hospitalitystyle.com

(2008 November December) posted on Mon Nov 03, 2008 4:22pm EST
In Living Color: The iconic Carlton Hotel St. Moritz gets rejuvenated with in-your-face colors and new technology that cross the generational divide.

By Kara Gebhart Uhl

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Like famous faces, famous places such as the Carlton Hotel St. Moritz can get trapped by their own iconic image. The dowager elegance of this 95-year-old five-star has played well to long-time guests. But the market reach felt limited to its owner, Tschuggen Hotel Group (THG). So, in mid-2006, THG closed this alpine legend for 18 months and hired more than 300 builders, painters and tile-layers to recapture the cachet that has made the Carlton famous since its 1913 debut.

THG and Swiss interior designer Selvaggio S.A. Ascona understood that ridding the Carlton of its palatial persona would alienate some of its loyal clientele. That wasn't their intent. "I tried to use materials related to the hotel's epoch, but to freshen them up. It's as if the Carlton had been built, put to sleep and reawakened in the 21st century," says Carlo Rampazzi, Selvaggio's principal.

Rampazzi created a direct connection with the Carlton's legacy by reusing as much of its furniture and fixtures as possible. The grand staircase was returned to its opening-day splendor, as was the ballroom's stucco ceiling and much of the original stone. Craftsmen restored more than 700 pieces of furniture and refinished 120 existing lamps.

Important details were worked into the redesign, like the signature bar fabric that is now preserved under glass and illuminated for effect. Reinterpreted period touches deliver fresh design statements. For example, the leather headboards, shaded with the patina of natural pigments, take their inspiration from padded carriage seats.

Then, Rampazzi pushed the hotel's look into new territory with high-impact hues and provocative materials. He selected a palette taken directly from the bright, natural world of the Swiss Engadine Valley: yellows, purples, pale blues, lime greens, oranges and reds. The furniture was covered with six layers of color before a final layer of mother of pearl, silver and gold pigments was applied. The same technique vivifies the white bas-relief wallpaper used in the resort's 60 guest rooms and some of its public spaces.

"The reflective finishes change with the light and the ambience changes with them," says Rampazzi. "When guests go back to their rooms after sunset, it's like they're in a different place. The colors aren't the same as they were during the day."

Dichotomy is central to his concept. "I wanted the Carlton to be like a museum filled with old souvenirs and new technology," he says. He introduced clever solutions such as floor-to-ceiling moveable pictures that hide connecting suite doors when not in use. The spa offers up a fantasy world, thanks to a wavy, tiled wall meant to mimic a cavern. Above the massage beds are calming pictures of the inside of a cathedral cupola, old ceilings and classical buildings taken by photographer Massimo Listri, rather than the expected natural prints. "That gives the right feeling of the inattendu, or unexpected," says the designer.

The Carlton's makeover went beyond refreshing the hotel's look; it also entailed some major changes in the building's layout. The room count was reduced from 105 to 60 to allow for larger spaces with more appeal to modern travelers, and a new 13,000-square-foot spa was integrated into the building's historic vault.

"Going through a renovation, you have to have a clear concept and vision for the hotel, always keeping in mind the targeted clientele and the local competition," says Carlton manager Christopher Cox. "The main goal is to be different. A great designer who doesn't follow the mainstream is a great help to achieve this-especially in a luxury destination like St. Moritz."

Being different has its price. In the Carlton's case, it's a $60 million renovation budget. But the brighter, bolder Carlton is already reaping a return on that investment, in the form of higher room rates and a major lift in revenues. Prior to the renovation, rooms started at about $270; the suites now start at about $850. "We were able to double the revenues of the hotel in the first winter season after the reopening," Cox says.

Clearly, the A-list is back.