Karachi Gets its First Boutique Art Hotel, ‘Ambiance’

Karachi’s first Boutique Art Hotel, Ambiance Hotel, kicked off its grand opening with a theatrically immersive performance titled ‘Immortally Yours’ as part of ‘Living Art: Episode Two’. Kasim Kasuri, CEO and Chief Design Curator of Ambiance Hotels, who describes himself as a “serial art collector” welcomed guests with an opening speech. “We built Ambiance to redefine hospitality by offering curated experiences to its patrons as Pakistan’s first network of boutique art hotels. Art is centre stage at the hotel, not just in terms of the paintings on our walls but in terms of our overall design aesthetic. While staying at Ambiance, you get to live, breathe, and immerse yourself in visually and aesthetically appealing art in multiple forms,” said Kasuri as part of his welcome address.

• 

• 

“While staying at Ambiance, you get to live, breathe, and immerse yourself in visually and aesthetically appealing art”

Kasim Kasuri, CEO of Ambiance Hotels

The Hotel:

This newly-launched hotel is situated in Clifton Block 5 in the heart of Karachi and showcases over 200 original works of art from emerging and mid-career Pakistani artists including Atif Khan, Mohsin Shafi, Sonia Chundrighar, Beygum Bano, Tooba Ashraf, and many others.

Ambiance Hotel in Karachi showcases over 200 original works of art from emerging and mid-career Pakistani artists

• 

• 

• 

• 

The artwork displayed at the hotel has been curated by Ambiance Curators’ Committee which includes Salima Hashmi, former Principal, National College of Arts; Shehnaz Ismail, founding member of Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture Karachi, Adeela Suleman, Director of the Vasl Artists’ Association and Ambiance Hotels’ CEO, Kasim Kasuri.

The hotel’s artwork has been curated by Salima Hashmi, Shehnaz Ismail, Adeela Suleman and Kasim Kasuri

Moyena Niazi is the hotel’s architect and the hotel’s interior has been designed by Sabeen Shiraz while Deepak Perwani is the hotel’s official stylist and has also designed the staff uniforms.

• 

• 

The deluxe boutique hotel is separated into four spacious blocks and currently has 24 rooms, 10 of which are already operational. In the near future it will offer guests 42 luxuriously-appointed accommodations including the upcoming ‘Ambiance Garden Suites’, each one featuring a lush green private garden. A spa and other facilities are also expected to be launched.

Each one of the upcoming ‘Ambiance Garden Suites’ will feature a lush green private garden

The Immersive Theatre Performance:

The highlight of the evening was the immersive theatre performance titled ‘Immortally Yours’ directed and choreographed by NAPA graduate and professional theatre artist, Vajdaan Shah, the narrative of which was inspired by the artwork displayed at Ambiance Hotel. According to the director, “The performance is a futuristic blend of stories replete with themes of sibling separation, lost love, the trauma triggered by war, reincarnation, violence, homelessness, emotional prisons, which blur the boundary between delusion and sanity”.

The highlight of the evening was the immersive theatre performance titled ‘Immortally Yours’ directed by NAPA graduate and professional theatre artist, Vajdaan Shah

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

These themes were brought to life and embodied by intense characters like the mad scientist, fembot Zedra, Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Surilo the wooden doll, heart surgeons which were all conceived and scripted by Shah. Audience members were asked to walk through several rooms to follow the trajectory of the characters.

Speaking about the performance, Kasuri said that he believed that immersive theatre would be the best way to celebrate the opening of Ambiance Karachi because it is something that would bring art alive at the hotel, while giving the audience a chance to interact with the artists and performers.

Kasuri said that he believed that immersive theatre would be the best way to celebrate the opening of Ambiance Karachi because it is something that would bring art alive at the hotel

The Event:

Several celebrities from the industry attended the event including Sanam Saeed, Mohib Mirza, Ayesha Omer, Maria Wasti, HSY, Deepak Perwani, Tapu Javeri, Asad Ul Haq and Asim Raza. The hors d’oeuvres served included Thai chicken satay strips, dynamite prawns, beef sliders, tomato bruschetta, smoked salmon with truffle cream, chocolate mousse and brownies accompanied by mint lemonade and peach bellini.

The event was hosted by Kasim Kasuri, CEO and Chief Design Curator of Ambiance Hotels, and the launch was spearheaded by Frieha Altaf and organized by Catwalk Event Management Productions Pvt. Ltd., which has been in the business for over three decades.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

•