The Spectacular Conversion Of a Hotel Into A Modern Boutique
The Relux Ios Island Hotel is located in Greece and was originally built in the mid ’80s. For more than two decades no renovations took place. Then, in 2010, an extensive renovation project started and the A31 team was in charge.
The goal was to improve the facilities and to upgrade the services offered to the guests in order to elevate the complex from the status of a 2-star hotel to that of a 4-star contemporary boutique hotel. A 31 is a team composed of architects, designers and engineers and their focus has always been on functionality, structural accuracy and attention to details.
The team’s appreciation for simple forms, pure lines and unobstructed spaces and their focus to always find the best way to integrate a certain design into a particular landscape allowed them to give the hotel a complete and successful makeover.
The hotel is set on a plot that has an uneven shape which the architects used to their advantage. The plot envelops and embraces the complex and its irregular shape allowed the team to introduce features such as elevated planters and built-in sitting areas.
The renovation also included adding new private gardens and outdoors meant to facilitate the natural integration of the hotel into the landscape and the surroundings. A number of features have been redesigned and they include the building’s exterior, the bedrooms, the common areas as well as the surrounding landscape which now takes better advantage of the site-specific elements such as the vegetation and the topographical conditions.
The newly redesigned complex is divided into 5 building structures. The first one dubbed building A1 contains the reception area, the directorate office, the restrooms, a cafe-bar and a restaurant and kitchen.
The reception area is large and inviting, with a simple but eye-catching desk, wooden panels that partially cover up the windows and an overall neutral and earthy color palette.
Building A2 is a two-storey structure and houses 14 double and triple rooms while building A3 is an auxiliary structure containing the changing rooms and the staff’s restrooms. Another structure is the Villa which is composed of a detached suite with a private garden and outdoor spa.
The last one is the bungalow zone composed of 2 triple rooms and a private garden.
A series of new rooms with brand new layout were also added in order to meet the 4-star classification requirements. New common areas were also added and they include an open bar, a restaurant, a wine bar, a swimming pool, an outdoor spa and a contemporary orthodox chapel.
The rooms, both the existing and the newly added ones, are not treated as typical hotel rooms bur rather as individual architectural creations, each with their own character. This gives them a unique and memorable character.
Gabion walls play an important role in the renovation. They were used extensively in the new design, particularly when structuring the new additions. They also partially characterize certain interior designs. After the renovation, a new name was adopted: Relux Ios Island.
The new design and the modern additions attract guests from all over the world. The hotel is a very inviting and homey destination. Its restaurant and bar look and feel like a large family dining area and that’s partially due to the materials and textures used throughout but also to the layout and the overall relaxing ambiance.
The familiarity of the interior design also extends to the other spaces, including the bathrooms. They have walk-in showers, earthy color palettes and stylish materials and finishes. The large mirrors and walk-in showers allow these rooms to look and feel spacious without actually being very large.