The InterContinental Miramar Hotel

Case description

Leveraging our exceptional engineering and execution capabilities, we provided the InterContinental Miramar Hotel in Panama with a comprehensive, custom-tailored furniture solution encompassing ocean-view executive suites, banquet halls, all-day dining restaurants, and high-end business lounges.

As a landmark hotel situated along the waterfront of Panama City, the client faced two primary challenges: structural corrosion caused by an extremely high-salinity marine environment, and a sense of visual oppressiveness within the hotel’s vast, high-ceilinged spaces. Due to the hotel’s immediate proximity to the ocean, the high salt content in the air caused existing metal furniture components to rust rapidly, while the drastic fluctuations in humidity frequently led to the deterioration and powdering of wooden furniture finishes. Furthermore, given the soaring ceiling heights of the lobby and banquet halls, the client urgently required furniture that could enhance the spatial warmth and approachability of these areas—while simultaneously possessing exceptional structural stability—to address the existing issues of excessive rigidity and a lack of visual layering.

We implemented a comprehensive, hotel-wide anti-corrosion system alongside a modular spatial-mitigation strategy. For the metal frames, armrests, and decorative trims within guest rooms and public areas, we employed a specialized marine-grade anti-corrosion electroplating process, paired with a surface-applied nano-self-healing coating, to completely seal off and prevent salt-mist erosion. In terms of spatial design, we developed furniture configurations for the large-scale areas that create a sense of curved, enveloping comfort; this was achieved through the juxtaposition of multiple materials—such as leather-wrapped wooden frames—to soften the cold, austere feel of the architectural structure. For the woodwork components, we introduced a bi-directional load-balancing technology, embedding reinforced carbon-steel cores within the solid-wood internal frames to ensure that large conference tables and extended sofas maintain their physical integrity and stability, even under extreme fluctuations in humidity.

The InterContinental management team remarked: “This collection of custom furniture has demonstrated astonishing resistance to aging within this coastal environment; in particular, the metal accents remain as bright and pristine as new, even after enduring numerous cycles of sea breezes and tidal shifts.” They added, “Through the precise adjustment of furniture scale and proportion, the previously vast and cavernous public areas have been transformed into highly inviting and inclusive social spaces, resulting in a significant increase in the average duration of guest stays within the lounges.” The hotel ownership further noted that, through our rigorous application of highly weather-resistant materials, we have provided the hotel with a resilient, long-term asset that will substantially reduce the frequency of future renovations.