Inside Alberta’s Oscar Wilde-inspired hotel
A new Oscar Wilde-inspired hotel has opened in Alberta, Canada. The Dorian – named after the author’s iconic 1891 novel – has been developed by PBA Group, while interiors are courtesy of interior design studio CHIL. The opening marks the arrival of Marriott’s Autograph Collection into Alberta’s largest city.
The 136-room hotel finds home in downtown Calgary, with bespoke interiors inspired by Wilde and 19th century design throughout. Eclectic and contrasting materials – tartan, houndstooth and tweed – bring in the author’s trademark eccentricity, and create spaces that are richly layered.
Upon entering the lobby, Wilde’s influence is clear – most evident in the lobby’s shattered mirror, which references a pivotal moment in The Picture of Dorian Gray. The theme of shattering is carried forward across the lobby’s tiled floor and its check-in desk: an angular block of faceted brass. Meanwhile, the Victorian period’s appreciation for saturated colours and bold patterning is evoked through the lobby with contrasting surface materials like marble, dark wood and floor-to-ceiling floral wallpaper. “With The Dorian, we explored how bringing opposites together can create beauty. What made The Dorian such an engaging and exciting project is how unapologetically bold it is from start to finish,” says Adèle Rankin, Principal and Global Design Lead at CHIL.
A significant investment in downtown Calgary’s role as a hospitality destination, The Dorian aims to capture the city’s unique spirit, not by channelling clichés, but through bold and directional design. At The Prologue, a café by day and lobby bar by night, design invites the general public as well as hotel guests to take a seat at a wraparound bar, large communal tables, semi-private banquettes or round café tables. Brass is found across light fixtures, seating and tables, while tartan wallpaper, along with hunter green barstools, nods to the history of British interiors and fashions. Mosaic tiles, similarly, reference 19th-century English apothecaries as well as classic Parisian bars. Patricia Phillips, CEO of PBA Group, explains: “The Prologue embodies our ambitions for a hotel that is not only a place to be enjoyed by visitors, but as a destination for Calgarians too. The Dorian is an important addition to our city’s hospitality scene.”
An additional F&B space comes on The Dorian’s 27th floor. The Wilde, an upscale restaurant helmed by Chef Joshua Dyer, is a moody lounge housing low acrylic tables, a cluster of overhead puck-shaped lights and bold carpeting, as well as seven-foot glass windows and an outdoor patio space. Maroon chairs and green benches nod to The Dorian’s historic inspirations, while brass accenting creates a thread of continuity through the lobby and other spaces. Another reference to The Picture of Dorian Gray, a series of digital screens display the movement of a peacock. “Throughout The Dorian, we’ve paid an incredible amount of attention to detail,” Adèle Rankin continues. “From the materials to the light fixtures and even the art, we want visitors to feel that every moment was considered.”
Moving to guestrooms, custom wallcoverings are designed to match upholstered chairs and sofas, reflecting the whimsical nature of 19th century interiors. Such bold patterning meanwhile is contrasted by understated brass accenting and leather headboards. Outside of rooms and F&B, The Dorian comprises a range of public spaces, including a 3,345 ft² ballroom, an executive boardroom and pre-function areas. Adjacent to The Dorian’s lobby is a fitness centre, cloaked in an overscale plaid wallpaper.
Rankin concludes: “What we’ve created is full of surprise, humour and endless attention to detail. From start to finish, we aimed to produce an experience at The Dorian that propels downtown Calgary’s hospitality scene forward.”
The design of The Dorian is a notable addition to designer CHIL’s hospitality portfolio, which includes the likes of Fairmont Chateau Laurier, Hotel Belmont, M Gallery and Shangri-La Toronto.
