For his latest grandiose Southeast Asian spa project, designer Bill Bensley has taken his inspiration from an unlikely combination of themes: the work of pioneering French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, the importance of higher education, Lewis Carroll's novel Alice in Wonderland – and mushrooms.
Bensley’s typically whimsical design touches feature throughout the JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay resort in the south of Vietnam – a project the designer describes as “perhaps my best.”
The luxury 243-bedroom property is built within the buildings of the 19th century Lamarck University, whose eponymous founder built it to promote study of the natural world. The design concept focuses on the process of learning and discovery and the influence of Lamarck – who laid the groundwork for Darwin’s theory of evolution. Hand-painted walls depict flora and fauna, sculptures of animals are present on the buildings, and objects preserved from the university can be seen throughout the hotel.
A key component of the resort is the Spa Chanterelle, which features six couple’s treatment rooms, a body treatment suite, a hair salon and steam and sauna rooms.
The design is inspired by mushrooms – which Vietnam’s French colonists long believed to have therapeutic properties, and which residents of Phu Quoc traditionally foraged for in the surrounding jungle.
Mushroom shapes are found in the furnishings and hand-drawn artwork on the walls, and biological illustrations adorn the interior ceilings, adding a surreal quality to the space. Bensley himself has collected some 20 samples of dried foraged mushrooms, which are on display at the entry to the spa, in a turn-of-the-century French glass and brass shop cabinet.
References from Alice in Wonderland – in which mushrooms play a key role – also feature heavily; the book was also published the same year – 1865 – as Lamarck University was inaugurated. In one corridor, asymmetric arches curve at mirroring angles to create a layering effect, echoing Alice falling down the rabbit hole at the start of the book.
“Mushrooms provide a historically correct fantasy element that seemed to be a perfect match for this spa on Rue de Lamarck,” Bensley explains. “To coax guests outside of the comfort of our rooms, the spa has to be even more enchanting. Creating layers and layers of stories that our guests can live seems to be a clear way forward.”
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2017 issue 2
Wellness communities: Europe
Part 2 of our series explores some of
the most exciting European wellness
communities in development
Promotional feature: Babor
CEO Michael Schummert explains how the
company’s expertise in results-driven treatments makes its precision
‘Made in Germany’ products more relevant than ever before
For his latest grandiose Southeast Asian spa project, designer Bill Bensley has taken his inspiration from an unlikely combination of themes: the work of pioneering French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, the importance of higher education, Lewis Carroll's novel Alice in Wonderland – and mushrooms.
Bensley’s typically whimsical design touches feature throughout the JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay resort in the south of Vietnam – a project the designer describes as “perhaps my best.”
The luxury 243-bedroom property is built within the buildings of the 19th century Lamarck University, whose eponymous founder built it to promote study of the natural world. The design concept focuses on the process of learning and discovery and the influence of Lamarck – who laid the groundwork for Darwin’s theory of evolution. Hand-painted walls depict flora and fauna, sculptures of animals are present on the buildings, and objects preserved from the university can be seen throughout the hotel.
A key component of the resort is the Spa Chanterelle, which features six couple’s treatment rooms, a body treatment suite, a hair salon and steam and sauna rooms.
The design is inspired by mushrooms – which Vietnam’s French colonists long believed to have therapeutic properties, and which residents of Phu Quoc traditionally foraged for in the surrounding jungle.
Mushroom shapes are found in the furnishings and hand-drawn artwork on the walls, and biological illustrations adorn the interior ceilings, adding a surreal quality to the space. Bensley himself has collected some 20 samples of dried foraged mushrooms, which are on display at the entry to the spa, in a turn-of-the-century French glass and brass shop cabinet.
References from Alice in Wonderland – in which mushrooms play a key role – also feature heavily; the book was also published the same year – 1865 – as Lamarck University was inaugurated. In one corridor, asymmetric arches curve at mirroring angles to create a layering effect, echoing Alice falling down the rabbit hole at the start of the book.
“Mushrooms provide a historically correct fantasy element that seemed to be a perfect match for this spa on Rue de Lamarck,” Bensley explains. “To coax guests outside of the comfort of our rooms, the spa has to be even more enchanting. Creating layers and layers of stories that our guests can live seems to be a clear way forward.”
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2017 issue 2
Wellness communities: Europe
Part 2 of our series explores some of
the most exciting European wellness
communities in development
Promotional feature: Babor
CEO Michael Schummert explains how the
company’s expertise in results-driven treatments makes its precision
‘Made in Germany’ products more relevant than ever before
London Museum will open four new food and drink destinations when it launches its new home
at Smithfield on 28 November, making hospitality a central part of the visitor experience at one
of the capital's biggest cultural openings of the year.
OMA has completed a major transformation of New York's New Museum, creating a larger
cultural campus that combines expanded exhibition spaces with learning, performance,
hospitality and public programming.
A US$50 million (£44.2 million, €51.2 million) transformation of Chicago's historic McCormick
Mansion has created a new destination that combines live magic, immersive theatre, dining and
private membership under one roof.
The Montana Historical Society has officially celebrated the opening of its new Montana
Heritage
Center, a US$107 million (£79 million, €92 million) destination that combines immersive
storytelling with cutting-edge audiovisual technology to bring the sta
San Antonio Zoo has reported a US$283 million economic impact for 2025, following a decade-
long transformation programme that has seen almost US$200 million invested into the Texas
attraction.
Plans for the AU$180 million redevelopment of Reef HQ Aquarium in Townsville, Australia, are
progressing, with the project set to transform the attraction into a global centre for reef
education and conservation.
Abu Dhabi-based investment firm Mubadala Capital has made a binding, fully financed
€1 billion
offer to acquire Pierre and Vacances SA, the European holiday resort operator behind the
continental European Center Parcs business.
Disney has reaffirmed its commitment to investing US$30 billion in its US parks and cruise
business by 2033, using new America250 celebrations to underline the role its attractions play
in supporting jobs, tourism and economic growth.
Expo 2030 Riyadh is being planned as a permanent visitor destination, with organisers
confirming the six-million-square-metre site will become a Global Village after the event closes.
The owner of one of Australia's best-known waterparks has acquired a major competitor,
creating a new attractions business spanning two of the country's largest visitor destinations.
