HKS Hill Glazier Studio has been selected to design $400 million resort complex along the coastline of Cap Cana in the Dominican Republic. The project, called Gems at Cap Cana and owned by AMResorts, will include the 200-suite Zoetry Gems at Cap Cana, the 350-suite Secrets Gems at Cap Cana, the 350-suite Now Gems at Cap Cana, and the 200-suite Now Preferred Gems at Cap Cana.
“Our main objective was to design a collection of resorts, all different in character and scale, yet of the same breath-all belonging in Cap Cana,” says Daron Andrus, project designer, HKS Hill Glazier Studio. “Each resort embraces the spirit of place using local, natural materials and taking cues from the surrounding architecture.”
For instance, HKS Hill Glazier is designing each resort with a different guest experience in mind, starting from the arrival point. At one resort, guests will enter a lobby that is grand in scale and more refined in finishes. At another Cap Cana resort, an open-air, palapa (a thatched-roof, open-sided structure) arcade will transition guests to a collection of small buildings that become the check-in, lobby, and dining areas.
In addition, the four resorts will share the Promenade, which will encompass more than 148,000 square feet of retail and recreational space, including a 30,677-square-foot convention center, spa, 20,000-square-foot casino, gourmet restaurants and bars, retail collection, an Explorer’s Club for kids, and an artists’ square.
The project is currently under construction with a targeted completion date in 2012.
