BOUTIQUE FUSION
© FUSIONHOTELS.COM
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Prague's newest boutique hotel, Fusion, which opened in March, has something in common with two of the city's most well-regarded boutique accommodation properties, Icon and Moods. His name is Nah-Dja Tien and besides being "three-quarters Dutch and one-quarter Chinese", Tien is the innovative thread tying these three exceptional properties together.
Hailing from the Netherlands, the country where his Chinese grandfather settled after marrying Tien's Dutch grandmother, Tien came to Prague in 2002 after four years as quality manager at Thon Hotel Bristol Stephanie in Brussels. Ready for a new challenge, he decided to take up an offer from a friend working at the newly opened Andel's Hotel & Suites which was looking for a resident manager.
In 2006, after making his mark at Andel's, Tien was approached by a Greek investor offering him the opportunity to be involved in the transformation of a 19th-century building into a 'design' hotel. "Despite the building being a total mess," Tien says, "in just seven months, we broke it down, worked on the interior design and built it back up."
That hotel was the Icon, considered to be Prague's first authentic boutique hotel. "It was a combination of two minds: the owner's original vision - he'd done lots of research and had pictures of all his favourite hotels around the world - and my own vision, which essentially came from everything I didn't like in my professional and personal hotel experiences," explains Tien.
Consistently scoring top ratings in style and luxury, the Icon is described by Tien as having "bright colours, great beds (the hotel features Hästens beds - his idea) and exceptional service, with breakfast served all day."
His next project, Moods, offered him another opportunity to envision a design hotel from scratch. In addition, because the owners of the property had no prior hotel experience, Tien essentially had complete creative control. Along with bringing in well-received elements from Icon - service, comfort, stylish urban design - Tien took things up a notch through the incorporation of a variety of technological features, bringing Prague one of its first tech-savvy hotels.
"My intention was always to make something different, not just follow the herd," says Tien. "If you do something different you always get noticed."
And his work at the Icon did indeed bring him attention, eventually leading to what is perhaps his most ambitious project to date. By 2010, in addition to his role as general manager at Moods, Tien had become the hospitality and client representative for Lordship, a development company he discovered was based in the same street as the Icon.
Having bought a historical property with a view to turning it into a hotel, Lordship invited Tien to be its pre-opening director. With the opportunity to once again be a part of the process from the beginning, Tien put his usual "150%" into the project.
"From the beginning the idea was to create a network of design hotels and eventually expand to other European cities," explains Tien. "We wanted a funky, multi-occupancy design hotel offering the whole spectrum of accommodation, from apartments to studios to rooms for whole families or groups of friends."
Inspired by America's Ace Hotels, Tien's creation, with its own unique "mish-mash of different ideas", including the visions of local interior designers, artwork on the walls by young Czech artists, a variety of technological amenities and several eating options, seemed a natural embodiment of the word "fusion".
"What ties the three hotels together is design, art, music and a laid-back, luxurious atmosphere," says Tien. Clearly it has been an invigorating creative journey for Tien, spanning eight years and a number of establishments, in the end providing the city with new and evolving concepts for its hotel scene. And he is delighted with the outcome: "Together we far exceeded what the Icon became," he smiles, already thinking, no doubt, of his next project for Prague.
www.fusionhotels.com
FR Transformations fusion
Joann Plockova a rencontré celui à qui l'on doit les hôtels les plus stylés de Prague
Fusion, le dernier des boutique hotels de Prague, possède un point commun avec deux des établissements de charme les plus réputés de la ville, Icon et Moods. Il a pour nom Nah-Dja Tien.
Originaire des Pays-Bas, Tien est arrivé à Prague en 2002 - après quatre années passées au Thon Hotel Bristol Stephanie à Bruxelles - pour occuper la fonction de manager du nouvel Andel's Hotel & Suites.
Après avoir fait ses preuves au Andel's, Tien reçoit, en 2006, une proposition d'un investisseur grec : s'impliquer dans la transformation d'un immeuble du 19e siècle en hôtel « design ». « En à peine sept mois, nous l'avons démoli, travaillé le design intérieur pour ensuite le reconstruire, » explique-t-il. Considéré comme le premier boutique hotel authentique de Prague, l'hôtel The Icon était né.
Plus tard, le Moods lui a donné une autre opportunité de démarrer un hôtel de charme. Cette fois, Tien mise davantage sur la technologie pour créer un des premiers hôtels high-tech de Prague.
The Icon - sans doute son projet le plus ambitieux à ce jour - lui a apporté la notoriété. Ayant acquis un bâtiment historique en ville en vue de le transformer en hôtel, le groupe immobilier Lordship a proposé à Tien d'en assurer la direction avant ouverture. Une fois encore, Tien a eu la chance de participer à un projet dès ses prémices et s'y est investi, comme toujours, à « 150% ».
« Nous voulions un hôtel design et funky, offrant toute la gamme de logements, des appartements aux studios en passant par les chambres multi-occupants, » explique-t-il.
Inspirée des Ace Hotels américains, la création de Tien est un mélange unique d'idées variées. Approches visionnaires de designers locaux, oeuvres de jeunes artistes tchèques, équipements high-tech..., l'ensemble est une incarnation du mot fusion.
« Nous avons de loin dépassé ce que l'Icon est devenu, » dit-il en souriant, pensant déjà à son prochain projet pour Prague.
NL Slimme zet
Joann Plockova sprak met de man achter de meest stijlvolle hotels van Praag
Het nieuwste boetiekhotel, Fusion, heeft één naam gemeenschappelijk met twee van de hoogst gewaardeerde hotels van de stad, Icon en Moods: Nah-Dja Tien.
De uit Nederland afkomstige Tien kwam in 2002, na vier jaar in het Thon Hotel Bristol Stephanie in Brussel, naar Praag en werd daar manager van het pas geopende Andel's Hotel & Suites.
In 2006 werd hij door een Grieks investeerder opgemerkt en die bood Tien de kans om deel uit te maken van zijn project: een nieuw designhotel. "In amper zeven maanden tijd haalden we het gebouw neer, werkten we aan het desiginterieur en bouwden we het weer op," zegt hij.
Met Moods kreeg hij nogmaals een kans om een designhotel vanaf nul op te richten.
Zijn werk bij Icon trok de aandacht en zou later leiden tot zijn meest ambitieuze project tot nog toe. Ontwikkelingsmaatschappij Lordship had in de stad een historische eigendom gekocht met de bedoeling er een hotel van te maken, en vroeg Tien om directeur te worden tot aan de opening.
"We wilden een eenvoudig en veelzijdig designhotel met een totaalaanbod, van appartementen en studio's tot veelzijdige kamers," legt hij uit.
Tiens creatie is geïnspireerd door de Amerikaanse Ace Hotels, met zijn unieke "mengelmoes van uiteenlopende ideeën", visies van plaatselijke interieurdesigners, kunst op de muren door jonge Tsjechische kunstenaars, een waaier aan technologische voorzieningen en enkele eetgelegenheden; daardoor lijkt het wel een natuurlijke belichaming van het woord "fusion".
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