In the “Flint”, Dornbirn has gained a new four-star hotel in the immediate vicinity of the railway station. The name is derived from the fact that it is owned and operated by the Feurstein family of entrepreneurs from Vorarlberg. The hotel was designed by Marte.Marte Architekten from Feldkirch as a tower with a hard shell and a soft core.

The façade of the “Flint” is made of exposed concrete. Although this was not the plan at the beginning, this idea was developed in cooperation with the design advisory board. Level by level – eleven to be exact – the “Flint” was built of cast-in-place concrete. The result is a façade that appears deliberately massive, vividly pulsating with countless windows of maximum size that emerge from the surface with their broad, raised frames creating a sophisticated balance.

The nine-storey tower that is docked to the existing building rises up from its two-storey base and features a z-shaped design. In this way, the small forecourt with its polished asphalt acts as an inviting patch of urban space for the hotel.

The “living room”, furnished with design classics including a fireplace and rammed-earth wall, is set up in the base next to the reception marked by a huge table made of black steel. In addition, there is the breakfast area as well as the bar with its mighty counter made of dark granite and a small library. Some of the walls are golden, for instance, and the one behind the bar is adorned with an old photo that has been enlarged to monumental proportions. The picture is related to the wine tavern that Josef Weiss from Bolzano set up in 1867 in the landmarked villa right next door, before it became the Hotel Weiss, the finest establishment in town. Restored as a sophisticated annex of the hotel, the “Villa Flint” is now experiencing a renaissance.

Although the 72 rooms are somewhat small, the space is perfectly utilised and the furnishings are of high quality and functional. Photographic wallpapers with references to the old villa adorn the walls. The hotel is supplemented by a wellness area and seminar rooms.

Architecture: Marte. Marte Architekten, Feldkirch