Richards and Spence is a name that has become synonymous with hotel design. The pair are part of the Brisbane-based architecture firm responsible for designing the highly revered Calile hotel in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley. Unbeknownst to many, the duo have stayed in countless hotels across the globe.
Here they share their seven favourite design hotels, each of which they say are connected by a quality that make you never want to leave.
Hotel Terrestre, Puerto Esconido, Mexico by Alberto Kalach of Taller de Arquitectura
Hotel Terrestre, Puerto Esconido, Mexico by Alberto Kalach of Taller de Arquitectura.
Image: Courtesy of Adrian Spence
Alberto Kalach of Taller de Arquitectura has taken the concept of an immersive nature retreat to a whole new level. Sure, moving between rooms requires traversing through the sand, but that all adds to the charm and quirk of the hotel.
The earthy-coloured facade blends into its topography, while passive environmental features are integrated to maximise the use of natural energy sources for ventilation, light and temperature control. Adrian Spence’s admiration for the lovable yet eccentric hotel is evident from the moment he begins talking about it. The entire experience he describes feels as if it could pass as a scene from a film.
“The hotel is completely off the grid and very laidback. There is no glass in the room and no air conditioning. Instead, there are fly screens and shutters, as well as some ceiling fans, yet it still manages to feel really comfortable. There are also no paved pathways between your room, the pool or the restaurant. Instead, you have to sort of wander across the sand and the scrub to get to each amenity.”
Even the journey to the hotel is one that Richards and Spence are unlikely to ever forget. After embarking on a single-propeller plane flight from Oaxaca, the pair then travelled by car to the hotel. “You pull up on a sandy road, there’s no signage, and someone pushes through the scrub to grab your bags and bring you to reception,” Spence said. “When we checked into the hotel staff asked if we wanted to watch them release turtle hatchlings on the beach. It was just wonderful.”
Despite the hotel’s remote location, there are a number of architecturally designed structures by some of the world’s most renowned architects. Alongside hotel architect Alberto Kalach, Tadao Ando was commissioned to design an artist’s residence at the Casa Wabi Art House, Alvaro Siza for a pottery workshop and Kenga Kuma for a chook shed. The Calile Hotel in Brisbane was built before Hotel Terrestre, and both differ greatly in terms of offering, size and surrounding context.
“The Hotel Terrestre is more ambitious in its outdoor offering. It is probably a place that would be too extreme for people who want the typical hotel experience because the outdoors is very direct. It takes the immediacy of being in the landscape to a new level, but in saying that, that is also what we really enjoyed about it,” he said.
Amangalla, Galle, Sri Lanka
Amangalla, Galle, Sri Lanka.
Image: Courtesy of the Amangalla
Upon entering the Amangalla, one could be forgiven for thinking they’d been transported to a different time period. The hotel operates within a building that was built by the Dutch in 1684, and is located within the 17th-century UNESCO world heritage-listed Galle Fort. Initially, the building served as a residence before being acquired by the British East India Company where it was used to house military servicemen. In 1863, the site was repurposed into a hotel named the New Oriental Hotel, which primarily catered to European guests. In 2005, Aman Resorts bought the hotel, resulting in the all-inclusive resort that we now know today as the Amangalla.
For Richards and Spence, the charm of this hotel lies in its account of history. The hotel embraces its storied past by blending Indigenous Sri Lankan design elements with colonialist decor to create a unique fusion of cultures.
“It was such a departure from the hotels that we were used to,” Spence said. “They retained and accumulated all of these antiques and trophies from the previous occupants, instead of removing them.” The property offers views of the colonialist-built fort on one side, contrasted with views of native, tropical plantings and a swimming pool on the other.
Exposed ceiling beams, four poster beds, wooden floors and silverware of another era feature within the hotel as a nod to the region’s former settlers, while Sri Lankan ornaments sit proudly on display in celebration of local culture and an onsite traditional Ayurvedic wellness centre provides guests the opportunity to immerse themselves in domestic customs. Somehow, the amalgamation of all these eclectic, contrasting features and references has resulted in what Richards and Spence see as a wonderful melting pot of styles and cultures.
Beyond the experience of being in the melting pot, the design duo have an appreciation for the sense of contentment the hotel affords its guests with its in-house amenities. Creating a hotel that is more than just a place to sleep, but a place to spend your time is something the pair said they strive to achieve in their own projects.
RAAS, Jodhpur, India
RAAS in Jodhpur, India.
Image: Courtesy of RAAS
Historical and contemporary design collide to offer the best of both worlds at the RAAS in Jodhpur. The site boasts three 18th-century buildings constructed from local red sandstone, alongside a matching red sandstone extension. The design duo expressed their admiration for the additional building’s facade, saying it was a “respectful” accompaniment to the existing structures.
The edifices are all double-skinned and consist of an outer layer of stone latticework with an inner layer of masonry and glass. Richards and Spence find that the uniformity between facades not only creates a sense of belonging between buildings but also integrates well within the desert landscape.
Set atop a hill, the historic Mehrangarh Fort looks down on the hotel and is identical in colour and texture to the surrounding built forms. “The addition respects the legacy, context and materiality of place,” Spence said. “If they had constructed a steel and glass box it would have felt out of place against the red sandstone. The singular materiality used on the complex unifies the buildings as a campus.”
While each of the building facades on the property share a consistent and harmonious 18th-century aesthetic, the interiors are presented in stark contrast. Contemporary artworks and a monochromatic colour scheme have resulted in what Richards and Spence describe as a distinct juxtaposition between the interior and exterior. The pair felt that the contrast between history and modernity created a balanced atmosphere, offering guests greater diversity.
Hotel Parco Dei Principi, Sorrento, Italy by Gio Ponti
Hotel Parco Dei Principi, Sorrento, Italy by Gio Ponti.
Image: Courtesy of Adrian Spence
Richards and Spence see the Hotel Parco Dei Principi as a magnificent example of preservation. Designed by the famed Italian architect and designer Gio Ponti during the 1960s, the hotel has remained virtually untouched since then, allowing visitors to experience its original splendour.
Sitting perched atop a cliff, the accommodation offers breathtaking views of the glistening sea. A blue and white colour palette has been chosen for furnishings and tiles to reflect and mimic the colours of the ocean.
According to Richards and Spence, the real beauty of this establishment lies in its pristine appearance, which serves as an enduring tribute to the designer’s legacy. “The building feels like it’s been cryovacked in time. The hotel operators have maintained and taken such excellent care of the building that it feels as if it has barely changed at all,” Spence said.
“The rooms have remained in perfect condition and still feature all the original, purpose-built furniture pieces designed by Gio Ponti himself. There are even still blue Bakelite phones in the rooms.
“Nothing has been altered or introduced and that creates this amazing experience where you feel like the hotel has been frozen in time. It’s just incredible that they have preserved it to the standard that they have, and serves as a testament to their deep respect for the designer and for the building.
“As an architect or a designer, you are vigilant about your projects being changed, such as things being swapped out or signage being slapped across the building. To see a place continue to be respected, despite many years having passed and potentially many management changes having occurred, is truly remarkable.”
Pousada de Santa Maria do Bouro, Amares, Portugal, restored by Eduardo Souto de Moura
Pousada de Santa Maria do Bouro, Amares, Portugal, restored by Eduardo Souto de Moura.
Image: Courtesy of Adrian Spence
The Pousada de Santa Maria do Bouro has been characterized by Richards and Spence as a beautiful exercise in restraint. Distinguished architect and recipient of the 2011 Pritzker Prize, Eduardo Souto de Moura was engaged to transform this exquisite 12-century structure, which was initially constructed as a monastery, later abandoned, then repurposed into a hotel.
“I believe it was an initiative of the Portuguese tourism authority to fund the restoration of all these abandoned monasteries dotted around the countryside,” said Spence.
“This project is a beautiful lesson in ’as much as necessary’ and ‘as little as possible’,” Spence said. “The architect did very little to transform this abandoned, ruined stone building into a hotel so that the original charm of the building was not lost.
“He did enough to make it a comfortable place to stay but not too much that it takes away from the character and history. He preserved a number of original features of the monastery such as these extremely wide corridors, which were used to allow for large groups of nuns to pour through. Corridors in a hotel are typically lean because it’s not a place where people usually spend a significant amount of time, but because he made the effort to retain those features you can really still imagine the nuns moving through the building.
“There’s something really special about staying in a place that has remained true to its original intention and purpose.”
El Fenn Hotel, Marrakech, Morocco
El Fenn Hotel, Marrakech, Morocco.
Image: Cacile Treal
“The story of El Fenn is quite an interesting one,” Spence remarked, before proceeding to tell a tale about Richard Branson’s sister, Vanessa Branson buying the building for a holiday house and realizing that it was too large.
“She decided to turn part of it into a guesthouse, and I believe since then, she has bought several of the surrounding buildings to add to this amazing, sprawling hotel,” he said. “The most incredible thing about the hotel is that every room is different and styled in a unique way.”
The colourful hotel features 41 individually styled suites, with each one creating an entirely different atmosphere. In addition, there are three swimming pools, several courtyards, a 1,300-square-metre roof terrace, a spa, two cocktail bars, two restaurants and a family of resident tortoises who can be seen meandering about the place.
Calile by Richards and Spence
The Calile by Richards and Spence.
Image: Sean Fennessy
It wouldn’t be a list of favourites if Richards and Spence couldn’t include their own hotel. The Calile has garnered significant attention on both a national and international scale – something that the pair attribute to its outdoor offering.
“The Calile was about trying to design a hotel that was centred around creating the experience of a poolside holiday, which is a common design style in overseas resorts, but something that is not as common in Australia,” Spence said.
“We wanted to embed this concept of a poolside resort within an urban setting and that was when we came up with the idea for the urban resort.”
“I think people are really attracted to the landscape overlay of the resort. We are seeing people spending long durations in the hotel’s outdoor environment, which is exactly what our vision for the hotel was.”
One thing is for certain, the Calile has undoubtedly been a contributing factor to Brisbane’s newfound allure and popularity as a holiday destination.
