Flanking the awe-inspiring Al Wasl dome, the beating heart of the Dubai’s landmark Expo 2020, Rove Expo 2020 Hotel opened its doors last month as the only hotel situated on the site of the “world’s great show”.

Within The Daily, the lighting is deliberately pared back to complement the industrial aesthetic.

The hotel features 312 king, twin, and accessible Rover Rooms, as well as 19 Rover suites. It boasts several food and beverage (F&B) outlets. Located adjacent to the Al Wasl Plaza, the hotel has been designed as a vibrant centrepiece that reflects the Expo 2020 theme of ‘Connecting Minds and Creating the Future’. Its interior draws inspiration from the sub-themes of the Expo, in particular the neighbouring Sustainability pavilion.

The Rove Expo hotel has a continuous contemporary aesthetic throughout, maintaining that ‘Rove touch’ in a 2.0 version. Each zone balances clean lines and fresh functionality with cool comfort and a trendy interior, leaving plenty of space for the visitor’s dreams along with flashes of quirky local art for inspiration.

The contemporary lighting scheme for the hotel was carried out by international lighting design practice Nulty, which worked in partnership with architecture practice RSP and contractors Arco Group to create an ambiance that evokes a sense of place by weaving in references to Dubai’s rich heritage and culture.

A sustainable consciousness runs throughout the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold design concept, including Nulty’s lighting scheme which is all LED and controlled by a Dali system that allows individual areas to be adjusted throughout the course of the day.

In the bar area, the oversized orange pendants have been paired with intricate white metalwork to create a striking central feature.

Within the hotel’s expansive open-plan ground floor, where lobby, lounge and co-working areas merge with a bar and all-day dining café, layers of illumination add character and creativity to each individual area.

“The lighting scheme also brings a sense of rhythm and cohesion to the ground floor to mark the subtle transitions between each space,” says a spokesman for the company, which is a leading-edge lighting design consultancy working with some of the world’s foremost architects and interior designers.

“Guests are greeted by the lobby area where industrial design details have been set against a warm but refined material palette inspired by Dubai’s urban and desert landscapes. Oversized orange pendants adorn each desk and complement a series of ornate metallic structures used to frame the reception area,” he explains. “Linear lines of light illuminate each reception desk to create a floating effect and are replicated across the ceiling to add further visual interest.”

According to him, oversized orange pendants are a recurring theme within the neighbouring bar area where they have been paired with intricate white metalwork to create a striking central feature.

Diffused lines of light have been placed to create a comfortable working environment and large blue pendants provide pockets of atmospheric illumination for focused work and get-togethers.

Linear lines of illumination pick out the materiality of the wooden bar and help demark the space as an area where guests can socialise and relax after a day at the Expo site, the spokesman adds.

Contemporary ceiling pendants offer a further nod to the industrial Dubai theme and work alongside suspended track lights to strike the right balance between decorative and functional lighting, he stated.

 Within The Daily, the hotel’s all-day dining café, the lighting is deliberately pared back to complement the scheme’s modern industrial aesthetic and organic material palette.  Suspended track lighting forms a clear hierarchy of lines across the exposed industrial ceiling, while linear lines of illumination have been added to each of the minimalist furniture pieces to pick out the warmth and detail of the timber.

 “In the co-working areas and meeting rooms, the natural material palette has been combined with blue and green textiles and a corresponding restrained approach to lighting. Diffused lines of light have been strategically placed throughout to create a comfortable and inviting working environment and large blue pendants provide pockets of atmospheric illumination for focused work and get-togethers,” he concludes.

Rove Hotels, a contemporary midscale hotel brand that reflects the pulse of Dubai, is a joint venture between Meraas and Emaar Properties. Rove Hotels has nine properties in well-connected locations across Dubai, which apart from the Expo 2020 hotel includes Rove Downtown, Rove Healthcare City, Rove City Centre, Rove Trade Centre, Rove Dubai Marina, Rove at Dubai Parks and Resorts, at La Mer and City Walk.