Luxury living

Soft furnishings are integral not only to the look of a hotel, but to the comfort of the guest, and guests in the Middle East are looking for an extremely high standard and want a feeling they can't get at home, according to Tanya Wakeham, manager of furniture manufacturer Selva Middle East.

Farah Aslam, managing director, Dimara International, agrees that this demand for luxury is the key concern when it comes to serving hotels.

"The trends in the Middle East are certainly geared toward lavish luxury. Although all hotels try to be luxurious in their own way, we have found that hotels in the Middle East go that extra mile to make their guests feel like royalty," she says.

This desire to feel like royalty is reflected by the requests for higher quality bed linen, according to Aslam.

"In the past, hotels typically only ordered thread counts (TC) ranging from 200 to 400 TC; currently the majority of our five-star clientele are asking for thread counts of 600 TC to 800 TC and the finest Egyptian cotton," she says.

"Higher thread counts give a more luxurious feeling. While they may not be as easy to maintain as lower thread counts and polyester blends, ultimately the guests are getting more comfort. Cost and long term durability are no longer the key concerns, as much as the comfort level for guests."

Despite this, Wakeham argues that hotels still have unique requirements when it comes to durability and safety standards.

"You have to consider first of all the local hospitality standard, [which dictates] certain features the furniture must have," she says.

"On the other hand you must consider each item to be functional and with the proper finish in terms of durability. Selva is using a patented finish that is harder compared with that used for home furnishing, protecting the furniture from scratching, stains and cigarettes.

"The quality of fabrics and standards of the items will have to be certified as they are in the European Union. It means the hotelier can guarantee what they are receiving will be safe and durable," she explains.

There are more specific requirements than luxury, durability and adherence to safety standards though, according to Wakeham.

"The Middle East market has two different kind of trends - one is following the tradition, so colours and patterns are sourced accordingly. The other one aims to be modern and follow the international trend of bold colours and textured fabrics," she says.

Aslam agrees that some hotels are now showing more of an interest in colour, but the demand for neutral colours is still there.

"We have seen an increased interest in coloured linen, whereas in the past most hotels would not deviate from the standard white tones and woven designs, because of their easy maintenance. However, to give their guests an exclusive experience, more hotels are asking for cream and other neutral tones."

Selva SpA president and chief executive Dr. Philip Selva says that designers are taking inspiration from the past.

"Generally speaking, where trends are concerned I see a great backward step towards what I call a neo-baroque style - neo-baroque and retro fashion," he says.

"This means shapes inspired by the 30s, which I consider in fashion, with cleaner looks, but still having a classic DNA."

He says that the Middle East market prefers lower densities when it comes to cushions, rather than the firmer requirements of Eastern Europeans, but again durability is an issue.

"Here in the Middle East market they would definitely go for the less firm cushions - more of an American or UK trend - but for hotel's it has to be a compromise. You can't have the ‘too soft' look because it has to have a certain firmness so that they are durable," he adds.

Although the Middle East market has its own requirements, Wakeham believes that "many hotels here look very tired, even though they have been refurbished only a year ago, as the styles are very dated. They are now watching the trends in the main fashion capitals and understanding more about what is needed to capture the eye of the guest," she says. "As people travel more, they will always compare the hotels they visit. The guest is almost more of an expert than the hotelier."

Down Town

Selva Middle East's Down Town collection shows how hospitality and homes now cross over, with burnt orange leather arm chairs and a sofa in charcoal grey fabric all produced by Selva, aiming to give a city living feel, but also enabling the guest to relax in a warm environment.

Selva Middle East
Tel: +971 4 341 1933
Fax: +971 4 341 1799
Internet: www.selva.com

Rococo

Beacon Hill's Rococo collection includes window and multi-purpose fabrics and offers a fresh interpretation of haute couture design techniques with the Rococo Multi-Purpose Collection of drapery, top of bed and light upholstery.

The Rococo Window Collection is solely for drapery.

Robert Allen Middle East
Tel: +971 4 335 4544
Internet: www.robertallendesign.com

FR-One

Al Aqili Furnishings' FR-One range of fabrics is designed with the strictest fire safety, cleaning and colourfastness standards in mind.

Spun from man-made textile fibres, the range mixes safety and competitive pricing to provide contractors with a quality product.

Al Aqili Furnishings
Tel: +971 4 337 7717
Fax: +971 4 337 0379
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
Internet: www.aliqilifurnishings.com

Bella Italy

The Bella Italy linen collection from Dimara International includes throws, pillows and bed sheets with thread counts from 200 to 1000 TC.

Unique collections are available for five-star properties.

Dimara International
Tel: +971 4 334 2881
Fax: +971 4 334 2885
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
Internet: www.dimara.us

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