In my post last night I shared that progress of my journey home from Boston > London > Manchester was coming right along, but honestly it was a good idea to spend an extra night to slow down and get caught up on my 
My stay was at the AC Hotel - Manchester City Centre in 15 Mason Street. Although the "ACs" feel like 4.5 star boutique hotels, there are about 160 of them mostly in Spain, their country of origin that still has the highest concentration of these well-heeled hotels. The entry of the group to the accommodation market has been brought to the UK very deliberately, as no two ACs are alike but all are architecture-forward.
Almost surprisingly, the man behind the AC Hotels, now in partnership with Marriott International, is Antonio Catalán, the hotelier-entrepreneur, not an architect. But without doubt his work is design-driven for the purpose of making each the AC Hotel a unique experience for the guest, no matter the city or country.
The photo above is of the left-facing lobby as you enter. It's kitted out as a calming but well-appointed for charging work station & library. Straight ahead you'd see the reception desk which is understated by comparison to the rest of the space. Instead, it's the bar and restaurant that really give a warm welcome.
This is my favourite of the photos that I want to share with you. From the chairs that seem to say, "even if you are just seated for a brief wait, you are important," to the stacked wall of wine that leaves room for plenty more, to the seven sources of light that leave you looking your glamorous best, there is a lot to unwrap at the entrance to in-house dining, Tapas La Casa
It's All In the Lighting
In this photo above, you can see four of the light sources that create an undeniable ambiance.
Let me take you on a tour of how the lighting designers achieved this effect. We'll start at the floor level.
Light Source 1
If you look down along of the base of the long banquettes seated in front of the windows, you will the glow of the plinth lighting. Select your shoes carefully!
Light Source 2
Guide your view to the metre-wide lamps stationed just behind the banquettes. Upon approach, you'll be surprised at the scale. Whomever sits in front of the them receives a halo-like glow all throughout dinner.
Light Source 3
Adjust your gaze to the left of the room, where the high-backed chair tempts one to stop for a drink. If you were to take that seat and look directly up, you'd find yourself beneath the one of the over standing-height tall cantilevered shaded lamps.
Light Source 4
I've saved the best for last! It's a Tapas restaurant, right? In a Miesian-esque hotel, right?
Mind you even I, the architectural designer, didn't pick up on this at the time, but only as I just finished editing the photos, I found a real treat!!
I'll like to direct your eyes to the close-up image of the bull below. Take note of his sprite hind legs. You see the sharp angles, yes? Now look to the photo above. Do you see it when you look up? Do you see the acute angles of El Toro's legs copied over into the design of the massive ceiling lighting design?
Who says design ain't fun?
I love to design for restaurants and hotels. Desire drives the design and nothing drives desire like going to a nice restaurant in a place that makes one look like a movie star. Even though I only arrived and there are no guests yet here to join me, I felt a little more glam.
Ah, at last! I've arrived at my seat for the evening. Although as you can see in the third photo from the top the scale of the restaurant, the designers show their proficiency of managing scale. Not just that, but they've created an intimate corner that is fully appointed with a balance of hard surfaces and soft, with smooth textures and rough, with matte finishes and shine. I stake my claim to el mejor lugar de la casa.
Thank you for coming by and allowing me to show you around. I hope that you felt a sense of being there with me. I wish that were true, as you probably already know this about me. I love Hive meetups!
In fact, I have a small Hive Meetup this coming weekend.
More about that soon!
For now, I'll sign off with my 21 Power Up for 21 January. 💪🏽
Much love! 🥰
Alessandra