Marriott’s castles in the air

Is it a building? Is it a bird? Is it a half-remembered dream of an impossible structure?

Designed by Frank Gehry with architect Cesar Caicoya, the astonishing Hotel Marqués de Riscal, part of Marriott International's Luxury Collection, seems to float above the vineyards of Spain’s Rioja region – a medley of moving metal that defies logic.  

In this fascinating film, directed by Courtney Sofiah Yates and produced by Marriott Content Studio in collaboration with Stept Studios, Caicoya reveals the fascinating story behind the hotel's construction. Gehry wanted the building to ‘fly’, so the convoluted coloured titanium sheets are inspired by the floating dresses of dancers from around the world.  

Beautifully contrasting the solidity and immovability of the medieval stone edifices of Elciego, the village around it, the construction required computer-aided design and manufacture, being too complex to create using traditional methods. The film is set to jazz juxtapositions that almost echo the challenging nature of the architecture. 

It is part of the series Travel by Design, which features three other hotel design tales...

W Punta de Mita, directed by Jess Colquhoun, invites you to immerse yourself in a hotel inspired by the natural surroundings of Mexico and the artistry of the indigenous Huichol people. Director Michael Parenteau's profile of The Ben relates how a sleek Florida hotel was inspired by the colourful pioneers running a local bed and breakfast in the 1800s; while, W Rome, directed by Boma Iluma, reveals how a multi-disciplinary design boutique created a building that embodies a quintessential Eternal City mindset.