks to its majestic mountains and pristine beaches .
One of the hottest new properties in Danang is the InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort , embedded in the hills of the Son Tra Peninsula and boasting panoramic views of the South China Sea . Bill
Bensley of Bangkok-based Bensley Design Studios designed the resort to combine traditional and contemporary design with the surrounding landscape . The property ’ s 197 guestrooms , suites and beachfront villas promise the most relaxing of environments with shuttered windows and spacious terraces that draw in the neighboring jungle and bay .
“ Escapism as a concept is not revolutionary ; in fact , one of the main goals of hotels and resorts is to provide a vacation as a mental diversion , an escape from the stressors of daily life ,” notes Nanuet , New York-based designer Stacy
Garcia . “ That being said , escapism is very much an emerging trend in the design of hotel interiors . It brings a sense of theatrical drama to a living space . Creating an interior that incorporates a playful use of scale is one way to execute this trend , bringing humor and whimsy to the space .”
32 HOTELS October 2012 www . hotelsmag . com