FIVE HOTELS WITH THE BENSLEY QUIRK

Bensley的五大奇趣之作

‘ALL OUR CLIENTS want to have something more outstanding then the last,’ says Bensley (above). ‘So I go to great lengths to make our designs look and quack differently from each other.’

Rather than physical similarities, Bensley’s projects each embody an element of his credo, which he says boils down to one important word – respect. Aside from Shinta Mani Wild, here are five of Bensley’s favourite hotels and their underlying ethos. 1 InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort, Vietnam – high concept or what?

Spread across four levels – one each for the ‘kingdoms of Heaven, Sky, Earth and Sea’ – linked by the hotel’s own funicular railway, and lying in a vast monkey forest above a secret bay. 2 Capella Ubud, Bali, Indonesia integration with nature.

– The hotel hides in the jungle and, as Bensley says, ‘Bali is so totally overbuilt, no one there needs another in-your-face architectural icon.’ 3 The Siam, Bangkok, Thailand – embracing the neighbourhood. Constructed as a new build in the capital’s historical quarter, The Siam takes guests back to 19th century Bangkok. 4 Rosewood Luang Prabang, Laos – teaching guests something new. ‘I love the idea that even a small hotel can be designed to be a historically accurate capsule story of a whole country.’ 5 Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui, Thailand – innovation to protect nature. Bensley mocked up each building in bamboo first before construction. ‘ This allowed us to really work the guest rooms in between the trees,’ he says. Bensley（左說圖） ：「我們的客戶全都想要一個比上一次更的，，出色 設計 因此 我竭盡全力，每令我 個設計看起來截然不同。」Bensley的目項 並不追求外觀統一，卻忠實地體現了一個他堅信不移的元素，他說可以總結為一個重要的，詞語 就是「尊重」。除了Shinta Mani Wild，以下是五間Bensley最喜歡的酒店及其蘊藏的。特質

1 越南峴港洲際陽光半島度假酒店是以高概念取勝嗎？藏身於位置隱秘的海灣上方及猴群聚居的廣闊密林之中，劃依次 分為天堂、天空、大地和海洋等四個王國，並以酒店自設的有軌纜車連接各層區。

2 印尼峇里島烏布嘉佩樂酒店與自然融為一。體 酒店隱藏在叢林之中，正如Bensley所說：「峇里島已經蓋了太多酒店，那裡不需另要 一個醒目的搶眼 建築地標。」

3 泰國曼谷The Siam酒店擁抱社區。坐落在歷史城區的新建築， The Siam酒店將客人帶回19世紀的曼谷。

4 老撾瑯勃拉邦瑰麗酒店讓客人學新習事物。Bensley說：「即使是一家小型酒店，亦可設計成一個真實反映整個國家歷史的故事縮影，我喜歡這樣的想法。」

5 泰國蘇梅島四季度假酒店以創新方式保護大自然。Bensley在施工前先以竹子仿製每棟建築物。他說：「這樣有助我們於樹木之間建造客房。」