An Edinburgh College of Art student has been recognised for her skills in product design, following a competition launched in partnership with Nira Hotels & Resorts. Nicola Saunders, aged 19, impressed the judges with her ‘Cocktail Culture Decanters’, an exciting innovation for the hospitality industry which will be manufactured for use at Nira’s three international hotels.
Launched in January, the competition challenged the College’s second year design students to create an item that would be useful in the luxury hotels of Nira Caledonia in Edinburgh, Nira Alpina in Switzerland and Shanti Maurice in Mauritius. This week, 18 students presented their ideas to judges MPS Puri, CEO of Nira Hotels & Resorts, Peter Bourhill, Editor at Edinburgh Life and Douglas Bryden, Programme Director for Product Design at the College, when Nicola’s decanters were selected as the winning design.
Nicola won the judges over with a product in sync with today’s food and beverage trends; a hand blown glass cocktail decanter with a distinctive design and colour for each property. In addition to celebrating Nira’s own cocktail culture – emphasised by the recent opening of the new Rooftop Bar at Nira Alpina and new Rum Shed at Shanti Maurice – the item is easy to manufacture, cost-effective and something which hotel guests can purchase as a souvenir.
Nurturing and supporting talent
Commenting on Nicola’s design and the overall competition, MPS Puri said: “We’re thrilled with the quality of the projects presented to us. We’ve encouraged students to think creatively and come up with original ideas for an industry – hospitality – that is constantly evolving. As a company, we feel it is essential to nurture and support young talent and we hope to offer ‘Cocktail Culture Decanters’ and some of the other products presented today across our hotels in the near future”.
The ‘Cocktail Culture Decanters’ will be manufactured and available to purchase at the Nira hotels later this year. Meanwhile, Nicola has won a relaxing weekend for two people at both Nira Caledonia and Nira Alpina.
Runners-up
In second place was Emily Annan who designed a thermal glass jug, while Shelley Lucas took the third spot with her six-piece cutlery set, aimed at recreating the hotels guests’ dining experiences back home.
About Nira Hotels and Resorts
Nira Hotels & Resorts is a London-based, boutique, luxury, hotel-management company which was launched by renowned hotelier MPS Puri, in March 2009.
The celebrated launch of Shanti Maurice in June 2010, on the largely untouched South coast of Mauritius, marked the opening of Nira’s first property and it was soon followed by the Nira Alpina (December 2011) and the Nira Caledonia (January 2012).
Tucked away on Gloucester Place amongst the cobbled streets and striking neo-classical architecture of New Town, Edinburgh, Nira Caledonia combines the luxury of a top five star hotel with the intimacy and peace of a cosy townhouse. Once the home of John Wilson, a friend of Wordsworth and hugely famous literary figure in early 19th Century Edinburgh, the 28-bedroom hotel features stunning original cornicing and plasterwork.
For more information about Nira Hotels & Resorts click here