DESIGN. Hotel Business. Persons of Interest our 2014 professional picks GROUND WORK. product design lord is master of his craft. carpets that inspire

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1 Hotel Business May/June 2014 The Business of Hospitality Style Persons of Interest our 2014 professional picks product design lord is master of his craft GROUND WORK carpets that inspire

2 Hotel Business 44 May/June 2014

3 Cave Dwellings Iconic Santorini is formed from and celebrates its natural surroundings By Matthew Marin Situated on a hillside setting along the Greek island village of Imerovigli on Santorini Island, a community of cave-like homes faces the remnants of the volcanic caldera that destroyed the earliest settlements on a formerly single island. Today, these dwellings have been transformed into Iconic Santorini, a luxury boutique cave hotel that brings the tranquility of the surrounding waters and caldera cliffs into 22 guestrooms and suites. Part of the Mantis Collection of privately owned boutique hotels, Iconic Santorini offers an intimate setting, suited for weddings, honeymoons and retreats. Nashville, TN-based Hospitality America, Inc., which manages the property, tapped Athens-based architectural and design firm A&T Kontodimas to create the public spaces, guestrooms and suites, which feature indoor grotto pools, oversized beds and authentic furnishings. Brothers Alexis and Tasos Kontodimas, who have designed private estates in Greece, brought a luxurious, Greek-inspired design aesthetic to the boutique hotel while maintaining the original architecture of the caves. The firm maintained the natural look of the cavernous-like spaces by preserving the uneven shape of the white walls to recall the cave s simple origins. May/June

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5 Iconic Santorini provides a stunningly beautiful setting for the perfect holiday on this most amazing island, said James St. John, VP of operations for Hospitality America, Inc. From the onset, the goal was to create the feeling that you were staying in a very comfortable home of a Greek friend. The cave accommodations offer an elegant aesthetic enhanced by aspects of Greek culture, and complement the historic Cycladic architecture with elements from the island. The guestroom floors feature a colored cement finish while the bed headboards are made from wood treated with an antique finish to match the Coco-Mat 4-Layer bedding. The spaces also include decorative volcanic stones and recesses for candles in the walls to provide an intimate feel. The warm, earthy tones of the Greek Isles strongly influenced the color palette of the guestrooms and suites. Mirroring the look of the surrounding blue waters of the Aegean Sea, deep blue makes its way into the fabrics of the sunbeds and built-in sofas. Meanwhile, the candleholders, desk and accessories are made from zinc, commonly found in Greece. Iconic Santorini draws from others cues of its distinct past to honor the original cave architecture while presenting a modern design. The Iconic Suite s fireplace, for example, originated from a former bakery s stone oven. Additionally, the cave dwellings once had cisterns to collect rainwater. The design firm transformed the cisterns into heated pools in the larger suites with jets and recesses for candles. Our pools were originally made to keep the rain water, but today, they look like natural stone lakes, said Alexis Kontodimas. All accommodations provide veranda seating with scenic views of the ancient caldera, situated along the hotel s five levels on the cliff. To provide privacy to the hotel guests, the balconies are cordoned off with pots of Greek plants and herbs, as well as candle boxes. Each outdoor space includes a breakfast table, sunbeds and an umbrella. Iconic Santorini includes modern appointments and updated technology. Each guestroom features WiFi, individually controlled air-conditioning units and oversized, flat-screen TVs hidden within the volcanic walls. The design firm ran into difficulties when incorporating modern technology into the caves. It was very risky to injure the old surfaces of the caves, Kontodimas said. Another challenge that arose during the design phase was the short time period 74 days in which the design firm had to deliver the finished product. We had more than 50 people working everyday, and at least three supervisors, said Kontodimas. We had to organize everything very well in order to continue the work without making noise and trouble. Iconic Santorini aims to offer a comfortable and authentic residential theme that crosses over from the guestrooms to the public spaces. The hotel s Pergola Restaurant, which provides local and authentic culinary dishes as well as local wines, incorporates these elements together into the space while also maximizing the surrounding views. We wanted the guest to feel inside a home and not in a hotel, said Kontodimas. The restaurant area has a fabulous view and with a semi-transparent pergola; the red of the sunsets embraces you from all directions. In addition to the restaurant, the hotel provides amenities such as a gym and spa, which includes a full range of Cybex professional exercise equipment, a private room for massages and an indoor grotto pool. Other guest amenities include Aesop bath products, international satellite channels, a JBL docking station sound system and alarm, room-service dining and an outdoor infinity pool. The Athens-based design firm maintained the exterior appearance of cliffside dwellings. The view of Iconic Santorini, from a distance, didn t change after we delivered the design, said Tasos Kontodimas. It still looks like the small cave houses of the rest of the village; that was an extremely important issue in our creative process, as we wanted to respect the existing architecture and style. May/June