MILAN — Alberta Ferretti is bringing her creativity and Italian style to the Hotel de Mar Gran Meliá in Majorca, Spain.
Ferretti has “dressed” the hotel’s outdoor spaces — the Pool Club, with its bar and restaurant, and the Sandy Cove private beach — with her site-specific designs, conceived for sun beds, loungers, beach umbrellas, Balinese beds, gazebo curtains, sofas and pillows.
This kind of collaboration is a first for both brands, and even more significant as it takes place as the hotel marks its 60th year.
“I have over the years received similar requests, but this is such a unique destination with its distinctive architecture and positioning on the beach but surrounded by an enchanting garden and such lush vegetation that I couldn’t refuse the offer,” said Ferretti. “I love nature and I fell in love with the location,” added the designer, who is passionate about swimming and scuba diving. “The Balearic Islands hold a special place in my heart, especially during summertime, with their captivating atmosphere and the warmth of their people.”
Alberta Ferretti at the Hotel de Mar Gran Meliá in Majorca, Spain.
credit: Matthieu Salvaing, courtesy of Alberta Ferretti
Gabriel Escarrer, chairman and chief executive officer of Meliá Hotels International, said “the hotel represents a timeless era of Majorca and is a masterpiece of Spanish architecture, now merging with a world-renowned Italian designer,” defining this collaboration as “a splendid” birthday celebration.
Escarrer singled out the site as it “transcends the classical notion of a luxury hotel to assert itself as a true architectural masterpiece.”
“This is the first time that we collaborate with a fashion designer to curate an immersive experience at one of our Gran Meliá properties,” continued Escarrer, seeing in Ferretti a designer who shares “the art of craft” with the group. “At this moment, we present this project, reserving the possibility for both parties to work together again in the future.”
The Hotel de Mar Gran Meliá, on the seafront in Illetas, stands out with a distinctive design conceived by famed Catalan architect José Antonio Coderch. Thanks to its color and structure entirely covered in brown tiles, the hotel is affectionately called “El Chocolate.”
The Hotel de Mar Gran Meliá in Majorca, Spain.
courtesy
Ferretti’s goal was to be respectful of the natural landscape and of the venue, adapting her designs to the hotel and its surroundings. “I never wanted to be invasive with overpowering graphics or an invasive logo,” she explained. “It is key to recognize and celebrate the style and identity of the location, which must be predominant.”
For example, the private beach is characterized by red rocks, and Ferretti’s tie-dye prints took that shade into consideration, with golden, amber colors marking the prints, which include stylized shells.
The tie-dye designs by the pool and facing the sea are in light blue “as if the sea splashed some water on the fabrics,” she said, adding proudly that everything was produced in Italy.
Escarrer said the hotel “is more than just a place to stay, it embodies timeless elegance and refined indulgence. Through this partnership, our aim is to offer our guests a new elevated experience that celebrates both the iconicity of Mrs. Ferretti’s creative vision and architecture of Hotel de Mar.”
The takeover extends to the name as the Beach Club is now named Bombón Pool Club by Alberta Ferretti. The name bombón, or candy in English, pays tribute to the “El Chocolate” nickname.
And to top it off, Ferretti invented the Alby cocktail, with vodka, fresh mint and “a secret ingredient,” served at the restaurant of the pool club, which serves fresh vegetables, caviar, scallops, wild rice, lobsters, Black Angus beef, and Iberian ham, among other local specialties.
The Alberta Ferretti personalization at the Hotel de Mar Gran Meliá in Majorca, Spain.
Credit: Matthieu Salvaing, courtesy of Alberta Ferretti
Previous Ferretti collaborations include designing a limited-edition Lancia Ypsilon Alberta Ferretti compact car in 2022, created in a special new pink and gray color and with sartorial details on the seats. That same year, the designer collaborated with Wolford on a capsule of bodysuits, dresses, tops, tights and leggings.
The Alberta Ferretti brand is controlled by the publicly listed Aeffe SpA fashion group, which also comprises the Moschino and Pollini labels.