As you drive on the Avenue of America from Madrid airport to town, you are visually struck by a unique, colourful building on your right. It reminds you of a giant bird with unfurled wings. The colour of the facade is predominantly red, with graduated shades of orange, yellow and blue. Several panels of the building and awnings have libertad  and liberty in many languages.

Welcome to Hotel Puerta America , one of the newest hotels in town. Opened in May, 2005 it has already become a landmark for architecture and design innovations in Madrid . A unique hotel that is in great demand for advertisements and photo shoots, invites you to dream, breaking up monotony by using different colours, shapes and materials. It is a building that ushers guests into innovative spaces, a bold departure from the usual.

 Heading the design of the12-floored floored hotel is the French architect Jean Nouvel. A set of 19 internationally renowned architects and interior designers were hired to design each floor making it a truly international hotel. The structure, facade, parking, restaurants/bars, gymnasium, gardens and even the lighting have been designed by different designers.

Nobuyoshi Araki, Japanese photographer is ecstatic with the Nouvel(le) concept. He writes, 'I have always been thinking that my works should be shown , not inside but outside museums. So I am really happy with this project as my wish come true.' The concept of different worlds within the same hotel is aptly described by the well known German photographer, Alain Fleischer, also a contributor, 'I live in a very small house, but its bedrooms are scattered about: one in Rio, another in Montreal, others in New York, Prague, Venice, Madrid.'

The collaboration involved, besides Nouvel, the likes of Zaha Hadid, Norman Foster, Arata Isozaki, David Chipperfield, and Mariscal etc…not exactly household names in India but highly acclaimed internationally. The Spanish chain Silken invested € 75 million in the three-year project. Even the smallest modification has to be approved by the original artist.

The design evokes strong emotions in you. You either love it or hate it, but you will not be blasé about it. For instance, the first floor designed by Zaha Hadid is done in pure white colour with the lines and shapes merging into each other . If you believe in heaven and that your karmas will earn you a spot there, the room perhaps looks like a  room in white on this floor. The room stands out for its fluidity and interplay of daring lines.  

Another room with a king size wooden bath tub, reminds some of a coffin. The star-wars styled lighting in a room could take you 30 minutes plus a call to the housekeeping  to help you switch the lights off.

It is the first time experience of a different room design that makes people come back again and again. Admits Javier Tobar, General Manager of the hotel, 'Our guests may find some aspects of the design not functionally comfortable in a couple of floors. But they love to try a floor for one day and then shift to another more comfortable setting the next day. The experience of trying the new room each time brings them again. After a few times, they get so comfortable with our services and facilities that they become our permanent customers'.

The heaven- like first floor is designed by Zaha Hadid- first woman to have won the Ptitzker, the Nobel Prize of Architecture. It has been the most expensive to build and the most popular for the first night. I could last only a couple of hours. I had not taken my health insurance and after a few bumps and thuds I did not think it wise to be adventurous.

All the floors have the same layout, with a central lobby on exiting the elevator and a hallway leading into rooms on both sides. The design of the lobby and the hallway is completely different on each floor; quite harmonious with the rooms. The 'Plasma' floor is as futuristic as it can get. Another floor has rounded and sinuous shapes with circular sofas made of fiber glass and walls with large LCDs.

Health freaks  may be disappointed by the extremely small  size of the heated pool  and the gym on the top floor of the hotel that provides a panoramic view of the beautiful city.

Even the car park designed by the Italian Architect Teresa Sapey is radical. The colourful design is inspired by Paul Eduard's poem Freedom, which takes up the entire facade of the hotel. Using simple lines and colour she has used interesting motifs on the walls and flooring of the well-lit parking lot.

Cuisine is another  highlight of the hotel. Lagrimas Negras Restaurant is known for traditional Spanish cuisine which is   stylized and reformed. 'Its solid cuisine with feelings

and flavours,' says 28-year old Chef Jose Luis Estevan from Alicante . 'For quality cuisine the most import thing is the basic ingredients and not the way of cooking. We use fresh and seasonal ingredients only.  October to February are good months for bird cuisine and we specialize in quails. Our food is traditional but not old.' Estevan uses modern technique of cooking fish and meat at 60 ºC, in which the meat remains tender and every part of the meat tastes the same, he tells me. 'Many new techniques are being used by the chefs in the last ten years; this is one of them.'

The 65-cover restaurant is generally  full and needs to be booked in advance. 'We have many locals who come to eat regularly'. He also emphasizes that the role of the Maitre d' and the sommelier are equally important. 'Maitre d' has to have the sixth sense. He has to sense the sensation of the client and guess what he wants.'

Many people come to the restaurant because of its excellent 450-wines list and the beautiful wine cellar.  Chief Sommelier Juan Antonio Herrew not only selects wines but also decides the price list. Says he, 'We have normal mark ups of 90% and never charge more than double the retail price'. 30-35 bottles of wine are consumed in a night.   

The five star deluxe property is very decently priced. Though the rack rate starts at  €360, the rooms are generally available from a very affordable  €200 to €230 including a sumptuous breakfast. Lowest rates are always published on the website.

Puerta America is a new form of living away from home. The stay is unforgettable and a lasting experience that will remain engrained in your memory. So next time you go to Europe , take a detour and enjoy a unique experience.

If you are in Madrid , do check out the place…. and do say 'hola' to Javier, Juan and Jose Louis from me.

Subhash Arora