New Hotel Design

Library Journal

These books both sample recent hotel design around the world, overlapping on a few spectacular projects. In New Hotel Design, architecture and design consultant Riewoldt begins with an essay on trends influencing upscale hotel planning. He identifies themes of "ascetic modernism, nostalgic opulence, extravagant fantasy, and exotic exclusivity." The author groups some 45 examples of design and art hotels, business hotels, grand hotels, and resort and entertainment hotels, presenting a diverse sampling, from intimate spa retreat in the California desert to vast thematic complex in the Bahamas. Each receives a brief description, a floor plan, and fine-quality photo spreads of interiors (the text boasts 220 color and 80 black-and-white images). While Riewoldt admires most of these establishments, he also cites several as examples of inappropriate design. New Hotels for Global Nomads seeks the essence of the hotel experience. Albrecht has written or edited other design books, such as Designing Dreams: Modern Architecture in the Movies. This one accompanies an exhibition at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York, where he is a curator. In an accompanying essay, Albrecht traces the historical development of the modern hotel. The 30 projects featured here in 200 images, plans, and computer renderings are exceedingly diverse. Besides actual hotels, there are bold concepts for hotels and art installations in or about hotels, e.g., a habitation module for the International Space Station. Both books include comprehensive designer information and credits and are recommended for libraries supporting architecture, interior design, or tourism departments.-David R. Conn, Surrey P.L., B.C. Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.