Draw Link Group studio was commissioned to design a new 5-star hotel and hotel apartment complex for Deira, in the heart of Dubai. The five-star hotel with a total area of 27.000 sq.m is composed of 10 floors, has 202 guest rooms and suites as well as 2 food & beverage outlet including a VIP lounge, all day dinning, 3 meeting rooms, a full treatment spa, gym and an outdoor swimming pool with a bar. The hotel apartment has 198 rooms with varying typology, from studios to two bedroom apartments, one food & beverage outlet, a breakfast area gym and an outdoor swimming pool.
Hotel:
Luxury, contemporary, elegant are the three words that characterize the design. The concept followed in all the parts of the hotel reflect the old souks of Deira. Wandering around the old souks, you find jewels, tiles, fabrics, old carved doors & patterns. We have also referenced the dessert and oasis which provide Dubai with such a distinct atmosphere. These elements can be discovered throughout the hotel, from the main lobby, to the food & beverage and to the guest rooms. As you walk your way through the souks and you become exposed to hidden small treasures, the same happens with our hotel as well. Some of them are obvious, and others seek to be discovered.
Starting from the hotel lobby, one of the main features is the bronze metal mesh around the big slab opening that starts from the mezzanine up to the first floor, with light fixtures in different heights, that enhance the pattern and play with the shades of the light between light and dark. On the far end of the lobby, the marble and brass reception desk, catches the visitor’s eye, like a precious item you will see from afar in an old souk. This feature provides context to the lobby, allowing natural light to cascade through the double height space while providing cooling as would have been seen in the old souk.
Moreover, these patterns are repeated as screens throughout the hotel, in different scale at various spaces, from food & beverage to guest rooms. In the VIP lounge you find it in the outdoor space in large scale, combined with vegetation and light, in an arc shape, as an emblematic and luxury point of the lounge area.
The guest rooms are designed based on the Deira’s traditional old souks. The metal mesh which is used as a divider between the bathroom and the main room is made out of brass, in order to give a luxurious feeling at the room.
Hotel apartment:
The design inspiration of the hotel apartment is the old fish market of Deira. Wood, fish net and sea are combined as ideas to design the lobby and the guest rooms. The color palette is inspired again from those three elements.
As you enter the lobby, the reception wall, made out of wood, works as a background for the marble and brass detailed desk. The pattern of the fish net is used in the flooring with hints of pearl details. The room’s design is simple yet elegant, but at the same time it follows the main design.