Courtesy: Julia Freemantle | News Source: timeslive.co.za

Hotels are often neutral, impersonal spaces that cater to an infinite variety of potential guests. But Philippe van der Merwe and Greg Gamble, the team behind design firm Tonic, saw this as an exciting challenge when they were approached to consider a new project.

Home Suite Hotels is a new breed of hospitality brand. A smart model, based on sound business principles (the founding company is primarily a financial operation rather than a hospitality one), the idea is in the name - venues that aren't designed around ticking boxes but to provide welcoming spaces: comfortable, liveable and layered. Crucially, they also offer the must-haves of a hotel: convenience, location, amenities...