Hotel La Tour

In 2012 the £24 million 4-star boutique Hotel La Tour opened in the prime location of City Park Gate in Birmingham. Within walking distance of New Street Station, the 8-storey hotel features classic modern interior design, a cocktail bar, restaurants and conferencing facilities.

Working with:
Client: Hotel La Tour
Fit out: Dragonfly Contracts

 

The project timeline:
January 2012:
Picto appointed to provide wayfinding and signage
April 2012:
Hotel opens to the public

Signage for hotel bedrooms
External hotel signage for Hotel La Tour
External manifestation with hotel branding
Architectural graphics on an external signage monolith

The use of upper and lower case letters at the recommended sizes, clear language and colour contrast saw us following DDA guidelines at Hotel La Tour.

External graphics at Hotel La Tour to mark the main entrance
Monochrome door signage for a boutique hotel wayfinding scheme
Directional signage wall mounted in the boutique Hotel La Tour
Directional signs and details as part of the wayfinding scheme at a boutique hotel
3D graphics indicate the toilets at a boutique hotel
Wall mounted signs at a boutique hotel as part of a full hotel wayfinding scheme
Architectural graphics as a window manifestation to brand a café within Hotel La Tour
Glass panel signage as part of a hotel wayfinding scheme
Architectural graphics as part of a hotel wayfinding scheme
Wall mounted signage indicates the location of hotel conference facilities
Manifestations on conference storage facilities as part of a hotel wayfinding scheme
Window manifestations form architectural graphics at a boutique hotel
Window manifestations as part of a hotel wayfinding scheme

What Sarah said:

“The design development at the very start of this project allowed us to integrate a number of diverse sub-brands within the hotel’s wayfinding and signage.”

Sarah Phillips | Picto

Hotel La Tour

Picto was invited to design and develop a brand-aware and sophisticated sign package to complement the contemporary interior design of Hotel La Tour. Our turnkey solution incorporated interior and exterior branding, wayfinding and general signage and display systems.

A refined and elegant turnkey solution

The client wanted a refined and stylish signage system, which would sit within the elegant design aesthetic of the new hotel, whilst also being durable and easy to clean.

Our first step was to establish what signage would be needed in order for the hotel to run smoothly. We developed a family of sign types and established their locations within the building, ensuring that directional signs would provide guests with clear orientation to floors and bedrooms and to and from the dining areas and bars.

Visual aesthetics and superior finishes

In specifying a suitably refined solution to give a superior finish, we specified materials including glass, polished stainless steel and painted and printed aluminium.

To add to the hotel’s visual aesthetic, we designed etched glass window manifestations, glass poster frames and menu boards using tensioned fabric, ensuring that DDA guidelines for signage were followed and that information about promotions and menu changes could be reflected with ease.
Back of house we kept it very simple and used a Foamex-based system.

External signage to build brand reputation

Externally, directions were needed to the hotel entrance, which is situated towards the end of a pedestrianised street, so that guests could find their way in with ease.

The Hotel La Tour brand also includes sub brands for their restaurant, bar, café and conference suite. The signage for these sub brands was applied directly to the building’s structure in etched glass vinyl, giving an elegant finish.