Comfort in the little things

City Lodge Hotel Group is a South African company founded by Swiss entrepreneur Hans Enderle in 1985 which currently operates more than 60 hotels across the African continent. One of these is the 3-star City Lodge Hotel in Dar es Salaam, which together with the Maputo Hotel and another establishment currently under construction in Johannesburg has chosen as its motto the phrase «Comfort in the little things». Because, as the management explains, «Years of experience in the hospitability industry has taught us that it’s the little things that can turn a good stay into an incredible stay», reflecting a philosophy that is attentive «to the importance of the safety and well-being of guests in our ‘homes from home'».
Located about ten kilometres from the airport in the Ilala neighbourhood, close to the city centre and the ferry to Zanzibar, it is a functional, modern and air-conditioned establishment capable of meeting the needs of both business and leisure travellers. The building, which offers 148 well-appointed guest rooms, three meeting rooms, a mini-gym, a swimming pool and a large underground car park, stands out for its sober contemporary architecture characterised externally by its bright red façades on some elevations and a glassed-in staircase that allows natural light to flow into the common areas on all floors. The same sobriety permeates the interiors, which are reassuringly «homely yet international» thanks to a well-balanced blend of neutral and bright colours, wood detailing and contemporary materials. The prevailing colour palette, consisting of shades of white and grey, is tempered by the wood furnishings, partitions and design elements and the bright splashes of colour provided by the fabrics of cushions, chairs and armchairs. But the most important unifying element in terms of colour and material is the ceramic tiled flooring, consisting of a total of 5,500 square metres of porcelain tiles of outstanding aesthetic and technical quality supplied by the Italgraniti Group. Two of the three collections selected by the architects feature a stone effect (Stone D version), chosen in Barge Quartzite grey for the floors of the main common areas, entrance, stairs, corridors and access routes to the rooms on the various floors and in the lobby. Here, the grey tone is juxtaposed with the white Quartzite colour, creating a floor design that extends all the way to the reception and information desk and contrasts with the diagonal lines and different materials used for the reception desk. The same collection was also chosen for the floors and walls in the ensuite bathrooms. Porcelain was likewise used for some of the outdoor areas in the form of extra-thick stone effect slabs from the Stone Plan collection, in the colour Vals. In contrast, the area around the swimming pool was paved with wood-effect slabs from the Listone D collection, guaranteeing comfort, hygiene and safety along with a sense of natural warmth.