Hotel Splendide Royal: Studio Gascón signs the renovation of four prototype rooms, balancing heritage, comfort, and contemporary hospitality

Studio Gascón has completed the renovation project of three prototype guest rooms and a lounge at the Hotel Splendide Royal in Lugano, the historic Swiss hospitality landmark overlooking Lake Lugano. The project, now completed and open to guests, was conceived with the aim of guiding one of the city’s most representative hotels into a new era of hospitality, elegance, and contemporary comfort. 

Long regarded as a benchmark of Lugano’s hotel scene, the Hotel Splendide Royal preserves a strong identity shaped over time through a culture of hospitality defined by refinement, discretion, and continuity. Studio Gascón’s design approach was both respectful and bespoke, seeking not to impose a new language upon the hotel’s heritage, but rather to enhance it through contemporary, functional solutions aligned with the expectations of an international clientele.

The intervention involved the creation of a lounge and three prototype guest rooms, conceived as pilot environments in which to assess the dialogue between design, comfort, proportions, materials, and functionality. Rather than simple aesthetic prototypes, these are fully realized, livable spaces designed to concretely evaluate both the quality of the guest experience and the operational performance of the hotel.

In this sense, the project also carries a methodological value. The prototype rooms become a tool for observation and validation—a real-world laboratory in which every decision, from spatial layout and material selection to lighting perception and the tactile quality of surfaces, contributes to defining a precise, elegant, and measured vision of hospitality. 

The renovation of a historic hotel requires particular sensitivity. Every design decision must balance aesthetics, technical requirements, construction timelines, operational continuity, and the preservation of the guest experience. For this reason, Studio Gascón developed the project in close coordination with the ownership and hotel management, overseeing the intervention through to completion and the reopening of the renovated rooms. 

In the case of the Hotel Splendide Royal, luxury is not interpreted as ostentation, but as balance. It is a quiet form of luxury, expressed through harmonious proportions, carefully selected materials, functional solutions, and details that convey an immediate sense of well-being. An almost invisible quality, yet one that is deeply felt—one that today represents one of the defining codes of high-end hospitality.

“Every hospitality project begins with a responsibility: to respect the identity of a place while preparing it for the future. In the case of the Hotel Splendide Royal, we worked to achieve a delicate balance between heritage, comfort, and innovation, with the goal of creating rooms that welcome guests naturally, without ever losing their connection to the hotel’s history”, says Gabriele Gascón, founder of Studio Gascón. 

The project also reinforces the ongoing collaboration between Studio Gascón and the Naldi family, owners of the Hotel Splendide Royal, within a shared vision of hospitality as a heritage to be preserved while continuously evolving. A heritage that extends beyond the buildings themselves to encompass the way spaces generate hospitality, create memories, and deliver lasting value over time.

With this intervention, Studio Gascón further strengthens its position within the world of luxury hospitality. Its bespoke design approach is shaped by a careful understanding of the hotelier’s operational needs, the guest’s expectations, and the long-term economic value of the property. In today’s hospitality industry, design is no longer simply an aesthetic matter; it is a strategic tool for elevating perceived quality, reinforcing a property’s identity, and creating new forms of guest experience.