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Project Name: Hyatt Place Patong
Location: Patong, Phuket, Thailand
Date Completed: May 2016
Architect: Original Vision Limited
Interior Designer: P49
Hotel Group: Hyatt Place

When Original Vision Ltd. started on the design, Hyatt were just beginning to roll out their brand in Asia, so they worked with the them to establish the parameters that would work best for the tropical climate of Phuket. This included making the food, beverage and recreation facilities more of an indoor/outdoor experience and providing larger and more open-plan balcony space for the rooms.

The ground floor of the entrance building is dedicated to the guest services and the all-day dining restaurant. These spill out into the terraced swimming pool gardens that link the three building blocks. The gym and the meeting rooms are also in the front of this oasis style space that is the main focus for most of the guest rooms.

There are three main elements that inspired the design. The first concern was the master plan. As the site is very steep the Original Vision designers were concerned that there may be a shortage of useable open space. Therefore, they decided to locate all the accommodation on the periphery to free up an internal courtyard and provide the heart of the development as a terraced pool garden. Massing wise they have arranged the three blocks of accommodation around this oasis to make the most of the view and available sun light. The height limits have not been maximised so that the central space is not overpowered which also allowed them to provide ocean views to as many rooms as possible.

Finally, the operator’s room specification inspired the zig-zag elevation treatment. Their requirement for a “Cosy Corner” in each room influenced the articulation of the balcony with a solid wall. This has been achieved by handing each floor above each other so that the balconies and the “Cosy Corners” are on opposite sides from the floor below or above. The challenge was to make sure the service ducts and the structure all lines through. By alternating the layout on each floor the designers achieved this highly textural façade. The added benefit of this configuration is that it provides inter-balcony privacy that is often a problem for tropical resort hotels.

The concept behind the function of the resort is inspired by the changing landscape of the contemporary, multitasking leisure travelers. The target market is a newly identified segment who have successfully adapted to today’s “24/7 lifestyle” and share a mindset and way of life that revolves around seamlessly merging personal and professional activities. It achieves this by offering a balanced mix of spacious, comfortable and functional guestrooms along with efficient and concise facilities.

It is always a challenge designing a hotel and making an interesting architectural statement. Their strategy to create something special with the Hyatt Place Phuket was to take two directions in the design. At a macro level they first created a highly textural expression of solid and void that ultimately became reliant on just two principle materials/textures to achieve their desired effect. At the more tangible level they reduced the palette of “touchable” finishes to a closely suited minimum. This helps to enhance the feeling of space and reduce the complexity of detailing.

The resort is located in the north end of Patong, the most vibrant town on the island of Phuket. Situated on the favoured west coast, Patong has a 3.5km beautiful sandy beach with the most comprehensive collection of restaurants, bars and facilities the island has to offer. Being only 200m from this beach the Hyatt Place Phuket enjoys close proximity to these amenities without the burden of exorbitant land prices and thereby being able to provide a top-level location with favourable room rates meeting the needs of the target market.