Situated above multi-use complex Central Festival at Pattaya Beach in Thailand, Southeast Asia’s largest beachfront, lifestyle, shopping, and entertainment center, the Hilton Pattaya posed a design challenge from the start. “The most obvious design issues for a resort hotel situated above a retail center are related to circulation, the sense of arrival, and the creation of a unique identity for the hotel within the large entertainment complex,” explains Larry Traxler, senior vice president, global design services, for Hilton Worldwide. Another problem: elevator locations were fixed within the complex before the hotel was actually designed.

To give the beachside hotel its own identity and unique arrival experience, the hotel has two lobbies: one set on the ground floor and the other on the 16th. It’s here where the hotel’s location-inspired design comes to life. “The lobby is almost as if we are standing in the space underneath shallow water with sea waves above us and sea pebbles scattered on the ocean floor,” explains Twitee Vajrabhaya Teparkum, principal of Bangkok-based Department of ARCHITECTURE Co., Ltd., designer of the hotel’s two lobbies. Besides sweeping sea views, the elements-sand, wood, and pebbles-are portrayed through white recomposed stone and white oak, while a sheer white fabric ceiling installation leads guests to the coastal scene outside. “The lobby is where our guest experience often begins and we wanted guests entering the space to experience the same tranquility and freedom they feel at the beach,” explains Traxler, adding that the design also incorporated soft materials and colors to oppose the bright lights and signage of the entertainment complex below.

Pale, neutral colors; soft, indirect lighting; furnishings (made from whitewashed wood) and ceilings that mimic waves; and open bathrooms and balconies with heady vistas of Pattaya Bay bring the outside in throughout the 302 guestrooms. “One of the most unique elements featured in all of the rooms is the combination of specially designed curvy edge furnishings combined with the gentle sloped ceiling at the room entrance, which creates a special experience for the guest reminiscent of staying in a private yacht somewhere in the ocean rather than in a hotel room,” says Pongthep Sagulku, managing director of Bangkok-based August Design Consultant co., ltd., who designed the rooms.

Along with the five dining and bar/lounge options including the Department of ARCHITECTURE Co.-designed specialty restaurant Flare and all-day dining restaurant Edge, as well as the brand’s signature spa, eforea, are the “Plounges”-oversized lounges reminiscent of ocean boulders that are surrounded by pebble lighting and set on individual islands over ponds on the hotel’s upper levels. As Traxler explains, “Their seemingly random placement allows hotel guests to feel secluded and relaxed yet still an important part of the vibrant lounge scene.”