The Chinese mainland has its first Hard Rock Hotel, complete with a huge vinyl mosaic, hundreds of red guitars hanging from the walls and a golden dragon made from drumsticks and 1,680 cymbals.

Hong Kong practice CL3 Architects, led by William Lim, were commissioned by developer Mission Hill Properties to design the Hard Rock Hotel Shenzhen, combining the brand’s trademark references to rock and roll with local design flourishes.

Vibrant and dramatically-lit interiors feature throughout. To introduce a ‘wow factor’, the meandering drumstick dragon installation dominates the 10m high entrance lobby and protrudes from the façade to greet guests.

The 26,690sq m (290,000sq ft) hotel features 258 guest rooms, designed with rotational beds, round psychedelic carpets and custom-designed mid-century vintage furnishings.

Public spaces in the hotel include three restaurants, a musical jamming lounge, a Body Rock Fitness health club, a kids club, two bars, a rooftop swimming pool and exhibition areas displaying rock memorabilia, including clothes from Rihanna’s concert wardrobe.

Hard Rock is continuing its global expansion and has several new hotels in the pipeline. Most eye-catchingly, it is expanding its flagship property in Fort Lauderdale at a cost of US$1.5bn (€1.3bn, £1.1bn), which will include the addition of a 450ft (137m) high tower shaped like back-to-back guitars.

Lim’s previous hotel designs include the Millennium Mitsui Garden Hotel in Tokyo and the Park Lane Hong Kong, and he is currently working on a 24-storey tower in Hong Kong designed specifically to house art galleries. An exhibition celebrating his architectural work and art collections is currently being held at the Cornell University College of Architecture, Art, and Planning.

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