CHC INSIGHT 2 November 2013
CHC | INSIGHT COUTURE HOSPITALITY CONCEPT
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emotion is today’s true luxury
Sustainable luxury is here to stay! an update on eco-design By Frank M. Pfaller
There are still people who think eco-luxury luxury design is wasteful and there are those who sustain it because it produces a comfortable feeling of wellbeing. It’s been some time now since going green at hotels meant getting grungy. Today, alang-alang— roofed eco-lodges have ceded much of their environmentally friendly ground to luxe retreats created by top designers. And while token gestures like a note to safe water, re-use towels or a recycling bin placed under the desk might have once been enough, today’s green-thinking hotel aficionados demand much more rigorous eco bona fides. Some of these
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enhancements—rainwater catchment systems and grey water recycling tanks —are invisible to guests (as well they should be). But others not only improve the hotel’s environmental impact, they go a long way toward improving the guest experience, too. Take for example John Hardy’s Bambu Indah retreat in Ubud, Bali, most probably the greenest eco-luxury hotel in the world, with its organic vegetable gardens, drinkingwater-quality natural pool and a unique bamboo and sound architecture. Or our couture hotel delMango Villa Estate in Seminyak, Bali, which we had eco-designed by Nobuyuki
Narabayashi, former head ID of Superpotato. "
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Feeling good in the intimacy of your hotel room is one of the most important things and basically, the concept around which gravitate the architects and designers. You may call it responsibility or accountability. I actually believe it’s simply becoming a popular demand, as the exclusive world of design is embracing the environment as never before. Top architects, such as our friend Matteo Thun are implementing revolutionary methods. Special tribute should be paid to our distinguished member hoteliers Sonu Shivdasani,