Hi Net, Nice: a sustainable hotel introducing a new form of chic

Spring makes us feel like packing our bags and going away somewhere, and the Cote d'Azur is always a popular destination, with all its cultural attractions and its wine and food (see the article www.floornature.com/itineraries/architecture-etoile-de-mer-7637/); for visitors who want to stop overnight, French designer and architect Matali Crasset has come up with a global concept with a sustainable approach to both the hotel and the beach.

The Hi Net hotel has been called an “empathetic space”, a “space for action”, based on activities and modularity; there are 9 different types of rooms, inviting guests to experiment with new ways of living and interacting with their surroundings.

In addition to a rooftop swimming pool with a spectacular view over Nice and a hammam for wellness, the hotel offers HI Business meeting rooms in colours and materials that encourage creativity, introducing a new way of working together.

At the heart of the construction is the bar, built around a suspended gondola which organises the space and interacts with light coming from the street and the garden, becoming a screen and a lantern at night.

Hotel Hi has been granted Green Globe certification testifying to its concrete commitment to sustainable design. In the hotel organic and mineral pigments were used to colour the façade, organic food is served in the restaurant, the offices only use recycled paper, the staff wear organic cotton uniforms and guests can borrow bicycles, to list only a few of the measures taken to reduce the environmental impact.

Visitors can enjoy the sea at HI-Beach, the bathing establishment on the Proménade des Anglais also designed by Matali Crasset on the basis of the same ecological rules as the hotel, with organic food, hot water heated by solar energy, recycling and waste management.

A holiday on the Cote d'Azur to enjoy high society and wellness with “green design”.
Design: Matali Crasset, www.matalicrasset.com
Location: Nice, France
Link to hotel: www.hi-hotel.net
Photographs: Courtesy of Hotel Hi
Related links: www.floornature.com/itineraries/architecture-etoile-de-mer-7637/, http://www.floornature.com/blog/a-sustainable-vacation-7573/