Wheat Youth Arts Hotel

Sometimes, a city’s hotel weighs more than its attractions.

Hangzhou, a city enjoys a long history, modern civilization and striking features. How could it be possible missing a starting point that makes tourists excited about the trip to Hangzhou even when booking hotel on Ctrip. Target customers of Wheat Youth Arts Hotel are young people or people who think they are still young. The goal is to design a hotel which itself will flirt with tourists, and a place welcomes tourists to tease at each other.

The hotel is located in Binjiang District, Hangzhou, and within the trade area of Avenue of Stars. The entry is not eye-catching and it is inside a shopping mall; it is on the 7th floor. Upon approaching, two simple words “Mai Jian (Wheat)” could be seen on the small, simple and white door of the hotel.

The designer creates a small lobby at the door; guests need to go through the small lobby when they see the name of the hotel, and then they will arrive at the hall. At the end of the small lobby, instead of using decorations like traditional pictures and work of art, it is a vertical display of all necessary supplies for hotel guest room. All the items are painted into white and sealed with glass to form a showcase. At the exterior side of the glass, it is the word “hallo” in orange-yellow. It makes people feel like that all items in the guest room are gathering here to welcome future guests.

Entering the the lobby, the space looks like a study and a living room. Book shelves are against four walls, the white wall and glass folded-paper styled partition separate the resting area from the book shelves. The big dog in front of the bar is like a hospitable steward who welcomes the guests on behalf of the host, and the chain fastens him has become a queue line. The designer uses Chinese checkers to describe people, so he decorates a map of the world on one of the walls using Chinese checkers, which carries a message that the hotel welcomes friends from all over the world to gather here.

Also the designer uses Chinese checkers to represent the service personnel of the hotel, thus Chinese checkers - like stools are designed. Sitting on them, makes guests feel like being served. The design of the corridor is concise but powerful and is winding forward. There are paintings and graffiti on every corner of the corridor and part of the ceiling is decorated with colored Chinese checkers, which is as sweet as skittles.

The designer uses music, painting and reading which are loved by people in our daily life to decorate the whole atmosphere of the hotel. There is piano in the corridor of every floor, this allows guests to amuse themselves and share the charm of music and take music as a tool of silent communication between strangers.

The easel next to the window is specially designed for guests, the designer hopes every guest could leave some cherished moments. The TV is blocked by a huge painting which is slidable and with greetings on it. The designer wants to use simple furniture to present a concise space. The function and aesthetics of desk, bed and clothes hanger combines with each other smartly.

When the sun falls, guests could come to the coffee shop of the hotel to enjoy their leisure time. On the ceiling, seven small figures fall from the sky carrying parachutes. Flying is the most graceful posture to embrace the world, the designer believes.

Hallo! How is going today! Very happy to see you! What’s up man! And the greeting said by hotel stuffs humorously in which they use Chinese pronunciation “Beng Zhu” to express the French word “Bonjour”. A sense of caring and communication could be felt everywhere, personified words are appeared in wherever in sight to interact with guests. This is a hotel who says hello to guests with walls, a hotel looks like a gallery, a hotel that is willing to accompany you, and a hotel that makes you willing to sing a song or draw a painting for others. This is Wheat Youth Arts Hotel!

LI Xiang | X+Living
FAN Chen, CHEN Dan, WU Feng, ZHANG Xiao, REN Li-Jiao