The Relais Cooden Beach has been selected as one of the six hottest new hotel openings for the UK's The Independent newspaper. 

Superlatives such as ‘impeccable’ and ‘beachy, South of France refinement’ really capture what we and the team were aiming for and it’s wonderful to see it hit the mark.

Photograph: Gregoire Gardette

We are thrilled that Sze Wei has been shortlisted for the Hotel Designs' 2022 Brit List. She shares the shortlist with some of the most prominent names in UK hospitality design and this is wonderful recognition for both Sze Wei and Translation Architecture as we approach our third year in practice - thank you to Hamish Kilburn and the team at Hotel Designs.

Looking forward to the awards ceremony on the 2nd of November!

'Relais Retreats’ first property is the 40-room Relais Henley located along the course for the famed Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames. The 16th-century former coaching inn caught Leo’s eye pre-pandemic but was already under contract. That fell through in March 2020, and when businesses reopened the property became hers. “When I see a building, it speaks to me, and I can easily visualize what it could become,” says Leo. “I am someone who can make decisions quickly.” This approach meant that in less than nine months and during two lockdowns, the nearly 500-year-old Grade II relic was restored with expertise from Nicholas de Klerk and Sze Wei Lee, cofounders of London-based Translation Architecture, and Paris-based Pascal Allaman, Leo’s frequent design partner.'

A piece written for the industry title Hospitality Interiors on the story behind the refurbishment of the The Relais Henley, outlining the approach, some of the challenges and how the unique quality of the Grade II listed hotel has developed.

'The experience that has been crafted is rich and complex without being intimidating while comfort, luxury and accessibility has been prioritised at every turn. This investment has extended the lifespan of the building for another generation and perhaps more and, as a team, we feel privileged to have become part of the story of this building and a few of many, many hands that have shaped it over the centuries.'

An interview with editor Hamish Kilburn in industry publication Hotel Designs profiling Translation Architecture.

'The role that writing plays in translating abstract ideas into design concepts is a key part of our design process. Dialogue and conversation, often taking the form of writing, are important to our collaborative creative process. As the practice has taken shape, this notion has developed in interesting ways.'

The date of construction of the (West Range of the) former Red Lion hotel (now the Relais Henley) has been confirmed as 1462, the year after the Chantry House, making it one of the oldest buildings in the town.

'The principle behind tree-ring dating is a simple one: the seasonal variations in climate-induced growth as reflected in the varying width of a series of measured annual rings is compared with other, previously dated ring sequences to allow precise dates to be ascribed to each ring.'

Nicholas de Klerk has been shortlisted as one of the top 25 architects working in UK Hospitality in the Brit List 2021 by Hotel Designs.

A profile of hotelier Grace Leo in which she discusses the development of The Relais Henley and the next property which will form part of The Relais Retreats group at Cooden Beach in East Sussex:

'Working with my architect, Nick de Klerk, and interior designer, Pascal Allaman, who are both well-seasoned and talented professionals, made our journey all the more stimulating and rewarding.'

A piece in the Henley Standard which considers the reception of the proposed refurbishment by local residents, and quotes at length from the Design and Access Statement submitted with the planning and Listed Building consent applications prepared by Translation Architecture:

'Great care has been taken to understand the building, including the impact of several ill-considered and harmful changes to the property over time which the broader refurbishment programme seeks to reverse. The intention is to bring the hotel back up to a quality and standard that both the residents of Henley and visitors to this important market town would wish to see.'