PURO Hotel

Ever keen to enliven and innovate, PURO Hotels is launching a freshly reimagined property in the heart of Kraków. Opened in 2013, PURO’s first Kraków hotel stands next to the city’s historic old town. In refreshing its interior, PURO found the ideal partner in the young design office Paradowski Studio run by Zuza and Piotr Paradowski. Also situated in Poland’s second city, the studio is guided by the vintage glamour of Kraków’s interwar cafés, as well as the clean functionalism of its mid-century modernist hotels. The result is an elegant living space, grounded in Kraków’s sophisticated past, but realized through the vision of the city’s most youthful generation of designers. This contemporary localism is further accentuated by a wholly revitalized art collection throughout PURO Kraków Old Town. The hotel now houses artworks created primarily by artists with close ties to Kraków’s creative community, whose prestigious works reference recognizable architecture and landscapes of the surrounding area, all the while maintaining singular forms and artistic techniques. PURO welcomes culturally-conscious travellers to discover new inspirations in the city’s old town (www.purohotel.pl).

As guests approach the building, they are greeted by a façade evoking the grandeur of Kraków’s socialist-era utopian suburb, Nowa Huta. With the completion of its recent renovation, the hotel now boasts a new and stylish interior. Led by the Paradowski Studio, PURO Kraków Old Town has been refashioned so as to evoke the chic of a bygone Kraków, all the while using contemporary craftsmanship – including natural oak, stone, and Polish-made glass and ceramics – to realize this vision. Drawing on a multitude of unconventional inspirations – such as the city’s interwar cafés and the iconic Hotel Cracovia and Forum Hotel – the new interior sheds light on chapters of Poland’s design history that are largely unknown to international aficionados. Across each of the hotel’s rooms and common spaces, guests are encouraged to relax among stripped-back European furnishings sourced from Scandinavia and Italy, as well as The Netherlands, Britain and Germany. The selection of furniture and lighting blends the heritage artistry of &Tradition, Artek, Carl Hansen & Søn and Cassina with the youthful flair of relative newcomers Massproductions, Wästberg, Dirk Vander Kooij, Areti, Verpan, Bocci, Friends & Founders and Tom Dixon. PURO’s collaboration with the Kraków-based studio perfectly encapsulates their shared appreciation of design-led creativity born from local aesthetics – a key value of PURO’s approach to hospitality.

The reopening of PURO’s first Kraków hotel also sees a collaboration between two of PURO’s enduring partners: Røros Tweed and Maria Jeglińska. Røros have long been showcasing their centuries-old crafts tradition in the form of the woolen throws that add a homely touch to PURO’s hotel rooms. By equal measure, Maria Jeglińska – Poland’s leading designer – has lent PURO her stripped-back philosophy across the years. Now, these two creative talents come together through the release of a limited collection of 100% Norwegian wool throws in the rooms of PURO’s redesigned Kraków hotel. Blending pastel colours with vivid shades, these unique pieces act as both decorative bedroom accessories and cosy blankets, making the most of their functionality.

The new design of PURO Kraków Old Town is rounded off by an extensive reshuffle of the hotel’s art collection. Upon entering the lobby, guests are greeted by a detailed mosaic – designed by the artist himself – as well as a wooden bas-relief and a sgraffito-decorated ceramic wall. These works by Tomasz Opaliński incorporate inspirations that span from the modernist mosaics of the 1970s to the vast natural beauty of the nearby Tatra Mountains, thereby guiding the committed craftsmanship of a collection that echoes the distinct styles and shapes of Poland’s cultural heritage. The common spaces of the hotel act as an introduction to the youthful vibrancy of Kraków’s very own art scene. Throughout the foyers, hallways and recreational spaces, guests are drawn towards abstract painting, collage and photography by local artists including Tomasz Baran, Małgorzata Malwina Niespodziewana and Tomasz Wiech. Meanwhile, the hotel rooms are home to a set of artworks that further reflect artistic diversity in their presentation of woodcuts, mixed gouache-collage, hook weaves and lithographs, created respectively by Marta Wojtuszek, Tomasz Opaliński and Agnieszka Owsiany.

Both hotel guests and Kraków locals can now also mingle at the newly-opened Hint bistro and bar. Taking inspiration from global street food, Hint brings a modern culinary twist with a varied menu fully accessible to vegetarians, vegans and children, as well as weekend events including afternoon tea. The bar presents a wine list spanning Europe, New Zealand and South America, alongside a selection of regional craft beers, altogether catering to each and every connoisseur.

Piotr Paradowski Studio