Images courtesy of HOTEL IL PALAZZO
With its windowless façade of Persian-red travertine and striking verdigris-green beams, HOTEL IL PALAZZO commands attention amid the streets of Haruyoshi, just across the river from Fukuoka’s lively Nakasu entertainment district.
The hotel opened in 1989 as Japan’s first design hotel, created through a collaboration between Italian architect Aldo Rossi and Japanese interior designer Shigeru Uchida. After some seven years of planning, it reopened in autumn 2023 following a major “Re-Design” conceived to meet the changing needs of contemporary hotel stays.
While preserving the ideas that shaped the original hotel, its interiors have been updated for the present day. From the landmark underground lounge to guestrooms with four-metre-high ceilings, we explore how HOTEL IL PALAZZO has been reimagined for a new era.
From Its Origins to Re-Design: Carrying a Design Legacy Forward
Images courtesy of HOTEL IL PALAZZO
HOTEL IL PALAZZO opened in 1989 as part of a wider urban development project. Shigeru Uchida led its art direction and interior design, while Aldo Rossi designed the architecture. The project also brought together some of the era’s most celebrated international designers, among them Ettore Sottsass, Gaetano Pesce and Shiro Kuramata. The result attracted attention not only as a hotel, but as a new cultural hub for the city.
After Ichigo Estate acquired the building in 2016, plans took shape to renew the property under OneFive Hotels of the Ichigo Group. Rather than recreating the 1989 hotel exactly as it was, the resulting Re-Design project looked to its original philosophy and design vocabulary as a foundation, adapting them to the comfort and functionality expected of a hotel today.
Underlying the project is Rossi’s belief that architecture should endure beyond a few decades and be passed on as part of a city’s heritage. The distinctive façade was therefore left largely untouched, undergoing little more than careful cleaning to preserve its original appearance.
EL DORADO: Where Art, Design History and Tranquillity Meet
At the end of the blue entrance passage, a single rose appears to float in mid-air.
Rather than stairs, the entrance takes the form of a sloping passageway. Its intense blue creates a visual boundary, using colour to separate the hotel from the bustle and everyday life outside and draw guests into a world of its own. Follow the blue slope down, then take the elevator on the left to the basement, and the high-ceilinged EL DORADO lounge opens up before you.
Past a rhythmic sequence of columns that recalls the original HOTEL IL PALAZZO, the lounge unfolds into an open space inspired by a traditional Italian courtyard. With no dividing walls, the reception, bar and restaurant are brought together within a single expansive setting.
The open-plan lounge is enhanced by soaring ceilings and an absence of partitions.
At the heart of the lounge are two symbolic works that connect the space to HOTEL IL PALAZZO’s history. One is the golden sake display from EL DORADO, the sake bar designed by Aldo Rossi for the hotel’s opening in 1989. Once one of the hotel’s defining icons, the monument has been relocated to the lounge, where it now serves as a striking focal point.
Positioned opposite it is Dancing Water, a water installation and one of Shigeru Uchida’s best-known works. It was placed here to bring a sense of nature and its subtle changes into the windowless underground space, with gentle ripples across the water lending the lounge a sense of calm. Bringing together works by Rossi and Uchida, the two masters behind the original HOTEL IL PALAZZO, is one of the lounge’s defining features.
The reception counter reinforces the transition between the outside world and the hotel interior.
EL DORADO is open to both hotel guests and outside visitors, with its offering changing according to the time of day. Breakfast is followed by a lunch buffet featuring house-made breads, while light bites and drinks are available during lounge hours.
Spacious, Open Guestrooms Shaped by Shigeru Uchida’s Design Philosophy
Deluxe King Room with Balcony
While the exterior and communal areas are characterised by bold colour, the guestrooms take a markedly different approach. Clean, minimalist interiors create a calm environment centred on privacy and relaxation.
The Deluxe King with Balcony we visited occupies part of the second floor that was originally used for public areas, including the lobby and restaurant. Retaining the proportions of that former communal space has given the room something rarely found in a conventional hotel room: a ceiling height of approximately four metres. The added height creates an expansive sense of space, while a private balcony, a feature exclusive to rooms on this floor, provides a quiet place to step outside and take in the fresh air.
Traces of Shigeru Uchida’s design language appear throughout the room. The custom-made desk chair is a contemporary re-design of one of Uchida’s signature pipe chairs, while the sofa draws on the hotel’s original colour palette. Minimal touches also recall traditional Japanese joinery, including the door separating the bedroom from the bathroom area, designed to appear as a single clean panel.
The chic bathroom is finished predominantly in black and features a large circular bathtub with plenty of room for a long soak. Among the in-room amenities is an original nightcap chocolate created in collaboration with Chocolate Shop, a long-established confectioner in Hakata. Offered in seasonal flavours, it provides a small final indulgence at the end of the day.
HOTEL IL PALAZZO’s location in Haruyoshi also puts guests within easy reach of Tenjin, Nakasu and Hakata. The surrounding neighbourhood is packed with places to eat and drink, including Fukuoka’s famous yatai street-food stalls, while the nearby Naka River makes the hotel a convenient base for exploring the city on foot.
Around 70 percent of guests now come from overseas, particularly from other parts of Asia. Many are drawn by an interest in architecture and design, while for others, staying at HOTEL IL PALAZZO is a destination in itself. The hotel has also continued to evolve beyond accommodation. In September, it launched PALAZZO PANE, its first bakery brand, adding another way for travellers and locals to come together through food and culture.
HOTEL IL PALAZZO
3-13-1 Haruyoshi, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka
Website : https://ilpalazzo.jp/
