Tasked with creating a 450-room hotel and convention facility in the epicentre of Hanoi’s new central business district, one might well have expected New York-based Carlos Zapata Studio to opt for an imposing sky scraper. Yet the decision to create this alternative 800,000ft² horse shoe-shaped structure – eight stories at its highest – has resulted in a hotel with immense visual impact.
The opening of the JW Marriott Hanoi marks a significant milestone in the brand’s expansion into South-east Asia, and more specifically its marked interest in the positive market dynamics emerging in regions such as Vietnam.
Carlos Zapata Studio drew upon the dragon – a traditional symbol within Vietnamese culture – as inspiration for the structure of this ‘reverse skyscraper’. “It’s a modern interpretation of the symbol,” explains the studio’s principal, Anthony Montalto. “We tried to extract the idea of a dragon, not so much literally in its form, but in some of the characteristics.”
Evoking a dragon’s tail and head through the structure of the hotel transpired to be a challenging engineering task for New York-based E. Robertson Associates, which developed four separate truss systems to support deep cantilever frames, in addition to an outward-and-upward sloping theme for the entire structure.
The hotel’s amenities and interior scheme are equally ambitious. In addition to extensive public foyers and meeting facilities, a selection of restaurants and bars, two ballrooms, a wellness spa and 24-hour fitness centre, JW Marriott Hanoi boasts a striking rooftop swimming pool supported on a cantilever frame.
175 double rooms and 275 king-size rooms offer a contemporary design, complete with marble baths, luxurious shower facilities, Bose entertainment systems, and spacious work desks.
Meanwhile, the hotel’s array of culinary and nightlife venues is particularly impressive. Six restaurant and bar outlets cater for every taste, among them The French Grill – complete with a spacious open kitchen and attractive seating areas – a Chinese restaurant specialising in Cantonese fare, and Antidote Bar – a stylish venue with the potential to become one of the most sought-after nightspots in the city.
Crucial to attracting the wealth of business travellers to the city, JW Marriott Hanoi has over 3600m² of flexible meeting space designed with large corporate and association events in mind. All facilities – among them 17 meeting rooms and two ballrooms of 1000m² and 480m² – are situated on the ground floor with a dedicated entrance and parking.
“Our goal is to offer consumers the world-class luxury of accommodation in Hanoi,” says general manager of the JW Marriott Hanoi, Bob Fabiano. “In doing so, we want to be part of a growing contingent of hotel options helping to leverage hospitality standards in the city.”
