In consonance with City Beautiful

Hyatt Regency Chandigarh — the most recent addition to the City Beautiful’s 5-star hotel kitty — is a modern hotel that embodies both the city’s design ethos and its residents’ desire for luxury in entertaining and style. Puneet Baijal, General Manager, Hyatt Regency Chandigarh, talks about how design elements in consonance with the the architecture and ambience of Chandigarh have been used in this property and serve as its USP.

Is it Hyatt's policy to match the design of the properties with the local architecture?

All Hyatt properties are unique in their architecture and design. We try to imbibe some element of the local culture in them wherever we can. In case of Chandigarh, owing to the rich heritage of the local culture, we have drawn inspiration in many facets of the hotel — be it architecture, art, food, the lobby concept and even associate attire.

How does architecture & interior design gel with the landscape and the ethos of the city?

The design aspect of the hotel has been conceptualised keeping in mind the city’s landscape and architecture. This is visible in the grid pattern see throughout the hotel. The building and interior design of the hotel  is inspired by Le Corbusier’s vision of Chandigarh. The property has a sun-shading exterior, also called the sun breaker, a feature that deflects sunlight. Glass, metal and stone have been incorporated smartly  into the structure for maintaining ambient temperatures even in extreme weather conditions. 

All 211 guest rooms, including 25 suites and 7 Cabana rooms, have characteristic Le Corbusier design elements, including contemporary furniture, Punjabi culture inspired artwork and colourful carpets.  All rooms overlook the serene city scape, pool or landscaped gardens to maintain the harmony with nature that is so unique to Chandigarh. 

What are the unique design aspects that highlight the concept of interiors complementing the cultural ethos of the city? 

The local and cultural elements are subtly integrated in the decor all over this property. For example  the lobby features a unique spiral staircase designed and inspired from a similar structure at Punjab University. The wall facing Browse, the 24-hour Café, is inspired by the popular spinning top (toy) that most Punjabis would remember from their childhood days. Another wall is reminiscent of the pride of a Punjabi girl 'Parandi', a popular hair accessory. One cannot miss the traditional Phulkari work displayed at various spots in the hotel — a true flavour of the region. Then there are old milk cans, and containers that are commonly used by the milkmen in the villages in small towns to deliver milk to households. 

There are multiple social spaces that have art work inspiration from different items of day-today use be it the brass kitchen utensils or wedding kaleeras. — GV