Waldorf Astoria DIFC Hotel

Dubai International Financial Centre | Dubai, UAE

The Daman building opposite the Four Seasons Hotel contains both offices and serviced apartments and from level 18 upwards, the hotel and branded residences.

The client wanted no arabesque references at all, a refreshing change in a city where they are abundant. Instead, the interiors were to reflect the 60s styling of the exterior of the building (by RMJM). He summed up the design brief. ”Make it look like the interiors in the Mad Men television series”.

With such a clear design brief, the development of the design was a particular pleasure especially as the design team had a strong affinity for mid-modern design.

The site was not without its challenges with all of the public spaces of sky reception, Peacock Alley, Cigar Bar, Lounge Bar, Spa and gym on one level with an overall length of nearly 100metres and a depth of only 15m. SRSS created zones through which the guest travels to maximize the useable space while avoiding long corridors. The floors are picked out in beige, white and tan marble while simple timber panels clad the walls. Simple blues and tans predominate with 60s styled FF&E across the spaces.

The guestrooms have two distinct but related colour schemes with light limed oak for the executive rooms and light grey oak for the standard.