Hotels are increasingly being designed as more than just places for accommodation. As expectations around travel shift, architects are approaching hospitality projects as opportunities to explore ideas of context, experience, and identity. Whether integrated into remote landscapes or inserted into dense urban environments, these proposals examine how architecture can shape the guest experience through spatial organization, material selection, and connection to place. The hotel becomes a framework not only for rest, but for interaction with the surroundings, with others, and with the design itself.
Each month, ArchDaily's editors curate a selection of unbuilt projects around a shared typology or theme. Submitted by firms of all scales from around the world, these proposals represent the diversity of approaches within our global architecture community. This month's selection focuses on hotels, ranging from the sculptural Pistachio Villas in Ubud to the modular Dubai Edition Hotel and the vineyard-rooted Terra Dionysia in Santorini. Together, they reflect a wide spectrum of architectural thinking around hospitality, from landscape integration and cultural references to questions of density and public space. Submissions are open to everyone.
Read on to discover 8 conceptual hotel projects, with text provided by the architects.
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Ubud, Indonesia
In the heart of Ubud, among rice terraces and tropical forests, a new architectural statement is taking shape - Pistachio Villas. This is more than just a boutique hotel. It's a collectible project, where each villa is conceived as a sculptural object. The design is inspired by the natural form of a pistachio: rounded, organic, seamlessly integrated into the landscape. There is simply nothing like it on the island — and that's the point.
OBLIVION / ALTER EGO Project Group
AlUla, Saudi Arabia
Set in the heart of Saudi Arabia, the OBLIVION, a 6* boutique hotel distinguished with esteemed design accolades, is tailored to the environment, allowing guests to experience the desert and its magnificent views. The architectural essence of OBLIVION revolves around effortlessly blending with its natural surroundings. Drawing inspiration from the desert's forms and hues, the structures incorporate regionally sourced materials, thoughtfully selected for construction, ensuring a cohesive integration into the landscape.
Dubai Edition Hotel: Vertical Oasis / Kalbod Studio
In a city that constantly redefines the boundaries of architecture, Dubai's skyline often prioritizes spectacle over the essence of architecture—the creation of spatial experiences. Therefore, to go beyond the status quo in this region, one must begin by asking precise and meaningful questions to chart a more effective path forward. Rooted in this approach, the Edition Hotel presents a human-centered typology that stands apart from the conventional skyscrapers of Dubai. Our central question in defining this project was: *How can we design a skyscraper in Dubai that derives its significance not from its exterior facade but from the experience it offers within? The hotel consists of six seven-story mega-modules, each rotated 45 degrees and stacked on top of one another. These modules are separated by semi-open lobbies that function as central courtyards. These courtyards, rather than the usual seclusion associated with high-rise living, create public spaces that evoke the scale of a neighborhood. The modular form of the units, oriented toward the courtyards, breaks down the overwhelming scale of the structure, emphasizing its human dimension. Moreover, the voids created by these courtyards, which offer views both upwards and downwards, invite guests to engage in a multi-layered interaction with the space, people, and environment.
Royal Mandarin Resort / Batea+Partners
Zanzibar, Tanzania
Royal Mandarin is an eco-friendly resort designed to honor nature and the natural contours of its location. The resort's architecture harmoniously blends with the environment, using natural shapes and materials to create a seamless experience. Guests enjoy a unique interior experience, walking among trees that serve as living exhibits in a natural open-air museum. Royal Mandarin also features a restaurant, reception area, yoga center, health center, and children's play area. The project draws inspiration from the natural materials of the Zanzibar region, reflecting a commitment to sustainable and culturally resonant design.
Terra Dionysia, Wine Hotel in Santorini / Nysa
Santorini, Greece
Our project is placed in an old abandoned vineyard on the outer perimeter of the Greek island Santorini. This marginal location allows us to bring to the surface less visual and more tactile qualities of Santorini. We restore the vineyard and we infuse the vinicultural mystique in the hospitality.The hotel resembles the arrangement of a monastery. A circular void covered with red volcanic stones dominates the communal experience, alluding to the geological history of the island.
Ice Cube Hotel / Kalbod Design Studio
Neom, Saudi Arabia
Suspended between two colossal, 600-meter granite cliffs that flank the entrance to Wadi Tayyib Al Ism in Saudi Arabia's Tabuk province, the Ice Cube Hotel will redefine tourism. Dangling high above the road snaking through the imposing mountains, the hotel boasts an unparalleled vantage point over the Gulf of Aqaba below. Inspired by Neom's groundbreaking mission to revolutionize living and environmental stewardship, the Ice Cube Hotel emerges on a sustained site above the Wadi Tayyib Al Ism. This innovative structure completes Neom's tetralogy of tourism destinations (Wellness, Oasis, and Adventure Hotels), offering unparalleled perspectives of the Gulf of Aqaba and the dramatic cliffside from each room.
ARMITAJ HOTEL / SOLTANPOUR STUDIO WITH BODE PANJOM
Kish, Iran
The idea of creating a second sinusoidal landscape parallel to the ground level will help to strengthen the lost landscape and by moving the courtyard of the building to different heights, it will increase the level of the existing green space. As a result, instead of a small yard, the project will be replaced with a bigger yard with a sinusoidal structure. By designing the initial mass of hotels based on existing criteria and standards, We come across a structure that is very dense and low penetration both at the height and at the ground level. As a result, the connection and interaction of the collection site with its urban environment will be minimized.
Jiangxin Island Art Hotel / UNFOLD PLANE
Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
Different from the hotels in the "concrete forest". It blends into nature as a series of small masses surrounded by landscape. The topography is manipulated to respond to the pattern of the local environment, while the buildings sit on the mounts. With the insertion of the art gallery and the undulating topography/water ponds, the scheme creates an art/landscape/view-based multilevel poetic experience for visitors. Meanwhile, this approach builds an effective ecological resilience system without disturbing the existing natural environment.
HOW TO SUBMIT AN UNBUILT PROJECT
We highly appreciate the input from our readers and are always happy to see more projects designed by them. If you have an Unbuilt project to submit, click here and follow the guidelines. Our curators will review your submission and get back to you in case it is selected for a feature.
