First 25hours Hotel outside Europe brings unique hospitality experience to Dubai

Hopkins Architects have completed a new hotel in the Middle East for 25hours Hotels. It is the first hotel for this Operator outside Europe and creates a new type of hospitality offer in the city, combining a strong brand narrative with a rich mix of interiors and services, state of the art technology and a locally inspired aesthetic.

The design team, led by Hopkins who have been working extensively in in the region for over 20 years, worked collaboratively with the client throughout the process, to develop a bespoke and contextual project from concept to fit out. Visiting other 25hours Hotels in Europe they immersed themselves in the company’s culture and ethos, evolving the original 4 star brief into a 5 star hotel which combines architecture, identity and brand to create a vibrant new offer, unlike anything else in Dubai.

Working closely with 25hours Hotel CEO Christoff Hoffman and its creative team, the Extra Hour Lab along with interiors firm Woods Bagot, Hopkins Architects have developed a relaxed, loose-fit approach to internal spaces. Exposed services and a raw, contemporary aesthetic provide the perfect backdrop an interiors concept which emphasises storytelling and speaks to the adventure-seeking nomad in all of us.  Hospitality specialists including Florian Kaps and Ennismore, have all contributed to the eclectic mix, which layers local art and cultural refences to create something unique.

A garden, pool, gym and spa have been located at rooftop level making the most of stunning views out over the city. An unconventional mix of global culinary offers includes a German restaurant and beer garden, on the east side of the hotel which enjoys views of the iconic Burj Khalifa.

The building’s plan is based on a series of three interconnecting courtyards, maximising natural light to all 434 guestrooms.  A welcoming entrance sequence introduces the brand story and provides intuitive wayfinding. Guests and visitors walk through a self-shaded courtyard into a triple height lobby space with views to the open sky and straight through to the restaurant courtyard beyond. A spectacular ‘Fountain of Tales’ fills the lobby space, feature seating spaces and bookshelves. An ‘analogue circus’ celebrates the pleasures of VHS, vinyl, polaroids and typewriters.

At ground floor level, a colonnade provides shaded circulation routes around the building and contributes to the existing masterplan concept of creating an accessible, walkable district.

The courtyard concept has maximised the opportunity for passive sustainability measures, including natural daylight and ventilation.  The façade features high performance glazing and external shading screens to guestrooms to reduce solar gain without compromising views out. Solar thermal panels form part of the hot water heating load for all the guest rooms with grey water recovery system for all the WCs. Bicycles are offered to hotel guests as part of the masterplan vision of providing cycling paths across to the whole district.

The 25 hours hotel Dubai sits at a key intersection on the Entertainment Boulevard, overlooking the iconic Museum of the Future, and is located within Hopkins’ One Central District masterplan, with seven buildings combining to collectively offer a rich mix of commercial, hospitality and retail uses and create a vibrant live/work/play destination.

The One Central masterplan, designed and supervised by Hopkins, comprises Phase 1 of the 6-phase Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) masterplan, and will act as the catalyst for the regeneration of this prime site within the heart of Dubai’s central business district. Alongside the 25hours Hotel, are a 3 star IBIS hotel (588 keys) and 5 LEED Gold accredited office buildings which together provide over 675,000 sq.ft of leasable office space. Café and restaurants at ground floor spill out into the lush pedestrian boulevards, shaded with shrubs and trees, to contribute to a lively social atmosphere.

The over-arching objectives of Hopkins DWTC masterplan, won by competition in 2006, set out to mediate the effects of rapid development, preserving key vistas and view corridors to sensitively link the modern DIFC with the historic Sheikh Rashid tower. The overall ambition is to create a pleasant, walkable district in central Dubai with plenty of shading and streets animated with cafes and restaurants. 

25hours Hotels

“This is one of the most exciting projects I have worked on, and me along with our incredible team are looking forward to paving the way for a new hospitality experience standard in Dubai.”

Christoph Hoffman, CEO

Hopkins Architects

“We are delighted to continue our 15 years contribution to the greater masterplan of Dubai World Trade Centre with the realisation of the first 25hrs hotel outside Europe.  As lead consultant to the project, we have developed a unique hotel and district, which leads the way towards Dubai’s 2040 goal of creating a Sustainable Urban Development.”

Simon Fraser, Principal and Lead Designer Hopkins Architects

Woods Bagot

“Woods Bagot is proud to have had the opportunity and responsibility to fully design the interior of 25hours Hotel One Central. Storytelling was the foundation of creating this charming and soulful place. Reviving the story of ancient Nomad travellers, our aim was to create a place with local ambience, which speaks to your heart easily and becomes your home naturally.” 

Aleksandra Nastic, Senior Associate and Interior Design Lead Woods Bagot

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About Hopkins Architects

Hopkins Architects is an international architectural practice based in London, with an additional Design Studio in Dubai. Over the past four decades the practice has realised projects across Europe, the US and Asia.

Led by five Principals, the practice produces buildings which combine advanced design, craft and sustainable solutions with rigorous cost and programme control, delivering projects of the highest architectural integrity. Hopkins Architects is a noted urban designer and much of its work integrates with sensitive contextual locations.

The practice has designed and delivered a portfolio of renowned, award-winning projects, acclaimed by both architects and the public alike, including Glyndebourne Opera House, the New Parliamentary Building at Westminster, the London 2012 Olympic Velodrome and Shin Marunouchi Building in Tokyo. A number of more recent projects in the UAE and elsewhere include DIFC Four Seasons hotel, Expo 2020 Thematic Districts and the Peninsula Hotel London (currently under construction).

About Woods Bagot

https://www.woodsbagot.com/

About 25hours

25hours Hotels is part of Ennismore, a creative hospitality company rooted in culture and community, with a global collective of entrepreneurial and founder-built brands with purpose at their heart. Ennismore is a joint venture with Accor, formed in 2021.

Christoph Hoffmann, Kai Hollmann, Ardi Goldman and Stephan Gerhard were the founders and creative minds behind the 25hours brand, that today operates 13 hotels in German speaking countries as well as Florence and Paris. 25hours is a smart, culturally resonant hotel idea characterised by provocative urban locations, irreverent yet functional aesthetic, and the romantic nostalgia of grand hotels. The brand focuses on individuality, authenticity and personality and, under the motto “If you know one, you know none”, designs each of its hotels with different designers and unique style. One more opening is scheduled for 2022: the 25hours Hotel One Central in Dubai. Copenhagen, Sydney and Melbourne are among the future destinations.

For further information please contact:
Hopkins Architects:
Jenny Stevens
[email protected]