The Key ApartHotel’s distinctive interior designed by GM Architects offers a new take on luxury accommodation in the heart of one of Beirut’s most fashionable neighborhoods in the cultural sector of the city. It provides guests with a sophisticated place to call home during their stay for weekend breaks or longer business visits. The two-year project is now in full use after its completion in June 2016. The brief of the project detailed the need to attract both national and international guests making them feel at ease while also infusing a twist of creativity and fun into the design. The aparthotel is located in a new residential and corporate location surrounded by high-end art galleries and artistic workshops. The design process GM Architects implemented reflects the neighborhood’s feel by creating a relaxing and vibrant metropolitan retreat in-line with its cultural and urban context. The Key Aparthotel was designed to cater for both family and business long stay travel all year round. The ambiance offers a relaxing environment that creates a dialogue within the lively environment. The owners want guests to feel connected to the city while also feeling serene in their immediate surroundings. The furnishings of the Key Aparthotel were sourced, designed and conceived specifically for the project by GM Architects. The guest room furniture was produced in Lebanon.

The signature designs found in the lobby and restaurant furnishings were created by partnering with B&B Italia, represented by Le Cercle Hitti. All of these elements combined create a four-star deluxe property styled in cosmopolitan design and unabashed comfort. The hotel offers guests a variety of amenities such as its on-site restaurant, a market-style store with local products, a fullyequipped gym and a conference center. The interior design of the hotel is sleek but comfortable, thanks to its warm colors and contemporary bespoke furnishings. Texture makes up a large quantity of the hidden design elements found throughout the hotel from the walls reminiscent of crinkled paper to the large spheres of twinkling white hanging lamps.

The main lobby features marble zig-zagging across the floor to where plush grey sofas await guests ready to check in for their stay. It extends into the restaurant where a cut- out dividing wall gives the hotel its boutique charm. The restaurant’s waiting area features curved red leather sofas and metallic grey modular low tables that reflect the modern aesthetic of the hotel. The Cellar, the hotel’s on-site restaurant, is discrete in its charm and proudly shows off its collection of hand-picked sommelier reserves giving substance to its namesake. Guests will enjoy fine dining while relaxing in an intimate ambiance set off by abstract art and Bordeaux-red carpet. The upstairs terrace bar is designed with comfortable white mold chairs fitted with plump grey cushions, an ideal location where guests can enjoy an evening aperitif overlooking downtown Beirut.

The 87-room aparthotel features spacious double bedrooms as well as luxurious penthouse suites. Guests have the convenience of hotel services while enjoying a pleasant extended stay in suites complete with the comforts of home such as kitchens and separate living spaces. Regular studios are warm with cherry-stained wood accenting and grey abstract maps of the surrounding Beirut neighborhood hang above the navy and slate bedecked beds. These are ideal for couples and small families who want to relax while exploring the heart of Beirut. The two bedrooms, 75m2 suites feature a simple yet modern Cerulean sofa with contrasting pillows tying into the tones of the plush printed carpet and inter-galactic inspired paintings. Overall, the rooms offer guests an inviting escape that allows them to feel simultaneously at home and in luxury.