Jamaica-born interior designer Alison Antrobus also recognised at International Property Awards

Durrant Pate/Contributor

S Hotel Jamaica, the contemporary, 120-room hotel overlooking the famed Doctor’s Cave Beach in Montego Bay, St James, is the recipient of the 2022 Five-Star Award for Best Hotel Bathroom Interior at The International Property Awards (IPAX), held recently at The Savoy London in the United Kingdom.

The IPAX awards are split into regions covering Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific, Africa, Arabia and the UK. 

As the only organisation providing five-star accolades at an international level, this recognition is a mark of excellence for S Hotel Jamaica and Jamaicn-born interior designer Alison Antrobus of Antrobus Design Collective.

“It is an honour for our team to receive this special award,” declared Christopher Issa, owner and CEO of S Hotel Jamaica.

Issa added: “We are very grateful to IPAX and its panelists who have recognised us in this way as we strive to offer the best in Jamaican hospitality.”

Maintaining Jamaica’s rich cultural heritage

For her part, Antrobus states: “As a Jamaican who left in the late 1970s, I always wanted to return to my island and contribute in some way. Both Mr Issa and I felt a social responsibility in maintaining the rich, Jamaican cultural heritage through the language of design and operations at S Hotel Jamaica. To achieve this goal in designing the hotel’s bathrooms, we layered elements of materials, art, geography and architecture, each reflective of our beloved Jamaica and as a respectful nod to the location of S Hotel.”

With the narrative paying homage to the local context through the bathroom design, Antrobus used textures and materials inspired by the local basket weaving craft for the bespoke bathtub design.

S Hotel commissioned the work of local artist, Fiona Godfrey to create a mural on the back wall of the grand double shower niche, depicting Jamaica’s ‘Ferna Flora’ in a bold and modern combination of black and white.

The view from each room governs the layout of the bathroom, resulting in a visual connection between the bathtub, the grand double shower and the majestic views of the ocean and hills.

The bathroom features a shower that is nine feet long and five feet wide, including an alcove with rain head and double showerheads, and a wicker-wrapped oval tub that plays centrestage between the bathroom and guest room.