Focus: Hilton Bournemouth
A mix of yesteryear glamour and modern statements is the aim at this seaside hotel
Words by David Tarpey
‘Alive with quirk, character and exciting detail’ is how the Hilton Bournemouth describes itself. A short stroll from the seafront is the Bournemouth Hilton Terrace Mount, a 14,500 sq m four-star hotel, aiming to inject a splash of glamour into this popular Dorset town since it opened last Christmas.
The £37m project is a unique collaboration between Hilton Worldwide and THAT Group, giving Bournemouth a touch of retro chic and a splash of yesteryear glamour with a selfconscious contemporary statement that this should become a destination, a place to be seen.
Working with Ted Baker founder Ray Kelvin on the design was Scott Brownrigg Group director Una Barac. She tells FX: ‘The main theme behind the hotel was the awakening of the inner child and memories of a place like Bournemouth from 50 to 60 years ago…the smells and scents, the beach holidays and the nostalgia…but to integrate it in a contemporary manner.
And so throughout the lobby and the rooms and spa, one sees the signature style of Ray Kelvin…retro and very British.’ But the hotel’s crowning glory is the bar at the top of the tower on the eighth floor. Sporting a roof terrace, it’s called LEVELEIGHT The Sky Bar. Here, the emphasis was on something rather earlier than the Fifties/Sixties. She explains: ‘Here we have created a sense of the Twenties. It’s more art nouveau, understated glitz, elegant and sophisticated and absolutely not blingy, Renaissance, Rococo or anything like that! It has a feel of the Great Gatsby, with a bespoke, printed backlit glass bar, cut-glass detailing on the counter and shelves, Brubeck chandeliers, vertical upholstery on the armchairs and so on. The roof terrace is also stunning.
The LEVELEIGHT Sky Bar, with furnishings harking back to the Twenties
The intention has been to create a striking space and an environment that people aim for. And it has worked. It’s very rare outside London for people to choose a hotel bar for an evening out. LEVELEIGHT The Sky Bar is already very popular with locals and there are now queues to get in on a Friday and Saturday evening!’
Also avoiding any international Hilton branding is the hotel’s stand-alone, fine dining Schpoons & Forx restaurant. With signature chef/ TV chef presenter Matt Tebbutt overseeing the menu, it is rich with local produce from both surf and turf.
As Barac says it too is becoming a place to be seen. She says: ‘This is honest food with the design having a flavour of the past. The armchairs by Matthew Hilton and the dining chairs by Stellar Works are a nod to the Fifties’ feel of the lobby and elsewhere but the vertical upholstered elements are again more Twenties. The other most striking element are the exposed bulb pendants, designed exclusively by Rothschild & Bickers, and these are alongside wooden spoons and forks that are suspended from the ceiling.
The floor tiles are supplied by Devon-based British Ceramic Tile. They are baked with patterns, monochrome and in shades of grey and white and are a nod to the style of the Fifties. Working with Ray Kelvin has been so inspiring and working in Bournemouth has been wonderful. Town is becoming a real a force to be reckoned with, and it’s up there with Brighton as the South Coast’s other big destination resort town.’
