St. Regis Riyadh: 316 Stainless Steel across Guest Rooms and Lobby

A hotel detail package that had to work at two scales

The work at The St. Regis Riyadh moved between private rooms and large public spaces. In guest rooms, the stainless steel appears as carefully placed linework, mirror-cabinet detailing and selected lighting components. In the lobby, lounge and restaurant, it becomes part of large screens made with glass. These are very different conditions, but they needed the same finish language and the same level of control.

The room images show why restraint matters. Fine metal lines frame wall panels, bedside zones and vanity areas without taking over the pale interior. Across 38 guestrooms, these lines cover a total of 128 m². Their XM-1609 finish gives the metal a quieter character beside fabric, stone and lighting.

Six-metre screens, made for transport and installation

Long screens should be divided by logistics and structural behaviour, not only by what is convenient to fabricate. The shop drawing needs to define module breaks, lifting points, splice details, frame depth, hidden reinforcement, fixing sequence and tolerance at the floor and ceiling. A controlled trial assembly checks that the pattern continues across joints and that the finished modules can be positioned without forcing them against an uneven substrate.

For laser-cut or patterned panels, open-area ratio and the narrowest ligament affect stiffness as well as appearance. Balanced welding, jigs and intermediate checks reduce distortion before final finishing. A full-size sample should be judged for privacy, light transmission and edge quality under the lighting used in the completed space.

The public-space screens were the technical centre of the project. They combine stainless steel and glass to create a layered, partially transparent boundary. The result is neither a solid wall nor a simple decorative grille. From one side, the screens give seated guests a degree of privacy. From the other, they preserve views, light and the visual depth of the hotel interior.

The three large lobby screens each measure 1.5 × 6 m. Each was divided into two sections for transport and joined on site. The metal sheet is 1.5 mm thick and frames 12 mm patterned wired glass. Because the screens are tall, a concealed frame was welded inside the perimeter, with top and bottom fixings anchored into the building. The visible sheet and glass form the decorative face; the hidden frame and anchors provide its support.

The screen pattern also gave the public spaces a different rhythm from the room interiors. Instead of repeating one simple line, it creates a changing grid of frames, glass and textured panels. That variation lets the screens perform as architectural elements in a large lounge, while their finish remains related to the smaller trims and details used elsewhere in the hotel.

One finish across rooms, bathrooms and hospitality spaces

The article identifies 316 stainless steel in this package; the approved material schedule and mill certificates should confirm the grade for each component. The lobby screen face uses 1.5 mm sheet, while its hidden reinforcement and building anchors are separate parts of the assembly.

Bathrooms and wet hospitality spaces need particular care at joints and edges. Water or cleaning residue should not be trapped behind a decorative panel. Subframes, sealants, ventilation gaps, removable access points and material isolation should be detailed as part of the complete system. A coloured surface finish does not turn an unsuitable substrate into a corrosion-resistant assembly.

The custom package moved from the 38 guest rooms and their 38 mirror cabinets to the much taller public-space screens. In rooms, the metal appears as linework and selected lighting details; in the lobby, it frames the patterned wired glass. The scale changes, but the XM-1609 finish keeps the work in one visual family.

That continuity required consistent colour and fabrication across parts with different shapes and viewing distances. The project treated these pieces as a coordinated package, with the large screens split for site assembly and the smaller room components repeated across the guestroom floors.

What the project demonstrates

The St. Regis Riyadh case shows how small room details and large lobby screens can share a finish without becoming visually repetitive. The two-piece screen modules also show how a 6 m decorative element can be transported and anchored with a concealed supporting frame.

For designers and contractors, the useful starting information is clear: drawings, finish samples, screen dimensions, glass requirements, site access and installation sequence. With those decisions resolved early, custom metalwork can move from guest-room detail to large architectural screen without losing finish consistency or proportion.