ALUCOBOND® PLUS Helping to Bring Hospitality Designs to Life

Davidson, NC – Today’s travelers seek memorable experiences, and with endless options available, choosing where to book often comes down to curated amenities and a property’s unique aesthetics. Driven by a desire for visually impressive spaces worth documenting and sharing, visitors expect their destination to boast a sophisticated identity and project a tangible sense of luxury from the moment of arrival. For the architects and designers shaping these spaces, every decision about the exterior is critical. A compelling street presence sets the tone, framing the grand arrival experience guests crave.

As hospitality design continues to advance, properties are becoming welcoming, community-centered hubs that inject visual energy into local neighborhoods and downtown corridors. Executing these ambitious designs requires materials that perform without compromise, balancing bold aesthetics with stringent building safety standards. By incorporating durable, high-performing ALUCOBOND® PLUS into their plans, architects can confidently specify façades that meet today’s strict fire performance requirements set by the International Building Code (IBC) while delivering true character.
Utilizing a robust range of brilliant colors and rich finishes allows design teams to create eye-catching landmarks that stand out in any landscape.

Supporting this kind of customization and creativity, 3A Composites Americas delivers sustainable, high-quality materials and systems engineered to elevate hospitality properties. With 85 ALUCOBOND PLUS standard finish options and nearly unlimited custom colors, the architectural community can seamlessly give shape to their great ideas.

The following featured projects show how ALUCOBOND PLUS is utilized across a range of properties.

Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia

Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia anchors the South Philadelphia sports and entertainment district, where the design team set out to create a structure that would seamlessly blend modern styling with the vibrant spirit of the city. The architects achieved this by creating a façade that marries expansive glass with precise metallic accents, resulting in a sleek profile that harmonizes with the skyline. As daylight transitions to night, the structure transforms into a luminous beacon that beckons visitors inside.

To achieve this dynamic presence, the design team utilized five custom colors of ALUCOBOND® PLUS, which provided the exceptional flatness and clean lines necessary to execute the complex, modern silhouette. By extending this sophisticated look and feel from the building envelope to the interior, the design team created a natural transition from the street to the interior. This project was completed by BLT Architects prior to joining Perkins Eastman.

Location: Philadelphia
Product: ALUCOBOND® PLUS Custom Colors: Surrey Beige, Casino Marble, Lee Ivory, Casino Sandstone and Light Sea Wolf
Architect: BLT Architects, a Perkins Eastman Studio
Fabricator: EDA Contractors, Inc

AC Hotel and Residence Inn Dallas by the Galleria

The dual-branded AC Hotel and Residence Inn Dallas by the Galleria sets a progressive tone for the redevelopment of the North Dallas Midtown neighborhood. Prominently anchoring the corridor, the project merges the elegant Spanish design sensibility of AC Hotels with the vibrant energy of Dallas, splitting the two properties around a shared, central courtyard.

The centerpiece of the design is a sculptural, multi-dimensional envelope that frames the public space, creating faceted planes that evolve beautifully under the changing light of the day. Executing this complex geometry relied on a precisely fabricated metal rainscreen cladding system, where strict attention was paid to the depth, angle and transition of each singular element.

This award-winning project earned widespread recognition, including the 2019 American Architecture Awards and the 2019 Texas Society of Architects Design Awards. By selecting a high-performance rainscreen system, the design team successfully met both their technical and aesthetic goals. Choosing ALUCOBOND® PLUS delivered the long-term durability the project required while allowing them to achieve a flawless, geometric exterior that fits the character of the surrounding neighborhood.

Location: Dallas, TX
Product: ALUCOBOND PLUS, Alabaster
Architect: 5G Studio Collaborative
Fabricator: NOW Specialties

Omni Tempe Hotel at Arizona State University

The Omni Tempe Hotel occupies a high-profile corner right where downtown Tempe meets the Arizona State University campus. Positioned at a busy intersection, the exterior needed to do two things at once: reflect the modern energy of the university while feeling connected to the local terrain.

Designing a large building in this region comes with a major practical challenge, the exterior walls must withstand intense Arizona heat and sun exposure without fading or warping over time. To balance these performance needs with their visual goals, C+TC Design Studio specified a dual-finish palette combining ALUCOBOND® PLUS in Rusted Metal and Anodic Clear Mica, which was fabricated and installed by Global Roofing Group.

Choosing ALUCOBOND® PLUS allowed the team to successfully check both boxes. The material delivers the long-term durability and weather resistance required for the desert climate, while providing a striking visual contrast. The organic, textured look of the Rusted Metal panels mirrors the warm, earthy tones of the natural landscape, with the clean, metallic gleam of the Anodic Clear Mica introducing a sharp, modern edge that fits the campus setting. The finished hotel gives Tempe a striking new landmark that handles the climate beautifully while looking completely at home in its environment.

Location: Tempe, Arizona
Product:  ALUCOBOND® PLUS Rusted Metal and Anodic Clear Mica
Architect:  C+TC Design Studio
Fabricator: Global Roofing Group

Drury Hotel Lake Buena Vista

The Drury Hotel at Lake Buena Vista occupies a prominent spot in a busy tourism district where thousands of travelers pass by every day. Standing out in a highly competitive hospitality market requires a strong visual presence, which led to an exterior design that goes beyond conventional commercial architecture. A multi-toned surface catches the light and creates a sense of movement from any angle.

Achieving this effect required a palette of ALUCOBOND® PLUS in three distinct finishes: Cupral, Driftwood Mica and Epernay Champagne Metallic. Rather than relying on a single color, this combination gives the exterior genuine depth. The warm, metallic tones play off each other throughout the day, making the building feel far more dynamic than a traditional hotel exterior.

Fabricated by Quality Metals, the panels offer the rigidity and superior flatness required to protect the precise, clean lines that define the building’s identity. The humid and sun-heavy Florida climate demands a rigorous performance standard, making long-term durability just as important as the initial visual impact. Choosing ALUCOBOND® PLUS panels ensures the façade withstands these harsh elements over time and retains its original appearance with minimal maintenance.

Location: Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Product:  ALUCOBOND® PLUS Cupral, Driftwood Mica and Epernay Champagne Metallic
Fabricator: Quality Metals

citizenM Austin Downtown

The citizenM Austin Downtown hotel effortlessly reflects the city’s eclectic vibe as a hub for arts, culture and technology into a distinctive destination for travelers. Located on an urban infill site at the heart of downtown, the high-rise tower sits just blocks from both the historic Texas Capitol and the Colorado River.

The design team specified a bespoke combination of ALUCOBOND® PLUS panels in JLR Gray Metallic, MZG Gray Mica II and Brilliant Silver Metallic. Instead of a uniform, monotone finish, mixing these metallic tones introduces a distinct sense of depth and movement to the façade. The shifting tones draw the eye upward, naturally highlighting the structure’s upper levels and the rooftop pool deck overlooking the city.

Fabricated through a collaborative effort by Ranger Specialized Glass and Baker Triangle Prefab, the panel system delivered the structural flatness necessary for precise and efficient installation. ALUCOBOND PLUS provides a stable, low-maintenance exterior that maintains its sophisticated visual identity and beautifully complements the Austin skyline.

Location: Austin, Texas
Product:  ALUCOBOND® PLUS JLR Gray Metallic, MZG Gray Mica II and Brilliant Silver
Architect: Baskerville
Fabricator: Ranger Specialized Glass & Baker Triangle Prefab

Le Méridien | Element Hotel

This dual-branded hospitality property brings a sophisticated architectural presence to Salt Lake City, balancing the distinct personalities of two separate hotel brands within a single structure. To give the building a memorable visual identity, Beecher Walker Architects specified ALUCOBOND®PLUS in a Brushed Carbon finish. This choice delivers a rich, metallic surface that interacts beautifully with Utah’s intense mountain sunlight, providing an unexpected dimensionality to the flat surfaces of the tower.

This dark, robust finish pairs beautifully with the warm, bone-colored stone veneer utilized across the building envelope, creating an elegant material contrast between the masonry and the clean lines of the metal panels.

Salt Lake City experiences dramatic seasonal climate cycles from freezing winter snow to intense summer heat, demanding a highly resilient building envelope. LCG Facades engineered and installed the panel system to deliver the exceptional structural flatness necessary to withstand these extreme temperature shifts, permanently preserving the building’s tailored appearance and its sharp contrast with the stone masonry.

Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Product: ALUCOBOND® PLUS Brushed Carbon
Architect: Beecher Walker Architects
Fabricator: LCG Facades

In Summary

3A Composites Americas is committed to the design, production and delivery of sustainable, high-quality, beautiful materials that inspire customization and creativity in the hospitality market.

By incorporating durable and high-performing ALUCOBOND PLUS into their designs, architects gain the flexibility to realize complex geometries and unique surface treatments. This creative freedom, combined with the product’s reliability and superior aesthetic quality, ensures the successful and efficient delivery of landmark projects.

With 85 ALUCOBOND PLUS standard finish options, nearly unlimited custom colors and efficient fastening
systems, we are helping the architectural community give shape to great ideas that enhance long-term asset value and premium property desirability. For more information visit www.alucobondUSA.com, call 1-800-626-3365 or email info.usa@3AComposites.com.

About ALUCOBOND, Manufactured by 3A Composites USA

ALUCOBOND metal composite material is used for exterior cladding, interior walls and other design elements. For more information, visit www.alucobondUSA.com.