A Parisian hotel created inside a 19th century bathhouse once frequented by novelist Marcel Proust has won the top prize at the 2015 European Hotel Design Awards at a ceremony in London.
Les Bains in Paris – designed by Tristan Auer and French studio RDAI – claimed the Hotel Design of the Year Award for the sophisticated new interiors created within the existing 1885 building.
Located in the French capital’s third arrondissement, Les Bains features 39 rooms and suites and a clubhouse which was once a favourite spot of Mick Jagger, David Bowie and Andy Warhol.
The design – which references this unique cultural heritage – was hailed by the judges as “a perfect melange of historical significance and design vision, encapsulating the new wave of hospitality based on old world roots.”
Les Bains also won the Hotel Restaurant Design of the Year Award for its La Salle à Manger & Le Reservoir venue, and completed a hat-trick of wins by claiming a prize for its bedroom and bathroom interiors.
Also among the winners was Turkey’s Mandarin Oriental Bodrum, which was named the best newly-built hotel in Europe. The 109-guestroom resort – designed by Antonio Citterio and GAD & WATG – was also recognised for its spa and wellness facilities.
Earlier this year, the resort partnered with US-based medical non-profit Mayo Clinic to offer guests a combination of research-based medical expertise along with Mandarin Oriental’s signature treatments and therapies.
In other categories, Dutch designers Concrete were rewarded for their lobby design at the INK Hotel Amsterdam and ReardonSmith Architects won the Best Adaptive Re-Use Prize for their work on London’s Beaumont Hotel.
Members of this year's judging panel included representatives of industry leading companies such as Design Hotels, Marriott International, Universal Design Studio, Starwood Hotels & Resorts and Hilton Worldwide.
The judges praised the diversity and dynamism of the sector; hailing the balance between independent and branded properties among the winners.
The Asia Hotel Design Awards – a sister event – will be announced in Singapore on 10 March 2016.
