By Maciek Klimowicz
We all love a good story. You do too? Then listen to this one. It has dramatic plot twists and fascinating characters, it brushes with history and is set in a magnificent tropical scenery. The story of JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay is like no other, because it’s a hotel like no other.
They say that the best way to start a story, is at the beginning. But what if there’s more than one? Such is the case with the story of JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay, whose origins reach more than 100 years back, and its heritage even further.
Its story first begun in XVIII century, on the island of Phu Quoc in southern Vietnam, in a merchant town of Bai Khem. Little is known about its past, except for the fact, that to serve the needs of the offspring of local traders, a college was set up there. Later on, the same town was chosen as the site of a new university in the French ruled Vietnam – L’Université Lamarck.
Established in 1889, it was named after Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, a notable XIX century French biologist. An academic as well as a soldier, Lamarck was also an early proponent of the idea of evolution – evolution, which as we now know, rules supreme in nature, but leaves its mark on technology, culture and architecture, to name just a few.
And so, to adapt to the changing times, what was originally a cluster of low-rise traders’ houses, evolved and was soon expanded by a cluster of multi-story modern classroom buildings, together forming the Lamarck University. The institution thrived for a few decades, welcomed numerous esteemed scholars and produced many great sport teams, that is until war tore through Vietnam, and the university was closed and deserted.
It might sound like the end of the story, but luckily, there also was a new beginning. Years later, in more peaceful and prosperous times, a group of vigorous developers of the Vietnam Sun Group – a luxury real estate investment group established in 2007 – saw the potential of the former university and set out on a journey to bring back its former glory. To that end, they joined forces with no other than Bill Bensley, one of the most creative hotel designers in South East Asia. The task took them five years of arduous restauration work until, at the beginning of 2017, Lamarck University was reborn as a one-of-a-kind beach resort – the JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay.
And how can it not be one of a kind, if it combines such rich heritage with Bensley’s limitless imagination? Bensley personally calls it one of his best designs, and the reason why, is clear to anyone, who had a chance to visit the resort and experience its unique charm. For one, while it’s a big hotel, with 244 rooms, suites and villas overlooking a crescent of a white sand beach, it doesn’t feel at all overwhelming. To make the ambiance more intimate, the designer drew heavily on the university’s heritage and its gradual evolution over decades. And so, the original one and two-story Hoi An style buildings, were turned into the resorts private villas, while the high-rise structures developed later to accommodate growing numbers of students, formed the main, beach-front part of the resort. “The idea here was to break down the scale, so that people feel like they are in their own boutique department of a hotel,” says Bensley.
This concept of compartmentalization is taken further, with the color schemes and interior design of various parts of the resort. Pastel hues with white accents dominate the palate, and match the surrounding landscape beautifully, giving the whole project a subtle, fairytale-like feel. But they do more than that, they also demarcate the hotel into different wings, which in turn play on the theme of the educational departments of the original university.
Such links to the past can be found throughout the property, and include busts of the university’s more prominent speakers exhibited on the north side of the great hall, or sport memorabilia on display across the resort. Original classrooms and offices have been put to work as well, and now serve as the resort’s bedrooms and suites.
You might still think that a hotel and a university couldn’t be in starker contrast, with one designed for people to work hard, and the other to unwind and relax. There is however one more element that connects them, a link stronger than the common architectural features. It’s the spirit of discovery, a desire to learn new things. It is shared by scholars and travelers alike, and it is very much present at the JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay where it can be found in every corner, hall and classroom. After all, studying broadens the mind, and so does travel.
Find out more at marriott.com
