‘King of exotic luxury resorts’ designer Bill Bensley has created a fantasy world at the new JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay in Vietnam. The hotel, on the 574sqm island off the coast of Cambodia, is modelled on a fantastical setting of a fictional former university.
JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay’s is designed around the concept of a mythical academy of learning, honouring French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, who laid the groundwork for Darwin’s theory of evolution. ‘Lamarck University’ was the intellectual and educational pinnacle of Phu Quoc in the early 1900’s and attended by the island’s French colonists before closing in the 1940’s.
Bensley’s team travelled across Europe to source 5,000 original antiques and artifacts for the resort.
“Many people consider university to be the most memorable time of their lives,” said Bensley. “I’ve always wanted to create a resort with this theme because of the profound influence my university studies had on my work. The scale of this project, together with the spectacular setting, gave me the perfect opportunity to bring the story of Lamarck University to life ensuring that guests leave richer than when they arrive, a core expectation for JW Marriott guests.”
The site is divided into zones, all connected via the Rue de Lamarck, the main street that extends through the resort.
There are 244 ocean facing guestrooms and The Chanterelle – Spa by JW incorporates references from Alice in Wonderland.
Tempus Fugit, the all-day dining restaurant, also doubles as the ‘Department of Architecture’ where the study of forms, lines, structures and scale is evident.
At the ‘Department of Chemistry’, the resort’s cocktail bar located by Emerald Bay, guests are served by ‘chemists’ in lab coats.
Bensley’s imaginative touch also extends into the meeting rooms and banqueting facilities. The grand ballroom, the Lamarck Auditorium, showcases a series of vintage atlases, while the separate meeting spaces each tell a story; The Artist is a meeting room inspired by Jackson Pollock’s drip paintings, while The Sculptor and Carpenter boast student chairs hanging on the walls. And Elliott’s Backstage, another breakout area, is styled like a green room of an ancient theatre.
