Wine And Spa Resort Loisium Hotel, Langenlois, Austria

Designed by noted New York architect Steven Holl, the hip Loisium Hotel is drawing guests not only to its spectacular look, but also to its unique concept as a spa for vinophiles.

The facilities

At the Loisium Hotel, the ground floor is almost entirely transparent, consisting of pillars surrounded by glass, which creates a hovering, suspended effect for the building that sits above. The visitor's centre is a textured metal cube. Another cube, this time in bright yellow, ushers guests to the underground labyrinth of the Nidetzky family's extensive wine cellars.

Set amidst lush vineyards, this luxury hotel's panoramic views constantly remind guests that they are in wine country. Featuring Steven Holl's trademark interplay of space and light, public and private spaces are dominated by a few design elements: abundant glass and latticework, as well as a repetition of similarly proportioned rectangular forms in windowpanes, doorframes, counters, even mirrors.

Cork as material, form and texture is woven into the luxury hotel's space from the lighting fixtures in the restaurant dining room to the texture of the lobby staircase and concrete walls. This emphasis on cork echoes, of course, is the luxury hotel's reason to celebrate wine in a spa atmosphere .

Past the lobby complex, guests' eyes are directed over a stone pool, lined with rocks from the local Kamp River. Nearby, the Loisium centre is an Aveda Wine Spa, which means that the full array of Aveda spa treatments are available. However, this luxury hotel adds another twist, vinotherapy. This concept uses locally influenced series of treatments involving grape and wine products.

The rooms

The 80 rooms at this luxury hotel follow the cork theme with cork-shaped lamps, and a map of the underground cellars as the basis of a motif that appears throughout the luxury hotel. This includes using textiles as an innovative way of running the same design through several levels of décor and furnishings.

Rooms are airy, with large windows directly overlooking the vineyards and furniture is largely designed by Steven Holl, done exclusively for the Loisium Hotel. Dark wood abounds to set off the open feeling, and the bathrooms are a series of light, mirrored spaces criss-crossed by latticework, all laid out in a functional, modern style.