The reception area is embellished with a black onyx piece.

In the 16^th Macael Awards, La Asociación de Empresarios del mármol de Andalucía (The Association of Andalucian Marble Businessmen) has awarded the Prize for National Works to the Gran Hotel Nagari Boutiques and Spa for using white Macael Marble in the majority of its spaces, with polished black and onyx decoration.

Located in an historical building - an emblematic registered heritage site dating back to 1960 - the work required complete remodelling with connections to two properties covering 6000 m2 of constructed space (21 Plaza de Compostela and 3 Luis Taboada) built later. It also included conservation of its imposing façade which was dismantled and reassembled again brick by brick. The work, a great heritage site of architectural and cultural importance was contracted by the architect José Antonio Comesaña García.

 The restaurant and lounge – Alameda XXI –.

This project took a little more than a year in what was supposed to be an important investment, and especially so for the city of Vigo.

The interior of the hotel comprises of a ground floor, seven floors and penthouse. It has 63 loft-type rooms with internal spaces a fusion of classical and oriental décor with the latest in technology and domotics. It also has a full spa measuring 750 m2, offering programmes inspired by Eastern culture, a jet pool with climate control, two Jacuzzis (in the penthouse with impressive views of the estuary, and its own cafeteria), gymnasium, hairdresser salon, and two meeting rooms. Completing the list of facilities is the restaurant and lounge – Alameda XXI – which offers a combination of traditional and avant-garde menu, Manhattan Wine and Lounge in which you can savour small snacks (tapas) and finger foods (pinchos). Its wine bar has received more than 200 accolades nationally and internationally. Both its restaurant facilities and its health and beauty facilities (Nagari Health Spa and Nagari Beauty) are available to hotel guests and the general public alike. There are also hotel parking facilities for 30 cars. 

Design and pioneering style

The decorators, María Otero Martínez and Fefa Cid Domínguez, have created a balanced, harmonious and light space, using fine materials such as white Macael marble, wood and high quality materials, but at the same time, respecting the original décor of the building in combination with an urban and cosmopolitan furniture. 

The careful decoration, as well as the selection of materials, is one of the strong points of this hotel and the fundamental basis for the hotel boutique category which was bestowed. 

The team of architects and decorators used high quality fine materials which, in some cases, were hard to find. The reception area is embellished with a black onyx piece, considered a semi- precious stone, which is very difficult to find in this colour. Among carpentry items, there are many versions of pieces from platforms, planks, wall decorations…always using the same material finished in water-based varnishes. The décor also includes ceramic mesh, natural sandstone from Salamanca, plastic-coated wallpapers, ash wood on the floors, Silestone and Bolon, an abundance of crystal, mirrors and lithographic crystals in the Spa area….

During this time, true artisanal masterpieces were created and are displayed in different areas of the hotel. Exclusive pieces, made by hand with great care and dedication, adorn rooms, lounges and the dining room… In the interior redecoration of the hotel, contributions by Galician businesses, mainly from Vigo, predominate as in the case of Enor which built a lift exclusively for the Gran Hotel Nagari. 

  The hotel is decorated with exclusive and exceptional pieces in modern and antique styles.

The quality, luxuriousness of details, and the welcome in rooms full of attention to detail… are some of the characteristics of the Solvida Group Hotels. For this reason, the attention to detail has extended to the internal patios which have been decorated with plants and natural stone. 

The predominant colours in the rooms are white, silver, gold and black, while in common areas such as the spa, strong colours have been introduced which give a modern feel to the décor. In addition, to surprise hotel guests on each of their visits, the decorative plan includes different ambiance and colours on every floor. 

Among the design pieces are the works of Gandia Blasco and Jaime Hayón, considered the best Spanish industrial designer (the Josephine Queen lamp), the works of Philippe Starck (Gun Table lamp), chairs by Enrico Franzolini and Patricia Urquiola (Maia stool and chair). Also, worthy of mention is the Ameba lamp by Pete Sons who received the prize last year for the best hanging lamp in the USA Interior Design Magazine. 

The carefully selected furniture is complemented by a significant antique collection of oriental origin which includes: Thai bronze gong of the 20^th Century, a wooden Buddha of the 18^th Century with remains of its original polychrome finish, wooden garden towers dating back to the 18^th Century from Cambodia, and a kimono belonging to the head eunuch from the Forbidden City dating back to the 19^th Century. 

The Gran Hotel Nagari gives great importance to oriental culture, with many references to it. The first is its name: Nagari is a town in India, located in the Valley of the Chittar River which is considered a sacred river. There is also another Nagari in the highest part of Tibet, 4,500 metres above sea level. This is a place considered to be a sanctuary dedicated to water.

The panel of judges for the 16^th Macael Awards awarded the Prize for National Works to the Gran Hotel Nagari Boutique and Spa in Vigo, for selecting white Macael marble and using it in common areas, stairs, rooms as well as in shower plates. This is complemented by decorations in polished black onyx, giving an air of elegance, light and nobility, confirming infinite possibilities in the use of marble and its combinations, and validating the high standing of natural stone. 

 Manhattan Wine and Lounge.

First Hotel Boutique in Galicia

The Gran Hotel Nagari is the first hotel boutique in the Community of Galicia. This novel concept was born in Europe as a contrast to the big hotel chains which offer quality service, but are always highly standardised. It is a more intimate space with exclusive decoration, in which personalised service to guests is of special relevance.   

Another feature of originality in the hotel is the personalisation of floor decoration as even- numbered floors are decorated in one style, while the odd-numbered ones in another. In all rooms, neutral colours, gold, black and chocolate dominate. The hotel is decorated with exclusive and exceptional pieces in modern and antique styles.

 Emblematic registered heritage site dating back to 1960.

Moreover, as in the case of the Gran Hotel Nagari, hotel boutiques are establishments found in buildings with high heritage value, a high sense of aesthetics and a significant investment in technology and innovation. In fact, rooms of this new hotel have domotic controls (which can create different ambient lighting, and operate shutters, mechanised sunscreens and security).

The undertaking of work on the Gran Hotel Nagari Boutique and Spa was a turning point for the Galician hostelling sector, since it is the first hotel boutique in Galicia, and a modern hostelling concept based on exclusive and personalised service. It is the first five-star hotel in the city. It is guaranteed by the experience of the Solvida Hotel Group, a Galician company based in the Galician capital, owner of the Augusta Spa Hotel Sanxenxo as well as other real estate promotions in the south of Galicia. 

Text: Carmen Méndez

Photos: Gran Hotel Nagari