History of the Building The Hotel Dom was built in the early 1960’s as a modern hotel in the old town centre of St. Gall. Typical of city hotels of this period was that shops were integrated into the ground floor, and the actual hotel with its necessary infrastructure was located in the upper floors. The quaint 1st floor restaurants frequently found in the older section of the city are still witness of this long standing tradition. Following the takeover by the present corporate direction (an organization promoting the employment of handicapped individuals) this 1st floor disposition was abandoned. The hotel business was expanded in 2005 with the remodelling of the ground floor and the integration of a restaurant at this level, offering a breakfast buffet for the hotel guests. At the same time, the hotel reception was moved to the renovated ground floor as well, establishing a representational position to welcome clients.
Renovation of Hotel Rooms 2010 During recent years, the antiquated plumbing installations were showing their age, and the entire technical infrastructure became in need of renewal. The owners thus decided to renovate the aging hotel rooms and to modernize the technical installations to present standards. The renovation plans were to take into consideration the latest requirements established for 3-star hotel businesses. Due to economic considerations, the original structural situation with relatively small rooms was maintained. Particular consideration was shown to improvements in comfort with respect to noise protection and thermal insulation, as well as to measures for earthquake security. Following a planning period of one year, construction was begun in January 2010, and in a mere 4 months the renovation was completed
Design Concept For the renovation of the ground floor, a design concept was chosen which allowed the ‚Zeitgeist’ of the 1950’s and 1960’s to come to life. The restaurant and reception area were provided with ceiling mirrors reflecting the forms of the original period, a strong design accent, awaking remembrances of the epoch. The design for the renovation of the hotel rooms oriented to the chosen concept of the ground floor and retained same volcabulary of forms to provide an image of unity for the entire hotel. The idea of the ‘paravent’ is used throughout as a thematic concept. With sweeping forms and the conscious use of fresh, young colours, an attempt to correct the tight feeling of rather small rooms, successively achieved a harmony with the unique business organization of the hotel. In combination with the renovation of the windows, a replacement of the special bay window, a typical architectural element of old St. Gall, presented a particularly difficult design problem. Constructive cooperation and input from the Office of Monument Preservation of the city of St. Gall proved to be exceptionally valuable in finding a new interpretation of this traditional feature.
