In preparation for this year’s World Expo, development has been on the rise in Shanghai. One of the newest entrants is the Renaissance Mingjie Hotel, part of a large complex in the city’s Putuo District.
The design by VOA Associates is all about color and merging Shanghai’s history with a bit of modernity. “We designed an exclusive product that blended the beauty of western influence mixed with the eastern culture while incorporating the new Renaissance brand standards,” explains Patricia Rotondo, senior vice president, VOA. “The motif ‘winds of change’ reads well through our use of different patterns, textures, and colors throughout the hotel, giving the hotel guest a one-of-a kind hospitality experience. We were working with Marriott to make a statement that the Renaissance brand was a much more contemporary brand in China than in the rest of the world and at the same time that it related to Shanghai as an international city.”
As the design brief states: “The interior design is inspired by the maritime tradition of trade and the stormy windblown character of the relationships with the West as well as the finicky nature of the wind and the currents that have brought the West to China and to Shanghai in particular.”
To that end, contemporary crystals are mixed with specialty lighting, bold colors and textures, and locally sourced accessories and artwork throughout the hotel, complete with 332 rooms, three restaurants, meeting space, and a spa. In the lobby, there’s a cascade of lights hanging above a floating stair and a curved reception desk inspired by ripples in the water. And just beyond, there’s a “day/night bar that glows above ground with a crystal wind-like chandelier hanging from the ceiling,” explains Rotondo.
Moving upstairs, the color palette shifts from tones found in the deep sea to incorporating those found on the ocean’s surface. For instance, in the spa, Rotondo employed light woods, natural sandy colored stones, organic finishes, and natural light in the treatment rooms “to create a unique Thai feeling to the spaces,” she says. And each suite has its own personality thanks to differing color schemes: the presidential suite is an expression of the deep sea with rich blue and beige hues accented with gold tones; the vice presidential suite is a walk on the beach heading toward the forest, decked out in light blue and beige colors highlighted with sandy golden hues; and the junior suite is inspired by the forest with colors and textures taken from flora and fauna.
“The challenge was to create a product that was unique in the Chinese market and that complied with the Marriott International standards, while at the same time raised the design bar for 5-Star hotels in China,” Rotondo says.
Owner: Shanghai Mingjie
Architecture Firm: Shanghai Kangye Construction Decoration Co., Ltd
Interior Design Firm: VOA Associates Incorporated
Design Firm Team: Richard H. Fawell, design principal; Patricia Rotondo, senior interior designer
Support Team: Nan Zhou, Kris Yokoo, and Serena Wen
Lighting Consultant: Lighting Design Alliance
Lighting Manufacturer: Versailles lamps Co. Ltd
Wallcoverings: Maya Romanoff and Weitzner
Flooring: Aalto and FNW Company Inc. (stonework); Zhemei-gao (carpet)
Fabrics: Townsend Leather Bart Halpern; Bergamo; Brentano; Castel; Donghia; Elitis; Pollack; Rubelli; and Sahco
Signage: Watermark Associates
Bathroom Equipment: Toto and Grohe
Furniture Manufacturer: Shanghai Shixin
Art: eStudio Art Consultant
