The Spanish Court Hotel in Kingston, Jamaica will open June 14 as the city's first new hotel in 40 years. Hotel owner Christopher Issa, a Kingston native whose family is known as tourism pioneers, tapped architect Oscar Garcia to transform the former Spanish Court Shopping Centre into a 107-room boutique property. Garcia preserved the structure's existing Spanish-influenced exterior and arches on the ground floor. Exterior corridors became interior ones, and additional floors were added.
Issa hired interior designer Alison Antrobus after seeing one of her restaurant designs on the cover of a magazine. Antrobus decorated public spaces with Jamaican-made accoutrements in bold colors, patterns, shapes, and materials. She infused the lobby with comfort and a subtle energy. Teak pivoting louvers act as walls, while leather couches, high-back chairs, and a zebra print lounge chair inform a spot known as the library. Bean-shaped leather benches, Martin Fluss chandeliers, and rich jatoba wood floors further define the space.
In the Spanish Court Cafe, Antrobus developed the Dining Bar, which is fronted by a backlit acrylic "hedge" and slices diagonally with a long table. Mahogany tables and cabanas bring a sense of chic relaxation to the space. The hotel's other amenities include Sky Terrace, a meeting and party space for up to 50 people that features an infinity-edge pool and sundeck, as well as the Sky Bar.
www.spanishcourthotel.com
