Work of Art

Architect Steven Holl distills the essence of Austrias viniculture and the easy elegance of vintage design to create a one-of-a-kind retreat at the new Loisium Wine and Spa Resort

By Mary Scoviak, Contributing Editor -- HOTELS Magazine, 1/1/2008

Architect Steven Holl distills the essence of Austria’s viniculture and the easy elegance of vintage design to create a one-of-a-kind retreat at the new Loisium Wine and Spa Resort.

First-year average occupancy of 55% with an average rate of US$127 may not seem like headline news for an 82-room resort that Condé Nast Traveler rated as one of its 55 Hot Spas for 2006. But, for the Loisium Hotel Wine and Spa Resort in Langenlois, Austria, numbers like these are a reason for a celebratory toast. “A year ago, this region had no lodging demand,” says Susanne Kraus-Winkler, owner-partner responsible for management of the district’s ground-breaking new hotel.

Austrian entrepreneur Gerhard Nidetsky, his Finnish-born wife, Tuula, (who led the owners’ group), renowned American architect Steven Holl and Kraus-Winkler created a reason for regional travelers from Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Russia, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Italy a reason to come to Austria’s largest wine-producing city and stay. The Nidetskys did not want a “me-too” hotel. In fact, they did not want a hotel like any other. Tuula Nidetsky’s appreciation of the Holl’s much-lauded Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art in Helsinki opened a circuitous line of communication that led from friends at the museum who had friends in Austria’s Architectural Association who, in turn, knew the New York City based Holl. Although Holl had worked across three continents on everything from public buildings to museums and ambassadorial residences, he had never done a hotel. And, he wanted to.

Picture-Perfect, Market-Driven

Holl had a vision for the hotel and the accompanying wine center that would play off the themes of “under the earth”—a showcase for the 900-year-old cellars that would inform the public about wine-making and wine drinking; “in the earth”—a landmark visitor’s center with shops and a café and “above the earth”—the wine and spa hotel, with a ground floor of glass walls that seem to make it hover above the land.

The architectural team tapped the region’s rich natural and cultural resources to create a modern work of art. They used the strict geometric spacing of the surrounding vineyard rows to forge a city-like grid uniting the three different spaces. Wine analogies inform much of the design detail, indoors as well as outdoors—from the cork lampshades in the restaurant and spa that generate unexpected light effects to the cork pattern of the balustrade on the main lobby staircase and the patterns modeled on cellar passageways that mark each guestroom entrance.

To ensure a seamless aesthetic experience, Holl designed everything from the aluminium and glass façade to the guestroom wardrobe. Like the owners and Kraus-Winkler, he wanted to push the envelope to broaden the market for the wine center and hotel. The goal was to make guests to feel at home without acquiescing to the usual design jargon of over-stuffed chairs and over-decorated rooms. “Decoration” was minimized to make way for big statements from the panoramic views to the vintage 1950s and 1960s design elements Holl used in a new way. Predictable bathroom materials were shelved in favor of concrete. Wallpaper is nowhere to be seen. “True design speaks for itself. It does not need overstatement,” says Kraus-Winkler.

Black and white uniforms, elegant in style but classic in form, integrate staff with the dramatic environment. The front office team wears classic grey pantsuits and light green T-shirts (the latter taking inspiration from the pale hue of the local wine). “Uniforms did not need to have hip connotations in this hotel,” says Kraus-Winkler. “We did not want them to divert attention from the architecture.”

Just as this spa and wine center give travelers a reason to come and explore a fresh travel experience, Holl’s design gives them a reason to meander through the entire hotel. While oenophiles seek out the library lounge and the restaurant to sample the region’s fine wines, design lovers can savor the Kiesler Corner in the lobby. Holl met the Romanian-born designer in New York City and worked with an Austrian furniture manufacturer produced the re-edition of Kiesler furniture originally exhibited at Peggy Guggenheim’s™ New York City Art Gallery. Despite the clean lines of the modern building and the furnishings, the Loisium is no museum. Holl warms up the mood with an open fireplace in the lounge, interesting textiles and earthy colors and materials.

Guest-Centric Design

Despite a world-class reputation and a clear project vision, Holl’s work was not about ego, says Kraus-Winkler. “Steven was not on an ego trip. He was very genuine, very open minded when we discussed the function of the hotel. We had to learn together. We had to trust his design and he had to trust that we understood our operational needs and our logistics,” she says. “Fortunately, he had a perfect feeling for an atmosphere and style that would guarantee our guests feel at home in all parts of the hotel.”

Creating that feeling was essential for Kraus-Winkler who literally grew up in hotels. Working first in her parents’ 200-bed conference hotel near Vienna and later in properties throughout Europe, this hotelier/tourism consultant (who also serves on the board of HOFTREC, the European Union’s Brussels-based hotel and restaurant lobbyist) knows what it is like to stand on either side of the reception desk.

“The big problem with hotels is that the hotelier has certain expectations about the guest and makes the hotel fit those expectations. That is wrong way round. The guest should not have to change his or her behaviour to fit the hotel; the hotel should fit itself to the guest,” she says.

For the Loisium, that meant having a large staff of 60 to provide personalized service. It also meant offering guests spaces like those in their own home—from avoiding too much visible technology to providing a window wall within the privacy of the bath. “Steven wanted to maximize the view from that bathroom window by leaving it uncovered. His wife, Solange, pointed out that many women would want more seclusion. So, he added a very innovative curtain,” says Kraus-Winkler.

Operational needs took priority as necessary. “You do not need a safe in your room at home. You do need it in a hotel,” says Kraus-Winkler. A hotel also needs a hyper-modern heating and cooling system that reuses as much energy as possible and reduces energy costs.

A must-experience restaurant was another operational essential. Kraus-Winkler was definite about the script: White tablecloths, but not in an ambience that would be overly stiff or formal. ‘I wanted something that would be innovative with regional overtones,” she says. The wine-themed restaurant, bar and cigar lounge answered the challenge. High-quality furniture and finishes create a mood of modern luxury without losing the “easy living” feel guests demand.

Selling controversial, cutting edge design like this was a “huge challenge” in a region with traditional overtones. But, based on performance, the effort has paid off beyond expectation. “This hotel project was perfect,” says Kraus-Winkler. “There were no limits other than the budget. It was about creating good ideas, working with an interesting group of people and trying to produce something totally different. The process was more like painting a picture than building a hotel.”

With its low roof lines and glass walls, the Loisium Hotel Wine and Spa Resort seems to hover above the endless rows of vineyards that inspired its concept. There is a new ownership base of emotional, passionate people who want to create something special,” says Susanne Kraus-Winkler.

“I did not want our guests to have to change their behavior to fit the hotel. I wanted the hotel to fit them,” says Susanne Kraus-Winkler, owner/partner responsible for management in Langelois, Austria. “Too many times, hoteliers have expectations about their guests. They shape the design and services around those expectations and the guests have to fit in. That is the wrong way round. Hotels should let people stay in any role they want to play. They have to be flexible”

Kraus-Winkler knows a lot about what guests want. She literally grew up in hotels, learning about what customers like and do not like in first in her parents’ conference hotel near Vienna and later with a variety of properties in Europe. For the last seven years, she has blended her hotel experience with tourism consulting and membership on the executive board of HOFTREC, the Brussels-based lobbying group for hotel and restaurant industry. Extensive experience on both sides of the reception desk convinced Kraus-Winkler that, in order to succeed, a hotel must be different and “highly emotional.”

“Vino-vation”

The Loisium’s primary owners, Austrian entrepreneur Gerhard Nidetsky and his Finnish-born wife, Tuula, shared that vision.  An owner of 900 cellars, Nidetsky saw an untapped opportunity for a wine center and hotel that could become a pivotal tourism attraction in this increasingly popular resort destination. The Nidestky’s and Kraus-Winkler sampled some of the best of the new wave vini-spas in Europe and the United States before scripting a concept for the Langenlois project. “I love to create a special service environment, to work with people and to create new ideas for hotels,” says Kraus-Winkler. “This project was perfect: No limits on good ideas; an interesting group of people to work with during the construction and planning and a product that is something totally different.” She acknowledges that breaking new ground is not easy. “It was a huge challenge to introduce totally new and controversial architecture in a very traditional area. But, by combining modern design with elements of the endless vineyards and the history of this famous wine village, we had something that would fit our market’s expectations.”