The World of Hospitality Issue 60 2024 | Page 33

EDITOR ’ S CHOICE
MKV ’ s portfolio includes many story living examples . Take , for instance , Bürgenstock Hotel and the Grand Residences Suites , both of which the practice designed as part of its total revitalisation of the entire Bürgenstock Resort . The experience of the hotel is that of being a bird in flight hovering above the sheer drop to the valley and Lake Lucerne below . The scenery is everything and the interior design is held in check to allow the natural world to be the star . Materials were selected to achieve a sense of uninterrupted transition from the view outside to indoors and include stone from the mountains , timber from the forests , bronze resembling the light of late afternoon and deeply veined green marble . The Grand Residences offer an alternative – the Swiss grand hotel tradition transposed into residential living with interiors graced by fine silk fabrics , crafted saddle leather and works of art by international artists .
MKV has also transformed a dilapidated palace building in Budapest into one of Europe ’ s grandest hotels - Matild Palace , A Luxury Collection Hotel . In a city synonymous with the tradition of bathing , l guests can live the story in their guestroom bathrooms , soaking in a customdesigned tub or under a rain shower surrounded by turquoise glass mosaic interleaved with gold – a nod to Budapest ’ s famous Gellert Baths – combined with richly veined marble and classic bronze fittings .
Story living is not always a private affair , however . As anyone who has spent time in Greece knows , the gathering outside of friends , families and neighbours to eat , drink and converse is the very essence of the Grecian experience . Two years ago , MKV completed W Costa Navarino . The team fragmented the conventional all-day dining room into four outlets , all of which open onto the Platia in a playful interpretation of the Greek village square . Each venue is consciously designed not to feel like a hotel restaurant but rather as a place that belongs to the village with their own interior
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