“address all the things that bug me about hotel
accommodations,” meaning easy-to-figure-out
controls and cabinetry, and no sharp edges. His
lobby is an energizing, lacquered red, but guests
are ushered into rooms that are a minimalist
and masculine black, white and grey except for
the seating area which, according to Newson’s
architect Sébastien Segers, has red cabinetry
because “red is a Spanish color associated with
passion and love, appropriate for a hotel.”
The most popular floor, according to hotel
management, is Zaha Hadid’s. Almost everything
in the Pritzker Prize-winner’s rooms is made from
Hi-Macs, a virtually solid surfacing material.
It creates the sensual curves that allow the
surfaces to flow. And then there are the doors—
which have an LED strip that offers illuminated
messages such as “do not disturb,” depending
on guests’ desires.
