Studio HBA, a division of Hirsch Bedner Associates, designed the Hyatt Centric brand’s first property in India.
In designing the 143-guestroom Hyatt Centric MG Road Bangalore in Bengaluru, Studio HBA was inspired by a stenciled piece of street art of a traditional elderly Indian woman riding a Harley-Davidson Chopper. The design team used this piece of art as the metaphor for the city and the hotel’s personality, and so began to craft a narrative around this image and expanded it in to the design of the hotel. The design team further envisioned how the woman’s personality was influenced by the neighborhood and how it acted as a lens for her environment.
The woman’s metaphor is woven throughout the property. For instance, in the guestrooms, there are stenciled graffiti on the walls portraying traditional characters in contemporary scenarios. In one room, there is a classical dancer playing an electric guitar; in the second, a lady appears in a sari riding a motorcycle; and finally in the third, there is a lady wearing a dhoti riding a skateboard while gripping the side of an auto rickshaw.
Additional design touches inspired by the woman are bathroom tiles, the baroque furniture details inspired by the Indo-Saracenic era, the hand painted trunks, the globe lights inspired by the street lamps in the British cantonment, and the blue and white striped fabric throws.
The lobby was inspired by elements found in the immediate surrounding stretch, from Commercial Street to Shivajinagar to Indiranagar. There is a green tile mural inspired by the botanical city that was once Bangalore. The “Tea Khade” created for the lobby is a typical chai point where people gather on the roadside for a quick conversation. The lighting detail over the reception was inspired by the street lighting in the Cantonment area, while the styling and artefacts were all curated from local designers, handicraft vendors or items from the Shivajinagar markets.
The hotel restaurant has hanging plants and biophilic connection to the outdoors. A five-meter-high ceiling is filled with ivy and ferns, while a full-height sliding glass door creates a balance between the indoor and outdoor. This space aims to connect its patrons to nature at a podium in the heart of the city.
Photo credit: Studio HBA