BLINK BASKS IN REFLECTED GLORY AS REGENT BALI LIGHTS UP CONDÉ NAST TRAVELLER'S 2014 'HOT LIST'

For Immediate Release 

17 June 2014

BANGKOK, THAILAND - BLINK Design Group is celebrating the inclusion of the new Regent Bali on 'travel bible' Condé Nast Traveller's 2014 Hot List.

Regent Bali opened in June last year in the exclusive Sanur District on a site encompassing 10 acres of tropical gardens with a 200m golden beach. BLINK's refined and elegant tropical modern style graces its 94 suites, one beachfront Regent Villa, 25 Regent Residences, a spa and two premier dining options.

Upon elevating Regent Bali to its coveted 2014 Hot List, Condé Nast Traveller wrote: "The superstylish Regent has upped the stakes in Sanur: other hotels take note!

"This swanky new Regent has given the Sanur region some much-needed va-va-voom. Charlie Chaplin, Noël Coward, Greta Garbo and Elizabeth Taylor used to hang out here back when there were no roads or pylons and ladies still bathed topless. But it had got stuck in a time warp, with nowhere really decent to stay - until now.

"The over-scaled Regent is immediately impressive, with skyscraper-high ceilings in the lobby and an enormous courtyard dominated by a water feature with a temple on top. The spa is as peaceful as a starry night, and the treatments are delivered with the kind of tenderness and charm only found on Bali.

"Interiors are uncluttered and serene, mixing batiks, rattan and marble with a contemporary eye, and the bedrooms are huge, with lattice-screened balconies the same size. In the morning, the sound of traditional Balinese music calls you to breakfast at Layang Layang restaurant, where lunch and dinner are also served."

Research into the rich artistic and cultural heritage and the spirituality that flows through life on the 'Island of the Gods' was key to shaping BLINK's vision, according to Clint Nagata, the firm's senior creative director and founder.

BRAND REBIRTH: Each suite at Regent Bali was designed under a three sanctuaries concept - a lavish inward-focused bathroom, an understated sleeping sanctuary and a 25-sqm outdoor living room.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: The design brief for Regent Bali was to spatially redefine guestrooms and visually capture the island's spirit.

The property presented an opportunity for BLINK Design Group to stand out from its competitors by spatially redefining the resort guestroom and visually capturing the Balinese spirit from a new perspective. It was also a flagship project vital to the rebirth of the legendary Regent brand.

"For the guestrooms created for Regent Bali, we looked at each suite as three sanctuaries, taking the lead from actual temple construction and traditions on Bali. So there was a lavish inward-focused bathroom, an understated sleeping sanctuary, and a 25-sqm outdoor living room enclosed by lasercut screens inspired by a classic circular Balinese batik motif associated with royalty known as the 'Kawung'," Mr Nagata explained.

"Materials include locally honed and finished high grade marble, shimmering feature walls made of hand-placed local seashells, and hand-glazed tiles made in the kilns of Bali's best ceramics artists.

The 25-sqm terraces feature a 5.5m-long daybed where guests can recline in pampered seclusion. The huge double wardrobes are also a nice touch. One houses a big flat screen television, the other a fully equipped bar."

He said custom stone composite vessel sinks, laser-cut light fixtures and handcrafted shell feature walls complete these sanctuaries. The crown jewels are the set of Balinese shell necklaces that flank each side of the entry to the 'jewel box' of a bathroom.

BLINK was intimately involved in curating artwork as well as individual stone and wood pieces produced by the cream of the island's famed craftsmen.

BLINK has been an important force behind the rebirth of Regent Hotels, with work continuing across three other Regent hotels in Bali and Taipei - as well as on the new Regent Place brand in Xi'an, China, and the award-winning work on the Regent Phuket Cape Panwa, which was just recognised at the International Hotel Awards and last year netted a Silver Award in the Hotel Space category at the 2013 Asia Pacific Interior Design Awards (APIDA).

"Regent has always been about luxury and individuality. It's a brand that commands amazing respect and we are honoured to be helping return Regent to its Asian roots, centred around modern, culturally sensitive and timeless Asian design," Mr Nagata said.

Regent Hotels President Ralf Ohletz said it was a great honor to be the only hotel in Indonesia selected by the esteemed publication for inclusion on the Hot List. "It's very exciting news, and I congratulate Mr Nagata and the BLINK team for doing an excellent job in creating something truly special in their design of Regent Bali."