Sedona's artful new wing

Entering the lobby of the new Inya Wing, a 29-story five-star expansion of the Sedona Hotel Yangon, which was opened two months ago, I was greeted by a magnificent vertical sculptural screen of laminated glass inspired by the rare Star Tortoise that is native to Myanmar.

Intricate glass patterning mimics the tortoise's shell and layered panels create a three-dimensional image that filters the daylight.

Upon entering, the signature colors of the hotel are everywhere — gold from Buddhist influences and red from the indigenous lacquerware.

The interiors of the new wing feature traditional Myanmar art and materials that are artfully infused with modern Asian influences and aesthetics.

The traditional local umbrella is a key motif that runs throughout the new wing, starting with the lighting centerpiece in the main lobby and glass ceilings there and in the guestrooms, as well as lamps, which are also umbrella-shaped.

The country's national musical instrument, the saung, which is said to be the only surviving harp in Asia, is displayed in the lobby, where locally made wooden seats offer cool comfort to guests, enabling visitors to immerse themselves in the Myanmar cultural identity.

In the evening, folk cultural performances played on the saung, folk oboe and drums, in the outdoor E-Deck restaurant enable tourists to feast their eyes and ears on the local culture.

Sedona Hotel Yangon's new Inya Wing derives its name from the tranquil lake in front of the hotel.

The name Sedona was derived from the pure white Dendrobium Sedona orchid, which was bred for the first time in 1984 at the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

Under careful nurturing by gardeners, it finally bloomed in 1994 and was unveiled at the launch ceremony of Sedona Hotels in 1996, according to the hotel's general manager Mok Kok Meng.

Sedona was the first five-star hotel in the country.

"A thing of beauty, the Dendrobium Sedona perfectly optimizes the level of warm, gracious and personable hospitality the Sedona brand strives to offer," he said.

The general manager said that, since the Sedona's opening, the Asian signature hotel has welcomed luminaries including UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Thai Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, Chinese film star Jackie Chen, South Korean movie star Song I Guk, Thai actor Maurer Mario, and vocalists from the Danish band Michael Learns to Rock.

The country's democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi's residence is on the opposite bank of Inya Lake from where the hotel is located. Standing in the hotel, visitors have breathtaking views of the lake and her residence.

Visitors can also walk about 20 minutes to take photographs in front of her residence, which she always allows.

The hotel is also about 20 minutes from the country's best-known and most sacred Buddhist site, the 2,500-year-old Shwedagon Pagoda, which is constructed using gold and enshrines strands of Buddha's hair and other holy relics.

It also only takes 20 minutes to travel from the hotel to the airport.

The hotel's features, both in the new Inya Wing and the older garden wing, incorporate Myanmar's cultural traditions to impress tourists with the local ethnic decor and architecture.

The new Inya wing merges modern design and luxury with the country's traditional style.

The Inya wing was designed by renowned hospitality design firms Singaporean Forum Architecture and Studio HBA.

The new wing has 431 well-appointed guest rooms and suites, along with a grand lobby with a high-end retail gallery connecting the new tower to the existing garden wing.

The new wing houses a terrace featuring a swimming pool, fitness center and an all-day restaurant.

The Real Fitness Signature Club is a new premium fitness center offering guests more than 10,000 square feet of the latest Life Fitness equipment.

A renowned fitness club brand with facilities in Golden Valley and Mindhama, the club offers classes including body combat, step aerobics, yoga and zumba, as well as personal training in addition to an outdoor pool, tennis courts, steam room and jacuzzi.

I failed to rent a Wi-Fi router in the country, but was pleasantly surprised to find the hotel offers Wi-Fi services to its guests, which locals told me are rare in the country.

The hotel has 797 guestrooms in two separate towers: the Garden Wing with 431 and the Inya Wing with 366.

According to the general manager, the hotel's swimming pool and fitness center are both the largest in the city.

The hotel is owned by Singapore-based property company Keppel Land, which also owns the Sedona Hotel Mandalay and Sedona Suites Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Contact the writer at yangcheng@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 01/09/2016 page10)