CASE STORIES /
Dorint Hotel Bonn

Situated in this central location, within walking distance of both the Rhine and the city centre with its attractions, the hotel offers 252 guest rooms and a high standard of hospitality to a wide range of guests, including business travellers and leisure travellers.

A renowned hotel reflecting German history
Completed in 1989, the original building design referenced both the construction era of the neighbouring Kennedy Bridge at the end of the 1940s and the heyday of Bonn as the seat of government of the young Federal Republic. Today, the hotel’s evolution mirrors Bonn’s transformation into an attractive conference hub and culturally diverse travel destination. The cohesive interior and design concept for the hotel’s rebranding was created by JOI-Design, an internationally active interior design firm specialising in hotels and hospitality concepts. For the rugs, JOI-Design chose to collaborate with Dansk Wilton: The leading Danish manufacturer of high-quality, bespoke carpets, which specialises in the international hotel industry and cruise ships, supplied wall-to-wall carpets and area rugs in various sizes for the refurbished guest rooms.

Design translators at work
The Hamburg-based interior designers were tasked with guiding this history-steeped location into the future. Sabrina Voecks, the lead interior designer at JOI-Design, explains: “The political ethos and distinctive ‘political chic’ of the 1950s formed the design basis for the suites and public areas. The carpet design was developed against this backdrop and is conceptually inspired by the former Bonn Artists’ Association and, above all, one of its most influential representatives, Paul Magar.”

The work of this Bonn artist is defined by a special balance of harmony, clear composition and inner calm – qualities that, in close partnership with Dansk Wilton, were deliberately translated into the carpet design as a subtle homage to Paul Magar.

Carpets as an artistic element
JOI-Design first developed the design concept for the carpet, defining the various formats and the underlying colour scheme. The design team at Dansk Wilton translated these concepts into specific design and colour variations, which were jointly evaluated, further developed and refined in an iterative process until a solution suitable for production was achieved. Combined with the colour scheme of the rooms, this resulted in a distinctive, artistic element that subtly characterises the space whilst evoking the atmosphere of the hotel’s original era.

Diverse influences on carpet design
The spatial proportions of each room also influenced the design. A key criterion was not to design the carpet in isolation, but to conceive it in direct interplay with the furnishings and their positioning. As the carpet, as an artistic element, defines the floor, the design was developed to create a different impression from various perspectives, revealing new aspects each time. At the same time, the carpet design deliberately leaves room for interpretation and remains visually engaging. The pattern also works effectively in fragments and does not lose its design impact even when individual areas are obscured by beds, sofas or armchairs.

“A particular challenge – and at the same time a real enrichment – of this project was the soft refurbishment of the rooms on the ground floor and on floors 1 and 2,” reports interior designer Sabrina Voecks. “The aim here was to respond to the existing interior and develop an additional, distinct colour variation of the carpet. Working in parallel on different colour schemes and their effect within various spatial concepts made the process particularly exciting and inspiring.”

Investing in the future
Dorint attaches great importance to sustainability and climate protection in all its projects – every investment in sustainability is seen as an investment in the future. When selecting materials for the interior of our Hotel, we placed particular emphasis on durability, quality and resilience. In the hotel sector in particular, all areas are subject to intensive use, with requirements varying greatly depending on the guest and the specific circumstances. “That is why it is important to us to use materials that can withstand these high and varied levels of wear and tear over the long term,” explains Ismail Igrishta, Project Manager for Essential by Dorint at Dorint Hotels & Resorts, Hommage Luxury Hotels Collection.

It is no coincidence that the choice fell on carpets from Dansk Wilton, which meet precisely these requirements. Axminster and Colortec carpet solutions were used, both of which are Cradle to Cradle Certified® in Bronze and Silver.

Challenges posed by different usage scenarios
One of the particular requirements in this project was adapting the rugs and materials to the different usage scenarios within the hotel. “Whilst the suites are subject to heavy but consistent wear and tear, the carpets in the standard rooms are exposed to varying levels of wear and tear caused by different guests,” reports Dorint project manager Igrishta. We therefore had to find solutions that not only met the aesthetic requirements of our interior design concept but were also durable and easy to maintain. Striking a balance between attractive design and practical functionality was particularly important.” Depending on the intended use, a tufted DW Contract Colortec with an integrated comfort backing was chosen for the wall-to-wall option, whilst a woven DW Contract Axminster was selected for the loose-lay carpets.

Carpets from Dansk Wilton impress across the board
As well as the carpets’ durability, Dorint Hotel Bonn also ensured that the materials blended harmoniously with the room and the hotel’s overall design concept. Here too, Dansk Wilton was able to play to its particular strengths: As both the Axminster and Colortec carpets used are produced from the same yarns by the same people in Denmark, the carpets for the entire Dorint Hotel Bonn could be realised to a consistently high standard of design.

Ismail Igrishta is extremely satisfied with the completion of this major refurbishment and revitalisation project: “The carpet should not only be functionally impressive, but also create a harmonious overall look and positively enhance the atmosphere of the room – and here, the carpets from Dansk Wilton help to ensure that our guests feel welcome and at ease in every area of the hotel.”