Client: Valencia Group / Midway Companies

Overview

Hotel Alessandra is personified as the eldest of three European-born sisters — she is glamorous, refined and well-traveled with an unmistakable sensuality and sense of style. Her Houston incarnation is a reinterpretation of old world elegance and European charm, offering alluring contrasts of polish and carefree eccentricity at every turn. Throughout the 188,271-square-foot hotel the interior architecture is devoid of any true old world details as it is a contemporary statement about the grandeur of arches, tall ceilings and architectural volumes.

Goals

The design approach was to create a space that referenced the past but did not try and deceive the guest. Reinhard Görner’s photographs provide the rich visual intrigue of Old World Europe without needing to adorn the space with moldings or gilding it with ornament. With a wide angle format, Görner orchestrates the monumentality of parts as a stage director does with the characters. The brightness and impression of depth and perspective within his images play with our perception. Görner’s photographs capture the beauty of places and reveal our own emotions when we are confronted with space and architecture. The individual character of each place is revealed through the choice of the perspectives. The impression of space is always part of the visitor experience. His photographs are references to the immensity of great architecture that has always been celebrated throughout history. We chose him as his work is similar to our own in that we like to create spaces that manipulate the inhabitant to see the space as we designed it—to carry their eye where we want it to go and to embrace them with an emotion they have not felt before.

Process

Rottet Studio in collaboration with DAC Art Consulting created the story of European-born Alessandra and her voyage to Texas. Founding Principal Lauren Rottet had been introduced to Reinhard Görner when she was developing the art program for a New York City hedge fund, and she thought of him instantly in the very early stages of the Hotel Alessandra’s design. She loved the way his photographs transport the viewer to another place and lead one’s eye in such an intriguing manner. Thus, a captivating piece by Görner was selected to hang behind the reception desk and sets the tone for the guests’ stay—it is intimate, profound and mysterious, like Alessandra herself.
Rottet Studio also worked very closely with DAC Art Consulting on the photography for the guestrooms which depict three different images of dogs—an Afghan Hound, a Dalmatian and a Great Dane – all with the expressive hand of a woman adorned in exquisite jewelry. These images convey the loving tension between her and her beloved, strong dog and emphasize the correlation of beauty and power, much like the design of the hotel itself.

Additional Information

Hotel Alessandra has been widely recognized by design competition judges both nationally and internationally since opening in October 2017. The list below features a selection of recent honors Hotel Alessandra has received: • Hospitality Winner – Shaw Contract Design Is Awards (2019) • Best Interior Architecture - AIA Houston Design Awards (2018) • Best Hotel Interior USA - International Property Awards (2018) • 5-Star Best Hotel Interior in Texas - Americas Property Awards (2018) • Best Hospitality Design - Paper City Design Awards (2018)