Karlov Hotel

The Hotel Karlov in Benešov u Prahy stands right in the centre of town close to the main square on the edge of the Karlov urban monument reserve. The importance of Karlov, now given monument protection, consists in its specific atmosphere, given by the preservation of the original character and the diversity of the form and small measure of the constructions. The hotel has a total of 28 double rooms. It is kind of a labyrinth, but we think it is easy to find your way in. You go under the ground, where the hotel hall with the reception is. From here you get to the individual houses above the ground. You cannot get your bearings at first glance, but the path is naturally structured like in a well-developed town. It is leading you somewhere, you go and lose control, you do not feel this space like a general or an engineer, but intuitively. It is a space that you cannot view from inside or from above, but you are in it. you feel like you are in it. When you go through the entrance gate to the common yard of the hotel and restaurant you find yourself in a different, peculiar world with the atmosphere of a castle or fortress courtyard and with a surprisingly homey environment. The reconstruction of the three original buildings and the construction of three new buildings with the function of a hotel and separate restaurant with a wine bar did not only contribute to the revitalisation of the structures, but to their surroundings as well.

For the existing buildings we tried to preserve the irreplaceable authenticity of the original structures that, taken together, make up the value of the location. The new buildings are corresponding with the small scale and character of the surrounding buildings. We did not want for the old and the new parts of the hotel complex to compete with each other, but to naturally complement one another. The layout and the mass of the buildings have a natural and soft shape, without right angles, but not with the objective of creating effective shapes, but with regard to smooth operations and from respect to the environment of the surrounding random development.

With the design of the buildings and the interiors we tried to evoke the feeling of identifying with the location, specifically the building and room being inhabited, often missing in hotels. This is aided by breaking the volume, which encourages an unexpectedly hospitable and intimate environment for temporary accommodations. We wanted for the guests to feel almost at home. Not to intricately search for their room by its number, but to instantly remember its location. For any visit to another room to be a pleasant surprise, that they are staying at a hotel with immense spatial diversity that provides all its guests with a truly unique, unrepeatable and unmistakeable environment thanks to the materials and colours used when designing the hotel s interior.