EAST Hotel Hamburg
© Text & Photo by Amazing Magazines
(Arkivmaterial - Del av reportage publicerat i magasinet Amazing Editions)
We walk along Simon-von-Utrecht Strasse where people and cars hurry past us along the road. We arrive at the East hotel. With its beautifully tiled facade wall and its open doors into one of Hamburg´s most well-known designer hotels where we are overwhelmed with a feeling of inner calm.
Amazed by the wonderful "silence" which prevailed, we stood for a couple of minutes inside the doors to breathe in the wonderful sense of calm which overcame us. We looked curiously around and started to slowly make our ways towards the reception. I can understand the three founders, Anne Marie Bauer, Marc Ciunis and Christoph Strenger, when they say how very pleased they are to have found this ideal property. Many years ago, it was used as a foundry and as an ironworks. The area of the property is very big and the ceilings are high. These differences in level are used to the full with bars at different levels and in the enormous open-plan restaurant, also called East.
Unrestrained creativity has been allowed to run freely in a playful but nevertheless very artistic way. The first room we enter is Yakshi's Bar which is a meeting place before a shopping spree in town or after a night out in the pulsating Hamburg nightlife. Its somewhat different style gives us a foretaste of the design which will typify the remaining parts of the hotel. The decorations and furnishings as a whole are spectacular and the red-tiled walls in the background provide a fine contrast to the interior design which with its soft lighting casts a sense of mystique throughout the building in a very pleasant and calming way. The design is, at the same time, both architectonic and highly exotic.
We are welcomed in the reception by a courteous gentleman who tells us that breakfast and free access to both the spa and the golf activities are included. The spa section varies enormously with its cosmetic treatments and treatments for the well-being of the body and soul. The 40-square meter terrace, the gym, the sauna and the spa section are not only for the hotel guests. East is also well-known for its five-course dinners inspired by Europe and Asia as well as its health menu with sushi, sashimi and tempura, to name but a few of the dishes.
He tells us further that the hotel has a separate conference facility with rooms between 40-160 sqm., with associated bars and terraces. During conference breaks, you can relax in the virtual golf simulator, the only one of its kind in Hamburg, or on the outdoor putting green.
We decide to go on a round tour first since our curiosity has still not been satisfied, if anything it has been further aroused, before enjoying a good dinner in the large restaurant.
As we round the corner between the reception and the lounge, we are met by a spectacularly panoramic view of the Colours and Smirnoff Lounge on the other side. As we move closer to Yakshi's Bar which is located on this side of the wall, with its tables and chairs in dark brown and silver, we are drawn to the edge of the room. There was stop as we are captivated by the sheer openness which is stunningly spectacular and look down over the East restaurant where other guests are eating a superb dinner. The hum of the dinner guests gives a feeling of anonymity where everyone keeps themselves to themselves. The room has four columns which stand in a square extending, like a swaying windlass, from floor to ceiling. In a strange way, they give a strong sense of freedom. The wine cellar lies below us with its associated bar section with more secluded seating which we can only see in its entirety by descending the stairs.
Yakshi's is as diversified and divine as its drinks list and its guests. The fashion-conscious, the party seekers, and the business people find their way to relax "after work". There are more than 250 sorts of drinks, from cocktails to specially selected wines and champagnes, dark beers, and Moet & Chandon in XL and 15-litre bottles.
We carry on past the bar section and the strong drawing power I feel, to go down the broad staircase which leads to the East restaurant, makes me understand the clear language which the design speaks. On our right there is a long row of large "church windows" with mixed small, squares of glass in different colors, such as, yellow, red, blue and white, which harmonize with the rust-coloured tiled walls and ensure that no-one can be observed from the street outside.
The next meeting place which ´hovers´over the restaurant, rounds off the gastronomic East restaurant in a gentle way. Here I sink down into fluffy red cushions in the Colours Lounge and relaxation is total. The quiet murmer from the people in the restaurant was like a cat purring, incredibly soporific. I had to stand up quickly not to fall asleep in those lovely cushions.
We continue straight through to find ourselves amazingly on a terrace which leads down the stairs to Dedon Island. The large terrace covered with a variety of wicker furniture with accompanying cushions in strong, beautiful colours like orange, yellow, brown and beige, ensure a harmonic feeling of well-being. The various differences in level, the mosaics in the floor, the large green palms and the round wicker chairs with canopy tops reflect a feeling of Asia and warmer latitudes. This is the ultimate oasis for relaxation.
The hotel has 103 rooms which are divided into five different categories, on five floors, with manes such as Mandarine, Ginger, Jasmine, Cinnamon and Lotus, each with their own scent. It is the work of the famous designer Jordan Mozer from Chicago. His company provides services such as integrated and narrative architecture, as well as services for product design for hotels, restaurants, hospitals, entertainment and events. Jordan Mozer has already been able to create, furnish and set his stamp upon many other famous hotels such as the Venetian Hotel and the Desert Hotel, Las Vegas, Neveda. Among many more, we can mention that his design can be seen at Marriot, Time Square, New York and Royal Hotel, South Miami Beach, Florida. These hotels, like the futuristic East Hamburg, are well worth a visit, not only for the sake of the spectacular design, but also because those are great places for you to combine relaxation with revival where you can take care of your body and mind.
Inspiring.se - © Text & Photo by Amazing Magazines
