Senior Capstone Project

My Senior Capstone Project consisted of a conceptual design for a W hotel in Salt Lake City.  The work was exciting because of the cutting edge style that the W constantly maintains, and the delving into my first take on hospitality design.  The focus of the project was to catch a glimpse of what Utah is to me and present that to patrons of the W hotel in a functional and eye-catching way.  Being inspired by the amazing forms and beauty of southern Utah the design of the hotel took on a life of its own.  I used materials that have made Utah famous throughout the hotel like, sandstone, and copper.  The way natural light plays in the slot canyons of southern Utah inspired me to be creative with light fixtures and the way light is experienced in the hotel.  Many of the curved forms came from me trying to give the guests a feel for a Utah slot canyon without breaking building code.  Enjoy the images of my Utah W.

The entry of the W greets the guest with the reception desk.  The large W is made of copper and stands on a sandstone base.  The desk is also made of sandstone which wraps onto the back wall.  In the sandstone reception desk is a sort of inlay of translucent back lit resin.

The corridors leading to the guest rooms are where I tried to give the experience of a slot canyon the most.  The curved walls mimic the amazing forms that natural slot canyons have.  They are interrupted by a very linear repetition of rectangles that create the sense of entry for each guest room.  The light source on the ceiling was inspired by the view one has when standing in a slot canyon and looking straight up.  The walls of the canyon silhouette the sky in an awesome serpentine form of light.

This is the view right before you enter your guest room.  There is a definite sense of entry and ownership that I think is important to a guest of a ultra luxury hotel.  The materials used here are copper, and sandstone.  One of the more unique aspects of my design is the "doorhop" seen to the left of the door with the room number on it.  The "doorhop" comes from the words bellhop and door.  In most hotels when room service arrives you have to open your door and have a face to face with someone to get your food.  At the Utah W your room service can be placed inside the "doorhop" and accessed by you from inside your room.  Much more convenient.  It also can be used for dry-cleaning, mail, bills, empty trays, or anything else a guest might receive.  

The first thing you would see as you open your door is a grand view of the living/lounge area in the extended stay.

Turning back to look at the door you would see the kitchen.  The room access to the "doorhop" system is the copper panels with the W logo on them.

The sleep area of the extended stay.