Santiago, Chile, 2011–2012

This project takes place within City Hotel, twin Gothic Deco buildings on Campania de Jesus, bordered by Plaza de Armas, Catedral Metropolitana and Bandera, in the centre of downtown Santiago. The Original Hotel, fictionalised in the works of Alberto Fuguet, was a feature of Santiago city life from the 1930's and through the Pinochet years.

The dormant Hotel, hemmed in by surrounding larger neighbours and busy traffic on Compania de Jesus , was purchased by new owners, with the ambition of re-imagining the property as a sophisticated destination within the Civic neighbourhood of Santiago. Working as a consultant to the design team, Russell Jones was responsible for developing detailed concept designs to attain necessary planning and conservation approvals .

Critical to the new proposal was a negotiation with the Mayor of Santiago to borrow an adjacent park facing Bandera, to create a new entrance. Re-orientating the hotel northwards towards an underutilised courtyard , extended opportunities to create a new heart for the restored and extended property.

The project comprises extensive entrance level and mezzanine facilities including reception, two new restaurants, private dining and lounge areas. Two pavilions containing bars, raised above and flanking the new courtyard, create an intimate spatial relationship between the historic hotel and Cathedral opposite. The original vertical circulation is hollowed out to form tower like shafts directly above the hotel reception. 48 new rooms are housed in levels 2-5, and in a two level rooftop extension, 16 more terrace and penthouse rooms are added. Below ground, the original basement is excavated to from three new levels that house a spa and gym, club and event space, bar and back of house areas.