Toronto design studio Giannone Petricone Associates spent 10 years restoring the Royal Hotel in Ontario, blending design elements that nod to the past and present. It is located in Picton, which is a town in Prince Edward County. The hotel was first acquired by the Sorbara family in 2013 and has since gone through many contemporary design updates.
The architects were able to retain three of the original brick walls and it houses a cafe, a fine-dining restaurant, a gym, a spa, three bars, and a sauna. The hotel has 33 guest rooms -- 28 of which are in the hotel building and the other five suites in a stable dubbed the Royal Annex. GPA principal Pina Petricone explains that "The Royal is designed to be a transporting experience while deeply rooted in the local context. The experience benefits from the charged contrast between 'genteel' and 'real' elements."
Image Credit: Giannone Petricone Associates
What Makes This Trend Stand Out
- Historic Restoration
- The restoration of the Royal Hotel in Ontario highlights a trend of preserving and revamping historic buildings to blend past and present design elements.
- Multi-functional Spaces
- The Royal Hotel's diverse offerings, including a cafe, fine-dining restaurant, gym, spa, bars, and sauna, showcase the trend of creating multi-functional spaces in hospitality design.
- Local Context-inspired Design
- The design of the Royal Hotel takes inspiration from the local context, demonstrating the trend of incorporating regional influences and authenticity into architectural projects.
Sectors Adopting This
- Hospitality
- The Royal Hotel's restoration and the blending of different functions within the space present disruptive innovation opportunities in the hospitality industry.
- Architecture
- The revival of historic buildings like the Royal Hotel and the incorporation of local context-driven design elements create new avenues for disruptive innovation in the field of architecture.
- Tourism
- Projects like the Royal Hotel, which offer unique and transformative experiences rooted in the local community, contribute to disruptive innovation opportunities within the tourism industry.
