Morgans Group commission Marcel Wanders to design Miami hotel residences
Sleeping Beauty's castle" is how Marcel Wanders describes his designs for Morgans Hotel Group's first 'Hotel Residences', opening in Miami in December 2007.
Guests will enter the hotel through a series of gardens, designed as indoor / outdoor living spaces, with seating areas, an outdoor bar, a huge chandelier above the swimming pool, and cabanas for all ages, including tented play spaces with a sandbox and bouncy toys in the children's play area.
Wanders is extending the existing curvilinear building to form a semicircular 'sculptural' structure, in which rooms resemble theatrical boxes overlooking the gardens below. The residences are loft-like spaces, flooded with light and flowing between bedroom, bathroom, living room, kitchen and terrace. The colour palette is one of white, gold, browns, grays, blues and black. Furnishings will be original pieces from Wanders' own design studio.
"Unlike product design, interiors are about theatre, leading you from one idea to the next and the next," says Wanders. "You need to breathe life into a space, which is a fascinating process for me."
The hiring of Wanders sees Morgans Hotel Group return to the idea of employing celebrity designers to work on its hotel projects. This practice was largely instigated by the group's founder Ian Schrager, when he worked with French designer Philippe Starck to create hotels such as The Royalton and The Hudson in New York, The Delano in Miami, and The Sanderson in London. Although Ian Schrager has since left the company, Morgans Hotel Group still owns and operates these hotels.
Ed Scheetz, President and Chief Executive Officer of Morgans Hotel Group, says Wanders represents the finest in bold, new innovative design: "With Mondrian South Beach, we are extending the diversity of our brands in a market we know well, and where we have had great success with The Delano and The Shore Club. The South Beach market is strong and continues to be the destination of choice for savvy travellers who prefer the exclusivity and sophistication of our properties."
After completing an IPO in February 2006, Morgans Hotel Group announced a host of new nightlife and interior design partnerships. It has re-kindled its relationship with interior designer Andree Putman, who is updating Morgans Hotel in New York. The group is also embarking on new projects with designers including India Mahdavi, Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz and Tim Andreas.
These new partnerships are being overseen by the company's Vice President of Design, Mari Balestrazzi. Balestrazzi was formerly Studio Director for Aero Studios Limited, where she oversaw new construction and renovation of both private residences and commercial projects, including 60 Thompson Hotel and Giorgio Armani's private residence in New York. Prior to that, she was Director of Design for St. Regis.
Other projects under development include a Mondrian on the site of the former James Hotel in Scottsdale, Arizona; and a Bungalow 8 nightclub, at St Martins Lane London.
The group also recently completed the acquisition of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas and related assets at a final purchase price of about US$770 million.
www.morganshotelgroup.com
