The designer Tomas Alia
Who better than the designer of the Room Mate Macarena hotel in Madrid to present the latest from Samsung there: a television for outdoors. Interior designer Tomás Alía hosted the presentation of Samsung The Terrace, with anti-glare screen with up to 2000 nits (it does not matter what time of day you see it since it adjusts the brightness and contrast automatically).
“Trends are committed to adapting decoration to exteriors, including televisions, like Samsung The Terrace, which is specially designed for being outdoors with excellent image quality and the best QLED technology”, the Manchego, born in Lagartera, tells us. We take advantage of the launch of this weatherproof television, to launch our Traveler Quiz to the interior designer, thanks to which we discover his passion by oriental-style hotels.
The Bab el-Assa gate in Tangier.
- Share a travel anecdote that you have never told.
"During a trip to Tangier, I was invited to a royal family wedding and As we had not been notified in time, we had not provided the appropriate clothing. It was in the palace of Fatima Zohra in the old Mountain and you had to wear traditional dress on the first day. That was easy because we had access to designers and artisans but the other day the European tuxedo was mandatory. It was complicated, I bought a black suit from a tailor, but the problem was finding a bow tie. I arrived at the Minzah hotel and I asked the maître for the bow tie of the uniform, which was like from the 70s, I changed it for a fake tie. it was so nice Thanks to him I was able to go to the wedding".
- Your favorite “secret” hotel.
"The Siamese of Bangkok. I love it, I go and I don't tell. I want so much to get lost there... with that orientalist aesthetic so clean, the vegetation, the chiaroscuros, I love it. Another is Nord Pinus, in Tangier, has six rooms arranged like a riad, sophisticated, collector's items, old textiles, artisans making the materials…and incredible everyday pieces, straight out of The Arabian Nights."
The Nord Pinus hotel, in Tangier.
- Your favorite classic hotel.
"I have several. One in Delhi, which I am passionate about, the Imperial, is Very sophisticated, with the staff divinely dressed in red suits. An aesthetic marvel. I have others of orientalist taste also in that area. I really like the Oberoi Amarvilas from Agra, which when you get up you have the Taj Mahal in front of you. I love the aesthetics, the architecture, the staff, everything is wonderful."
- Recommend some great little place off the beaten path.
"For my work, I seek the global and very rich identity of Spain to try to define what the Spain brand is. And here we have those great spaces, architectural, aesthetic, landscape, gastronomic reference sites... there is one that is fabulous, that makes me think of what someone said one day about the future of tourism in Spain passes through Extremadura. Cuacos de Yuste, where the monastery palace of Carlos V, to get lost, for its landscapes, sobriety, charm, magic, its horizon, which is a beauty".
Cuacos from Yuste.
- If you could throw a party in a restaurant anywhere in the world right now, where would it be?
"In Istanbul, at Ulus 29, a fun place, where you eat, dance... it's a cool thing. Very sophisticated." Or at Dar Yacout, in Marrakech, designed by Bill Willis, the father of interior design in Morocco in the 70s. For me, Istanbul and Marrakech are the bomb."
- A book that has inspired you to travel or, at least, to dream of a destination.
"Very clear. Kites in the sky. The relationship between two people with very different lives that tells me about Afghanistan, the country of flowers and sensuality, broken and dead by war and fanaticism. The story of two children who flew their kites."
Ulus 29 Restaurant Lounge.
- A movie whose location left its mark on you.
"A stolen beauty takes me to Tuscany and discovers Tuscany for me. It left me super scarred."
- A place where you fell in love.
"India, without a doubt."
- The airline or airport terminal where you enjoy the most.
"Every 15 days for 4 years I was traveling with Qatar Airways, its premium terminal is wonderful, with a massage room, it's another world. At the top international level".
Hamad International Airport (Doha), where the Qatar Airways premium terminal is located.
- Your favorite store discovered on a trip and what would you buy there now.
"I have two, both in Morocco. One is called Mustapha Blahui: it is a paradise, a cave of Ali Baba, in the Medina of Marrakech. The second, in Tangier, is from a great textile collector, Boutique Majid, he is an incredible guy with heritage textiles of the world. He is the bomb."
- A song that reminds you of the holidays.
"There is nothing more evocative and exciting than the soundtrack of Out of Africa, by John Barry. moves you, makes you fly."
- Your favorite place in the world.
"Tangier. So far and so close. To live and lose myself. The old mountain above all."
Istanbul, Turkey.
- The one you most want to visit.
"Turkey. I have come to go to Istanbul nine times in a year. Imagine how that city can fascinate me."
- Three garments that are never missing in your suitcase.
"Currently I love the long shirt concept, like those of Baruc Corazón, up to the knee, or my tailor in Tangier. They serve you for the day or for the night if you have a party, depending on the fabric, the buttons... The length makes it very sophisticated. Also a panama hat. A scarf, which is my fetish garment and, above all, cotton pants with multicolored checks".
- A person, company or place that you know and that is developing an initiative to make the world a better place.
"There are two: the Domaine de Boisbuchet, where the owner of Vitra, in a French castle, trains the world's great designers and architects, who are and approach that space full of gardens etc. They impart cultural, aesthetic talent… everything that speaks of beauty and sustainability. And another is the Michelangelo Foundation, which protects the hallmark of European identity and excellence. It is based in Geneva.
Tomás Alía presented Samsung The Terrace at Room Mate Macarena.