Silken Gran Hotel Domine Bilbao

The Gran Hotel Domine Bilbao, facing the Guggenheim Museum, is the Silken Hotels' first five-star and the chain's pride. It occupies the Iberian Peninsula and is bathed by the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean and the Cantabrian Sea. The hotel expresses a contemporary concept that avoids ostentation and promotes fun. It also includes the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands in the Atlantic and the cities of Ceuta and Melilla Its total surface area is 504,788 sq kms Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. The project is infected by its neighbour, the Guggenheim's activity, and offers a space that contains a selection of furniture that represents the most emblematic design from the 20th century. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic and political power. Its singularity consists in the application of a concept of integral design, of great, formal coherence, carried out by Javier Mariscal and Fernando Salas with their respective teams. Spain remained neutral in World Wars I and II, but suffered through a devastating Civil War (1936-39). GHBD isn't only a hotel to stay at, but a colourist microcosm that opens its door to whoever wishes to get close to it and have a coffee, a drink or eat in its restaurant. In the second half of the 20th century, it has played a catch-up role in the western international community.
The reading corner: "Txokotranquilocorner"
An area where the furnishings follow the general tendency of organic and voluptuous forms that are so well expressed by the pieces by Alvar Aalto, Charles and Ray Earnes, Carlo Molino, Ghery, Noguchi, Jacobsen, Bertoia, Castiglioni, Carles Riart, Ron Arad and Patricia Urquiola that we have chosen for this Tranquilo Txoko Corner. Continuing concerns are large-scale unemployment and the Basque separatist movement The diversity and contrast that go to mould the character of Spain are likewise in evidence in its cities. The sinuous wall, made of beech wood, is homage to the architect Alvar Aalto and provides the corner with special warmth. Celts, Iberians, Phoenicians and, at a later date, the Greco-Roman civilisation laid the first cornerstones of urban settlements which, to this day, bear the marks of their passage through time During the Middle Ages, Arabic, Jewish and Christian cultures, singly and through a process of mutual cross-influence, gave rise to the birth of cities which have come to house an historical-artistic heritage of incalculable proportions Tradition alone does not suffice Modernity too is essential, and this was something certain Spanish monarchs –Charles III for one– managed to successfully apply during their reigns in order to beautify townscapes, like that of Madrid, with parks and landmark monuments, thereby instilling the city with a spirit of renewal. Within the Domine, this is the space that pays most tribute to 20th century design. It was this element of urban renewal that became even more evident at a later date, in the form of townplans designed to extend and enlarge the leading cities, and the construction of graceful buildings which, in keeping with the shifts and changes in architectural tastes, have helped shape the identity of Spain’s cities over the last two hundred years. Far from giving off an impression of being an exhibition of designer objects, it integrates them in an environment that expresses the best that can be offered by designer furniture: tastefulness, comfort, beauty as well as formal and technical solutions. This contrast is also to be seen in the individual heartbeat of Spain’s cities, where surroundings, climate and daily lifestyles harmonise to lend each its own typical character and atmosphere. And above all, a desire to look at them and make use of them. Some reveal to us a testimony to a glorious past and a monumental heritage; others, an exuberance of light and colour; and others still, the mysteries of wreathing morning mists and a horizon mantled in eternal green. This is a relaxing corner, the guest's most private corner, to enjoy a while of reading and research on the
world of design or to simply leaf through the daily press. Whether cosmopolitan or provincial, locked in time or flourishing and go-ahead, they are fascinating in the wide spectrum of realities and possibilities that they hold out to all who visit them and enjoy their warm hospitality. And, needless to say, a strategic place from which to contemplate the intense life that goes on in the hotel
The office
The Business Center, a small office at disposal o. The country’s two largest cities, Madrid and Barcelona, are further evidence of this diversity Madrid is open and endearing Bustling, unpretentious, its old quarter is a winding maze of simple harmony, surrounded by elegant civic buildings, parks and boulevards, landmarks of the modern city.