Hotel Off The Square

Hotel Off The Square styles itself on difference, somewhat reflective of the boutique and unique hotel form that has evolved from the work of Ian Shrager and Phillipe Starke in the New York development scene.

Is it Soho/West Village? Well certainly closer to that urbane canvas than to the stereotyped and formulaic forms that are so often the New Zealand offering. Is Off The square the only urban chic New Zealand hotel/Lodge in the main urban centres? Many similar establishments are rural in location, such as represented in the New Zealand Chic book available at reception.

If there is to be a great hotel experience then the place needs to inspire thought, altered perpspective and create the right nuances, such that the guest will leave feeling different about themselves. That is the art of hoteliere development as I see it.

It is an acquired taste, truly that which you need, to appreciate the hotel form to the utmost at hotel Off The Square. Like good wine, the connoisseur is better placed to appreciate it. It is rare when expectations of standard form hotels are not met and the guest needs a more standard experience.

For the Off The Square experience, the design thrust is simplicity, pared down excellence, elegant form, and inner city urban chic. This is promoted with good location (trams pass through the building - quietly), the rooms are all different in dimension, due to structural arrangements for tramway easement.

There is a distinct colour toning, with a Spring green the latest colour in upgrading. The furniture was designed with simplicity  and modular, to enable so many different room types to be managed. The bed for example, is firmly padded with the hotel name stenciled into the bed leg and with underspace to accentuate higher studs and carpet lines.

The art perspective of the hotel equates to an art gallery feel, from the icon piece ‘Lovers of the Diaspora’ of award winning artist Paul Jackson, to South Korean Min Kim to numerous local student artists. This is a plus for guests at Off The Square. New art arrives around every five months. We like providing ambience for guests to enjoy. Like the famous Chelsea New York, there is a certain Zen of place and form that calls on the difference.

The person/staff relationship is pretty good at the hotel. Guests often mention this aspect, so knowing about that is trying just that!

Historically the hotel develops, a lot. After five years of full operation where is a new livery being put in place, the first of super new cyclone like glass installation behind the heritage frontage has taken place and due to a new ‘lining up of the planets’ we feel that despite recessional talk, this hotel offering is truly flying! The Summer past sees our place in the top handful of city hotels. New Off The Square forms have been planned for development in Thailand and other parts of New Zealand. It’s one of those hotels that should be placed in your experience collection. Boutique. Unique and Off The Square!

Timothy Nicholls

Designer

Increasing the experience in inner-city space.

Edge development is about providing the change, adding style and getting away from predictable functionaliy.

A contouring of simplicity, with function partnering design philosophy to style new hotel forms.