Pennod 6 04 Wal

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-In this programme,

-Riad El Fenn in Morocco...

-..which houses

-Vanessa Branson's art collection.

-A Richard Rogers masterpiece

-captivates us in Barcelona.

-First, a unique capsule hotel

-in a busy airport.

-This is Gatwick Airport,

-on the outskirts of London.

-The exterior is a vital

-marketing tool for most hotels...

-..but that's clearly not true

-of that hotel!

-It's a unique hotel

-in a unique location...

-..with a unique function.

-Yotel hotel is in Gatwick Airport.

-Convenience and luxury within

-a tight space is the concept here.

-It was inspired

-by the capsule hotels of Japan.

-We're in the depths of the airport

-and we're almost underground.

-The purple light adds

-to its cave-like feel.

-When you see Yotel,

-you know it's a Japanese concept.

-Yes, the room feels very novel.

-It's like being on a spaceship.

-It's like being on a spaceship.

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-Yes.

-There is no reception desk.

-You check yourself in

-on the machine.

-You pay for the room by the hour.

-Your key card comes out

-and off you go!

-So easy!

-Let's go in!

-We're in the lobby.

-If you have a problem, there are

-people in the galley to help you.

-What do you think of the colours?

-What do you think of the colours?

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-Everything is minimal.

-It feels very futuristic.

-It's a subdued white

-with a hint of pink.

-You come here to do just one thing -

-to sleep or lie down for a while.

-The funny touches

-such as the Ssshhh are great.

-What do you think of the way

-they've framed the windows?

-The rounded theme runs

-from the window frames...

-..to the text font...

-..and even to the walls,

-with their rounded profile.

-It gives this place a retro feel.

-You get the feeling

-they've thought of everything.

-Here you have

-the more expensive double rooms.

-The windows here too

-have rounded corners.

-These are the only windows

-in the rooms.

-There is no such thing as a view

-of the outside of the building.

-The windows face inward.

-Let's take a look

-at one of the top rooms.

-This company

-believes in providing luxury.

-How much luxury can you

-squeeze into ten square metres?

-The bed looks like it's designed

-for Dopey, Sneezy and Grumpy!

-The bed is

-one of many clever features here.

-Do you need room to work?

-Pull out the table and the chair.

-Plug a computer into the sockets

-and connect to the Internet.

-Listen to the MP3 player

-and switch on the light.

-When you've finished working

-and you want to sleep...

-..fold down the table,

-slot the chair back in the wall...

-..switch off the light

-and bring on the bed!

-Yes, it's an extendable bed.

-Amazing!

-People come and go past your window

-day and night.

-Pull down the blind

-and shut off the world.

-It's amazing how much fun you can

-squeeze into such a small space.

-You can close off the bathroom

-by sliding this door closed.

-It's totally private.

-Not a single inch of your body

-can escape from this monsoon shower.

-Aled is relaxing in a double capsule

-and I'm in a standard capsule.

-It's much smaller

-but it's exquisitely designed.

-They've maximized

-the available space.

-There's a bed, a desk, storage

-and a shower all within one room.

-The television and the shelves

-are recessed...

-..to create a feeling of space.

-The rounded corners we saw

-in the lobby are present here too.

-The rounded edges of the pattern

-etched onto the glass...

-..is echoed in the shower wall.

-It's a reminder you're in

-a small capsule or a cosy cocoon.

-What do you think of it, Leah?

-It's a very practical hotel.

-Constant streams of people

-come here to shower and to relax.

-They didn't need to design

-something as beautiful as this.

-They've created something special.

-Yes, it's compact luxury.

-It's futuristic.

-This is Hotel Hesperia Tower...

-..half way between the airport

-and Barcelona city centre.

-It's a masculine,

-uncompromising design.

-It's proud to show its structure

-to the world...

-..like a matador confronting a bull.

-The solid skeleton is typical

-of the work of Sir Richard Rogers.

-Every skeleton needs some flesh.

-The designers, Josep Juanpere and

-Maria Vives from GCA Arquitectes...

-..cleverly put the flesh inside,

-not outside, the skeleton.

-Somehow, you feel

-it's a busy hotel before entering.

-It's visually bustling.

-The external structure

-is so powerful...

-..one expects

-the interior to be exciting.

-This open space feels as if it

-belongs to the convention centre...

-..which is tied to the hotel,

-at the rear.

-If you seek assurances

-that this hotel won't crumble...

-..look no further.

-You can see the structure clearly

-in this huge space...

-..which is open to the sixth floor.

-It's a riotous place which gets

-more exciting as night draws in.

-Richard Rogers designed this.

-He designed the Pompidou Centre,

-the Millennium Dome...

-..and the Senedd in Cardiff.

-The internal design

-grabs your attention at night.

-It's a sexy atmosphere.

-The light looks as if it was drawn

-by someone holding a sparkler.

-What makes this

-a good example of Rogers's work?

-He's famous

-for displaying the structure...

-..and having the inside outside.

-He often uses primary colours.

-The red posts and the horizontal

-lines criss-cross.

-The stairs and the lift shaft

-are on the outside...

-..giving

-the interior designer freedom.

-Rogers used the same ideas

-in the Pompidou Centre.

-What a shock!

-Yes, you expect to see your bed...

-..but instead,

-you enter a shiny, black cube.

-It's confusing.

-I'm disorientated.

-There are mirrors everywhere and you

-reach for what are just reflections!

-There are three doors in here.

-You seem to walk into yourself.

-This is the bathroom which I think

-doubles up as a dressing room.

-In that respect, it makes sense.

-The final thing you do

-before you leave your room...

-..is get dressed and preen yourself.

-You don't lack mirrors for that!

-Yes, after taking a final check,

-it's time to go.

-Having a restaurant on the top floor

-of a tall building is nothing new...

-..but this is

-a totally new experience for me.

-Yes, we're in a glass dome

-which wraps itself around us.

-It's an amazing experience to be able

-to look out across Barcelona.

-To me, this has more to do

-with the genius of Richard Rogers...

-..than with the work

-of the internal designers.

-Yes, the structure he created

-is respected here.

-The design is futuristic

-and the interior reflects that fact.

-What a view!

-I like many features of this hotel

-but this is what makes it work.

-It's the crowning glory.

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-We're walking through the streets

-of Marrakech, Morocco...

-..towards Riad el Fenn hotel.

-Traditionally,

-a riad was a merchant's house.

-A riad is a house

-built around a central garden.

-I often stand outside buildings...

-..and say the exteriors reveal

-little about the interiors.

-It's never been more true

-than in this case!

-Behind this ordinary exterior

-there lies extraordinary splendour.

-If I didn't know Riad El Fenn

-was behind this door...

-..I'd have walked straight past it.

-Step inside and the hurly-burly

-of the medina is forgotten.

-Temperatures out there

-can reach 50 degrees Celsius...

-..so it's a pleasure to enter

-this cool, dark, red room.

-It's almost

-an ecclesiastical experience.

-The glorious red and blue light

-looks like a church lantern.

-The window high above my head makes

-it feel even more like a church.

-It throws light across the floor.

-It's mysterious

-and it's very alluring.

-The hallway has many rooms

-and winds its way into the building.

-We can marvel at the visual concepts

-encountered along the way.

-Over there, colourful slippers

-have been laid out...

-..and you see their reflection in a

-huge mirror which hangs behind them.

-That, in turn, is reflected in this

-abstract painting by Bridget Riley.

-It's clear that art is high

-on the priority list in this riad.

-The art displayed here...

-..is part of Vanessa Branson's

-personal collection.

-She owns Riad El Fenn

-and she's Richard Branson's sister.

-It was designed by her

-business partner, Fredric Scholl.

-What are your first impressions,

-Leah?

-El Fenn means "art" in Arabic

-and "hip" in local slang.

-The name makes perfect sense

-when you look around.

-There's art everywhere,

-teamed with all sorts of archways.

-Traditional Moroccan slippers

-are laid out on the floor...

-..with modern baseball boots

-among them.

-It's very playful.

-The colours are amazing too.

-The vibrant red

-contrasts with the street outside.

-On reaching the end

-of the dark corridor...

-..one steps out into the light.

-Yes, it's stunning.

-This looks

-as if it's always been here.

-What have they added

-to the original riad...

-..to turn it into a hotel?

-When they were

-restoring the building...

-..they went to great trouble

-to remain true to the original riad.

-They also

-created contemporary elements...

-..by hanging interesting objects

-on every surface.

-There's an element of surprise here.

-Step out of the central courtyard

-back into the main building...

-..and the temperature dips

-and the darkness hits you.

-The riad is an ingenious design...

-..because it lets you

-escape from the hot sun.

-We're standing

-in a dark, red tunnel.

-These black and white pictures are

-stunning against that background.

-The collection is cleverly lit

-and utterly wonderful.

-Walk this way

-towards another garden.

-At the far end is one of several

-swimming pools in the hotel.

-This is one of the best suites

-in this hotel.

-There are several rooms within which

-makes it a real home from home.

-Yes, there's a relaxation area

-over there.

-There's a traditional,

-deep Moroccan sofa in that room.

-This bedroom is huge...

-..and there's a free-standing bath

-in the corner.

-It looks like polished plaster.

-It's called Tadlekt -

-smoothed and polished lime plaster.

-The walls will change over time.

-The details around the room

-look like studs...

-..but, in fact,

-they're handmade glass beads.

-Those beads are inlaid in the wall.

-This is a contemporary twist

-on a traditional pattern.

-It looks like studs

-which bond two pieces of leather.

-Actually,

-the walls look like leather.

-The floor tiles are made

-of hand-stitched camel leather.

-Isn't that great?

-Yes. There's a curious collection

-of furniture here too.

-That 1950s table,

-with its angular legs...

-..and this 1920s dressing table.

-They work together well.

-This handmade bedspread

-is also wonderful.

-Everything is skilfully made.

-The bonus

-about the best room in the hotel...

-..is the rooftop pool,

-at the top of the red staircase.

-There's a private terrace

-and a plunge pool.

-It's a glass-bottomed pool...

-..which allows you

-to see into the room!

-Yes, it lets natural light

-enter the room.

-It's a really quirky place.

-CALL TO PRAYER

-This ceiling is remarkable.

-Yes, the designers weren't afraid

-to experiment with materials.

-This mirrored ceiling

-is evocative of traditional beams.

-This is a fantastic design.

-It looks like an art deco mirror.

-It looks like an art deco mirror.

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-Yes, it does.

-The bar looks like

-something from a different world.

-It's lit in such a way

-the bottles really stand out.

-They seem to wink at you and call,

-"Come to the bar! Come to the bar!"

-What have you enjoyed most

-about this hotel?

-I enjoyed all the different ideas

-within this boutique hotel.

-It's a showcase of various crafts.

-The designer has endless ideas.

-Yes, this is both contemporary

-and retro...

-..and it has

-a touch of Moroccan magic.

-It's a real triumph.

-S4C subtitles by Eirlys A Jones

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