Hotel Badeschloss | BWM Designers & Architects

The hotel Badeschloss celebrates its own history, while taking a playful approach to bathing culture. It is a place where the past meets the present, and its atmosphere is vibrant and sociable.

The 102 guest rooms of the Badeschloss are spread out across the original building and the 13-floor newbuild behind it. “The facade was designed as a double-skin, coloured-concrete construction,” Markus Kaplan of BWM Designers & Architects explains. “The fact that the skins have different thicknesses gives the facade a lively appearance and a relief-like character that blends into the Alpine surroundings,” adds BWM project manager Martina Lehner. This principle extends to the different designs of the windows: Ornamental brass balustrades add sparkle to the otherwise rock-like structure. The upper storeys feature bay windows that project beyond the facade and serve as decorative elements and “display cabinets” for bathtubs. In this way, the bathing culture theme is communicated to the outside world. The proverbial – and literal – crowning glory is the infinity pool on the roof; the glass crystal steps into the pool take centre stage and are a reference to the glass domes on the roof of the Bad Gastein conference centre, planned by architect Gerhard Garstenauer.

The name says it all.
The entrance area of the new Hotel Badeschloss is located directly on Straubingerplatz. Guests are greeted at a small concierge desk; then they go down a tunnel to reach the lift to the first floor. The individual zones in the lobby transition smoothly into one another, underlining an easy-going lifestyle and an inspiring sense of community. This area is geared to an openminded audience consisting of both guests and locals of all ages.

The name – Badeschloss – means “bathing palace”, which perfectly describes what the hotel is all about. The community table is clad with white tiles, the yellow table in the lobby is reminiscent of a diving board, the guidance system is inspired by swimming pools, as is the open kitchen. A long wall of lockers – which recalls the changing rooms in public baths – serves as a cloakroom for locals who want to join the party.

New accents. 
The core of the original building houses all the F&B areas – the restaurant, bar, sitting room, fireplace room and lounge, private booth, parlour and dining room. Each of these spaces boasts a highly unique design. The two-level terrace with seating for 64 guests can be used year-round and has long benches along the glass facade. Guests can directly access the restaurant and the fireplace lounge from here. In keeping with the overall motto of “working with the layers of the past”, the “new layer” in the restaurant is the light-blue tile wall, as well as three original Lobmeyr chandeliers reconditioned to meet modern technical standards. The solid wood floor was restored in consultation with the Federal Monuments Office, and another “new layer” added in the form of touches of neon colours on the benches and tables. In the fireplace lounge, with a real fireplace, the original stucco ceiling and the partly reconstructed original Ardnet marble floor were combined with modern lighting and furniture elements. In terms of colour, muted shades were used for the common areas, while pastel colours offset by bright accents dominate the guest rooms.

Alpine Swim Club. 
The rooftop spa in the newbuild spans three floors, and the spacious 64m² terrace on the 13th floor boasts a rooftop pool with stunning glass crystal steps. The modern signature wall with lettering spelling out “Alpine Swim Club” sets the tone, complemented by wavy metal lines, wooden slats, flashes of cobalt blue, and a terrazzo look. The sauna area on the 12th floor has a seraglio bath, a Finnish sauna and a herbal pine sauna with panorama windows, an outdoor area and rest area, showers and an ice fountain. Wood pallet furniture can be found throughout the hotel – in the outdoor area of the spa, in the lobby, and (in a modified form) in the suites.

Celebrating bathing culture.
“A bath you can spend the night in” – that is the concept for the exclusive rooms in the original building of the cosmopolitan-style Badeschloss. This idea infuses the entire atmosphere and is reflected in a variety of scenarios revolving around bathtubs or showers. Each visit promises to be a new experience, especially as each room in the original building is one of a kind. By taking advantage of additional spa and wellness offers, guests can turn their hotel room into their own private spa. The guest rooms in this tract are characterised by their simplicity and the stunning view. Community is the main idea here, and the treatments offered are in line with it. This tract also has one or two surprises in store for guests, such as a bathtub with a panorama view.

Curated art concept.
Together with Andrea von Goetz of Schwanenfliess, initiator and mastermind behind the renowned art festivals sommer.frische.kunst and art.bad.gastein, BWM Designers & Architects also developed a specially curated art concept for both hotels: contemporary artists from both Bad Gastein and beyond (for instance, from the US and South Africa) have provided an exclusive selection of works that interact with the town and its tradition and history as well as with the hotels themselves.

Down to the smallest detail …
The art concept is complemented by a greenery and styling concept specially tailored to both hotels and developed by BWM together with Atelier Peter Weisz. The bamboo palms in the grand hall of Hotel Straubinger, for instance, are more than 2m tall and underline the sumptuous French flair. The Badeschloss, on the other hand, features greenery that reinforces the hotel’s retro, bath-inspired look. The décor and styling concept also keeps with the “layers of the past” storytelling. Every single detail – whether a historical found object, a special coffee table book, or a classic or contemporary work of literature – is aligned with the spirit of each individual hotel and has been thoughtfully selected and positioned.