HILTON ANAHEIM REVEALS NEWLY ENHANCED PUBLIC SPACES


Additions Include a New Chef’s Table Designed by HGTV’s John Gidding, a Reimagined Mix Lounge and an Expanded Starbucks®

Recently executives at Hilton Anaheim, the largest hotel in The Anaheim Resort District and one of the largest in the region with 1,572 guestrooms and 100,000 square feet of meeting space, formally revealed the efforts of several leading designers who were engaged to create more intimate and comfortable areas for guests to enjoy within the larger public spaces.

The Gourmet Showcase event provided an opportunity for some of the hotel’s business clients and members of the news media to experience the enhancements, which include a new Chef’s Table designed by HGTV’s host and architect, John Gidding, along with a revitalized Mix lobby lounge space and a Starbucks® coffee shop and to hear directly from the designers. Executive Chef Kyung Soo Carroll paired specialty cocktails and wine with gourmet delicacies and showcased the versatility of the Chef’s Table by preparing and serving food to the guests.

“We asked our talented designers to make Orange County’s biggest and often busiest hotel also feel as intimate as a boutique property,” said Shaun Robinson, general manager, Hilton Anaheim. “We are thrilled with the results and believe we now have the best of both worlds in a single property.” Gidding created the cozy Chef’s Table within the large commercial kitchen space where the hotel’s culinary team will demonstrate their talents to clients and V.I.P. guests. He told the group that his inspiration came from the three materials he chose to use, including plywood, steel and marble. The table is composed of several sections that can be reconfigured in a variety of shapes to provide seating for up to 12. The plywood is used as sculpted volume in the wine wall, where cradled bottles appear to cascade, and as structure in the tables.

“Stacking plywood is a process that has always fascinated me because it embodies the material itself by becoming thousands of plies of wood,” said Gidding. “It can be seen as organic and fluid, as in the wine wall or precise and engineered, as in the slim structure of the tables or the shelf with embedded stemware holders.”

Gidding also used steel as a decorative appliqué that also functions as a mechanical connection between various sections of plywood. The motif for the steel, though not obvious at first, is the letter “H” for Hilton. The marble serves as an oasis of calm floating within the sinewy energy of the plywood and steel structure.

“Small fingers of steel push their way into the sides of the marble – just enough to hold it in place – but not quite long enough to disturb the pristine surface,” added Gidding. “At the wine wall, it playfully jumps across the wine bottles, creating a bridge between the countertops as a shelf for preparing a service of fine wine.”

Designer Amy Jakubowski of the Puccini Group described the enhancements to the hotel’s public spaces, including a reimagined Mix Lounge to accommodate guests who want an area with all of the conveniences of a large hotel lounge, yet that also lets them use the

space more personally, such as to work online. The lounge area’s open floor plan, with three distinct seating areas for business or leisure, features plush faux-leather seating and is anchored by a grand contemporary chandelier.

The hotel has also rejuvenated the lobby-level Starbucks coffee shop with a new sustainable design featuring natural wood, clay tile and module furnishings to give guests greater options for selecting and enjoying beverages and snacks and for informal meetings in an ambient setting.

Last year, the hotel unveiled the area’s most spacious presidential suite, featuring nearly 2,000 square feet of luxurious indoor and outdoor terrace space that promises guests a one-of-a-kind California experience. The clean lines, comfortable furnishings and original artwork evoke a sense of the relaxed resort location near Disneyland. The design showcases plush striation-patterned carpeting and hardwood planks stained in a warm earth tone finish. The suite features a spacious living room and media space, and a dining area, kitchen and wet bar, plus two adjoining oversized bedrooms and two full bathrooms, including a lavish master bathroom complete with a relaxing freestanding soaker tub and double vanity. Creative Resource Associates designed the presidential suite, along with guestrooms and other interior features of the hotel.

Hilton Anaheim is located at 777 Convention Way in Anaheim, California. The stunning and contemporary hotel is Orange County’s premier destination for meetings, events or vacations. With 1,572 guestrooms and 100,000 square feet of meeting space, it is the largest and most flexible hotel in the Los Angeles/Orange County region.