design et al are delighted to announce that GM Architects have been shortlisted for Hotel Under 200 Rooms – Europe Award in The International Hotel and Property Awards 2018.
The trio of luxury high-end establishments belong to the Myconian Collection, a family-owned group of leading resorts that are located on the beautiful Greek island of Mykonos. The three K-Hotels consist of the five-star ‘Kyma’, the magnificent ‘Naia’ as well as the Relais & Chateaux endorsed ‘Korali’. Renowned for their impeccable service and exceptional location these luxurious hotels are all situated on the edge of Myconian town, overlooking the iconic Alefkandra windmills. Working closely with the Daktilydes family – the owners of the Myconian Collection, the brief consisted of constructing the brand-new Naia establishment as well as dramatically transforming the existing Kyma and Korali hotels.
The project included a major re-design of all the interiors as well as a restructuring of the guest bedrooms extending them by three meters to allow for larger, airier spaces to echo the expansive landscape. Communal areas such as the outdoor pool of the Korali hotel were renovated in order to cater for the construction of the Naia hotel. Given the very restrictive construction regulations, all exterior works were designed to fully apprehend such regulations by the use of white wash curved walls, locally sourced stone and wood French windows. This makes the property blend and integrate into the local fabric. A further challenge was to design and build the hotels in less than 7 months, this was achieved by developing creative design mythologies and sourcing all while feeding the construction site with the necessary information in a short time.
GM Architects’ favourite aspect of the project was successfully allowing all guest rooms to benefit from the exceptional western views of the Cycladic sea, the odd town of Mykonos and its famous wind mills hence allowing for true sense of place and escapism. Adopting a contemporary and fresh approach to the Greek Mediterranean, Galal Mahmoud drew inspiration from Mycenaean and Cycladic culture to help him come up with a new concept for the location’s overarching architectural vision. Combining old and new to create timeless elegance, escapism, and spaces to connect to the beautiful natural surroundings, the K Hotels are highly unique with each destination embodying a different theme.
