Between the Galilee Mountains and the landscapes of Safed, in a place where nature, spirit and history meet, was born the Canaan Hotel, a luxurious adults-only spa hotel, offering a hospitality experience based on a deep connection to the place. The hotel, designed by architect Efrat Kisos, including 119 rooms and suites, a spacious spa complex, restaurants, bars, hospitality and outdoor spaces, and designed for adults only. From a comprehensive and complex renovation of an existing building, a Galili Wellness Hotel was born here, which seeks to offer a slow, relaxed and connected hospitality experience.
Ofri Paz | STANNEL
For the architect, it was much more than just another hotel project. “This is the most special project I’ve ever had, and I’ve been in the field for many years,” she says. The building, which previously served as the Meuhedet Health Insurance Fund, came with a history, presence, and clear planning limitations. Fattal’s demand was unequivocal: to create a completely new place, one that would not recall its previous use. “Renovating a building like this is a big challenge, because it’s not building from scratch,” she says. “The question was how do you put soul, spirit, and concept into a place.”
The starting point for the design was the location itself: the grove surrounding the hotel, the view that opened up to the Sea of Galilee and Mount Hermon, and the local Galilean feel. Along with the desire to create an international-level hotel, it was important to Kisos Meklis to maintain a very Israeli, almost rooted, language, and to connect the existing building with the new story that was built around it. Some of the original elements were preserved and reincorporated into the design, including the stone wall in the lobby, on top of which a library was designed and lighting was emphasized that highlights the original materiality of the building. “A combination of two things was needed here, on the one hand an international-level hotel and on the other hand a very Israeli concept and atmosphere,” she explains. “We brought the forest, nature, colors, smells, and natural materials inside. The ancient wood entered the hotel, we used a lot of wood, and natural stone that came from a local quarry to match the specific appearance we were looking for.”
The hotel connects two buildings, old and new, but instead of emphasizing the gap between them, the design creates a uniform language that ranges between natural materiality and contemporary and precise details. Alongside natural wood parquet, soft textiles, furniture made from natural materials, brown and green tones, woodwork and contemporary Israeli art, design solutions were also incorporated that bring lightness and sophistication to the spaces. For example, in the bathrooms, mirrors were designed that are divided into three parts and rotate on an axis, in a way that allows the view to be opened up from within the bathroom, and also to ventilate the space. The result is neither nostalgic nor rustic in the direct sense, but rather a balance between a sense of the past and a clean, updated design. “People who have stayed have told me that along with the feeling of the past, with the wood and stone, the hotel is also very modern,” says Kisos McLees. “And that’s something I love. We managed to balance contemporaneity with traditional elements.”
The exterior was also designed as an integral part of the hospitality experience. The hotel entrance, the iron gate, the stone paths, the pergolas, the sitting areas, the yoga room, the fire pits and the hot tubs facing the view, all continue the same concept of slowly disconnecting from the outside and entering a quieter world. “The view plays a role here,” says Kisos McLees. “It’s a crazy vantage point. Every place outside is another place to sit, to be together or alone.” According to her, the work on the project was total, down to the vases and art: “We didn’t neglect a single corner. Every corner is one where you want to sit and take pictures.”
In a project where some of the original materials were preserved and some were redesigned, the tile and cladding work required exceptional precision.Dor and TzuriThey provided the tiles and cladding for the project, constantly adapting to what already existed on site. “There were original elements that we left as they were, such as the stone flooring, which we had to blend in with,” says Kisos. “They came to the site time and time again to check what was there and adapt the element to it.” In the bathrooms, the architect sought to create more uniform and modern surfaces, between the marble, the wall thickness, and the prominent sink. “With Dor and Tzouri, we were able to find the specific sink, with the right shade and the precise protrusion that allowed us to achieve the result we were looking for,” she says. “They checked with us every sanitary item and every tile, and reinvented the wheel each time for the project.”
Fire is one of the central motifs at the Canaan Hotel, both as a design element and as part of the experience of staying on the mountain. The project incorporated nine fireplaces ofOrtal, including a four-meter-long custom fireplace located in the lobby with air blowers, an oval fireplace floating in the spa space, six electric fireplaces in the guest rooms and an outdoor fireplace with Wilderness technology, in which the fire comes out of ceramic logs that simulate tree trunks. Beyond the technological solution, the fireplaces create an additional layer of warmth, intimacy and atmosphere. “The weather in Safed is crazy and it’s cold in the evening,” says Kisos McLees, “but the fireplaces create a pleasant atmosphere and allow guests to go outside with a glass of good wine and enjoy the surroundings in the evening too.”
In the worlds of finality and matter, the accompaniment ofCarmel DirectIt allowed for different solutions to be adapted to each area of the hotel, selected in accordance with the design language built around the nature of the Galilee. The work included customized development and production, the integration of quality brands, and professional guidance from the planning stage to the execution, so that each material choice received an accurate response on both an aesthetic and a practical level. Since the hotel seeks to reflect the seasons, the forest, the earth, and the sense of calm of the place, soft, natural, and durable materials were chosen, but with a presence. The wine bar incorporated glossy Hamra tiles, interior flooring, and natural wood parquet, which continue the connection to the earth and the warm tones of the area. Handmade Forest carpets in natural tones were chosen in the rooms, adding a quiet layer of texture and softness, and in the corridors, custom-made wall-to-wall tiles and handmade Ziegler carpets were incorporated, which give the movement in the hotel a more intimate feel. The spa selected materials suitable for wet spaces, including SPC parquet and Marzi porcelain around the jacuzzi areas, with an emphasis on quality, durability and increased roughness. Thus, through the floor, tiles and textiles, an additional layer of material was built that strengthens the connection between the hotel and the landscape, the forest and the Galilean atmosphere surrounding it.
The sleeping experience at the Canaan Hotel is an integral part of the place’s wellness concept.Aminoach, a long-standing Israeli company operating since 1948, provided the hotel with luxury sleeping systems and mattresses adapted to the world of hospitality. The mattresses, manufactured in the company’s factories in Nir Zvi, combine advanced materials such as Visco, Cool Visco and latex, and are designed to provide a feeling of softness, support and comfort throughout the night. Premium pillows were also incorporated alongside the mattresses, complementing the feeling of pampering and relaxation. In a hotel that seeks to slow down the pace and restore guests to a connection between body and mind, the bed is not just a functional item, but a central part of the experience of renewal the next morning.

In the bathrooms, spa, suites and outdoor showers, products were selectedGROHEAs part of a concept that combines design, quality, reliability and user experience. The choice of the brand allowed the architect to work with a variety of durable PVD finishes, which create a deeper and richer appearance than regular paint, and suit the luxurious and natural language of the hotel. Alongside the appearance, the emphasis was also on operational silence for the contractor and the hotel, with reliable products, manufacturer’s warranty and a professional service system. For guests, GROHE technologies are expressed in a precise and pleasant bathing experience, controlled water flow, quiet flushing tanks and an overall feeling of comfort. Similarly, the sanitary details, which seem to be in the background, become part of the complete experience of a hotel that seeks to be precise in every touch, every material and every moment of stay.


Subscribe to our lifestyle channel newsletter
Error: Contact form not found.
Subscribe to our lifestyle channel newsletter
Subscribe to our lifestyle channel newsletter