Set on the northern end of Park Lane, one of the most sought after streets in London, Marriott Hotel Park Lane epitomises Mayfair elegance, with views over Hyde Park, opulent guestroom accommodation and luxurious public areas befitting of the prestigious address. The interior design reflects the international elegance of Mayfair and respects the English Heritage historic building bringing an intimate feel and residential character into the hotel’s interior.
The elegantly designed rooms have all the facilities expected in a leading luxury hotel.
RPW Design, a leading hospitality interior design company, was commissioned to oversee the renovation, which included a transformation of the property’s 152 guest rooms, the introduction of five new suites and a redesign of the lobby, Executive Lounge and meeting rooms. Decca worked closely with Senior Designer Heather McLellan and Director of Projects Elizabeth Lane to select the best quality materials to enhance the sense of luxury.
The guest rooms and public areas were inspired by classic ‘townhouse’ interiors, RPW’s aim was to recreate a quintessential British feel, while using contemporary colours, furniture and artwork. The rooms mark a considerable departure from the traditional corporate hotel room design towards something that feels more like a high end ‘home from home’.
All guest rooms feature entrance lobbies giving a sense of arrival. Once in to the room you can find Decca’s chaise, a beautiful side table, comfortable armchair, leather ottoman, desk and bedside tables. The key notes of walnut and warm brass following on trend with residential interior design.
Decca’s craftsmen had to use special techniques to produce the furniture of an unmatchable quality and luxurious look and feel. Among others, we used notably more PVD plated metal than ever before. PVD Plating is a very competitive way of adding value, which effectively transforms polished stainless steel into a wider variety of precious looking metals. Once applied the finishes range from rose gold, polished brass, through to black nickel. In this instance we used almond gold, as designed by RPW to achieve a soft, less yellow, sophisticated shad; helping to give the rooms a lustrous glow.
"PVD Plating is a very competitive way of adding value, which effectively transforms polished stainless steel into a wider variety of precious looking metal."
By spending time on interesting veneer layups and veneer inlays, the furniture has a classic feeling whilst being in tune with contemporary taste.
For a good example of this, let’s take a closer look at the MINIBARS. They were the centre piece in each room, and they help illustrate the range we can offer in terms of materials and processes. The Ebony veneer, inlays and marble top combined to create a modern classic, practical whilst setting the scene for luxury.
Premier Suite’s minibar
Standard Suite’s minibar
In the standard guest rooms the minibar was equally impressive. The doors were comprised of almond gold frames, inside which were hand decorated gold leaf églomisé door panels, with a white lacquer background. To achieve this we worked in collaboration with a specialist UK glass finisher to a great result. Through supplying templates and prototyping etc. we coordinated the procurement, development and assembly, delivering a finished piece as part of our remit.
Each project has its problems that come along the way, but the emphasis is always firmly on how to best resolve the problem. A small example of this was the work done on the desk, here we had to ensure there was no “wobble”, so extra time was spent with our technicians and the designer to ensure the slim open metal work legs could support a solid workings surface. With the factory pulling in one direction and the designer in another, it is at this point that the London Decca team comes to the fore, adding value and helping to find the best solution, in this case in terms of stability while not deviating too far from the designer intent. Luckily all problems were resolved and Decca delivered a number of variations including 2-sided desks where all the structural support was hidden inside the desk top.
Both the desk and the bedside tables were made using walnut veneer with metal legs
Another thing that you may find interesting about this project is that the Hotel remained opened during the project as the hotel’s management was confident that the refurbishment could be managed with minimal impact on guest stay. As no furniture could be taken in through the front door, the contractors therefore proposed that a raised platform would be assembled over the pathway to the 2nd floor. This meant everything from carpets to tables had to be hoisted up from Park Lane and taken in through the side of the building on one of London’s busiest roads!
The duration of the project was around 14 months, although with the after care and additional orders it extended much beyond that period.
The program began with a mock up room. In this case the hotel also compared a number of manufacturers by taking one item and at least 4 companies making an example. As our quality is the most important feature (alongside our customer service) this is something Decca feel very comfortable doing. If a whole mock up room is not possible we will focus on high volume piece or those we feel will require more time for development. Once the mock up room is approved, final design and build development for the furniture is done and everything can be signed off ready to start manufacturing. The first production phase takes 12 weeks, after that we can then roll out phases floor by floor as required in quick concession. In this project RPW inspected the goods at the factory before the first shipment, with a minor tweak on the footstools all was ready to go!
Marriott Hotel Park Lane was one of the larger projects that year for Decca London, so there was an inevitable feeling of satisfaction knowing that it was delivered with only minor hiccups. Moreover, projects on this scale are a really good opportunity to develop strong working relationships with all the individuals and companies involved in such a complex project.
We thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the transformation. We are proud to have been involved in such a prestigious and challenging project that truly highlights and showcases all Decca’s capabilities.
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RPW Design was established in 1988 and is one of the world’s leading hospitality interior design practices specialising in the creation of stunningly individual interiors. All of the firm’s projects are varied in context, function, ambition and budget, as well as being connected by coherence and an elegance resulting from a fully collaborative design process. RPW Design’s portfolio of experience includes The Royal Suite at The Mandarin Oriental Hotel, London, The Infinity Suite at The Langham Hotel, London, and Hotel Okura, Amsterdam, all projects Decca was happily involved in.