Search

At the ibis Styles Sarajevo Hotel the 1984 Winter Olympic Games Live On

09.18.19 | By
At the ibis Styles Sarajevo Hotel the 1984 Winter Olympic Games Live On

ibis Styles Sarajevo, which opened its doors to guests in April 2019, is the latest project by Polish studio MIXD.

The capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo has a long and complicated history with war and tragedy. These traces of war can still be seen, but with the rise of new cafes, craft workshops, designer boutiques, and nightspots, the city has become a dynamic hotspot for putting one’s finger on the pulse of up-and-coming Balkan trends and cultural waves.

This is also the city of different religions – from Catholicism, Judaism, Islam to Orthodoxy, and Eastern and Western architecture intersect on the streets to form an eclectic visual landscape that has become unmistakably Sarajevo.

MIXD used the Winter Olympic games of 1984 as design inspiration. The shisha bar in the central lobby is decorated with colorful carpets and furniture from local Bosnian craftsmen, room numbers are made from hand-woven kilims, and the hotel’s restaurant wall is populated by hand-forged metal trays.

Where Olympic nostalgia really takes over is in the lobby restaurant: the interior colors are bold and bright to reference the traditional colors of the Olympic games. A massive mural in the restaurant by Polish artist Karol Banach depicts the winter landscape and the Olympics of 1984.

Each of the rooms features a pair of vintage orange skis, while the swings in the reception – made from colorful, Olympic-era snowboards – have become the most popular place for hotel visitors to spend their time.

What: ibis Styles Sarajevo
Where: Dzemala Bijedica St 169A, Sarajevo 71000, Bosnia and Herzegovina
How much? Starting from $103
Highlights: In a city that has been so deeply entangled with war and tragedy, a new hotel wants to focus on the joys of the 1984 Olympics.
Book it: Visit ibis Styles Sarajevo

Keshia grew up in Singapore and moved to the U.S. to attend Dartmouth College. When she was living abroad after graduation, a chance enrollment at the Architectural Association Visiting School led to her becoming enamored with door schedules and architectural écriture. She's particularly interested in design for aging, rural architecture, and Asian design heritage.