3 of a kind by EMMA CULLINAN
HESPERIA, BILBAO
Campo Volantin, 28, 48007 Bilbao, Spain, tel: 0034-94 4051100, hesperia.com,
This box of jewel colours faces the Guggenheim museum and overlooks the river Nervión, which can be viewed through rose-tinted glass – or a choice of other colours. Gazing out of the window is akin to looking at the world through ski goggles.
The glass box-windows give the building an amazing effect – especially its night-glow – but then buildings in Bilbao are known for their effects. Six colours are used in a random arrangement across the 36 balconies: the three primary colours (red, yellow and blue) and three complementary colours (green, purple and orange).
The bright colour scheme extends within, where each floor has its own hue, although shades become more neutral within the bedrooms.
Rooms: there are 151 rooms, with a minimalist palette of brushed metal, dark wood and neutral tones, including nine junior suites and a presidential suite. You can specify river and/or Guggenheim views. Doubles from €65
THE SAGUARO PALM SPRINGS, PALM SPRINGS
1800 East Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92264, tel: 001-760-3231711, jdvhotels.com
Named after the classic Spaghetti-Western favourite, the Saguaro cactus, this desert hotel offers a warm welcome with an exterior and interior coated in many colours: a palette of 12, inspired by the vibrant tones of native desert wildflowers.
The colours adorn the balconies, patios, guestrooms and public spaces. The hotel recently reopened after a revamp by New York-based Stamberg Aferiat Architecture who took a tired, olive-coloured 1977 building and spun it through a kaleidoscope.
The resort, which centres around an Olympic-sized swimming pool, is in Palm Springs (inland between Los Angeles and San Diego) in the Coachella Valley, at the foot of the San Jacinto Mountains.
Rooms: there are 245 rooms, all of which have a view choice of mountains, courtyard with pool, or city lights, and most have a balcony or patio. You can specify the colour you wish to sleep with. Furniture is hand-crafted from Mexico. Doubles from $129 (€100).
PANTONE HOTEL, BRUSSELS
Place Loix 1, 1060 Brussels, Belgium, tel: 0032- 25414898, pantonehotel.com
Pantone, the colour company (which provides specific, authorised, matchable colours to a number of industries) has been expanding into other areas of late, such as bold bicycle- and mug-making. Now, it has two hotels – in Bruges and Brussels – decorated in vibrant tones. The kings of colour say the aim is to awaken senses, creativity and imagination, tapping into the effects that colours are said to have on us. Colour therapy links black with authority, power and intelligence; white with purity; red with energy, movement and excitement; blue with calmness, wisdom and dependability (any surprise that many uniforms are blue?); green with calmness, generosity, and fertility; yellow with optimism and creativity; orange with warmth, energy and ambition; purple with wisdom, respect and problem-solving; and brown with reliability and friendship.
Rooms: as well as the bright colours, all rooms contain pictures by Belgian photographer Victor Levy. You can choose the colour of your room – availability depending – and so can match your mood or even just bathe in your favourite colour (look to the clothes you wear for guidance). The designers were Michel Penneman and Olivier Hannaert, who followed that successful, tested method of using a white backdrop to pop colours out of. Many rooms have good views of Brussels. Doubles from €59.