Upscale Hotel

Currently under construction in Japan, therefore the name and location are confidential.

This mixed use building contains residential spaces and a hotel. The hotel offering includes 3 restaurants, a patisserie, a bar, a lobby lounge with library, a spa and pool, a chapel, a ballroom and meeting facilities as well as refined guestrooms and suites in which guests can relax. This project was built on very good working relationships between the owners, the designers, the operators and the local architects. These relationships are crucial, for this project all parties were aligned in their goals and this contributed to a cohesive design and project execution.

The hotel occupies the upper part of this high-rise building, therefore, the hotel’s welcoming ground floor reception sets the scene then seamlessly directs guests straight up to the sky lobby for the full check-in experience.

This sky lobby welcomes guests in a peaceful and invigorating environment; fresh foliage, clear views and dappled light create a refreshing atmosphere and let guests know they have arrived. Various roof terraces allow guests to breathe in the fresh air and the exterior glazing from the lobby beautifully frames the symmetrical view of Mount Fuji .

The light feature was inspired by Shinrin yoku, forest bathing, so the movement of the light mimics light falling through moving tree branches and the undulating form entices guests to flow between reception and the lounge area.

The reception pods suit the style of service, they are professional and refined but also approachable and adaptable.

The reception and lounge lead on to the library nook, the patisserie serving fresh baked goods, the fine dining restaurant and the bar, all with amazing views of the area.

The restaurant concept focussed on creating elegant dishes from the best cuts of meat, recognising shepherds, butchers and chefs for their craftsmanship. However, as the design developed, global attitudes were shifting with more people becoming vegan, vegetarian or pescatarian so the menus adapted to reflect these changes and the open kitchen, seen in the rear of the render above, was adapted to celebrate the craftsmanship of vegetarian dishes and avoided showing-casing meat preparation or products.

Image credits: All images on this page c/o G A Design

There are many great spaces designed for this hotel but everyone will need to wait until the hotel launches to see them. Construction is due to be completed in 2022 so we haven’t had the benefit of seeing people inhabit the space yet however the team in Japan who were overseeing the construction were extremely thorough and engaged which is a great indicator that the built space will be executed to a very high standard. It was a real pleasure to work with this team.

Collaborators: Joanne Biggs, Mari Ikeda, Shaun Montford, Corrinne Aubee, Quinn Wong, Rak Patel, Luke Darwin, Tracy Fong, Maciej Maciejowski, Michal Dvorak