Do you think that “French Art of welcoming” contributes to this “being elsewhere than at home” for international customers of these hotels?
I think that “l’art de recevoir à la française” know-how is internationally recognized. It is a great strength, because it allows the French brands to radiate in the world. However, it is a model that relates to the French culture that makes sense … in France.
If in our projects we can choose some “features” of this knowledge, we will not hesitate to incorporate it a different context.
My culture is French, that’s for sure. It is also Algerian because of my origins and English because of my education. So I quickly built a form of “cultural permeability” and I look at the world through this prism. And I think that our work at AW² is based on that “permeability”. We strive to include the different cultures with which we interact in our projects.
Reda Amalou is an architect and a designer. He studied in London and graduated in the East London University. In 1997 he created AW², an architecture and interior design agency in Paris. The “Nam Hai” was the first luxury hotel designed by AW². Since then, they have designed many hotels and resorts projects for brands such as GHM, Six Senses, Four Seasons or Alila.
With AW², Reda Amalou has always chosen to imagine architecture and interior design at the same time. Recently, this approach was extended to the creation of furniture and objects. He also works as a designer for several brands such as Toulemonde Bochart and Baccarat.
Laurent Delporte, an editor and conference speaker, is a strategic expert in the sector of hotels. A visionary, he brings his unique look on hotels in service to the decision-makers in the industry, whether to enhance the development of new projects or strategic visions.
Laurent has visited and audited over 350 hotels across the world and also participates in mystery visits to provide quality control for the world’s finest hotels.
Tags: architecture, art de recevoir, design, Four Seasons, luxury hotel, paris