The first thing you notice when you walk into the lobby of the new Rove Downtown Hotel is the caravan of camels snaking its way up the wall.
The brightly coloured three-dimensional models of the animals are attached to the wall feet first, so you have to manoeuvre yourself underneath them to work out what they are.
Camel Caravan was created by Dubai-born artist Stephen Chambers, one of several artists commissioned to make striking art pieces for the communal areas of the hotel, which opened this month opposite The Dubai Mall.
The hotel, billed as a mid-market option, is the first of 10 set to open under the new brand Rove, a joint venture between Emaar Properties and Meraas Holdings. It is in a high-end location you would expect from Emaar – with half of the 420 rooms boasting a view of the Burj Khalifa, and the others overlooking the lush greenery of Zabeel – but it also has the industrial, urban feel of the Meraas developments throughout the city. At only Dh300 a night, the hotel is certainly not for only the elite.
“Our typical guests are the young and young at heart,” says design manager Anne-Cecile De Chaumont. “And the art is part of the guest experience. We don’t separate the art from the design, the accessories, the furniture – we have tried to combine everything into one concept.”
In collaboration with Dubai art consultants Capsule Arts, local artists were commissioned to produce works for the hotel. But, as with the camels at the entrance, guests will come across their art in often surprising ways.
Graffiti-inspired artist collective Ape was commissioned to create several works, notably a series of stencils and murals for the corridors. These small artworks are not immediately obvious, tucked high up on a wall or at foot level, and so they offer a sense of discovery.
Ape also created a comic strip for the lounge area and a series of playful, bespoke vinyl album sleeves, which take inspiration from life in Dubai.
In the lobby, one wall has been turned into what De Chaumont describes as a “cabinet of curiosities”. It contains a bricolage of works by several artists, in several different media. A bicycle, for example, hangs next to photographs by Emirati Alia Al Shamsi and graphics by Dina Sami.
Bahraini artist Nasser Alzayani, who lives in Abu Dhabi, embarked on a series of walks around the Zaabeel neighbourhood, recording his journeys through drawings and collected materials in his sketchbooks. These sketchbooks are also on this wall.
The Capsule Arts team also developed several pieces with design studios and factories locally and internationally. One example is the oversized badges pinned to the walls of the guest rooms.
One of the most interesting art installations is by Emirati illustrator Khalid Mezaina, who has decorated the corridor outside of the hotel’s laundry room with a life-sized mural featuring one of his drawings of the sikkas (alleys) that are so distinctive to Dubai, complete with quirky shop facades.
“In effect, his artwork transports the guest outside and into the nooks and crannies of Dubai, showing them a different side of the city,” says Deepa Bhatia, co-founder of Capsule Arts.
“Offering guests insight into an authentic side of Dubai, beyond the stereotypical images of the emirate, is at the core of the Rove Hotels ethos, and it was very important for the art to reflect that. As such, we worked with artists who were able to bring the city that they know so well to life through the artworks they made for the hotel.”
The main idea was that the guests should start to experience the flavour and rhythm of Dubai as soon as they arrive at the hotel, rather than waiting until they walk outside – and this has been very successfully accomplished.
Overall, the hotel lies somewhere between an upscale backpackers hostel and a trendy business property – it is certainly unlike anything else on offer in Dubai.
The art could also be updated over the years.
“Our ambition is that we become a go-to destination for the creative community and an integral part of everything art in the city,” says Peter Van Wyk, director of design and construction for Emaar Properties and Emaar Hospitality Group. “As Dubai increasingly establishes itself as a design, fashion and art hub in the region, Rove Hotels will be able to build on a very strong start and be a part of this movement.”
Rove Downtown Dubai is on Financial Centre Road, opposite The Dubai Mall. Call 04 561 9999 or visit www.rovehotels.com
aseaman@thenational.ae
