Renowned Architect Rocco Magnoli Designs Prague Hotels Musical Masterpiece for Hotelier Henry Kallan

Prague Hotels Music-Themed Aria Hotel will Make September Debut

New York, NY December 11, 2003 -- To create his most ambitious and enchanting hotel to date, the 52-room, music-themed Aria Hotel, which opens in Prague this September, Henry Kallan tapped renowned Milan-based architect Rocco Magnoli, who is best known for designing Gianni Versaces signature boutiques.

Magnoli, together with his Spatium partner Lorenzo Carmellini, have transformed what was a modest gray stone and yellow stucco complex of buildings into a jewel of a masterpiece that pays homage to the world of music, past and present. The design duos elegant and magical setting for music-lovers fits beautifully in its prime location in Pragues most exclusive quarter, the architecturally exquisite Mala Strana.

One of the most captivating features of the Aria hotel is Magnolis sweeping floor mosaic. Reminiscent of an ancient musical score, the mosaic notes lead guests from the hotels intimate entrance down a light-filled glass-domed gallery hall, past the reception area and through wrought-iron gates into the Winter Garden, where they burst into a visual crescendo.

The notes start small at the entrance, then build, then fade, then return again, as you enter the Winter Garden, said Magnoli. In the Winter Garden, the notes spread into corners and are anchored by a large musical clef that swings across the center of the courtyard, connecting two different environments characterized by a fireplace on one side and a waterfall on the other, he continued. This clef introduces another concept that links music to architecture the rhythm of spaces. The mosaic celebrates the visual beauty of written music, added Magnoli.

Magnoli goes on to describe how the architecture itself embraces the musical theme as the guest is drawn in by the sequence of narrow then wide, then narrow and wide again spaces that create a pulsation in the architecture of the Aria. The guest gradually discovers the variety of individual notes the lounge, the restaurant, the screening room, the fireplace, the fountain, etc. This heartbeat is the most subtle but also the most structural of the applications of the music concept.

Magnolis Winter Garden is the breath of life, or aria, of the hotel, according to Kallan. Reminiscent of the courtyard of a splendid palace, it is a lush and luxurious setting of palm trees, fruit vases, rattan furnishings and chaise lounges with a central grand piano and a waterfall. Ample skylights in the Winter Garden fill the Aria Hotel with sunshine by day, and the twinkling of Pragues city lights and stars twinkle throughout the hotel by night.
                                   
To contrast with the expansive feel of the Arias courtyard, Magnoli created a cozy Music Salon, which features a striking wood-burning fireplace and rich distressed leather seating, where guests may enjoy after dinner drinks. Other Magnoli-influenced public areas include the Music Library, which contains over 1,000 books, 2,000 CDs and 500 DVDs; the Music Box, which provides an intimate entertainment chamber with a high definition plasma screen television, and the CODA restaurant for Nils Jebens, Pragues most celebrated restaurateur.

According to Kallans vision, Magnoli designed the Aria Hotels guestrooms and suites to salute the greatest genres of music and performers. Each guestroom honors an acclaimed artist, composer or musical genre, such as Brahms, Bernstein, British Rock, Bossa Nova, Puccini, Mozart, Swing and Fusion. Together, rich wool carpeting featuring a musical note pattern, bathrooms with Chilean granite heated floors with inlaid glass mosaic, polished granite countertops accented by rich mahogany, and piped-in music envelope guests in luxury both tactical and audio.

To compliment Magnolis musical architecture, Kallan commissioned Prague artist Josef Blecha to continue the hotels music theme in the form of bright, whimsical caricatures of each musical personality featured in its guestrooms. These caricatures adorn the upper walls of the gallery and guestrooms, taking guests on a walk through music history. Blechas work, which has appeared in magazines, newspapers, books, galleries, and hangs in the homes of Dizzy Gillespie, Dustin Hoffman, and others, provides a witty and smart glimpse into each of his subjects life, work, and character. Music serves as a great companion to the images of those who have excelled in its genres, said Blecha. This has been a commission of unmatched magnitude.

The Aria is the fifth and most prized addition to Henry Kallans hotel collection, which includes The Casablanca Hotel, The Hotel Elysee, The Hotel Giraffe, and The Library Hotel, all in New York City. Kallans other new hotel, Hotel Gansevoort, the first luxury hotel in NYCs Meatpacking District, will open this winter. Kallans first European property, the Aria marks a homecoming for this innovative hotelier, who left his native country, the former Czechoslovakia, for America at the age of 21.

The Aria and the City of Prague are a natural duet, said Kallan. The people of Prague have an inherent appreciation and passion for architecture and the performing arts. I am thrilled to return to Prague to create the most exciting new hotel in this magical city.

Rates for the Arias guestrooms and suites range from $349 to $1,047 per night through 2003. These rates are inclusive of taxes, service charges, chauffeur service from the airport, daily deluxe breakfast, wine and cheese on weeknights, and complimentary access to the fitness club and business center.

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Brian Dass
Aria Hotel
www.ariahotel.net
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