2021 Australian Interior Design Awards: Hospitality Design

Jury comment

In a typology that can sometimes be clichéd and sterile, Park Hyatt Niseko Hanazono brings a freshness and sense of domestic comfort to the hotel genre. It’s the stand-out project in the Hospitality Design category for its sophistication and detailing, drawing on Japanese design and heritage in a way that exudes a sense of place that is comfortable and inviting. Spatial planning visually spans through to the outdoors and the interiors are wondrous, feeling idealized, opulent and luxurious while maintaining a residential nature. The jury commended its outstanding connection to place, as well as its timeless aesthetic, which appears warm despite the project’s large scale.

Design statement

Inspired by an alpine village in the landscape, this hotel embodies a profound connection to nature. The design celebrates Japanese crafts, materials and processes, drawing from the warmth of a mountain lodge and the detail of a Japanese villa. The brief – and challenge – was to create an international hotel comprising 100 rooms and 113 “residences,” with associated leisure facilities, function spaces, and food and beverage venues, that had the feel of warmth and hospitality that could be found in an intimate mountain lodge. Functionally and programmatically, the hotel is divided into two main areas; the hotel (guestrooms and public areas including restaurants, gym and spa) and the residences (consisting of owners’ apartments, and associated lounges and facilities). At the base of these buildings are three pitched-roof pavilions that house the destination dining spaces of the resort. The different interior design solutions within the hotel required different, and specific, design concepts. The various public and private spaces were resolved to provide a variety of moods so that the entirety of the project is experienced as vibrant, rich and inviting, and deeply connected to the surrounding landscape.

Design practice — BAR Studio

Project team — Stewart Robertson

The Australian Interior Design Awards are presented by the Design Institute of Australia and Artichoke magazine. For more images of this project, see the Australian Interior Design Awards gallery.