yod group embeds portholes looking into steel pool within hay boutique hotel's corridors

YOD Group designs HAY Boutique Hotel and SPA by Edem Family

Designed by architectural firm YOD Group, HAY Boutique Hotel and SPA by Edem Family is situated in the heart of the Bukovel ski resort, Ukraine. The hotel features two restaurants and a local spa, providing a place to slow down and connect with nature while experiencing the Carpathian region’s authenticity. Inspired by the Carpathian landscape, the hotel offers a 360-degree view of the surrounding mountains, with each room showcasing different parts of the slopes. The building organically integrates into the landscape, resembling a rock adorned with cascades of local flora, including trees, grasses, strawberries, and blackberries.

The 40-room hotel emphasizes a restrained interior design with rich textures and muted tones. Some rooms feature ceramic bathtubs positioned next to panoramic windows, allowing guests to enjoy the view while relaxing. According to Volodymyr Nepiyvoda, architect and founder of YOD Group, the design aims to highlight the Carpathian locality by merging the boutique hotel’s exterior and essence. The use of a restrained palette, intelligent solutions, and comfort maximizes the immersion in nature while unnecessary elements are kept out of sight. Craft elements are delicately incorporated to reflect the depth of Ukrainian design.

all images by Yevhenii Avramenko

HAY Boutique Hotel and SPA fuses nature with luxury

The SPA area, located on the sixth floor of the five-star hotel, offers a space for physical recovery and emotional relaxation. Designed with shades, textures, sounds, and aromas, it provides a high-quality relaxing atmosphere. A notable feature is the steel pool with an outlet and portholes in the bottom, partly indoors and partly outdoors, situated approximately 20 meters above the ground. The pool’s end side is made of glass, offering views of the mountain slope and ski track. The fifth-floor corridor, with glass hatches on its ceiling, provides a unique perspective of the blue water column and the smooth movements of swimmers, becoming a popular spot for photos.

Adjacent to the pool, the phyto bar offers local herbal collections, continuing the herb theme into the spa procedures. The Kraxen sauna, where steam passes through hay to release its natural aroma, and the use of local herbs in cosmetics, materials, and tinctures in the four massage rooms, enhance the natural experience. A Finnish sauna with panoramic windows and a forest view serves as a place for meditation and contemplation. Ukraine-based YOD Group’s overarching concept of the hotel and SPA is to immerse guests in the local nature, with Carpathian water, air, and herbs enhancing the experience, embodying ‘naturalness’ as a new form of luxury.

HAY Boutique Hotel and SPA by Edem Family, designed by YOD Group, is located in Bukovel ski resort

the hotel features two restaurants and a local spa, offering guests a chance to connect with nature

a steel pool with an outlet and portholes is partly indoors and outdoors, 20 meters above the ground

the fifth-floor corridor, with glass hatches, provides unique perspectives of swimmers in the pool

craft elements are incorporated to reflect the depth of Ukrainian design

1/23

lobby

lobby

lobby

lobby

lobby

lobby

lobby

lobby

lobby

lobby

reception

lobby

reception

reception

SPA zone

SPA zone

phyto bar

corridors

corridors

corridors

room numbers

bedroom

bedroom

project info:

name: HAY Boutique Hotel and SPA by Edem Family | @hay_hotel
architect: YOD Group | @yod.group

location: Polyanytsya village, Bukovel, Ukraine

area: 5500 sqm

photography: Yevhenii Avramenko | @egnavrmnk

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom