HAY Boutique Hotel and SPA. Carpathian authenticity from YOD Group

A five-star hotel in the heart of Bukovel with two restaurants and a local SPA. A place to slow down, unite with nature and immerse yourself in refined Carpathian authenticity.

The concept of the hotel grew out of admiration for the luxurious nature of the Carpathians. The botanical atlas includes 88 varieties of local herbs. Hence the name of the hotel restaurants: 88 Vinotheque and 88 Daily. On hot summer days, the sun burns the grasses on the meadows, turning them into fragrant hay that gently rustles underfoot. This hay gave the hotel its name and became a central theme in its design. 

The hotel building offers a 360-degree view of the Carpathian landscape. A different part of the mountain slopes opens from the windows of each room. The building itself is organically integrated into the landscape and resembles a rock with cascades of plants. Local trees, grasses, strawberries and blackberries decorate the facade, view terraces and balconies. Plants change just as it happens in nature: some grow at the foot of the mountain, others at the middle level and at the top.

Refined decorative elements in the lobby of the hotel, its restaurants and rooms delicately interpret the history of local craft traditions. Textiles from the Ukrainian workshop Morgental are a new interpretation of Ukrainian symbols and amulets. Carpets from Litvinenko Design are an author's look at traditional weaving and bed-making. Armchairs from the Ukrainian brand Noom are a new Ukrainian design inspired by the aesthetics of modernism and conquering the world with emotional minimalism.

The hotel has 40 rooms. Their interior has restrained tones and rich textures. In some of the rooms, a ceramic bathtub is located in the space of the room opposite the panoramic windows. Thus, you can enjoy the view directly from it.

The unique tables in the rooms are reminiscent of the local blacksmithing tradition. The massive oak tabletop is fixed on an anvil-shaped cast-iron base. The lamp, integrated into the structure of the table, gives a cozy soft light through textured pressed hay.

The clothes hooks in the room are shaped like rough forged nails that can be seen in museums of antiquity. The metal staples that serve as furniture handles in the rooms and also hold the wooden paneling of the columns in the restaurant area are also a reference to the skill of Carpathian blacksmiths.

One of the design features of HAY is a swimming pool with an outlet on the 6th floor of the hotel. That is, part of the water path is indoors, and part is in the open space. The bottom of the pool has round portholes opening into the ceiling of the corridor one floor below. Yes, the fifth floor corridor became the most Instagrammed place on НAY. It resembles an oceanarium, where instead of sharks and seahorses, hotel guests swim.

In addition, portholes create an additional source of illumination. Their effect is similar to that when a pinch of light falls through the thick crowns of trees onto a forest clearing.

"Our task was to show locality as much as possible, to combine the external space of the hotel and its deep essence. A restrained palette, intelligent solutions and comfort give a feeling of maximum immersion in nature, when everything superfluous remains behind the scenes. We delicately integrated craft elements into the interior to reveal the deep essence of Ukrainian design," says the architect and founder YOD Group Volodymyr Nepiyvoda.

Photo Shoot: Evgeny Avramenko