Laura
Greenwood
Designing a Lifestyle-Boutique Hotel
Project Background
YEAR: SPRING 2020- Senior Year
LENGTH: 16 WEEKS
PROGRAMS & SKILLS: Revit, Photoshop, Space Planning, Typography Research, Code Research, Location Research, Communication, Problem Solving, Critical Thinking
LOCATION: San Salvador, El Salvador
CONCEPT: "Bueno Onda"
PROJECT SIZE: 260,000+ SF
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In this final project of Senior Year, each student was randomly assigned a location in a country located on the Pacific Coast around the world. San Salvador, El Salvador is located in Central America and has a rich culture and natural beauty for tourists to experience. This hotel is like a boutique hotel in the sense of being authentic to the location, and being upscale. But, it is a lifestyle hotel due to its size. The design emphasizes personal experience for guests to have a memorable stay.
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Hotel Onda, is designed with the concept "Buena Onda" in mind, a phrase that is used to mean "good vibes," creating a calming and comfortable environment for guests. The concept influences the material use and forms within the space. Spanish Colonial Revival Architecture is the inspiration for a lot of the interior design. This not relates to the local architecture but also allows the use of arches throughout. Arches within the space connect back to the concept, which has a literal translation of "good wave," referencing the form of waves.
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El Salvador has a reputation of being the most dangerous country in Central America, and this hotel design aims to capture the beauty of the city and culture, while giving guests a safe place to stay while they experience what San Salvador has to offer.
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The project booklet that includes all of the project research, process work, programming and final design, can be found in the link below through the button "Project Booklet"
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This building section shows how spaces on each level interact with each other. The entrance into the hotel is on level 3. Most of the public spaces are on level 1, back of house on level 2, and guestroom floors on levels 3-7. Level 4 includes the fitness center and levels 5-7 are solely guestroom floors. Level 8 houses the cocktail bar and lounge. The hotel is located on the mountain side, overlooking the city, providing great views from rooms and the lobby, as well as locating guests near both the city and areas of excursion.
LEVEL 3: LOBBY
Lobby
When you enter the lobby, you feel like you can stay awhile. There’s music playing in the background, and comfortable seating where people are gathered in conversation. The windows on the far side of the space allows natural light to filter into the lobby and give visitors a great view looking out onto the city.
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White walls and wood features give the space a timeless feel, that also correlate back to the architectural style. Local art on the walls give the space character, reminding travelers where they are. Playful colors and furniture choices make the space feel casual. The space feels alive and authentic to the culture it is set within.
HOTEL LOBBY RECEPTION DESK
Guestrooms & Suites
DOUBLE W/ PULLOUT COUCH
Guestrooms
COMMON GUESTROOM
There are a total of 4 guestroom types. Guestrooms include a bedroom space, balcony, an en-suite bathroom, a television and a mini fridge, although some have more amenities than others. One type of room is the Double with Pull-Out Couch. This room has a fully accessible bathroom, and is adjoining to the room next door.
The common guestroom, seen below, includes two double beds, a desk, dresser, closet, and bathroom. These spaces are designed with the same aesthetic as the lobby, which is meant to be homey and create a sense of comfort, enhancing the guests' stay and allowing the to feel safe.
STANDARD SUITE
SUITES
There are three different suites to choose from. The standard suite is meant for a family of four, but can be used by a variety of party types and sizes. The space includes two rooms, each with their own en-suite bathroom, a living room, kitchen and eating space. This suite is intended for longer stays.
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The king suite designed for one to two people, it includes a kitchen, living room, and a private bedroom with a bathroom attached. An elevation can be seen below, which shows the walk in shower for the King Suite bathroom.
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While amenities included vary between guestrooms and suite types, the hotel is designed to provide guests options, making their stay more customization, something that research showed to be important on hotel trends.
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*To see more guestroom layouts click below to view the floor-plans for each level and take look at levels three through five
KING SUITE
KING SUITE BATHROOM ELEVATION
LEVEL 1: RESTAURANT
The restaurant serves both lunch and dinner, seating about 160 people at full capacity. The restaurant is laid-out so the front portion of the space can be used for lunch, allowing the rest of the restaurant to be closed off while not in use. As seen in the perspective, the area used for lunch seating is centralized, with the bar elevated in the corner.
The space is designed to give guests a San Salvadorian experience, with friendly service, great food, and music playing throughout.
RESTAURANT ELEVATION
The elevation shows the front portion of the restaurant.
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The perspective is a view of the booth seating area. Because the restaurant is so large, it was broken up into sections to provide different experiences and help relieve stimulation that could cause the large space to feel overwhelming. Here the booth seating is sectioned off through the use of partition walls. This space can be accessed by staff from the main walk way, or behind the bathroom, which are located behind the wall on the left.
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Other seating areas include private rooms, which are located in the far side of the room in the view, and another seating area without booths.
The materials in this area are darker than other areas, like the lobby, to contrast those spaces and create a sense of intimacy.
LEVEL 8: BAR & LOUNGE
Interior
The cocktail bar and lounge is open at night and open to both guests and the public. This level can be accessed from the lobby elevators, or from the exterior stairs in the front. Visitors have an option to sit in a more private seating area, or the open seating.
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Inside is the lounge area. One part of this space includes a fireplace, where guests can enjoy quiet conversations. There is also a reserved seating space, where seats are guaranteed, as seen in the perspective, across from the bar. The other option includes community style seating, or tables with standing room, which are open to those who wish to use it.
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The bar, as seen in the elevation, is a focal point of the interior. It is large, centrally located and has plenty of seating. Above the bar is a featured ceiling that helps light up the rather dark area. It is designed with large led panels.
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The bar and lounge used dark materials to help create a sophisticated atmosphere, contrasting the rest of the hotel.
BAR ELEVATION
Outdoor Entertainment
The outdoor space includes a rooftop stage and seating. Music and dancing are important parts of the San Salvadorian culture, so including this in the hotel was important for creating an authentic experience.
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This bar is the life of the hotel at night. It offers guests and locals a place to have fun and enjoy music, while interacting with each other.
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The cocktail bar highlights the lively culture of San Salvador, while the rest of the hotel highlights the beauty of the city and what it has to offer.
For a view of more spaces in the hotel click the button "Supporting Space"