Project Overview

Hilton Bankside is a design driven hotel, with a unique industrial ethos. Hilton London Bankside gives a nod to the past, present and future of its evolving location. Responding to the urban, river side surroundings, where refinement and grittiness walk hand in hand, nostalgic details are complimented by contemporary simplicity. The shadowing presence of London’s Tate Modern provides a positive artistic influence to many aspects of the design narrative.
This is a 292 guestrooms hotel, with full facilities of a Lobby, Bar, Restaurant, Executive Lounge, Meeting Rooms, Ballroom plus extensive spa and fitness facilities.

Organisation

Hilton Worldwide

Team

Designers - Twenty 2 Degrees & Dexter Moren Associates

Project Brief

The aim was to ensure that the design story encompassed the narrative of an upmarket loft, alongside some soft touches to ensure that the hotel sat within the Hilton brand. The brief to the design team looked to take urban loft elements, and combine these with interesting textures and materials as well as unique lighting, edgy materials, inspired by the surrounding urban area, and combine these with unique artwork, simplistic forms with a residential twist.
The spaces were to be carefully designed to maximize space and impact. The new frontage onto Great Suffolk Street, Bear Lane and Prices Street was asked to be an impressive space, which draws in the guest to an impactful hotel Lobby, Bar, Restaurant and Executive Lounge. The design then is to flow effortlessly to the Guestrooms, Meeting Rooms, Ballroom and spa and fitness facilities.

Project Innovation/Need

Art plays an important role within this hotel design with strong links to the brief. The ‘Fox’ repeatedly makes an appearance in the guestrooms and the public areas, the inspiration being a resident fox that appeared on site during the construction phase. The guestroom host a geometric fox’s head, giving a nod to the contemporary art as found in the Tate Modern.
Within the Oxbo Restaurant the idea of the butchers shop is illustrated through quirky animal heads, whilst the bar distillery houses many traditional inspired bottles and jars. The Reception houses an impressive fretwork backdrop to the pod desks, displaying an urban upscale design.

Design Challenge

Financial budgets are always a challenge due to the potential overrun of construction, however taking that into consideration Hilton London Bankside opened its doors in an extremely strong occupancy position and continues to showcase RGI growth month after month, and maintaining status within the market place.
The property also faced the challenge of being a new build on a tight site, limiting disruption to the surrounding buildings and main roads lead to considered planned.

Sustainability

The hotel has been delivered to BREEAM ‘very good’.