The Palace, the new Lm9 million 5-star boutique hotel in central Sliema, is set to welcome its first guests.

Construction work on the nine-storey hotel has been completed and finalisation work is being carried out in readiness for the first guests. The distinctive lobby hosted its first gala event last week and was inaugurated with a lavish do to celebrate AX Holding’s chairman Angelo Xuereb’s birthday.

The Palace’s unique style has a very spacious lobby with a clever blend of classical and contemporary styles making this hotel a unique experience. The lobby with its three-dimensional mosaic flooring and eight-storey skylight is designed to reflect the grandeur of a palace, as the hotel’s name itself implies. The interior design, the work of architect Martin Xuereb, has been carefully planned to establish the atrium as a place of encounter and a hub of activity. The retro touch and conventional furniture blend in skilfully with the steel and glass décor, with its sparkling chandeliers and signature over-sized lamp-stands.

The services at The Palace are all planned to ensure that guests are made to feel at home whether on a business trip or on holiday – a carport leads directly to the entrance where the concierge immediately welcomes the guests. Access to all areas of the hotel including the restaurants and café are designed to incorporate wheelchair access into the circular lobby-design that, in turn, reflects the general circular architecture of the hotel itself.

The lobby was designed specifically to provide luxury in all aspects while offering a warm and intimate oasis of tranquillity. This is evident in the neutral colour scheme reflected in the marble flooring and wall covering, as well as in the structural design, which allows for natural light to pour in from the plate glass walls and the domed skylight during the day. This concept persists when night falls as warm, welcoming light from the beautiful three-tier chandeliers and original lamp-stands floods the atrium.

An art gallery of contemporary art also has its place in The Palace, which spills into the surrounding lobby walls that lead to the hotel’s main restaurant, The Tabloid, with its outside terraces and its café, The Talk of Town. Access to both these areas is further facilitated by the lifts that lead to and from the hotel’s spacious underground car park.

The ingeniously contrived elements in the lobby reflect the hotel’s general concept where comfort with a touch of eccentricity and especially personal contact is foremost on the list of priorities.