When architecture meets client expectations

At the beginning of 2019, in response to the growing demands and needs of its guests, the management of Hotel Sevtopolis Medical & SPA decided to invest in the renovation of a large part of its base. They trusted the SGI team as architects with extensive experience in large-scale and international projects. Although the hotel business suffered major shocks in 2020, the project realization happened by plan and the renovated premises are already welcoming new visitors.

We present to you an interview with the project manager arch. Gergana Ivanova. Read below to find out what were the expectations that the SGI team had to meet, which goals were achieved and how the process from conceptual design to implementation took place.

What were the client’s specific requirements for the renovation of the hotel? What was the scope and objectives of the project?

G.I.: The scope of Stage 1 of the renovation included four floors with hotel rooms and suites, corridors, and maid offices. Subsequently, the client decided to trust us for Stage 2 as well, covering the buffet area and billiard area on the ground floor. The main requirement from the client was for convenient comfort and interior solutions, which contribute to the maximum relaxation of the guests. Nature was set as the heart of the project concept. The hotel is in harmony with the environment and strives to offer its customers the benefits of natural resources, presented exquisitely in a suitable setting of a four-star hotel. That is why the color palettes we used are in pastel, earthy tones that are calming the senses and to acting relaxing. The implementation period was three months, which for the scale of the renovation required a very well-developed strategy and a tight schedule.   What is the concept of the design of each of the rooms?

G.I.: The interior of the apartments follows the initial vision for a harmonious and relaxing atmosphere. In the living room area, we have set furniture and upholstery with wood and bright warm decor. Due to the larger size of the space, we decided to bring a stronger contrast and brightness in the pastel ranges with a yellow sofa and turquoise pillows. The relaxation area is much larger than in the other rooms and has a beautiful south view of the mountains. It is a niche spatially separated through an openwork wooden partition wall. For maximum acoustic comfort of visitors, the door to the bathroom of the apartment is "hidden" behind the fully formed cabinet furniture along the entire wall. The bathroom as well as the toilet of the apartment follow the design of the wet rooms in the other rooms.

For the corridors, it was very important to avoid the feeling of a cave tunnel, created by the curvature of space. The concept brought and provide a natural transition from common areas to the personal comfort zone in the rooms. For more balanced lighting in the corridors, we have provided vertical linear lighting in each revision of the rooms, providing organization and rhythm in the space. We connected every two doors of rooms through a common black frame, continuing in a plinth along the corridor. The room numbers are perforated and highlighted in the frame so that they are visible from each end of the corridor. The cladding is mainly made of natural veneer, and only the area framing the rooms is accentuated with light and distinctive cladding. In the area around the main elevator on each floor, we positioned soft seating for waiting and resting in the same warm shades.

The completion of the second stage of the renovation is forthcoming. Expect soon news and photos from the redesign of the billiard and the dining area.