The Hilton Frankfurt City Centre project was a large undertaking for THDP as they designed a new layout for the bar, lounge, check-in area, and guest accommodations. Each area was meticulously thought out and heavily inspired by New York. Today, we’ve connected with Nicholas Hickson, partner of THDP to discuss the project and learn more about the creative process when it comes to interior design for hotels.

To start off, can you please explain the inspiration behind this project?

The Hotel inspired by Frankfurt city and its position as a global financial hub, is designed to accommodate the Global Business traveler. This traveler has sophisticated tastes so the hotel should offer a smart modern approach in presenting its new guest accommodation.

As Frankfurt is often known as the Mini Manhattan or ‘Mainhatten’, after that other famous economic hub in New York – the approach was to reflect the tastes of the city living global traveler.

Manhattan Lofts and Condo Interiors are marked by their eclectic approach, full of the things that their owners have picked up on their travels – their home is full of the things they love, have bought whilst travelling and arrange in an ad-hoc fashion. Iconic pieces purchased on their travels, reminders of holidays or business trips, but now part of their home.

Do you turn to resources such as CADdetails.com as part of your planning process? 

Yes. We use cad and texture libraries for our 3d models and we are very happy with it. 

What approach is more important for hotel interior design? To make it feel more familiar and homey? Or to make it feel like an oasis away from home with features some might not have in their home?

It's important the interior is authentic and gives the guest an immediate sense of place, that they know where they are. As a designer this can start with the overall layout of the hotel right down to the smallest of details – all a ‘red thread’ running through and joining all parts of the project together.

Is it important to create a synergy between the inside and outside of a space?

With many recent projects such as the Hilton Frankfurt City Centre, we have been involved with adaptive re-use, this is where we take an older building or property and re-imagine it into a new space, hotel or restaurant.  Often the façade of the building remains more or less intact, and we spend time finding and re-using interior details, many which have been covered or removed to re-connect the interior with the architecture – that is often the most rewarding not just as a designer but as a guest, as it's more authentic. It is also generally the most economic for the owner or investor.

How do specific designs contribute to the guest experience?

Every interior or object within it we see as an opportunity to re-connect the guest with the location and culture that the project is in. This can take the shape of choosing local furnishings, visiting bric-a-brac shops and re-using forgotten items, asking local artists and workshops to create new artworks and to connect with the local food scene to offer food and beverage which are local but perhaps with a contemporary twist.

With this project under wraps, what’s next for THDP? 

We are working on new projects in Venice, Puglia and Rome, where we are about to launch a luxury residential site and a Hilton DoubleTree. Then, there's lots going on at the moment that we can't reveal. The only thing we can say is that for 2021 we are hoping to expand our European network.

We want to thank Nicholas Hickson for giving us the opportunity to learn more about hospitality design and we look forward to seeing more stunning projects by THDP in the future. If you want to check out their current projects, 

Do you want to shine a spotlight on your design firm? Reach out to us to schedule an interview! 

cover image © BEPPE RASO / THDP