Design stories: The Renaissance Hotel Downtown

WA International is an award winning interior design consultancy renowned in the hospitality market for creating original and distinctive destinations. The Dubai office was established in 1993 and has since become one of the region’s most well-known interior design consultancies. Built on a reputation of innovation, originality and exceptional style, WA has delivered high profile projects for Starwood Luxury Collection, JW Marriott, Four Seasons, One&Only, The Address Hotel & Resorts, Sofitel and the InterContinental.

Design Director Claire Craig came to Dubai in 1996 to set up the company’s main office. With more than 20 years in the region, she carries a wealth of knowledge and experience, and having worked in Canada, USA, Saudi Arabia, London and Egypt, embodies the true spirit of an international and culturally diverse design leader.

Give us an insight into the development of the Renaissance hotel, what was the brief?

The concept is deeply rooted in its sense of location, Dubai. A futuristic city emerging from the sand dunes of Arabia. We concentrated on the concept of natural building materials, sand and water – the basis of glass and concrete. The Client was looking at redefining the concept of an urban hotel with the philosophy that the hotel should be an extension of the city, providing the guest with an experience that sets itself apart, meeting the needs and expectations of the modern traveller – what they refer to as the R Traveller. The newly branded Renaissance was aimed at the “discovery” business traveler as well as the “curious” leisure traveller, both seeking authentic and unexpected experiences.

The Renaissance brand has reinvented itself for the modern traveler, how does the design lend itself to that new identity?

The  Renaissance offers luxury in a contemporary manner with an innovative and unique concept which is also true to its sense of location. The hotel has replaced the traditional concierge with a ‘Navigator’, who provides suggestions and recommendations that are more unconventional. The hotel also boasts a secret bar, that’s accessed by a fire escape and is by invitation only, with bartenders referred to as “mixologists” that create a full menu of clever infusions.

What design elements differentiates this other hotels in the region?

The building was originally designed as an office tower, now converted into a hotel. The advantages of this are the high floor-to-ceiling spaces, and the large full-height windows giving undisturbed views of Downtown Dubai, the canal and the city’s skyline. Standard rooms are over 60sqm, which is practically unheard of, and the interiors have an amazing feel in terms of space, emphasized by a dynamic interior concept.

The hotel has a contemporary yet local feel to it, how have you incorporated these two aspects?

Instead of looking toward the city’s heritage and tradition, our designers referenced the building phenomenon of Dubai. They also explored other raw materials associated with the region like oil, which led to the economic boom; and gold, a historical commodity which links the concept back to the Dubai Gold Souks. Dubai on many levels has proven to be a progressive city and this hotel is deeply rooted in this.

What was your biggest design challenge with the project? And how did you overcome it?

One of the biggest challenges was the Back of House (BOH) areas, since the original intent of the building was going to be an office tower, the BOH zoning and massing of the building did not cater for a hotel’s BOH areas, hence these spaces then needed careful consideration to support the Front of House (FOH) areas. In general reworking the spaces to allow for the functions of a hotel was a challenge the designers took head on, which resulted in some out of the box, innovative solutions.

What is your favorite space or design element at the Renaissance? And why?

Definitely the guestrooms; the expansive space and wall surfaces are an artist’s dream. The desk is a focal feature comprising of a single piece of solid timber trunk supported on a brass iron framework with floating leather clad drawers. The textured sand dune inspired rug adds warmth to the cool grey interior and ties the concept back to the Arabian sands. Dubai’s brilliant sun creates for an amazing lightscape across the city. To emulate this seductive contrast of light and dark, a deep blue accent was introduced to the tonal pale grey and sandy colour palette. Of course the golden sun in itself and the precious metal, taking inspiration conceptually from the Dubai Gold Souks was used as reference for the hardware and sculptures. Above the bed is a reinterpretation of Picasso’s camel sketch, a two dimensional iron rod sculpture with a cheeky adjustment is transformed into an ingenious one-humped camel. A wonderful close up photograph of the camels face fills the entrance wall to all the guestrooms, providing a playful jest for the guest’s arrival.